VIDEO: PizzeRizzo Signage Goes Up, “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” Comes Down in Our Latest Hollywood Studios Update

WDWNT on September 17, 2016

It’s time once again to check in on the latest progress of the expansion of Disney’s Hollywood Studios! By popular demand (although I still don’t really understand why anyone wants to hear me talk), this edition is the first narrated by Tom Corless, as he explains what exactly you are looking at throughout the update.

This update includes the latest progress on PizzeRizzo and Gonzo’s Royal Flush, the demolition of the Streets of America for Star Wars and Toy Story Land, and more! Enjoy:

PHOTO REPORT: Disney’s Hollywood Studios 8/30/16 (Gonzo’s Royal Flush, PizzeRizzo, Star Wars & Toy Story Land)

WDWNT on September 2, 2016

In our latest photo report, we take a trip to Disney’s Hollywood Studios to see what’s new (and what’s left) of the park, including new additions in the Muppets Courtyard, and the latest progress on the ongoing expansion of the park.

Disney's Hollywood Studios star

Disney’s Hollywood Studios star

Not sure when this happened, but Launch Bay is now on the star at the park entrance.

Disney's Hollywood Studios star

Disney’s Hollywood Studios star

Star Wars Land

Streets of America

Streets of America

In case you have been living under a rock for over a week, the Streets of America demolition is in full swing for Star Wars land.

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Streets of America

We have both video of the demolition process and an aerial look at the removal of the Streets of America, just in case you have missed them.

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Streets of America

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Streets of America

Streets of America

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Work walls have expanded as construction continues on PizzeRizzo in the Muppets Courtyard.

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Signage featuring Rizzo the Rat has been installed.

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Gonzo’s Royal Flush, straight out of The Muppets film is now the name of the nearby restrooms. I can’t wait to see how themed these are on the inside…

Food Changes

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Echo Lake Eats has come to an end. I guess Food and Wine needed their booths back…

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Sunshine Day Cafe

Sunshine Day Cafe has still yet to open, but at least it is Roger Rabbit related, right?

Sunshine Day Cafe

Sunshine Day Cafe

Merchandise Changes

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Some new Frozen pins for sale.

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Still no sign of the red car trolley cart on Sunset Boulevard.

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Halloween merchandise in full swing at Reel Vogue.

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Descendants kids’ costumes for sale.

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Too many guests were touching the very expensive statues in Star Wars Launch Bay, so they put them behind a railing…

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Several new limited release phone cases and MagicBands are available at Star Wars Launch Bay.

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Billboards for the new LEGO Star Wars series and Rogue One out in the… Animation Courtyard? Star Wars Courtyard? I don’t even know anymore.

Toy Story Land

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The prop shop is being emptied out before the bulldozers come in and level the building.

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Most of the tank area of the Backlot Studio Tour has bee removed already.

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A look over the walls (extending a tripod mind you).

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More work happening backstage…

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There’s a new bar by the exit of Toy Story Midway Mania’s 3rd track.

PHOTOS, VIDEO: Aerial View of Demolition at Disney’s Hollywood Studios for Star Wars, Toy Story

WDWNT on September 2, 2016

Earlier this week, we flew over Disney’s Animal Kingdom to give you a better look at the construction of Pandora: The World of AVATAR. Today, we take flight over Disney’s Hollywood Studios to view the wreckage and remains of the Streets of America and Backlot area of the park, with demolition now nearing completion. This land clearing is of course to make way for the Toy Story Land and Star Wars themed area coming to the park in the next few years:

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An overall view of the work site, including the tree clearing to accommodate the move of the car toll plaza to a new location, making more room for the Star Wars land.

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The viewing area of the former Lights, Motors, Action show is being slowly gutted.

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This is the area where the cars once performed for guests, now a pile of rubble.

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The backdrop for the tank area at the Backlot Studio Tour remains, but a fair amount of it has been leveled.

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Most of this area next to the cast parking garage will be Toy Story Land.

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The first pipes and pieces of infrastructure have arrived on site for the new areas.

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Just a few structures remain of the Streets of America.

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This was a street just 6 days ago.

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We also have a short video overview of the demolition to share with you:

RUMOR: The Very Latest On Possible Attractions For Toy Story Land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

WDWNT on January 29, 2015

Earlier this year, we broke the story that the Backlot Tour was closing and rumors of a third track being added to Toy Story Midway Mania at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Since then, rumors have been swirling about what guests will actually find if and when a Toy Story Land comes to fruition in that area of the park (keep in mind we’re not even talking about the other 2/3 of the Backlot area that should be cleared for other projects yet).

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At Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland, the Toy Story Land is made up of three attractions: RC Racer, Slinky Dog ZigZag Spin, and Green Army Men Parachute Drop. If rumors are true, only RC Racer from that group will make it to Walt Disney World.

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RC Racer is that one existing attraction that will be coming over to Hollywood Studios. The steel shuttle coaster launches guests back and forth, up and down the 80 foot tall track on what looks like orange Hot Wheels track.

Since Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree has tested so well at California Adventure, and since the proposed “Cheese the Mouse” version of the ride that would have been in Pixie Hollow in New Fantasyland was nixed, Disney will bring the ride to Toy Story Land as “Woody’s Round-Up”, where guests will ride with horse-drawn carriages that whip and whirl.

Last but not least, with rumors that Luigi’s Flying Tires at California Adventure will be replaced with a trackless, dancing car ride, the rumblings are that the ride system will be re-purposed for Buzz Lightyear at Walt Disney World. Since it hasn’t been built yet, it’s hard to gauge exactly what this is, but our guess is the dancing system will allow guests to tango with Buzz Lightyear in some way.

This is what we know so far and none of this information is official or even close to official (and anything not already under construction is always subject to change) and no announcement of this project is expected from Disney until at least August 2015 at the D23 Expo.

Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available.

BYE-BYE BACKLOT TOUR! Hollywood Studios PIXAR Place Expansion Coming, Many Current Attractions Closing Soon?

WDWNT on September 30, 2014

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I know you’ve heard this one before, but it seems like the Studio Backlot Tour at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is finally closing. A few days ago we told you that once Soundstage 1 at the park moves Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post and Frozen Funland out, work is set to begin on a third track for Toy Story Midway Mania inside of that building. Well, now it seems like the area surrounding Soundstage 1 will be used for the rest of a large-scale PIXAR Place expansion.

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Likely coming to the park are some of the small, flat-rides developed for Toy Story Playland at Disneyland Resort Paris and Toy Story Land at Hong Kong Disneyland including RC Racer, Slinky Dog Zigzag Spin, and the Toy Soldier Parachute Drop. The attractions possibly on the chopping block take up much more room than these small rides would, so chances are the remaining space would be used for Cars or Monsters Inc. attractions.

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Toy Story Land at Hong Kong Disneyland, also being built for Shanghai Disneyland and exists at Disneyland Resort Paris

Operating hours calendars released to cast members currently have only a few days of October hours for many of the offerings in that area, including the Monsters Inc. meet and greet, the Studio Backlot Tour, the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure, the Coke Bottle food stand, Studio Catering Company, and High Octane Refreshments next door. All of these attractions have no dates posted past October 11th. So, in short, all of these offerings might be closing on October 11th, one week after the closure of Maelstrom at Epcot. All other attraction operating hours are listed through January, so you can see why it’s awfully suspicious that all of these items in one area are not listed after a date in mid-October.

These operating hours combined with rumblings among Disney employees all seem to point at a PIXAR Place expansion, but nothing is set in stone quite yet and some of this post is pure speculation based on what we have heard so far. We will certainly keep you posted as more develops in this story, but it truly seems like after 25 years that we will see the end of the Studio Backlot Tour.

What do you think? Are you excited for these possible changes?