6. Earful Tower

Image: Disney

Park: Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Walt Disney Studios Park
Fate: Demoted

The Story: Completing the “studios” theme of the two parks at which it’s located, the Earful Tower is meant to stand-in for real water towers that served as landmarks of studio backlots in the early 20th century. Back then, wooden sets were highly flammable, and water towers on-site served as a fire-department-in-waiting. 

Why It’s Not An Icon: The Earful Tower was demoted from park icon status at Disney’s Hollywood Studios thanks to the Sorcerer’s Hat. When the Sorcerer's Hat was demolished, the Earffel Tower was not reinstated as the park's icon, igniting a fervor of rumors that the water tower wouldn't last. And sure enough, Disney announced in 2016 that the Earful Tower would be removed, no doubt a major milestone in the park transforming from a "studio" style park emphasizing the backstage elements of cinema to an immersive one filled with immersively-themed lands.

The Earffel Tower at Paris’ Walt Disney Studios Park remains the identifying icon for that park today.

7. Grizzly Peak

Image: Disney

Park: Disney’s California Adventure
Fate: Defeated by time and the elements

The Story: When the tepid Sun Icon failed to take off as an identifying feature of Disney’s California Adventure, the park’s official icon was quickly labeled as Grizzly Peak. It makes sense. The 150-foot tall “mountain” was easily seen from almost anywhere in the park and was one of the more impressive and beautiful elements of the park as it opened in 2001. However, the mountain is not centrally located and (perhaps unsurprisingly) the “grizzly” naturally formed atop the mountain is angled such that it’s most easily visible to those staying in the ultra-pricy Grand Californian Hotel than it is for guests in the park.

Why It’s Not An Icon: Grizzly Peak remained the park’s official icon for quite a while. Today, the mountain is barely visible from most places, with the pine trees planted around it having matured so far as to almost completely hide the forced-perspective-peak. Time and the elements fought against Grizzly Peak’s iconic status, but the powers that be had different ideas anyway. After the park’s massive foundational renovation began, things started changing.  In 2009, Disney’s California Adventure’s icon shifted for a third time...  

8. Mickey’s Fun Wheel

Image: Disney

Park: Disney’s California Adventure
Fate: Demoted

The Story: When Disney's California Adventure opened in 2001, the park’s Paradise Pier had long been its most easily memorable land thanks to its panoramic vista of modern amusement attractions and neon lights set along Paradise Bay. One of those attractions was the Sun Wheel, a large Ferris wheel with a vintage, '70s-stylized bronze sun face at its center, exemplifying the land's (and park's) odd, modern setting.

During the early years of the park's rebirth, the Sun Wheel was reborn as the dazzling, shimmering, LED-infused Mickey's Fun Wheel and officially took over as the park's icon... a smart idea since the Fun Wheel signified the park's changing direction: chocked full of pie-eyed classic Disney characters and lovingly turning the clocks back to a turn-of-the-century, reverent, historic, idealized California rather than the odd, modern spoof the park had been up to that point.

Why It’s Not An Icon: Mickey’s Fun Wheel still retained some duties in identifying California Adventure in simple forms, but when the park "re-opened" in 2012, the official icon became the impressive Carthay Circle Theatre. The Carthay is a fitting icon: a landmark of California, an icon of cinema history, and the place where Walt risked it all to premier the world’s first full length animated feature film. Even Mickey’s Fun Wheel couldn't compete with that.

Oddly, the story of Mickey's Fun Wheel doesn't end with its character overlay or its demotion. As we explored in Declassified Disaster: Disney's California Adventure – Part II, Imagineers didn't leave well enough alone. In 2018, Paradise Pier went under the knife a second time, re-emerging as Pixar Pier – a sort of strange mix of Victorian seaside architecture and blatantly mis-matched Pixar films. While most Disney fans see the whole project as a confused mess, the oddest bit has to be the Ferris wheel which still has a pie-eyed, 1930s Mickey Mouse on its face, but was officially renamed the Pixar Pal-a-Round.

9. Oceana

Image: Disney

Park: DisneySea California
Fate: Never built

The Story: In the early 1990s, Disney ran rampant with plans for its California property with WestCOT and Disney’s California Adventure. Another park, DisneySea was officially announced not for Anaheim, but for nearby Long Beach. DisneySea Park would be one element of a sort of second resort, Port Disney, planned for the area, incorporating the existing Queen Mary ship that Disney intended to purchase. DisneySea's icon would be the impressive and unimaginable Oceana, an enormous central aquarium built at the center of this aquatic park.

Why It’s Not An Icon: Allegedly, Disney never really intended to built DisneySea – it was all a ploy to get to city of Anaheim to incentivize Disney to build there, instead. We may never know. Obviously a “DisneySea” did get built, but thousands of miles across the Pacific, and with little in common with Disney’s Californian plans.

10. Parisian Castle Replacements

Image: Disney

Park: Disneyland Paris
Fate: Never built

The Story: Castles have always been the central icon of Disneyland-style parks. If a Disney park includes Adventureland, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, and the rest of the classic lineup, you can bet that it has a castle at its center. But the construction of Disneyland Paris brought up a new issue: would a castle inspire and amaze in a country chocked full of them? The French (and the rest of the Europeans who would visit) see castles all the time, and on the whole, most real castles are much more elaborate than Disney’s forced-perspective palaces. Imagineers toyed with unique ideas for a Parisian icon, coming up with some strange ideas en route.

Why It’s Not An Icon: Obviously, Disneyland Paris ended up with Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant. It’s a castle, but different than any of Disney’s, and certainly different than Europe’s real ones. With fantastical turrets, spiral staircases, elaborate windows, square hedges, gold trim, and a fanciful pink color, the castle is much more fairytale than any you’re likely to find in real life, making it suitable for a crowd used to castles in their own backyards.