PHOTO REPORT: Disney’s Hollywood Studios 5/3/17 (New York Street Lives, Pirates Preview, Star Wars & Toy Story Land, Etc.)
Our latest photo report brings us to Disney’s Hollywood Studios in the midst of Disney’s Hollywood Studios appreciation week for a look around at what’s new and exciting in tinsel town. Ready when you are C.B.!
Hooray for Hollywood
Streetmosphere characters Mayor Sonny Burbank and Evie Starlight welcome guests to the park.
Officer Percival Peabody of the Hollywood Police Department also ensures that guests walk, and not run to their first destination.
Happy 28th Anniversary
On May 1st 2017, Disney’s Hollywood Studios celebrated its 28th birthday!
The park of course opened as the Disney-MGM Studios in 1989, changing its name in Early 2008.
The only opening day attraction left standing at this point is the Great Movie Ride, but rumors persist of even that closing in the next 2 years.
MagicBand 2.0
For whatever reason, the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival MagicBand is now available at the Studios.
A number of older designs have been updated for the MagicBand 2, some even using the new white and black band base colors.
Star Wars Launch Bay
40th anniversary banners remain outside of Star Wars Launch Bay.
Wait times for the character meet and greets have been short lately. Chewbacca was posted as 20 minutes.
Only 15 for Kylo Ren.
Even the new BB-8 meet and greet has had short wait times.
That sadly hasn’t stopped guests from destroying the walls…
It’s a pretty cute meet and greet experience if you haven’t seen it yet:
New designs celebrating the 40th anniversary of Star Wars can be found at the D-Tech on Demand location inside of Star Wars Launch Bay.
Skywalker Vineyards wines are also available now. We actually bought a bottle and tried the new flight at the Brown Derby, so we will dedicate a post to this in the coming days.
PIXAR Displaced
Work continues on the Star Wars and Toy Story themed lands.
This barrier for Star Wars land continues to rise over the walls.
A peek through the walls at the beginning of PIXAR Place reveals the current state of Toy Story Land.
There appears to be a structure of some kind being erected in the middle of the Slinky Dog Dash rollercoaster now.
It appears that the coaster will barrel through it, whatever it is.
These pics from a few days later show some progress on the walls going up at the other end of PIXAR Place.
Pirates of the Caribbean: One Man’s Dream
The Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales preview has moved in at Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream.
The Moana meet and greet recently closed inside, leaving us to believe that the Star Lord and Groot meet and greet coming will be located here.
The exit is currently boarded up as well.
A costume worn by Javier Bardem in Dead Men Tell No Tales is now on display.
The preview is quite good, leading me to believe we might just be returning to form in the series.
New York Street Lives!
It is now certain that this lone standing section of New York Street will remain as modifications are being made to the structure.
Meanwhile, Star Wars Land rises next door.
Not only are the facades being touched up, but new elements are being added.
A new awning was installed at the end of the street.
With much of the original signage stripped, it will be interesting to see what becomes of this area.
The former Writer’s Stop lies behind walls, amidst rumors that this may be the Club 33 location for Disney’s Hollywood Studios. How cool would it be to either here through a facade on New York Street?
Star Tours
No trip to Hollywood Studios is complete without a ride on Star Tours.
In Tatooine Traders, a number of new items can be found.
While Star Wars Land may have eliminated quite a bit of the Streets of America, what’s left of New York Street appears to be getting extended… Two new crossbeams now extend from the New York facades to what was the Writer’s Stop building. The days of this being a movie set may be numbered. Once enclosed, it’s somewhat likely that this will tie into a repurposed Writer’s Stop space somehow. What could it be for? Club 33 perhaps? We suspect more New York Street facade will go in this gap. Meanwhile, construction on the Star Wars themed land continues next door. The old facades are currently being touched up. It should be interesting to watch what this space becomes. What do you think it will be? Welcome to another edition of Tom’s Top 7, a continuing countdown of my favorite (and occasionally, least favorite) things at the Disney Parks around the globe. Why seven? Brakes, brakes… WHERE ARE THE BRAKES?!? As we celebrate Disney’s Hollywood Studios Appreciation Week here at WDWNT.com, I couldn’t help but get swept up in nostalgia for the park of old, the days of the Disney-MGM Studios, and a theme park that doubled as a working production center. With that being said, I decided to take a look back at my personal most-missed-list of things you can no longer find at Walt Disney World’s third theme park. Here are my Top 7 Things I Miss At Disney’s Hollywood Studios… Eventually replaced by PIXAR Place and Toy Story Mania, Who Wants to be a Millionaire -Play It! fit the Studios well. It brought the world’s hottest game show to the parks and allowed guests a viable shot of being in the “hot seat”, and even if they didn’t make it there, they could play along in the studio audience. One of and arguably the most famous park icon of the Disney-MGM Studios was the Earfful Tower. The 130-foot tower was located in the Studio Backlot Tour backstage area of the park. Originally sporting the Disney-MGM Studios logo, it was altered to reflect the park’s name change in 2008. The Earffel Tower was reinstated as the park’s icon for a bit after the removal of the Sorcerer’s Hat in 2015, but it would be short lived. The tower was removed on April 29, 2016 to facilitate the construction of the park’s Toy Story Land. Its condition and whereabouts are unknown. Replaced by the dreaded (and thankfully defunct) PIXAR Pals Countdown to Fun, this parade with lengthy show stops was a good change of pace for the park. While the floats rolled out down Hollywood Boulevard, unlike normal parades, they stopped for a full show containing interactive segments, dancing, gymnastics, and eventually, an explosive ending that launched logo Nerf balls into the crowd (which made for fun, free souvenir). I know not everyone loved this, but I thought it was a really good offering. Did it fit the park very well? No. Was it fun? Absolutely. While overall there were things I didn’t like about it (insane lines to get autographs, merchandise, and park overcrowding), I can’t deny that I have some amazing memories of Star Wars Weekends. Offered periodically at first, the event became an annual tradition in the mid-2000’s and a reason for many Star Wars fans to book a trip to Walt Disney World every Spring. Some of the highlights for me were the Celebrity Motorcade, A Conversation with Mark Hamill in 2014, and the Stormtrooper pre-shows (luckily, all of which I filmed and can share with you below). Almost deserving of its own spot on this list was the Hyperspace Hoopla, where Star Wars stars danced-off against each other in a theme park comedy masterpiece. Lucasfilm mandated the show be removed after the 2013 event, and has since also eliminated any Disney characters in Star Wars character clothing. An opening day attraction, the Studio Backlot Tour was a half-day experience that slowly was cut away to about a half an hour over 25 years. While I lament the loss of the original tour, I didn’t care much for the final version of the attraction. That being said, my final ride was an emotional one, saying goodbye to the trams, Catastrophe Canyon, the special effects tank, Walt’s airplane, and more of the remaining shell of what once made for a memorable experience. Without Residential Street and actual production to see, it wasn’t much of anything, but it was the last vestige of the “working studio theme park”. I love Star Tours: The Adventures Continue, but the original Star Tours will always hold a very special place in my heart. While it was incredibly dated by the end of its run, it was undoubtedly a classic that changed theme parks forever. I owe this attraction my Star Wars fandom as I actually rode this ride before I had ever seen a Star Wars movie. I loved the attraction so much that my dad took me to Blockbuster when we got home from vacation and bought me the VHS boxed set of the original trilogy. Kids, ask your parents what Blockbuster and VHS are. I know this one still looms heavy in the hearts of many, myself included. The Osborne Lights were a staple of the Studios before they ever danced, but once the display moved to Streets of America and was sychirmnoized to music, it became an indelible piece of Walt Disney World history. It was everything the holidays at the parks should be: larger than life, covered in lights, a display of cutting edge technology, all while still being incredibly heartwarming. Will they ever return to Walt Disney World? With the amount of money being left on the table by not offering this, I can’t imagine a Walt Disney World theme park won’t someday host the lights one more time. Sadly, the display was a victim of where it was. The only thing that made the display possible was a large, mostly underutilized empty street towards the back of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Not to defend Disney, but there is nowhere that logistically could make this work today. Disney Springs would be overcrowded as the offering would be made free, no resort hotel has the parking area large enough, and no park currently has a space that could handle it. The only hope I see is a custom built area that is an expansion of a park, otherwise the Osborne lights will likely never return to Disney World. While these offering can not be seen anymore at Walt Disney World, an exciting future awaits Disney’s Hollywood Studios. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t have a little nostalgia for what was. What do you think? Which of these was your favorite? Is there something else from the Studios that you miss? Let me know in the comments below. Disney is surveying guests about a possible Star Wars resort hotel experience at Walt Disney World, which would take place on an “actual” Star Wars Starship… Concept Art, Star Wars “Starship” resort at Walt Disney World The survey is not being conducted by Disney, but rather by a contracted third party. The survey includes concept art and many details of what the experience would be like… This all-inclusive, 2-night immersive resort experience at Walt Disney World would include: Concept Art, Star Wars “Starship” resort at Walt Disney World While staying aboard an all-inclusive luxury “starship” at Walt Disney World, guests will stay in luxury accommodations offering: As of right now, the experience would be priced at roughly $900 to $1000 per guest. Concept Art, Star Wars “Starship” resort at Walt Disney World So basically, in summary, the experience would include… While this is just a survey at this time, it is worth noting that the presence of concept art and the inclusion of the Star Wars themed land in these plans likely means that this is a pretty serious project at this point. Many of the experiences above also sound very similar to aspects of the the Star Wars land discussed in the panel at Star Wars Celebration Orlando. Stay tuned as more information on this proposed project becomes available. “Star Wars Day” is coming – May the 4th – so now is the time to gear up for the occasion with some great Star Wars merchandise from around the galaxy. And there’s no better time because right now, ThinkGeek is having a huge May the 4th Sale. Make some popcorn in this Death Star Popcorn Maker and then serve it in these R2-D2 bowls, while sipping your beverage of choice from the R2-D2 Can Cooler. To help you reach those thresholds, there are over 150 items on sale. Here are some of the best deals: Scheduled to debut on April 14th, 2017 at the Star Wars Galactic Nights event, the BB-8 character meet and greet experience inside of Star Wars Launch Bay debuted early on Sunday, April 9th, 2017. The picture is dark because the signage points into the dimly lit cantina area in the Star Wars Launch Bay. This space was originally a hallway with a gaming area for Disney Infinity, which has since moved near the Path of the Jedi film and is what is now called the XBOX Game Port. There isn’t much queue space because of this, so the line was spilling out into the cantina despite being fairly short. I expect that this will be a daily occurrence. This is the first queue room, oddly lit from above in rainbow colors. I expect this will change before the formal debut. The ceiling screams “office of the future” to me with the light panels that don’t seem like something you would see in Star Wars. The second part of this queue is a hallway with a well-themed emergency exit. I’m happy to report that the lighting in here is much better. How cool is this door? The infamous yellow line you wait behind until they bring you into the meet and greet is even themed. I know this is a small and stupid thing, but I love it. You then get brought into a private room (which there appears to be two of behind closed doors) where you can have a short conversation with BB-8 and then get your picture taken. This was honestly one of the coolest character experiences I have ever had. While the cast member does have to translate for the droid, the extremely authentic and realistic movements, lights, and sounds that BB-8 emits will have fans young and old smiling. To see him in action, please check out our video walkthrough of the experience, which includes my “conversation” with the Resistance hero: As you can see, the backdrop is great as well, making for an awesome photo. BB-8 will officially starting greeting day guests on April 15th, 2017, but guests at the now sold-out Galactic Nights event can meet him on April 14th, 2017. Good Morning America just gave us a really big tease for tomorrow’s show as they promised that Mark Hamill and Daisy Ridley will appear on the show to make a big Star Wars announcement that has been 40 years in the making. Are we going to get our first look at “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”? Could it be the announcement of an Unaltered Original Trilogy Blu-ray set? Or could it be something else? Tune in tomorrow to find out! From GMA: TOMORROW ON @GMA: @StarWars celebrates its 40th anniversary and we've got an announcement you won't want to miss! pic.twitter.com/gbQWV1a8Yt — Good Morning America (@GMA) April 10, 2017 Source: GMA Today, Disney shared additional details about new Star Wars products launching this month at both Star Wars Celebration 2017 and at select locations in Disney Parks. This month, Disney is rolling out a limited release, boxed set with four Astromech droid action figures inspired by characters from the animated series, “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.” Additionally, three limited release action figures are making their debut including C1-10P “Chopper” from Disney XD’s animated series “Star Wars Rebels;” a two-pack featuring R2-D2 and C-3PO celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Star Wars: A New Hope; and a red Protocol droid, R-3D0, that was briefly seen in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. This will be the introduction of protocol droids to the Droid Factory line at Disney Parks. There has been no word as of yet if you will be able to build them in addition to Astromech Droids at the Disney Parks locations somewhere down the line, but it seems likely. Other products include three emitters for the popular Star Wars Build-Your-Own Lightsaber experience at Disney Parks. These items were inspired by lightsabers seen in Star Wars Rebels. Finally, look for a plush Ewok scout named Paploo as seen in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi. This is the 12th character from the limited release Ewok plush collection, and was created especially for Star Wars Celebration 2017. These products will debut in Booth 3463 at Star Wars Celebration, a Star Wars fan event coming to the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida from April 13-16, 2017. On April 17, guests may find action figures and the Build-Your-Own Lightsaber parts in select merchandise locations at Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts. Lucasfilm has just released the tribute to Carrie Fisher that was shown during the “The 40 Years Of Star Wars” panel and introduced by Fisher’s daughter, Billie Lourd: Source: Star Wars The very first Star Wars Galactic Nights event at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is taking place on April 14th, 2017 as part of Star Wars Celebration Orlando, but it is now expected that the event will become a regular offering for the park in the weeks to come. Disney has released a full schedule and list of events for the evening (finally) ahead of the debut just hours away: Stars in Cars – 8:05PM Grab your spot to view a star-studded motorcade featuring a galaxy of your favorite Star Wars celebrities. The motorcade begins at the front of Hollywood Boulevard and travels towards Star Tours: The Adventures Continue. Inside the Saga – Celebrity Chat Show – 9:00, 10:00, 11:00PM Hear from host Vanessa Marshall and Star Wars cast members and go behind the scenes of “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” to learn what it takes to make remarkable cinematic moments. 30 minutes long. Celebrate the Saga – 9:15 & 11:15PM Take an interactive journey that chronologically celebrates the milestones of 40 Force-filled years of Star Wars DJ Dance Party – 7-7:25PM, 9:45-10:25PM Sway the night away at a galactic dance party. Star Wars: A Galaxy Far, Far Away – 7:45, 8:50, 10:50PM Experience a live stage show of high energy film clips that juxtapose action-filled character moments on stage, including Chewbacca, Darth Vader, Kylo Ren and many more! (Enhanced for Event) Galactic Nights Epilogue – 11:40pm Prior to the evening’s grand finale, join our event hosts as you marvel at a spotlight of Star Wars Galactic Nights event highlights from the fans! Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular – 11:45PM Watch the fireworks above bring the entire Star Wars saga to life in a spectacular multimedia experience! (Enhanced for Event) Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple – 7:45, 8:45, 9:45, 10:45PM Witness the future of the Force, as younglings face their fears at the sacred Jedi Temple. 25 minutes in length. Visit Indiana Jones Adventure Outpost to reserve a spot in the training. Participants ages 4-12 must be present to register. Space is limited. (Enhanced for Event) March of the First Order – 8:30 & 10:30PM Captain Phasma leads a unit of First Order Stormtroopers down Hollywood Boulevard to the Rebel Base, stopping for a demonstration of their power and strength. Imperial March – 7:25, 9:25, & 11:25PM The Sith Lord himself, Darth Vader, leads a battalion of Stormtroopers on a dramatic Imperial March to the Rebel Base. The following Star Wars characters will be at the event to meet guests: The following Disney characters will be available in their standard locations: Guests are invited to collect a piece of the saga at photo backdrops featured throughout the Park and affix each piece to your Star Wars Galactic Nights Credential! Disney Locations: Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster: Star Wars Edition is a special experience just for the event. Take a journey through hyperspace in this not-to-be-missed Star Wars experience. A version of this experience was run during The Force Awakens premiere hard-ticket event which was held in December 2015. Other attractions that will be operating are: Skywalker Vineyards wines will be available at the bars located near the Rebel Base. Snack carts located throughout the park will feature specialty cupcakes, lightsaber churros, Chewbacca steins, and TIE Fighter popcorn buckets. Special event merchandise will be available at the following locations: WDWNT will be on the scene tonight to bring you all of the action, so stay tuned for live streams on our social media counts and much more, as well as plenty of photos, videos and thoughts after the event concludes.
PHOTOS, VIDEO: Star Wars Land Leads to New York Street Being Expanded at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Things I Miss (Retired Attractions, Shows, and Events) At Disney’s Hollywood Studios – Tom’s Top 7
1. Who Wants to be a Millionaire – Play It! (2001-2006)
2. The Earffel Tower (1989-2016)
3. Disney-PIXAR Block Party Bash (2008-2011)
4. Star Wars Weekends (1997-2015)
5. Studio Backlot Tour (1989-2014)
6. Star Tours (1989-2010)
7. (Yeah, Seven) The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights (1995-2015)
“Sorry folks, it was my first flight and I’m still getting used to my programming!” – Captain RX-24 (Rex)
BREAKING: Disney Creating Star Wars “Starship” Luxury Resort & Experience Attached to Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Huge Sale on Star Wars Merchandise Just In Time For Star Wars Day
Star Wars sale items at ThinkGeek.com.
PHOTOS, VIDEO: Star Wars BB-8 Living Character Meet and Greet Debuts Early at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
VIDEO: Good Morning America Teases A “BIG” Star Wars Announcement By Mark Hamill And Daisy Ridley For Tomorrow’s Show
PHOTOS: Disney Previews New Merchandise Debuting at Star Wars Celebration, Coming Soon to Disney Parks
VIDEO: “A Tribute To Carrie Fisher”
Full Schedule and List of Events Released for Star Wars Galactic Nights; Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster Overlay Returns
Entertainment
Motorcade Route (Stars near Main Entrance)
Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Theater (Pre-show begins 10 minutes before show time)
Rebel Base
Rebel Base
Rebel Base
Rebel Base
Rebel Base
Near Star Tours- The Adventures Continue
Hollywood Boulevard
Starts near Star Tours and travels to Rebel BaseCharacters
Scavenger Hunt
PhotoPass Photographers will also be at each location to capture your favorite moments.
Attractions
Food and Beverage
Merchandise