Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Disney’s Studio theme park (then called Disney-MGM Studios) opened in 1989 as part theme park and part working animation, film and television production studios. Like its rival Universal Studios Florida®, most of the shows and rides take their inspiration from motion pictures and television.

In 2004 the animation department closed down and today all of the film work has been moved elsewhere but Disney’s Hollywood Studios still has a lot to offer.

Compared to the other major Disney parks, Disney’s Hollywood Studios is quite small; you can usually do it in a day especially with so many attractions currently closed

Disney’s Hollywood Studios is still one of our favourite parks with some of the best rides and attractions; it has a real feel-good factor. If you like the movies then you’ll love Disney’s Hollywood Studios and with the upcoming opening of Toy Story Land and Star Wars: Galaxy Edge it will become a major theme park again.

Like the Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios can effectively be split into a number of “lands” based upon streets and boulevards:

• Hollywood Boulevard – an Art Deco styled street which runs from the main entrance to the park and leads up to The Great Movie Ride (now closed) housed in a replica of Mann’s famous Chinese Theater in Hollywood. The Great Movie Ride will be replaced by Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
• Sunset Boulevard – the Art Deco style continues, with the famous Twilight Zone Tower of Terror&tm;, the Rock ‘n’ Roller® Coaster starring Aerosmith, Beauty, Sunset Showcase and the Beast – Live on Stage and Fantasmic!
• Animation Courtyard – used to house the animation studios but now has the Star Wars Launch Bay, Disney Junior – Live on Stage!, Voyage of the Little Mermaid and Walt Disney Presents (formerly Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream)
• Muppets Courtyard – home to the entertaining Jim Henson’s Muppet™ Vision 3-D show (to be renamed Grand Avenue in the Autumn of 2017)
• Pixar Place – the very popular Toy Story Mania!
• Echo Lake – around the lake is the second stunt show, namely the Indiana Jones™ Epic Stunt Spectacular!, the “not to be missed” Star Tours – The Adventure Continues simulator ride, For the First Time in Forever – A Frozen Sing-along Celebration and Star Wars – Path of the Jedi

Disney’s Hollywood Studios has a number of live stage shows as well as a daily parade and a fantastic evening fireworks display.

A “walk-through” attraction that has now closed was called Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow.

Also no longer available is the Star Wars Guided Tour and Music of Pixar LIVE! A Symphony of Characters. Star Wars: Galactic Nights last took place in 2018.