The future of Hollywood Studios

We all know the backstory...in the late 1980's, the Universal film company announced plans to build their first theme park in the Orlando area. The park would be, obviously, based on movie and film production, and would also house a set of working film studios (including Nickelodeon). The long-term plan was to make Orlando as big and busy a film town as Hollywood was.


Shortly thereafter, then Disney CEO Michael Eisner announced plans of his own to build a third Disney theme park in Orlando, based, not surprisingly, on the movies. And so, the race was on to see which company could open its theme park first. Disney won out, with MGM Studios opening a full year ahead of Universal Studios. Eisner, ever the showman, created quite the spectacle for its opening, which aired, not surprisingly, on the Disney Channel (this was before Disney purchased ABC):

When the park opened, it was incredibly focused on the art of filmmaking. The centerpiece attraction was the Studios Backlot tour, which at the time, was a 2 hour tour. Some elements of the tour remain today (such as Catastrophe Canyon), but it's a shell of its former self. The park was an immediate success, though guests complained (rightly) that there wasn't enough to do there. Note that the same complaint would (and still does) plague Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Steamline Moderne Architecture - Don't be afraid

The competition, Universal, began building up, as in elevation, adding a series of increasingly intense attractions. Disney was forced to respond and join in the thrill ride parade. The Tower of Terror was first (and was a critical and popular success), followed by the intense (but too short) Rock 'n Rollercoaster. To continue building up the park, a series of quick and haphazard expansions followed. Pixar Place was hastily constructed, which until the opening of Toy Story Mania consisted of a meet and greet. Fantasmic opened, which finally gave guests a reason to stay at the Studios until closing. Though ultimately far inferior to its Disneyland counterpart, Fantasmic has been a wildly popular show since its opening.

What's the problem with all of this, you ask? Well, the Studios is the type of theme park that would have Walt rolling over in his crygenically frozen container. It lacks everything Walt held near and dear to his heart- a hub, a recognizable icon (they've tried hard with this one, from the replicated Chinese theater, to the invisible unless you're on the Backlot Tour Earful Tower, to the much maligned Sorcerer's Hat), and any semblance of guest flow.

Prior to the opening of Toy Story Mania, 90% or more of the guests at park opening were stampeding down Sunset Boulevard, towards one of the 2 headliner attractions. The other sections of the park remained deserted for the first few hours of operation. In the evenings, the same phenomenon occurred, with guests flocking back to Sunset Boulevard to queue up for Fantasmic.

The result of this jumbled expansion? Disney's Hollywood Studios, as it's now called, lacks any sort of cohesive theme. The park has a great set of individual attractions (Tower of Terror and Toy Story Mania are among the best attractions on the property), but nothing to tie them together. It has the distinct feel of a Six Flags park in that you don't feel transported to anywhere while you're walking around?

And so, I offer a few "blue sky" solutions...

1) Expand Pixar Place.

This one should be a no-brainer. Build the long-rumored Monster's Inc. coaster (rumors have it going in the area where the Prince Caspian "attraction" currently resides). Re-theme the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground around Wall-E or A Bug's Life (See Mike's ideas for a quick and easy transformation to a Wall-E play area by clicking here -- it's really cool! ;-). Do kids even know what Honey I Shrunk the Kids is anymore? Create some sort of walkthrough attraction, perhaps a replica of the real Pixar Studios, where guests can learn about this unique company and its synergistic relationship with Disney.

2) Either update or get rid of Fantasmic. Anyone who knows me knows how I feel about the WDW version of Fantasmic- mainly that it pales in comparison to its Disneyland counterpart. From the Dragon on a Stick to the way too long scenes on a water screen, the show's time has come and gone. Either update the scenes and get us a real dragon like Disneyland, or better yet, give us our own version of World of Color. World of Color, centered around Walt's use of the television as a way to sell his ideas, would be an ideal addition to a park centered around the movies.

3) Close the American Idol Experience and replace it with something reminiscent of Superstar Television. The American Idol Experience was an attraction that came to WDW 3 years too late, as the show's popularity was waning. Even worse, the attraction it replaced, Superstar Television, was another example of the kind of entertainment the Studios should be offering. Guests were able to learn how a live television was produced, from casting, to makeup, to costuming, to the taping, to editing and post-production. Why the attraction was closed in favor of a live show about a singing contest is beyond me.

4) Update the Muppets attraction and make them more of a presence around the park. The Muppets are a gold mine, yet they're tucked away in the back of DHS. They have the best 3D film on property (and the last project the late Jim Henson worked on), yet they don't receive the attention they deserve. Open a Muppet Whatnot Workshop (which is very popular in New York City), get the Muppets out meeting and greeting again, and re-theme Mama Melrose's Restaurante Italiano to a Muppets Cafe, as it was originally intended.

5) Make the Backlot Tour about film production again. This would involve an extensive overhaul. The opening sequence needs to be update to include a film made after the year 2000. The tram portion of the ride should be about more than a ride through wardrobe- update the film props, take us down a facade street again (who didn't love riding past the Golden Girls house?), and maybe even show us a working soundstage again (one of them still remains at the Studios).

6) If the park's central icon is going to be "the Hat" then make it about more than a pin store. I mean, enough with these pins already.

Those are my six main wishes, but my wish list goes on. Some other wishes, briefly...

-update the Epic Stunt Spectacular, or better yet, bring over a clone of the Indiana Jones attraction from Disneyland.

-improve the food options. Both the counter service and table service options here SUCK are not very good.

-update the Great Movie Ride. Make it less corny, or more modern - better yet, BOTH!

Finally, and perhaps most importantly...

GET RID OF THE EMBARRASSMENT THAT IS THE "COUNTDOWN TO FUN PARADE." The fact that Disney hasn't closed this nightmare yet is bad enough. Get rid of it and bring back the incredible Block Party Bash parade.