Disney's Hollywood Studios#Former attractions
{{short description|Theme park at Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, Florida}}
{{pp-semi|small=yes}}
{{use American English|date=February 2017}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2017}}
{{Infobox amusement park
| name = Disney's Hollywood Studios
| logo = Disney's Hollywood Studios logo 2019.svg
| logo_size = 275px
| image = The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, 2024.jpg
| caption = The Hollywood Tower Hotel, the icon of the park
| location = Walt Disney World
| location2 = Bay Lake, Florida
| location3 = United States
| coordinates = {{coord|28.357|-81.5561|region:US-FL_type:landmark|format=dms|display=title,inline}}
| theme = {{Plainlist|
- Golden Age of Hollywood
- Imagined worlds of cinema
}}
| homepage = {{URL|https://disneyworld.com/hollywoodstudios}}
| owner = Disney Experiences
(The Walt Disney Company)
| operator = Walt Disney World
Key people:
Jackie Swisher (VP)
Steve Ruffner (GM, Operations){{Cite web |last=Slater |first=Laurel |date=March 26, 2021 |title=Meet the Women Behind the Magic Leading and Protecting Walt Disney World Theme Parks |url=https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2021/03/meet-the-women-behind-the-magic-leading-and-protecting-walt-disney-world-theme-parks/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210326190321/https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2021/03/meet-the-women-behind-the-magic-leading-and-protecting-walt-disney-world-theme-parks/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 26, 2021 |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=Disney Parks Blog |language=en-US}}
| opening_date = {{Start date and age|1989|5|1}}
| previous_names = Disney-MGM Studios
| season = Year-round
| status = Operating
}}
{{DWR}}
Disney's Hollywood Studios is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. It is owned and operated by the Walt Disney Company through its Experiences division. Based on a concept by Marty Sklar, Randy Bright, and Michael Eisner, the park opened on May 1, 1989, as the Disney–MGM Studios Theme Park, and was the third of four theme parks built at Walt Disney World. Spanning {{convert|135|acres}}, the park is themed to an idealized version of Hollywood, California, and is dedicated to the imagined worlds from film, television, music, and theatre, drawing inspiration from the Golden Age of Hollywood.{{Cite news|url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/theme-park-rangers-blog/os-bz-disney-hollywood-studios-name-change-20180207-story.html|title=Disney: Park is Hollywood Studios for 'foreseeable future'|last=Bevil|first=Dewayne|date=February 7, 2018|work=Orlando Sentinel|access-date=February 8, 2018}}
Disney's Hollywood Studios was initially developed as both a theme park inspired by show business and an operating production studio, with active film and television production services, an animation facility branch, and a functioning backlot. Construction on the combined park and studio began in 1987, but was accelerated when the construction of the similarly themed Universal Studios Florida began a few miles away.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/08/13/us/nastiness-is-not-a-fantasy-in-movie-theme-park-war.html |title=Nastiness Is Not a Fantasy in Movie Theme Park War |newspaper=New York Times |date=August 13, 1989 |access-date=July 11, 2011 |first=Jeffrey |last=Schmalz |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101203043306/http://nytimes.com/1989/08/13/us/nastiness-is-not-a-fantasy-in-movie-theme-park-war.html |archive-date=December 3, 2010 }} To increase public interest and the variety of film representation within the park, Disney entered into a licensing agreement with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), from which the park's original name was derived. The park's production facilities were removed throughout the 2000s, and many of the park's soundstages were retrofitted for newer attractions and guest use. The park's current name took effect in 2008, with the removal of the MGM-branding throughout the park. In the 2010s, the park began to distance itself from the original studio backlot intention and entered a new direction of immersive theming and attraction development inspired by imagined worlds from Hollywood storytellers.
The park's original landmark was the Earffel Tower, a faux water tower topped with Mickey Mouse ears. In 2001, the Sorcerer's Hat—a stylized version of the magical hat from Fantasia—was erected in the park's central hub and served as the icon until its removal in January 2015.{{cite news|url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/theme-park-rangers-blog/os-disney-hollywood-studios-big-hat-20150107-post.html|title=Disney visitors say farewell to Hollywood Studios' big hat|last1=Bevil|first1=Dewayne|date=January 7, 2015|work=Orlando Sentinel|access-date=January 7, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150107232025/http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/theme-park-rangers-blog/os-disney-hollywood-studios-big-hat-20150107-post.html|archive-date=January 7, 2015|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}} The Earffel Tower was also removed the following year. The Hollywood Tower Hotel has since been the official icon, with the park's replica of Grauman's Chinese Theatre serving as the visual centerpiece. In 2023, the park hosted 10.3 million guests, ranking it the tenth most-visited theme park in the world.{{Cite web |url = https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:us:13691780-8574-4346-89a1-7841afe1c597?viewer%21megaVerb=group-discover|title = TEA/AECOM 2023 Global Attractions Attendance Report |date = 2024 |access-date = 16 August 2024 }}
Dedication
{{blockquote|The World you have entered was created by The Walt Disney Company and is dedicated to Hollywood—not a place on a map, but a state of mind that exists wherever people dream and wonder and imagine, a place where illusion and reality are fused by technological magic. We welcome you to a Hollywood that never was—and always will be.|Michael Eisner, May 1, 1989{{cite book|last1=Burke|first1=Bill|title=Mousejunkies! Tips, Tales, and Tricks for a DISNEY WORLD Fix: All You Need to Know for a Perfect Vacation|publisher=Travelers' Tales|isbn=978-1-932361-75-9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lJMQ7AOamYMC&pg=PT156|access-date=April 9, 2016|date=May 5, 2009}}{{cite news|last1=Moyer|first1=Justin Wm|title=Bill Cosby statue comes down at Disney park after drug revelations|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/07/08/disney-park-removes-bill-cosby-statue-after-drug-revelations/|access-date=April 9, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151008125344/http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/07/08/disney-park-removes-bill-cosby-statue-after-drug-revelations/|archive-date=October 8, 2015|df=mdy-all}}}}
History
File:The Great Movie Ride and Chinese Theater at Walt Disney World.jpg and now hosts Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway.{{cite news |last1=Niles |first1=Robert |date=November 25, 2014 |title=Turner Classic Movies Steps in to Sponsor Disney World's Great Movie Ride |url=http://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/201411/4311/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160119081633/http://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/201411/4311/ |archive-date=January 19, 2016 |access-date=January 20, 2016 |work=Theme Park Insider |df=mdy-all}}|left]]
A team of Walt Disney Imagineers led by Marty Sklar and Randy Bright had been given the assignment to create two new pavilions for Epcot's Future World section. The brainstorming sessions led to Wonders of Life and Great Movie Ride pavilions. The latter was to look like a soundstage backdrop, with a movie theater-style entrance in the middle and would have sat between the Land and Journey Into Imagination pavilions. When newly appointed CEO Michael Eisner saw the plans for the pavilion, he requested that, instead of placing the ride in an already existing park, it should be the anchor for a new park themed with Hollywood, entertainment, and show business.
In 1985, Disney and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) entered into a licensing contract that gave Disney worldwide rights to use the MGM brand and logo for what would become Disney–MGM Studios, which included working production facilities for films and television shows, a backlot, and a satellite animation studio for Walt Disney Feature Animation, which began operation prior to the park's debut.{{cite book |last1=Rafferty |first1=Kevin P. |title=Magic Journey: My Fantastical Walt Disney Imagineering Career |date=2019 |publisher=Disney Books Group |isbn=978-1-368-04514-8 |chapter=The Disney-MGM Studios Expansion}} In 1988, MGM/UA responded by filing a lawsuit that claimed Disney violated the agreement by operating a working movie and television studio at the resort. On May 1, 1989, the theme park opened adjacent to the production facilities, with MGM's only affiliation being the original licensing agreement that allowed Disney to use MGM's name and lion logo in marketing, and separate contracts that allowed specific MGM films to be used in the Great Movie Ride. On opening day, the only two operating attractions were the Studio Backlot Tour and the Great Movie Ride. Several months after park opening, the "Streetmosphere" improvisational troupe was added to the park. The Streetmosphere performers, now named the Citizens of Hollywood, are the longest-running attraction at the park.{{Cite web|url=https://themouselets.com/the-citizens-of-hollywood|title=Everything you Need to Know About the Citizens of Hollywood|date=2018-07-31|website=The Mouselets|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-28}}
Disney later filed a countersuit, claiming that MGM/UA and MGM Grand, Inc. had conspired to violate Disney's worldwide rights to the MGM name in the theme park business and that MGM/UA would harm Disney's reputation by building its own theme park at the MGM Grand hotel and casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. On October 23, 1992, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Curtis B. Rappe ruled that Disney had the right to continue using the Disney-MGM Studios name on film product produced at the Florida facility, and that MGM Grand had the right to build a Las Vegas theme park using the MGM name and logo as long as it did not share the same studio backlot theme as Disney's property.{{cite news|work=Variety|title=Disney, MGM winners at trial's end|date=October 26, 1992}} The {{convert|33|acre|m2|adj=on}} MGM Grand Adventures Theme Park opened in 1993 at the Las Vegas site and closed permanently in 2000. Disney was contractually prohibited from using the Disney-MGM Studios name in certain marketing contexts; in those instances, the park was called either The Disney Studios or Disney Studios Florida.
In the 1990s, as the park's popularity and attendance grew, the park saw its first expansion in 1994, with the addition of Sunset Boulevard and The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror attraction. The backlot's New York streets were opened to guest access to relieve traffic and renamed as Streets of America. During that same decade, Walt Disney Feature Animation's on-site satellite studio assisted in the production of Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King, with Mulan and Lilo & Stitch being completed entirely at the park's studio.{{Cite news|url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/tourism/os-bz-toy-story-disney-hollywood-studios-history-20180529-story.html|title=Disney-MGM Studios moves on from Hollywood dreams to theme park reality|last=Russon|first=Gabrielle|date=June 14, 2018|work=Orlando Sentinel|access-date=June 15, 2018}} In 2001, the Sorcerer's Hat—a stylized version of the magical hat from Fantasia—was erected in front of the park's Chinese Theater and began to serve as the park's icon from then onwards, displacing the Earffel Tower in that role. In 2004, Disney shuttered the Florida animation unit. The backlot's Residential Street was demolished to accommodate the new location for Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show in 2005. In 2007, Disney announced that Disney-MGM Studios would be rebranded as Disney's Hollywood Studios, effective January 7, 2008.{{cite web|url=http://www.wdwnews.com/ViewPressRelease.aspx?PressReleaseID%3D107616 |title=On With the (Even Bigger) Show! New Name, More Magic to Transform Disney Theme Park |access-date=September 28, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070912061402/http://wdwnews.com/ViewPressRelease.aspx?PressReleaseID=107616 |archive-date=September 12, 2007 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.cfnews13.com/News/Local/2007/8/9/mgm_studios_name_change.html |title=Disney Announces Name Change For MGM Studios |access-date=August 10, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927194330/http://www.cfnews13.com/News/Local/2007/8/9/mgm_studios_name_change.html |archive-date=September 27, 2007 }} That same year, the former Stage 1 soundstage became home to Toy Story Mania! and the surrounding area was rethemed as Pixar Place.
In the 2010s, Disney began phasing out the park's "studio-like" attractions that headlined the park during its early years of operation. This included the closure of the park's Studio Backlot Tour, American Idol Experience, and the Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow attractions in 2014.{{cite web|last=Bevil|first=Dewayne|title=Hollywood Studios attractions on their way out at Disney World|url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/the-daily-disney/os-dewayne-bevil-disney-hollywood-studios-20160324-column.html|website=orlandosentinel.com|access-date=September 6, 2016|date=March 24, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160826000152/http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/the-daily-disney/os-dewayne-bevil-disney-hollywood-studios-20160324-column.html|archive-date=August 26, 2016|df=mdy-all}} The following year, the Sorcerer's Hat was removed and the original sightlines from Hollywood Boulevard to the park's Chinese Theatre were restored.{{cite news|last1=Mauney|first1=Matt|title=Disney Hollywood Studios: The hat is gone|url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/the-daily-disney/os-disney-hollywood-studios-hat-gone-story.html|access-date=February 26, 2015|work=Orlando Sentinel|date=February 26, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150226051006/http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/the-daily-disney/os-disney-hollywood-studios-hat-gone-story.html|archive-date=February 26, 2015|df=mdy-all}} In March 2015, during an annual shareholders meeting, Disney CEO Bob Iger hinted at another possible name change for the park due to the changes coming in the near future.{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2015/biz/news/disneys-hollywood-studios-theme-park-to-get-new-name-1201451575/|title=Disney's Hollywood Studios Theme Park to Get New Name|date=March 12, 2015|work=Variety|last1=Graser|first1=Marc|access-date=March 16, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150315035246/http://variety.com/2015/biz/news/disneys-hollywood-studios-theme-park-to-get-new-name-1201451575/|archive-date=March 15, 2015|df=mdy-all}} However, the company denied the rumors of a name change in February 2018.{{cite news|last1=Fickley-Baker|first1=Jennifer|title=Reimagining the Future of Disney's Hollywood Studios|url=https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2018/02/reimagining-the-future-of-disneys-hollywood-studios-first-look-at-toy-story-lands-alien-swirling-saucers/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180208011503/https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2018/02/reimagining-the-future-of-disneys-hollywood-studios-first-look-at-toy-story-lands-alien-swirling-saucers/|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 8, 2018|access-date=February 23, 2018|work=Disney Parks Blog|date=February 7, 2018}} The park continued to close more studio-themed attraction; in April 2016, the majority of Streets of America—including the backlot street facades, the Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show, the Earffel Tower, and the remaining backstage areas—was closed and demolished in preparation for Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge and Toy Story Land.{{cite web|url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/the-daily-disney/os-star-wars-disney-hollywood-studios-20150815-story.html|title=Star Wars land coming to Disney's Hollywood Studios – Orlando Sentinel|first=Sandra|last=Pedicini|date=August 15, 2015|work=OrlandoSentinel.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150816122556/http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/the-daily-disney/os-star-wars-disney-hollywood-studios-20150815-story.html|archive-date=August 16, 2015|df=mdy-all}}{{cite news|last1=Pedicini|first1=Sandra|title=Earffel Tower coming down, attractions closing at Disney's Hollywood Studios|url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/the-daily-disney/os-lights-motors-action-disney-closing-20160115-story.html|access-date=November 21, 2016|work=Orlando Sentinel|date=January 15, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170103085720/http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/the-daily-disney/os-lights-motors-action-disney-closing-20160115-story.html|archive-date=January 3, 2017|df=mdy-all}} In 2017, the Great Movie Ride closed as the final remaining opening-day attraction and was replaced by Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway in 2020.{{cite news|last1=Bevil|first1=Dewayne|title=Hollywood Studios: Magic of Disney Animation closing next month|url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/theme-park-rangers-blog/os-disney-hollywood-studios-magic-animation-closing-20150629-post.html|work=OrlandoSentinel.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713071743/http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/theme-park-rangers-blog/os-disney-hollywood-studios-magic-animation-closing-20150629-post.html|archive-date=July 13, 2015|df=mdy-all}}{{cite web|last1=Stein|first1=Mitchell|title=Guest Editorial: The closure of The Great Movie Ride is the end of an era in Disney themeing|url=http://attractionsmagazine.com/guest-editorial-the-closure-of-the-great-movie-ride-is-the-end-of-an-era-in-disney-themeing/|website=Attractions Magazine|access-date=August 17, 2017|date=August 13, 2017}}{{cite web|author1=Shane|title=Return to Opening Day: Disney MGM Studios 1989 – Parkeology|url=http://www.parkeology.com/2014/03/return-to-opening-day-disney-mgm-studios-1989.html|website=Parkeology|date=March 25, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417014846/http://www.parkeology.com/2014/03/return-to-opening-day-disney-mgm-studios-1989.html|archive-date=April 17, 2016|df=mdy-all}}
The park was closed from March 16 to July 15, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Florida.{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/12/media/disney-world-close-coronavirus/index.html|title=Walt Disney World closes, paralyzing the company's tourism empire|author=Frank Pallotta|work=CNN|date=March 12, 2020|access-date=July 17, 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://www.laughingplace.com/w/articles/2020/05/27/live-blog-walt-disney-world-reopening-plans-presentation/|title=Live Blog: Walt Disney World Presents Reopening Plans to Orange County Economic Recovery Taskforce|author=Laughing Place Staff|work=Laughing Place|date=May 27, 2020|access-date=May 27, 2020}} In 2025, Muppet*Vision 3D and the surrounding Muppet-themed courtyard was closed. The area is expected to be re-themed to Pixar's Monsters, Inc. franchise, including Disney's first suspended roller coaster.{{cite news |last1=Sampson |first1=Hannah |last2=Baker |first2=Kelsey |date=August 12, 2024 |title=Move over, Cinderella: Disney is making a new land for villains |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2024/08/12/disney-new-theme-park-projects-villains-land/ |access-date=April 4, 2025 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}{{cite web |last=O'Bier |first=Taylor |date=August 12, 2024 |title=Walt Disney World is entering its villain era with largest land expansion in park history |url=https://www.ksby.com/entertainment/walt-disney-world-is-entering-its-villain-era-with-largest-land-expansion-in-park-history |access-date=April 4, 2025 |website=KSBY News}}{{cite web |last=Mitchell |first=Bea |date=March 10, 2025 |title=Disney World teases new Monsters, Inc. suspended coaster |url=https://blooloop.com/theme-park/news/disney-monsters-inc-coaster/ |access-date=April 4, 2025 |website=Blooloop}}{{cite web |last=Mitchell |first=Bea |date=January 27, 2025 |title=Disney World's Muppets show gets closing date to make way for Monsters, Inc. land |url=https://blooloop.com/theme-park/news/disneys-hollywood-studios-muppet-closure-monsters-inc-land/ |access-date=April 4, 2025 |website=Blooloop}}
Park layout and attractions
{{See also|List of Disney's Hollywood Studios attractions}}
Disney's Hollywood Studios is divided into seven themed areas inspired by romanticized iterations of either existing locations found in Hollywood and throughout Los Angeles, or imagined worlds from Hollywood-born stories. The park's original layout featured a large Hidden Mickey, which was visible in aerial photographs of the park and on the park's early guide maps, though construction and other park changes have eliminated much of this image.{{cite news|url=https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2011/06/vintage-walt-disney-world-sunset-boulevard-emerges/|title=Vintage Walt Disney World: Sunset Boulevard Emerges|last1=Rasmussen|first1=Nate|date=June 9, 2011|work=Disney Parks Blog|access-date=April 9, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417161221/https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2011/06/vintage-walt-disney-world-sunset-boulevard-emerges/|archive-date=April 17, 2016|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}
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= Hollywood Boulevard =
File:Hollywood Boulevard, Disney's Hollywood Studios (2024).jpg
Hollywood Boulevard, inspired by the real street of the same name, serves as the park's main entrance and operates in the same vein as Main Street, U.S.A. at Magic Kingdom. It is lined with themed streetscape facades and venues selling Disney merchandise and park services. Guests enter through the main entrance gate, which resembles the Pan-Pacific Auditorium. Near the park's gate is a recreation of the Crossroads of the World tower. Live street entertainment and seasonal parades travel down the main street throughout the day. At the far end of Hollywood Boulevard stands an exact replica of Grauman's Chinese Theatre, which houses Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway, a dark ride themed to the world of Mickey Mouse animated shorts. Near the entrance of Animation Courtyard—resides The Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant, a themed replica of the original Brown Derby restaurant in Hollywood, California.
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= Echo Lake =
File:Echo Lake at Disney's Hollywood Studios.jpg
Echo Lake, inspired by the similarly named neighborhood in Los Angeles, is designed to mimic the suburban "California Crazy" form of architecture from Hollywood's Golden Age and is anchored around the area's namesake lake.
Echo Lake features two major attractions based on characters and films created by George Lucas and produced by Lucasfilm. Star Tours – The Adventures Continue is a 3-D motion simulator ride set in the Star Wars universe. In the open-air Epic Theater, the live-action Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! re-enacts various action scenes from Steven Spielberg's Raiders of the Lost Ark, with professional film stunt actors performing as Indiana Jones and Marion Ravenwood.
The Hyperion Theater houses For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration, a musical show based on Disney's Frozen. Behind this building lies a subsection named Commissary Lane, that connects Hollywood Boulevard directly to Grand Avenue and bypasses Echo Lake altogether. In this area, resides two eateries: ABC Commissary, a quick-service restaurant themed to ABC television programs and the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant, a dinner theater with a retro-style theme featuring vintage car themed tables and a large movie screen featuring continuous clips of science-fiction films from the 1950s.
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= Grand Avenue =
File:Grand Avenue, Disney's Hollywood Studios.jpg
Grand Avenue is themed as a gentrified historic district inspired by the real location of the same name in downtown Los Angeles. The area features BaseLine Tap House, a modern California-styled pub.{{cite web|url=https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2017/07/new-baseline-tap-house-part-of-new-grand-avenue-area-at-disneys-hollywood-studios/|title=New BaseLine Tap House Part of New Grand Avenue Area at Disney's Hollywood Studios|last1=Peabody|first1=Joan|date=July 26, 2017|website=Disney Parks Blog|language=en-us|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170726174442/https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2017/07/new-baseline-tap-house-part-of-new-grand-avenue-area-at-disneys-hollywood-studios/|archive-date=July 26, 2017|url-status=dead|access-date=July 26, 2017|df=mdy-all}} The main street of Grand Avenue leads into a recreation of a Figueroa Street Tunnel which connects Grand Avenue to the adjacent Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge.{{cite news |last1=Bevil |first1=Dewayne |title=Get a sneak peek of the emerging landscape of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disney World |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/the-daily-disney/star-wars-galaxys-edge/os-et-disney-stars-wars-land-first-look-20190430-story.html |access-date=6 May 2019 |work=Orlando Sentinel |date=April 30, 2019}}
Grand Avenue was originally planned in the 1980s as a themed area called Muppet Studios, centered around the Muppets from Jim Henson's The Muppet Show, following Disney's intended acquisition of the Jim Henson Company. The area's design included Muppet*Vision 3D, a 4D film attraction, as well as a themed restaurant and a Muppet dark ride parody of The Great Movie Ride.{{cite web|last1=Korkis|first1=Jim|title=Walt Disney World Chronicles: The Muppet Studios|url=http://allears.net/ae/issue647.htm|website=allears.net|access-date=April 4, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160416174916/http://allears.net/ae/issue647.htm|archive-date=April 16, 2016|df=mdy-all}}{{cite web|last1=Hill|first1=Jim|title=You will believe that a Pig can fly. (Frogs too!)|url=http://jimhillmedia.com/editor_in_chief1/b/jim_hill/archive/2004/02/19/90.aspx|website=jimhillmedia.com|access-date=April 4, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413013034/http://jimhillmedia.com/editor_in_chief1/b/jim_hill/archive/2004/02/19/90.aspx|archive-date=April 13, 2016|df=mdy-all}} The deal fell through after Henson's death in 1990, and only Muppet*Vision 3D was developed and later opened in 1991. The Muppet-themed restaurant was reworked into Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano.{{cite news|last1=Bevil|first1=Dewayne|title=Latest look: Changes underway at Disney's Hollywood Studios|url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/theme-park-rangers-blog/os-disney-hollywood-studios-construction-20161107-story.html|access-date=November 18, 2016|work=Orlando Sentinel|date=November 7, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161118162944/http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/theme-park-rangers-blog/os-disney-hollywood-studios-construction-20161107-story.html|archive-date=November 18, 2016|df=mdy-all}}
{{anchor|Streets of America}}The realized Muppet-themed section became a part of the park's former Streets of America area, which encompassed several attractions, including an urban street amalgamation of New York City and San Francisco. The area's namesake street facades were formerly the park's working backlot set, which was originally a component of the park's inaugural Studio Backlot Tour, and opened to pedestrian park traffic in the mid-1990s; this area closed on April 2, 2016 to accommodate the construction of Galaxy's Edge.{{cite web|last1=Smith|first1=Thomas|title=Experience Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show One More Time at Disney's Hollywood Studios|url=http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2016/01/experience-lights-motors-action-extreme-stunt-show-one-more-time-at-disneys-hollywood-studios/|website=Disney Parks Blog|access-date=January 15, 2016|language=en-US|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160115222654/http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2016/01/experience-lights-motors-action-extreme-stunt-show-one-more-time-at-disneys-hollywood-studios/|archive-date=January 15, 2016|df=mdy-all}}{{cite web|url=http://www.insidethemagic.net/2016/01/more-closures-planned-including-earffel-tower-for-disneys-hollywood-studios-due-to-star-wars-toy-story-construction/|title=More closures planned, including Earffel Tower, for Disney's Hollywood Studios due to Star Wars, Toy Story construction|work=Inside the Magic|date=January 15, 2016 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160117213207/http://www.insidethemagic.net/2016/01/more-closures-planned-including-earffel-tower-for-disneys-hollywood-studios-due-to-star-wars-toy-story-construction/|archive-date=January 17, 2016|df=mdy-all}} PizzeRizzo, a pizzeria owned by Rizzo the Rat, opened in 2016.{{cite news|url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/the-daily-disney/os-pizzerizzo-opening-fall-in-hollywood-studios-story.html|title=PizzeRizzo opening this fall in Disney's Hollywood Studios|last1=Delgado|first1=Lauren|date=July 15, 2016|work=Orlando Sentinel|access-date=July 15, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160720054157/http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/the-daily-disney/os-pizzerizzo-opening-fall-in-hollywood-studios-story.html|archive-date=July 20, 2016|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}} The Muppet-themed areas and a single remaining New York block of the Streets of America facades were repurposed into Muppets Courtyard, which served as a placeholder designation until Grand Avenue was completed in September 2017.{{cite news|url=http://www.disneytouristblog.com/grand-avenue-announced-hollywood-studios-disney-world/|title=Grand Ave Coming to Disney's Hollywood Studios – Disney Tourist Blog|last1=Bricker|first1=Tom|date=July 26, 2017|website=Disney Tourist Blog}} The entirety of the Muppet-themed areas—including Muppet*Vision 3D and PizzeRizzo—as well as Mama Melrose's, closed in 2025.
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= ''Star Wars'': Galaxy's Edge =
{{Main|Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge}}
File:Star Wars, Galaxy's Edge, Walt Disney World.jpg
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge is set within the Star Wars universe, at the Black Spire Outpost village on the remote frontier planet of Batuu. Attractions include Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, a dark ride that places guests in a climactic battle between the First Order and the Resistance; and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, a flying simulator attraction that allows guests to pilot the Millennium Falcon through a customized secret mission on behalf of Hondo Ohnaka and Chewbacca. Restaurants and shops include Oga's Cantina, Savi's Workshop, and the Droid Depot. The land opened in 2019, replacing the park's Streets of America section.{{Cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/star-wars-galaxys-edge-opening-dates-set-may-august-1192999|title=Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Sets Opening Dates|last1=Vlessing|first1=Etan|date=March 7, 2019|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=March 7, 2019|last2=Parker|first2=Ryan}} The {{convert|14|acre|adj=on||abbr=}} area cost an estimated $1 billion.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/15/business/media/disney-epcot-theme-parks.html|title=Disney Vows to Give Epcot a Magical, Long-Overdue Makeover|last=Barnes|first=Brooks|date=July 15, 2017|work=The New York Times|access-date=July 16, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170715181742/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/15/business/media/disney-epcot-theme-parks.html|archive-date=July 15, 2017|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}
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= Toy Story Land =
{{Main|Toy Story Land}}
File:Toy Story Land sign WDW.jpg
Toy Story Land is inspired by Pixar's Toy Story series. The {{convert|11|acre|adj=on}} area is themed to Andy's backyard with three attractions, each hosted by characters from the series.{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/herocomplex/la-et-hc-disney-parks-to-receive-an-injection-of-star-wars-toy-story-and-avatar-20150815-story.html|title=Disney reveals plans for 'Toy Story Land' and 'Avatar' and more 'Star Wars'|last1=Martens|first1=Todd|date=August 15, 2015|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=August 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150816032048/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/herocomplex/la-et-hc-disney-parks-to-receive-an-injection-of-star-wars-toy-story-and-avatar-20150815-story.html|archive-date=August 16, 2015|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}} The attractions include Toy Story Mania!, an interactive 4D attraction inspired by classic carnival midway games; Slinky Dog Dash, an outdoor roller coaster; and Alien Swirling Saucers, a Whip ride.{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/toy-story-land-disney-hollywood-studios_55d08f17e4b0ab468d9d8b13|title='Toy Story' Land Is Coming To Disney's Hollywood Studios|last1=Brucculieri|first1=Julia|date=August 16, 2015|work=The Huffington Post|access-date=August 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150817205959/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/toy-story-land-disney-hollywood-studios_55d08f17e4b0ab468d9d8b13|archive-date=August 17, 2015|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}} The land opened on June 30, 2018.
Toy Story Mania! was originally a standalone attraction within Pixar Place, an area dedicated to films and characters created by Pixar, resembling the animation studio's Emeryville, California campus. Pixar Place was also the home of Luxo Jr., a six-foot-tall audio-animatronic version of Pixar's desk-lamp mascot.{{cite web|url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/orl-cfbtourism-disney-060809060809jun08,0,5876331.story|title=Wait may be more fun at Disney's Space Mountain|author=Jason Garcia and Sara K. Clarke|work=Orlando Sentinel|date=June 8, 2009|access-date=June 8, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090610164700/http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/orl-cfbtourism-disney-060809060809jun08%2C0%2C5876331.story|archive-date=June 10, 2009|df=mdy-all}} The moving character performed periodic shows throughout the day and evening across from Toy Story Midway Mania.
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= Animation Courtyard =
File:Disney's Hollywood Studios Archway.jpg
Animation Courtyard is home to attractions based on films and characters owned by the Walt Disney Company. Its entrance is marked by a square "studio arch". This section of the park originally was the starting point for the Studio Backlot Tour.
The former Magic of Disney Animation building hosts Star Wars Launch Bay, a Star Wars exhibit featuring behind-the-scenes props and character meet-and-greets with Darth Vader, Chewbacca, and BB-8. Mickey Avenue, a subsection of Animation Courtyard, is home to a walk-through exhibit, Walt Disney Presents, which explores the life and legacy of Walt Disney through photos, models, artifacts, and a short biographical film narrated by Julie Andrews in the Walt Disney Theater. The Courtyard section also hosts two live shows. Disney Junior Dance Party! entertains guests with characters from Disney Junior series.
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= Sunset Boulevard =
File:Sunset Boulevard at Disney's Hollywood Studios.jpg
Sunset Boulevard, inspired by the real thoroughfare of the same name, as well as the film of the same name, was the first expansion of the park, opening in July 1994. The focal point of Sunset Boulevard is the Hollywood Tower Hotel which houses The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, a drop tower thrill ride themed to an abandoned hotel and inspired by Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone. Located nearby is Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, an indoor darkened roller coaster themed to the music of Aerosmith in G-Force Records Studio, with three inversions and a high-speed launch.
Sunset Boulevard has two outdoor amphitheaters, and one indoor theater. The covered Theater of the Stars hosts Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage, a stage show featuring highlights from the 1991 animated film. The larger open-air Hollywood Hills Amphitheater is the home of Fantasmic!, a nighttime show featuring Mickey Mouse and many other Disney characters in a story with fireworks, lasers and water effects.
The indoor Sunset Showcase hosts the under construction Disney Villains show expected to open in fall 2025.
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Live entertainment
File:Sombrero MGM.JPG stood at the park's hub between 2001 and 2015.|left]]
Disney's Hollywood Studios has featured numerous forms of in-park entertainment throughout its history. During its early years, the park featured the "Star Today" program, with a daily celebrity guest. The celebrity would often be featured in a motorcade along Hollywood Boulevard or would take part in a handprint ceremony at the Great Movie Ride's entrance, or participate in an interview session.
At other times, Disney has imported characters and intellectual properties that were not part of its own original library of films and television shows. Some of these characters have included the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Ace Ventura, Pet Detective, and characters from the Goosebumps series by author R. L. Stine. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers made appearances in the park during the first seasons of the television series but then vanished. Disney had ownership of the Power Rangers franchise through its purchase of Saban Entertainment until May 2010 when Saban purchased the franchise back and were regular members of the park's cast of characters during that time.{{cite web|last1=Littleton|first1=Cynthia|title=Saban re-acquires rights to 'Rangers'|url=https://variety.com/2010/film/news/saban-re-acquires-rights-to-rangers-1118019212/|website=Variety|access-date=March 14, 2017|date=May 12, 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100916223604/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118019212.html?categoryid=14&cs=1|archive-date=September 16, 2010|df=mdy-all}} Live musical acts, such as the cover band Mulch, Sweat and Shears and the a cappella quartet Four For a Dollar, used to perform on the park streets or as pre-show entertainment at the larger shows.{{cite web|url=http://attractionsmagazine.com/mulch-sweat-shears-ending-october-10-disneys-hollywood-studios/|title=Mulch, Sweat and Shears ending at Hollywood Studios|work=Attractions Magazine|date=September 11, 2015 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160323191044/http://attractionsmagazine.com/mulch-sweat-shears-ending-october-10-disneys-hollywood-studios/|archive-date=March 23, 2016|df=mdy-all}}
Like Disney's Animal Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood Studios also used to run daily parades down Hollywood Boulevard. The Disney Stars and Motor Cars Parade and the Pixar Block Party Bash featured film characters performing in a street party along Hollywood Boulevard and near Echo Lake. Several times each day, the "High School Musical 3 Senior Year: Right Here Right Now" show used to travel Hollywood Boulevard before performing a live street show in front of the Sorcerer's Hat.
Streetmosphere performers have been present at Disney's Hollywood Studios since 1989. They are the only opening day attraction left in the park. The improv troupe was originally called Streetmosphere, but later renamed to the Citizens of Hollywood. They perform magic, skits, and interact with guests multiple times a day on Sunset Boulevard and Hollywood Boulevard.
Annual events
File:disneymgmstudios.jpg parade near the Sorcerer's Hat during Star Wars Weekends.]]
Disney's Hollywood Studios has hosted several events during the years that often draw thousands of fans to the park.
- ESPN The Weekend (late winter) featured commentators from the Disney-owned cable sports channels as well as sports celebrities. The event was started in 2004 and permanently cancelled in July 2011.{{cite web|last1=Weiner|first1=Jeff|title=No more ESPN The Weekend at Disney World|url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2011/07/22/no-more-espn-the-weekend-at-disney-world/|website=Orlando Sentinel|date=July 22, 2011 |publisher=Orlando Sentinel|access-date=October 16, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141022040035/http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2011-07-22/business/os-disney-espn-weekend-ends-20110722_1_walt-disney-world-resort-resort-plans-disney-parks-blog|archive-date=October 22, 2014|df=mdy-all}}
- Star Wars Weekends (May–June) brought Star Wars fans and celebrities together for special park events. Running Fridays-Sundays throughout June, they featured the 501st Legion (a worldwide Star Wars costuming group) parading through the park in costumes that include Stormtroopers, TIE fighter pilots, biker scouts and Rebel soldiers. Several Star Wars actors appear each weekend for photos and autographs, appearing in a variety of shows hosted in the various theatres around the park, larger Jedi Training Academy classes for younger guests, and other activities.{{cite web|url=http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/parks/specialEvents?id=StarWarsWeekendsSpecialEventPage |title=Star Wars Weekends Page |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070907070623/http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/parks/specialEvents?id=StarWarsWeekendsSpecialEventPage |archive-date=September 7, 2007 }} Star Wars Weekends ended its run in 2015.{{cite web|last1=Smith|first1=Thomas|title=Disney's Hollywood Studios to Debut New Star Wars Experiences in December|url=http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2015/11/disneys-hollywood-studios-to-debut-new-star-wars-experiences-in-december/|website=disneyparks.disney.go.com|publisher=Disney Parks|access-date=November 9, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151109195658/http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2015/11/disneys-hollywood-studios-to-debut-new-star-wars-experiences-in-december/|archive-date=November 9, 2015|df=mdy-all}}{{cite web|last1=Pedicini|first1=Sandra|last2=Santana|first2=Marco|title=Star Wars Weekends ending at Disney's Hollywood Studios|url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/tourism/os-disney-star-wars-weekends-20151109-story.html|website=orlandosentinel.com|publisher=Orlando Sentinel|access-date=November 9, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151109195559/http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/tourism/os-disney-star-wars-weekends-20151109-story.html|archive-date=November 9, 2015|df=mdy-all}}
- ABC Super Soap Weekend was scheduled in November, the event paid tribute to the legions of fans of soap operas from ABC. Guests could meet stars from All My Children, One Life to Live, and General Hospital. The event's final presentation was in November 2008, with ABC instead planning to schedule multiple, smaller regional events around the country for its fans.{{cite web|url=http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/parks/specialEvents?id=SuperSoapWeekendSpecialEventPage |title=Official Super Soap Weekend Page |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016095301/http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/parks/specialEvents?id=SuperSoapWeekendSpecialEventPage |archive-date=October 16, 2007 }}
- The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights (November–January) took over the Streets of America during the Christmas season.{{cite web|url= http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/parks/specialEvents?id=OsborneLightsSpecialEventPage|title= Event Home Page|url-status= dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070830213353/http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/parks/specialEvents?id=OsborneLightsSpecialEventPage|archive-date= August 30, 2007|df= mdy-all}} The display featured over five million Christmas lights on more than {{convert|350|mi|km}} of wire."Mickey Monitor" Passholder newsletter, October 2007, page 2 The event ended its run in 2015 preceding the demolition of Streets of America.
- Disney Jollywood Nights: A separate-admission seasonal Christmas event introduced in 2023, hosted on selected evenings from 7:30 pm to 12:30 am in November and December.
Production history
{{More citations needed section|date=May 2018}}
File:Streets of America - DHS.jpg set with New York City facades and was used in several film productions. A majority of the sets were demolished in 2016.]]
The Walt Disney Company's original concept of the Disney-MGM Studios was to operate it as a television and motion picture production facility, as well as a theme park. In 1988, among the first feature-length movies filmed at the facility, prior to its completion and opening as a theme park, were Ernest Saves Christmas{{cite web|title=Films and Shows shot on location at Walt Disney World {{!}} BestofOrlando.com|url=https://www.bestoforlando.com/articles/films-shows-shot-on-location-disney-world/|website=www.bestoforlando.com|language=en|date=May 30, 2014}} and Newsies.
When the park opened in 1989, the studio/production facilities housed two major components, the first of which was Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida, where Disney produced projects including Mulan, Lilo & Stitch, Brother Bear, and sequences from other 1990s-early 2000s Disney animated features. The second, larger component was Walt Disney Studios Florida, which consisted of three sound stages used for Disney projects including The Disney Channel's Mickey Mouse Club,{{cite news|last1=Pedicini|first1=Sandra|title=Disney's Hollywood Studios: 'A park in transition'|url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/the-daily-disney/os-disney-hollywood-studios-makeover-20141201-story.html|work=Orlando Sentinel|date=December 1, 2014}} Teen Win, Lose or Draw and Adventures in Wonderland. Several third party productions also used the Studios, including Superboy (first season only, from 1988–1989), the 1988–89 season of MTV's Remote Control, Thunder in Paradise, a revival of Let's Make a Deal, special broadcasts of Wheel of Fortune, airplane interior sequences for the feature film Passenger 57, and The Dooley and Pals Show. Music videos, several tapings for World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and live broadcasts of WCW Monday Nitro were also shot there; see WCW Disney tapings. The Post Group had a Florida-based post-production facility located on the Studio lot throughout the 1990s. All these production and post-production facilities were constructed to be an integral part of the theme park's Backstage Studio Tour as well.
A working broadcast radio studio, used by Radio Disney and invited local broadcasters, was also located at the park, behind Sounds Dangerous!{{cite web|url=https://thedisneyblog.com/2012/07/30/disneys-hollywood-studios-update-2/|title=Disney's Hollywood Studios Update|first=John|last=Frost|date=July 30, 2012|website=The Disney Blog}}{{cite web|url=https://wdwmousing.com/chapter-15---hollywood-studios---echo-lake---part-3.html|website=WDWMousing.com|title=Chapter 15 - Hollywood Studios - Echo Lake - Part 3 - Theater District|date=April 2022}}
In 2004, Disney management (including CEO Michael Eisner) downsized Disney's Florida operations by closing the animation studio, laying off personnel and then moving the operations to the main animation studio in Burbank, California.{{cite book |last1=Stewart |first1=James B. |title=DisneyWar |date=2005 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-0-7432-8390-8 |pages=472–473 |language=en |quote=Weeks later, on January 12, Disney announced that it was shutting down its Orlando animation unit, where Lilo & Stitch had been created.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qF5GigayEhQC&q=lilo+%26+stitch}}{{cite news |title=Disney closes Florida studio, 258 jobs may be lost – Jan. 12, 2004 |url=https://money.cnn.com/2004/01/12/news/companies/disney_layoffs/ |work=CNN Money |date=January 12, 2004}}
Attendance
See also
- Incidents at Walt Disney World Resort
- Walt Disney Studios Park, sister park at Disneyland Paris
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References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Officialwebsite}}
- {{RCDB|4735}}
- [http://d23.disney.go.com/news/2009/05/hooray-for-hollywood/ Conception of Disney's Hollywood Studios] at Disney D23
{{Disney's Hollywood Studios}}
{{Walt Disney World}}
{{Walt Disney Parks and Resorts}}
{{Theme Parks of Florida}}
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Category:1989 establishments in Florida
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Category:Disney production studios
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