In a rather sudden announcement, Disney has stated that they will have Toy Story Midway Mania closed on March 15th, 2016 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Disney is stating the closure has to do with work related to the addition of a third ride track which they now confirm will open Summer 2016. Any guests with FastPass booked for the attraction on March 15th will get a FastPass for a different attraction on that day.
For the first time since the 2015 D23 Expo, Disney shared new details (as promised during the Disneyland 60th TV special) on the Star Wars themed-lands coming to Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
I crudely took photos off of my television screen for now, we will share higher-res images as soon as we can:
A short video was shared of the Millennium Falcon ride, where guests will not only take the controls of the classic vessel, but control the guns as well. It will be fully interactive and guests will be in complete control.
A short video was also shared of the attraction where guests are racing against time in the midst of a battle between the First Order and the Resistance.
The special stated that guests will be transported to another world, where they can interact with roaming aliens and droids, peruse a huge marketplace, and even taste the local delicacies.
Among the dining options will be a cantina, and the newly announced dinner show type establishment that promises to be beyond belief.
Excited yet?
Despite Disney’s refusal to make comment, heavy budget cuts continue at the domestic parks. In just the last few days, there have been multiple reports of many understaffed positions at the parks, leading to longer lines at restaurants, shops and resort front desks. These reports come after WDWNT.com ran a story about possible labor cuts coming to the U.S. parks dues to the Shanghai Disneyland project being over time and budget, as well as continuing losses at Disneyland Resort Paris.
In addition, a spokesperson for the Actors’ Equity Association has now come out and stated that 10 of the 29 Streetmosphere performers at Disney’s Hollywood Studios will not have their contracts renewed. Nine of the performers are full-time, while one works part-time. The performers will conclude their run at the park in mid-April.
Upon visiting the Magic Kingdom this weekend, it was also made clear that the Fairy Godmother meet and greet has been cut as well. Some other meet and greets around the resort have also been cut lately, most noticeably Princess Aurora at Epcot. Others are rumored to be cut in the weeks ahead.
Rumors also indicate that TradNation, the new performing group at Epcot is being cut in April, but that could be unrelated to budgetary concerns.
Beginning March 18, guests visiting Disney Parks will be able to catch a preview of scenes from Disney’s all-new live-action adventure “The Jungle Book” in sneak peeks planned for Disney California Adventure park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, each with a special introduction by Director Jon Favreau that pays homage to Walt Disney, the original animated classic and Disney’s legacy of innovative storytelling.
At Disney California Adventure park, the preview of “The Jungle Book” will be presented at the Bug’s Life Theater with special in-theater effects. Guests at Disney’s Hollywood Studios will get to see this advance look at clips from the film, as part of the Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream attraction on Mickey Avenue.
Directed by Jon Favreau (“Iron Man”), based on Rudyard Kipling’s timeless stories and inspired by Disney’s classic animated film, “The Jungle Book” is an epic adventure about Mowgli, a man-cub who’s been raised by a family of wolves. Featuring an all-star cast, “The Jungle Book” seamlessly blends live-action with photorealistic CGI animals and environments, using up-to-the-minute technology and storytelling techniques to immerse audiences in an enchanting and lush world.
I visited Disney’s Hollywood Studios a few days ago and I have some newsworthy photos to share from my trip, so let’s take a look:
Billboard for the Jungle Book in the parking lot
The Adventure Happens Here dance party has ended and now the stage is gone
The Earful tower will be coming down starting soon
Work continues on the new meet and greet spaces for Olaf, Mickey, and Minnie
Pavement work was finally completed for Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple
The other side fo the meet and greet construction near ABC Commissary
Small palm trees installed at the Great Movie Ride, shorter to accommodate the projections coming for the new fireworks show
April 2nd is quickly approaching…
No word yet on if the Carrot Cake cookie will move somewhere else
Work continues on the new covered areas at Sunset Ranch Market
Kylo Ren has replaced Darth Maul in Jedi Training now
The segment is a vast improvement over the former
New pillow on sale in Tatooine Traders
Having a favorite attraction, show, or shop at Walt Disney World means constantly having your radar tuned for refurbishment or closing announcements.
“Is this it? Are they finally closing it down for something bigger?” you wonder.
That’s why I sympathize with people who must be feeling down about Disney’s Hollywood Studios right now. In order to make room for Toy Story Land, opening in late 2017, and Star Wars Land, opening in 2018, there’s a lot of real estate being ripped down and repurposed. I can’t fathom the amount of personal memories and cherished family trips being dismantled to make room for two of Disney’s biggest franchises.
Whether you’re up in arms or ready for change, let’s break down Hollywood Studios’ overhaul piece by piece to see if this is really the revamp the park needs.
Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show: Has anyone actually seen this? And if you have, do you feel obligated to ever go again? As far as a park staple, this attraction never really caught on and became an unmovable part of the Disney Parks canon. Seeing it go isn’t a tragedy, especially when you consider that we could instead be losing a different stunt show featuring a particular hat-wearing adventurer named Indiana Jones. Now that would be a catastrophe that park couldn’t survive.
The Earful Tower: This is one that gets to me. After all, it was the symbol of the park for many years. And before you bring up the hat, I hated that hat as much as anyone. But the hat was distracting and out of place. The Earful Tower harkened back to the Hollywood of yesteryear, the whole idea behind why the park was built. In an era where the old is rapidly being placed with the new and shiny, keeping it would have been a touching tribute to the opening day vision of the park.
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure: I struggle to imagine this is still popular with anyone, even children. There hasn’t been a new film in the franchise since 1997’s “Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves,” and even that was only a direct-to-video release. And as park goers born in the 1980s and 1990s start bringing their families to Disney World, I don’t think they’ll have any impetus to bring their kids to this attraction. Updating with themed lands inspired by thriving franchises is the smarter move.
The Writer’s Stop: Surprisingly, this one irks me. I love The Writer’s Stop. It’s frequently mistaken for a fake facade, and you’d never remember it unless you’d popped in for some peace and quiet during your hectic day. But it’s the calmest place in all the parks. A writer could literally write in there all day and actually get work done. They have real books and newspapers, in addition to your typical overpriced coffee drinks and cupcakes. Many people won’t miss or remember The Writer’s Stop, but I sure will.
When we examine things closely, I think you’d find that even the most steadfast defender of the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure would agree that this is the face-lift the park needs. I’d even argue Disney should go a step further and get rid of Muppets 3D, or at least update it considerably.
If you’ve gone to Hollywood Studios in the last few years, you’ll know it’s become what we call a “half-day park.” If you get there when the gates open, you can hit all the must-see attractions by early afternoon, and then head to Disney Springs, another park, or your resort. And if you’re a true Disney World aficionado, you know this is not what the parks are meant for. They’re supposed to be all day adventures. You eat, ride, and play until the sun goes down, and then you finish things out with a nighttime show. It’s not a real Disney World vacation unless you’ve been on your feet for nearly 15 hours and you’re about to drop dead from exhaustion on the bus ride home.
Walt knew that sacrifices would have to be made for the parks to continue flourishing, and saying goodbye to those beloved attractions can feel brutal. But his vision will never fully be complete, and I’m almost certain he expected his parks to change with the times.
Which is why in order to end Hollywood Studio’s reputation as a half-day park, we need Toy Story and Star Wars Lands. They’re our only hope.
I recently visited Disney’s Hollywood Studios to see the latest progress on the expansion of the park, so here’s some photos of what I found of interest while I was there:
A Nike polo shirt koins the assortment of new Studios merchandise
Also, this ladies sweatshirt
The pressed penny machines inside Mickey’s of Hollywood are gone
Additional banners were put up outside of One Man’s Dream for the Zootopia preview
Zootopia billboard replaces Star Wars
The limited edition Kylo Ren MagicBands are still available at Watto’s Grotto
New York Street awaits closure on April 2nd
More walls have gone up around the Premiere Theater as they have begun to gut the interior
Some more fun stuff painted on the walls for Pizza Planet while it is closed
Based on the style of comedy, we’re guessing this will become a Muppets restaurant
The planter outside of Backlot Express is being removed to accommodate bigger crowds for Trials of the Temple
Work has begun on what we believe to be a new meet and greet area for the park in the former American Idol audition area
Zootopia merchandise slowly hitting the parks
Taking in some Streetmosphere
Finally found the January birthstone pin, now back in stock
Some interesting changes being made at Sunset Ranch Market
They are covering more seating and walkways to better serve guests when it rains
Found more fo the new home goods in Celebrity 5 & 10
No visible progress back here yet…
Always need a Chinese Theater picture on the way out…
Kylo Ren finally debuted at Star Wars Launch Bay at Walt Disney World and we were on the scene to meet him:
Kylo Ren can now be met on the dark side inside Star Wars Launch Bay and also in the Disney Visa cardholder meet and greet experience replacing Darth Vader.
I also visited Disney’s Hollywood Studios this weekend to see what was new and exciting, and here’s what I found:
Kylo Ren now on the times guide
More new Hollywood Studios merchandise continues to roll out
A magnet
Never noticed the old Star Tours goose droid parts in Launch Bay before
More Zootopia merchandise slowly pouring in
Same goes for The Lion Guard
New Star Wars kids clothing found inside Tatooine Traders
Not only was the large planter across from Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple leveled, it looks like they are installing more space for kids to be in the show
Kylo Ren is supposed to be added soon, so my guess is there will be three villains for kids to battle
A much smaller planter has appeared
Hopefully this will all be fixed, because honestly it looks horrible right now, but I understand the need for more viewing and stage space
The temporary stations don’t look very good either
Honestly, I can’t wait for Star Wars Land to move this out of the way
Work continues on the new awnings at Sunset Ranch Market
Interestingly enough, the newly covered areas have heaters for when it gets cold in Orlando (which isn’t for long)
Club Disney has ended, but should return for Spring Break or Summer
Don’t worry everyone, BLUE MILKSHAKES ARE BACK (at Min and Bill’s)!!!
When Michael Eisner opened Disney’s Hollywood Studios in May 1989, it was a park with a different name and a firm identity. It was the Disney-MGM Studios. It was designed with the intent of being a working, full fledged tv studio, movie production center, and animation studio. It was also by design intended to be a half-day behind-the-scenes experience, rather then a full theme park gate. Announced and built in a rush in order to preempt the opening of Universal Studios Florida nearby, the park opened with 5 attractions and expansion pads for future attractions. These attractions were the Great Movie Ride, the Backstage Studio tour (which was a two and a half hour studio tour at the time), the Monster Sound Show, Superstar Television, and the Magic of Disney Animation. It was dedicated as follows:
“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”
It was so popular when it opened that Eisner fast-tracked new projects to help add capacity. By August, the much maligned Indiana Jones Stunt show opened, and by 1991, both Star Tours and Muppet Vision 3-D had joined the mix. To be fair it was an amazing concept for a park, the Great movie ride and Hollywood Boulevard were rich in detail, theming, story, and movie references; it was brilliant Imagineering. However the problem of capacity reared its head. The studio tour was long, had a small capacity, cost a lot to run and often times the sound stages were empty. Even Disney’s own productions of the new Mickey Mouse club tv had problems with the filming location. The Studio aspect was successful enough, but as a theme park it was desperate for capacity. Parts of the studio tour were cut down and other sections opened for pedestrian use.
The park was at crossroads, with the studio and backlot portion of the park failing to stay interesting and useful, yet another expansion was planned for the front part of the park. When Sunset Boulevard opened it added a much needed thrill ride and huge capacity to the park with the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. This area was themed to post World War two Hollywood, which complimented wonderfully the meticulous theming of Hollywood Boulevard. The front half of the park fulfilled the mission of being “a Hollywood that never was—but always will be.”
The studios continued to struggle to find relevance and the park stagnated in growth. The back half of the park was a confusing mix of pathways, an empty Streets of America, and an underwhelming backlot tour now displayed costume facilities and a boneyard instead of any real production. The Animation Studio closed in 2004 with the then-death of hand-drawn animation, leaving the studio without any actual, real productions in the works. By 2008, the park’s name changed to Disney’s Hollywood Studios after years of arguing between Disney and the owners of the MGM Studios name. Meg Crofton (then WDW president) said the new name reflected a celebration “new entertainment that today’s Hollywood offered.” The park now had a wider theme and somewhat new focus. A theme so vague and all-encompassing they hoped it could work as a cover-all to put any attraction into the park. The park quickly added Toy Story Midway Mania, Block Party Bash, and the American Idol Experience after the name change, reinvigorating the park in many aspects.
Today we are left with an awkward park with a hodgepodge of areas mixed together so haphazardly that it makes no real sense. Toy Story Mania is thrown into a narrow alley way themed to PIXAR Studios, the backlot tour has closed leaving a giant dead space, and the popular Jedi Training Academy attempts to cram way-too-many guests into essentially what was a parade entrance and exit. The promise of the future of Star Wars Land and Toy Story Land is sure to revitalize the park, however it does little to alleviate its identity crisis. With a now defunct studio, closed backlot tour, closed animation studio and soon closing Street of America, the park will soon become more of a park themed to a construction site than anything else.
Rumors of a name change are swirling about the internet, Bob Iger even let it leak that a name change was coming. The question is what name will do justice to the park, reorient its theme to mesh together old Hollywood, Star Wars and Toy Story into a coherent theme? Disney’s Hollywood Adventure, Disney’s Cinema Spectacular, and Disney’s Cinema Celebration have all been suggested. Whatever the name change is, it’s clear that any reference to “studio” should be dropping away. The park is in no way a studio, Disney acknowledged this in when they confirmed the Earful Tower to be coming down, and when the last major remnant of the Studios falls, with it falls the studio theme. Studio references will still remain, including the soundstage numbers on the buildings, but with a new name and new expansions, it is quite likely for these references will become a thing of the past.
However, a name change will not be enough to solve the problem though, Imagineers will have to think long and hard about how to justify the three very different areas of the park into one unified vision. If their solution is to say it is a celebration of the movies, this may not solve the incoherence felt inside its gate.
Whatever the name is, we are reminded of Disney’s miraculous re-Imagineering of Disney’s California Adventure and that gives me great solace. They took a similar hodgepodge of a park and created a wonderful model-theme-park in its stead. I am hoping they can work similar magic with Hollywood Studios. Until 2018 when these new projects are intended to open, Disney’s Hollywood Studios will remain a shell of a park with an identity crisis, but hopefully once these expansions are finished, Disney’s Hollywood Studios Cinema Adventure Entertainment Movie Park (or whatever they decide on calling it) will be something to be genuinely excited about again!
