Disney's Hollywood Studios Part 5: Muppet Studios

When it comes to the various franchises showcased at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the Muppets is one of the most grossly underutilized. Yes, the Muppets may be past the height of their popularity but as Disney’s “The Muppets” showed last year they still have a very loyal and dedicated following. Yet, the only Muppets presence found at Hollywood Studios is the aging Muppet Vision 3-D. However, Disney’s original plans for the Muppets were on a much grander scale.

In the early 1990s, the Walt Disney Company came very close to purchasing the Muppets, something they would not actually do for over another decade, and when it was looking like things were going to go ahead (Jim Henson personally thought that Disney would be good caretakers of his creations), Disney Imagineering set forth on designing a whole land for the Muppets.

Imagineers set apart a small area of the newly opened Disney-MGM Studios to create a mini-land which would be called Muppet Movieland. The area was meant to be opened by 1991 and signs were even put up showing the future location of the studio. In addition, a teaser show called Meet the Muppets had a short run at the park.

However, when Jim Henson died the Disney acquisition that would have enabled Disney to benefit from the project fell through. Without ownership of the Muppet characters, Disney was reluctant to expand the Muppet presence in the parks and the land was abandoned. The only attraction that did come to fruition was the Muppet Vision 3-D attraction that still exists today and was actually the last project that Jim Henson worked on before he passed away.

My plan calls for the creation of a Muppets-themed area similar to what was originally planned. It would include a brand new attraction, an update to the existing Muppet Vision 3-D, and new themes for both Pizza Planet and Mama Melrose’s Italian Restaurante. This is something this area of the park desperately needs. With exception of Muppet Vision 3-D, there is currently nothing in this corner of the park to draw Guests following the last Lights, Motors, Action show of the day.

Muppet Vision 3-D is a very funny show, but one that could definitely use some updating. I have always considered the preshow to be better than the actual show itself. I have never been a fan of Waldo, a character created especially for the movie, and I think too much of an emphasis is placed on Bean Bunny. Because this was the last project worked on by Jim Henson it does have certain sentimental value. I would not touch the preshow at all because it is classic Muppet comedy, whether it be the Three-D’s of Dorothy, Dina, and Max (Debbie was sick) or Gonzo tap dancing with a pot of flowers balanced on his head.

The actual storyline of the show itself would change to something similar to the recent movie “The Muppet.” The premise would be that the Muppets are looking to raise money to restore the theater and are performing a variety act that will showcase the talents of various Muppets. The show would be hosted by Kermit and would include the comedy of Fozzie Bear, the wild antics of the Great Gonzo, the whistling skills of Walter, a performance by Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, and, of course, it would end with Sam Eagle’s salute to all nations but mostly America. This new show would feature appearances by far more Muppets than the current version of the show and even include some celebrity cameos that are so common in other Muppet movies (with a definite appearance by Jason Segel and Amy Adams).

While an updated Muppet Vision would be a major improvement, the highlight of the new Muppet Studios would be the Great Muppet Movie Ride, something that was originally planned by Imagineers to go into Muppet Movieland in the early 1990s. This ride was to be somewhat of a spoof on the park’s Great Movie Ride. Just like The Great Movie Ride, Guests on the Muppet version would tour the history of movies, only this time it would star an entirely Muppet cast. Jim Henson described it as "a backstage ride explaining how movies were shot... and all the information is wrong."

With one scene Guests would enter an old, shadowy castle, with strange scientific machines, test tubes, and generators buzzing and flashing. Parodying the 1931 version of Frankenstein, we would come across mad scientist Dr. Bunsen Honeydew in the title role ready to pull the switch on a twelve foot high Beaker. Gonzo, in the role of the director, would shout instructions through a megaphone while a team of rats would man the equipment. Two rats in particular would, through a hamster wheel, power a generator providing power to the machinery via a cable. Fozzie, holding the two ends of the cable in each hand, would light up each time the machinery sparked.

Another scene would parody the Disney version of Peter Pan with Kermit as Peter. Skeeter, Fozzie and Janice would have roles as the Darling children flying over a cardboard cut-out London, each in a very visible harness dangling by rope from a rig above. The ever graceful Miss Piggy, squeezed into a green leotard, would be playing Tinkerbell, but something has gone wrong. Piggy’s harness is swinging all over the place, causing a Miss Piggy shaped hole in the backdrop, and a team of rodents and Animal desperately try to get her under control.

At another point in the ride, Guests would enter the set of a motion picture version of Pigs in Space with a recreation of the bridge of the USS Swinetrek currently locked in battle with a bunch of space pirates. In this case, it would be a crew of space pi-rats, lead by Captain Rizzo, with peglegs, eyepatches, and laser guns swinging in from a spacefaring Spanish galleon.

On top of this, Statler and Waldorf would be seen from time to time throughout the ride in a movie lot golf cart, commenting and heckling in their usual way, before riding off again into the darkness.

The ride itself would be located in the area currently occupied by the Premier Theater. This theater used to be the home of the Hunchback of Notre Dame musical, but has since been used primarily for special events.

Another major component of the new Muppet Studios would be its restaurants. First, the existing Pizza Planet would be converted into Gonzo’s Pandemonium Pizza Parlor. In this counter service restaurant the walls would be littered with photographs and props of the Great Gonzo performing some of his wildest stunts. There would also be animatronic figures of Camilla and other chickens who would entertain the Guests as they enjoy their meals:



The other restaurant in this area would be in the location of the current Mama Melrose’s Italian Restaurante only now the new proprietor would be the Swedish Chef. The interior of the restaurant would be completely redesigned to look similar to the preshow area of Muppet Vision 3-D, featuring props from various Muppet movies.

There would also be television monitors positioned throughout the restaurant giving Guests a glimpse into the kitchen where they could see the Swedish Chef preparing their meals, although things are not necessarily going as planned:



The area would also include various entertainment offerings. Back in 2007 Disney tested the Muppet Mobile Lab featuring Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker at Epcot. These were animatronic figures that drove around Future World and interacted with Guests. This would be the perfect addition to Muppet Studios.



In addition, I would re-theme the popular Mulch, Sweat, and Shears group to include Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem, with animatronic figures that would perform alongside the live entertainers.

All of these things, with new and updated attractions, restaurants, and entertainment, would be a much better utilization of the popular Muppets franchise than what Hollywood Studios currently has. Muppet Studios would be a highly themed and immersive land that would offer something for the entire family and help draw Guests to what is currently a very quiet area of the park.

Stay tuned for my next blog entry where I will finish my re-imagining of Hollywood Studios with a greatly expanded Pixar Place.

Disney's Hollywood Studios Part 4: Lucasland

Disney’s Hollywood Studios highlights many iconic movies, but arguably two of the most popular are grossly underutilized within the park. Indiana Jones and Star Wars are two of the biggest movie properties of all time and feature hugely passionate and loyal fan bases. Universal has seen tremendous gains since it opened the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, including a 29% jump in attendance at Island of Adventure in 2011. Star Wars and Indiana Jones have the same type of following as Harry Potter (if not more so) and an increased emphasis on these properties could really help put Hollywood Studios on the map.

As it stands right now, a stunt show and a flight simulator are not the type of attractions that are going to make Guests specifically want to come to the park. However, if you were to design a whole new land to immerse Guests into these stories then you would have a real recipe for success. My goal for this area of the park is to create the same type of immersive atmosphere found in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Islands of Adventure or the new Carsland at Disney California Adventure, areas that bring these movies to life and put you right in the middle of the action.

As popular as the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular is, the theater take up an incredible amount of space (enough to fit two good-sized rides). Hollywood Studios is already show-heavy, so I would therefore remove the stunt show. The first attraction I would place in this area would be along similar lines to the incredibly popular Indiana Jones Adventure found in both Disneyland in California and Tokyo Disney Sea. Disney World already has Dinosaur at Animal Kingdom which uses the same ride system, so my vision for this new Indiana Jones ride is somewhat different. The ride would still utilize the Enhanced Motion Vehicle found in the other Indiana Jones Adventures and Dinosaur.

Up until this point, however, the vehicles have always been trucks/jeeps. With this new attraction I would take all the aspects of the Enhanced Motion Vehicle and put it with a boat. The Indiana Jones River Adventure would be a state-of-the-art experience for guests the likes of which have never been seen before.

The storyline of the attraction would be similar to that of Disneyland where Indiana Jones has reunited missing fragments of a map scroll of parchment documenting the precise location of an ancient temple. The Temple of the Forbidden Eye, containing countless intriguing artifacts, is undergoing excavation for archeological research. To raise money so the excavation can continue, Sallah has begun conducting guided tours. Good fortune has come to many of the tourists who survive, but others have not returned. Promising to find the missing tourists, Jones ventured inside the temple approximately one week ago, and has not yet reappeared. Marcus Brody has asked Sallah to continue conducting the tours, in the hope they may locate Dr. Jones. With this new version of the ride, the only way for tourists to reach the temple is by river and even the temple itself is still partially submerged in the water.

Guests would enter a queue themed to be an archaeological museum displaying a variety of exotic artifacts. After winding among the museum’s treasures, Guests would view a grainy black-and-white video documenting the discovery of a partially submerged temple deep in the jungle and its mysterious origins and curious symbols and writings found inside. Next, guests exit the museum and into another building that appears to be a rundown travel agency which is offering river tours to the temple. From here guests board their boats and begin their journey.

The first portion of the ride is all outside and begins peacefully with the boats travelling through the beautiful jungle environment encountering various wildlife (almost like the Jungle Cruise). The boat then begins to have engine trouble and, at a split in the river, is forced down the wrong side. We then encounter a series of wild rapids, with the boat getting tossed and spun around. After making it through the rapids we approach a massive temple and here the boat enters for the indoor portion of the ride. We pass through several rooms of the temple full of various treasures and eventually come upon Indiana Jones who warns us that we should not be here and to get out of the temple right away. Looking for a way out, the boat next enters a room with three passageways.

At this point, the ride would actually have three different variations. The first option, the passageway to the far left, leads to a room filled with animatronic Tigers who begin growling and swiping at the passing boat. The boat again has engine trouble and all the lights go out. Here the motion of the vehicle makes it feel as though a tiger actually has jumped onto the front of the boat. Gunshots are then fired, we hear a roar from the tiger, and the lights are restored as Indiana Jones enters to save the day. In the second option, the center passageway, the boat enters a room that has been booby-trapped and the spiked walls and ceiling begin closing around us. Again, Indiana Jones arrives in the nick of time to save the guests. With the third option, the passageway on the far right, the boat enters into a darkened cave. Here the boat strikes a rock and begins to feel as though it is sinking. We then see a couple of animatronic crocodiles swimming toward the boat. Like in the previous two versions, Indiana Jones again arrives to save the day. From here, the boat leaves the temple and Guests make their way back through the jungle to the load/unload boat dock.

The second attraction would be a mine train rollercoaster inspired by this scene in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom:



This attraction would be more of a dark-ride/rollercoaster hybrid, combining various show scenes and animatronic figures with the high speed thrills of a coaster; picture something along the lines of The Mummy at Universal Studios Orlando or the new Grizzly Mountain coaster that just opened at Hong Kong Disneyland. Guests would ride past waterfalls and over rivers of lava, be chased and shot at from other mine cars, and have the illusion that their mine car is ever in danger of tipping off the tracks. All the while, the ride would be set to John Williams’s dramatic musical score from the movies.

The overall look of the land would be very similar to the Lost River Delta at Tokyo Disney Sea. Guests would navigate winding pathways through the dense jungle past various archaeological digs and ancient artifact.

Appealing to a younger demographic there would also be an interactive adventure akin to Sorcerer’s of the Magic Kingdom and the Agent P World Showcase Adventure where Guests would be helping Indiana Jones looking for various artifact scattered around the land.

This area of the park would also be home to a new restaurant, a reimagined version of the Adventurers Club which closed at Pleasure Island. The restaurant would be the newest branch for the Society of Explorers and Adventurers and throughout the course of their meal Guests would be treated to comedic skits by some of the club’s resident adventurers (and maybe Indiana Jones might make an appearance every once in a while). The restaurant would be littered with curious and wacky artifacts that would help pay homage to the original Pleasure Island version and would also help link this location to both Tokyo Disney Sea (where club member Harrison Hightower III is the main character in their version of the Tower of Terror) as well as Hong Kong Disneyland (where club member Lord Henry Mystic is the main character in the park’s version of the Haunted Mansion known as Mystic Manor).

The transition from an Indiana Jones-themed area to a Star Wars-themed area might seem difficult, but the transition would be smoothed by having Guests leave from the lush jungle environment surrounding the Indiana Jones attractions and emerging into an area resembling the Forest Moon of Endor. I envision the Star Wars land as being divided into a series of smaller areas highlighting various planets from the films. Guests could explore the streets of Mos Eisley on the planet Tatooine or the City Plaent of Coruscant. There would even be an area for kids to run, climb, and play amongst the Ewok village on the Forest Moon of Endor.

Star Tours would, of course, remain but with a whole new exterior giving it an apperance more along the lines of the spaceport featured in Star Wars Episode II.

The theater that was formerly the home of Sounds Dangerous starring Drew Carey would be converted into a permanent indoor home for the Jedi Training Academy. The exterior of the building would be redesigned to resemble a Jedi Temple and the show itself would be tweaked from its current format. Right now, the only real allure of the show is the opportunity to see Darth Vader on stage. Other than that, most of the people who watch the show are the families of the children participants. The show needs more to it to broaden its appeal. Having an indoor location would allow more lighting effects and various other effects like smoke and fog. The show would still feature the children learning from the Jedi Master and fighting Vader, but there would also be an epic light saber duel between the Jedi Master and Darth Maul as well as an interactive Yoda who would speak with the young Padawans (something akin to Turtle Talk with Crush). All this would help make the Jedi Training Academy more of a real show.

Next, I would remove the restrooms located across from the entrance to Star Tours and construct a meet-and-greet area where Guests would be able to take photos and get autographs from some of their favorite Star Wars characters. With this new Star Wars area every day would be like a Star Wars Weekend and there would be much more streetmosphere with Stormtroopers, Jawas, and other creatures walking around and interacting with Guests.

The Backlot Express would be converted into the Mos Eisley Cantina.



The restaurant would remain counter service, but would also include a bar serving strange intergalactic beverages, such as blue milk.

As Guests enjoy their meal they would encounter various alien creatures walking around the restaurant. The main attraction, however, would be performances by the Cantina Band. These Audio Animatronic figures would be akin to Sunny Eclipse at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café at the Magic Kingdom.

The major new attraction in this Star Wars area would be a brand new type of rollercoaster the likes of which has never been seen before and the result would be one of the most immersive and exciting Star Wars experiences ever created. I wish I could take credit for this attraction, but I actually found these blueprints circulating online. I was so amazed when seeing them that I needed to include this attraction in my plans for the park. In order to fit this attraction into the park, however, it would require some expansion into areas that are now backstage and a possible rerouting of the entrance to the parking lot from the main Auto Plaza.

The ride is described as a Warring Coaster, “a concept that takes an armed conflict from a film or a story and allows riders to live it. Through the use of multiple trains on multiple tracks, giant themed arenas, animatronics, interactive laser gun systems, and much, much more, the Battle of the Death Star from Star Wars roars to life! This is the ultimate in themed rides and roller coasters combined."

The coaster could have up to six different tracks with six vehicles moving simultaneously. The vehicles would have the capability of reaching 50 miles per hour in a few seconds and would be themed to look like X-Wing fighters and Tie Fighters. Each vehicle would have six seats and each guest would use a mounted laser gun to shoot at the "enemy". Each hit will be counted and appear on the fighter’s screen.

The entire interior of the ride building would be fully themed so that this battle between X-Wings and Tie Fighters would take place over the surface of the Death Star and Guests waiting in the queue would also be involved. Guests will be divided when entering to join either the rebels and board an X-Wing fighter or the Empire and board a Tie Fighter. They would be directed down two different paths and in each of them they would have access to Death Star or Rebel Fleet ship turrets. Each turret would be equipped with laser guns and, using these laser guns, Guests in the queue would be able to fire at the roller coaster vehicles as they soar over the Death Star.

Each hit from the turret guns to the vehicles would tally additional points which would be counted in the final count. At the end of each ride, depending who is the winner (based on the number of points), either the Death Star would explode, using lighting and pyrotechnic effects, or if the Empire wins it would be the rebel planet base which would explode with projection effects.

This new attraction, combined with more immersive theming throughout Star Wars area would make Guests feel as though they have stepped right into the middle of one of the Star Wars movies. It would be for Hollywood Studios what the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is for Islands of Adventure. Lucasland, with its Indiana Jones and Star Wars themed areas, would be the crown jewel of the reimagined Hollywood Studios. Not only would Guests be able to experience state of the art E-ticket attractions, but they would be surrounded by some of the most immersive atmospheres found in any of the Disney parks around the world.

Disney's Hollywood Studios Part 3: Animation Courtyard

The Animation Courtyard has been lacking ever since feature animated films stopped being produced at the Studios. Walt Disney Animation in Orlando was responsible for creating Mulan, Brother Bear, as well as Lilo and Stitch and it used to be that guests that visited the Magic of Disney Animation would be able to tour the animation facilities and actually witness these films being produced first hand. Once Disney animated films stopped being produced in Florida the Magic of Disney Animation building really lost its purpose and has become little more than a glorified meet and greet location.

The reality is that there is now very little animation in the Animation Courtyard. Of the other attractions located there, Voyage of the Little Mermaid is a very good show highlighting some of the great music from the movie but it is soon to become obsolete with the addition of the new Little Mermaid attraction in Magic Kingdom. In addition, the Disney Junior stage show may be popular with the younger children but it does not appeal to anyone outside of that age range. The Animation Courtyard should be a showcase of Disney animated films and thus a signature section of the park, but it has fallen into almost an afterthought. My goal is to make this section of the park worthy of the great legacy of Disney animation.

My vision for the animation courtyard is to turn it into the Hollywood Studios version of Fantasyland in Magic Kingdom. Hollywood Studios currently has some great attractions, but the problem is that of the attractions that are popular three of them (Star Tours, Tower of Terror, and Rockin’ Rollercoaster) have height requirements and another (Toy Story Mania) has an extremely low guest capacity. What Hollywood Studios needs most is a few attractions that will eat a lot of people: high-capacity, omni-mover types of attractions that can be enjoyed by guests of all ages with no height requirements. Disney has moved away from the construction of classic-style dark rides like those found in Fantasyland, but the new Little Mermaid attraction shows that Imagineering is still capable of designing these type of attractions.

One thing that most guests do not realize is how large the Animation building actually is. There could easily be two attractions built in the space it occupies, in addition to another attraction in the space occupied by the current Voyage of the Little Mermaid combined with One Man’s Dream and the former Narnia walk-through. This means that the Animation Courtyard could be home to three new attractions, just what the Hollywood Studio needs to complete its transition from Studio to full-fledged theme park.

My transformation of Animation Courtyard starts with the building that currently houses Disney Junior. Originally this site was home to the Soundstage Restaurant, a full-service restaurant that was designed to look like a "live set" from Disney films. Sponsored by the J.M. Smucker Company, it was a buffet that featured characters from Disney animated classics and served breakfast and lunch. Originally, the restaurant had a theme to the film "Big Business" starring Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin from 1988. The idea of the theme was to make it look like the set was fragmented as if it had been "struck" and there were set pieces and props from other productions lying about. Throughout the restaurant’s history its theme changed to highlight current Disney films, such as Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin.

I would restore this space to be a full-service restaurant, but with a different theme. Aboard the Disney Cruise Line there is a unique restaurant called Animator’s Palate. Aboard the Disney Magic and Wonder the restaurant’s theme is that guests enter into a dining room that is completely black and white and throughout the course of the meal the paintings of various Disney characters along the walls are magically transformed into color. The meal ends with a film highlighting great moments from Disney animated classics and then the entire room bursts into an array of colors, with even the servers’ costumes changing from black and white to color. A restaurant of this theme would be a perfect fit in the Animation Courtyard.

The first attraction for Animation Courtyard would be a boat ride themed to Princess and the Frog. Guests would enter the attraction through a queue designed to make it feel as though guests are meandering through the streets of the French Quarter in New Orleans.

Once they have boarded the boats guests would travel through various scenes from the movie. The ride begins with the arrival of Prince Naveen to the song “Down in New Orleans.” We then encounter Dr. Facilier to the song “Friends on the Other Side” and witness Naveen’s transformation into a frog. From there guests are transported to "Big Daddy" La Bouff’s stately southern mansion, but his masquerade ball goes awry when Tianna too is transformed into a frog. Next we find ourselves in the bayou where we are guided by Louis the alligator and Ray the firefly to the song “Gonna Take You There” and eventually encounter Mama Odie for a huge show scene to the song “Dig a Little Deeper.”

Things then progress quickly as we return to New Orleans in the middle of a Madi Gras parade and are pursued by Dr. Facilier. In the end, Facilier meet his demise, Tiana and Naveen are reunited, and guests exit the attraction through an area meant to look like Tiana’s restaurant, complete with a beignet stand.

The next attraction in this area would be an Aladdin-themed carpet ride along the lines of Peter Pan’s Flight except guests would travel aboard a flying carpet instead of pirate ships. Guests would begin their journey soaring high above the dessert toward Agrabah to the song “Arabian Nights.”

Next we see Aladdin trying to escape the palace guards to the song "One Jump Ahead." We then find ourselves flying through the mouth of the Cave of Wonders and encounter Genie in a scene to the song “Friend Like Me.”

Flying next back to Agrabah we witness the grand arrival procession of Aladdin to the song “Prince Ali.” Following this would be a beautiful scene featuring the song “A Whole New World.” Things go awry when Jafar manages to take control of the magic lamp. Aladdin then returns to save the day and the ride ends with Genie being freed.

In the place currently occupied by Voyage of the Little Mermaid, One Man’s Dream, and the former Narnia walk-through I would create a Beauty and the Beast omnimover attraction. I know that there is a whole Beauty and the Beast section coming to Fantasyland, but this is comprised of shops, a restaurant, and a meet and greet location. Beauty and the Beast lends itself so well to a dark ride that I am surprised that it has not been developed yet. Like the other attractions I have envisioned for the new Animation Courtyard, this Beauty and the Beast ride would center around the film’s brilliant musical score, with each scene of the ride highlighting a different song. The ride would begin in Belle’s village with the song “Belle” followed by a visit to Gaston’s tavern with the song “Gaston.” From there we travel to the Beast’s Castle for a large show scene to the song “Be Our Guest.”

We see the relationship between Belle and the Beast developing with the song “Something There” and culminating with the ballroom scene straight out of the movie along with the song “Beauty and the Beast.”

Things take a darker turn when Gaston gathers up the villagers to launch an assault on the Beast’s castle to the song “Kill the Beast” but the ride ends on a high note with the Beast’s transformation.

Now that I have talked about the attractions that would make up the new Animation Courtyard, I want to shed some light on the new look the land would take. The aesthetic appearance of this area of the park would draw some inspiration from the new Art of Animation Resort. Guests visiting this area of the park would feel as though they were stepping into the middle of the animation process. The building facades would be covered with various concept art, sketches, and drawings representing the movies the attractions are based on. Guests would feel as though they were walking right into these movies. It would be a great opportunity to really showcase the tremendous artistry of Disney animation.

Overall, this new Animation Courtyard would bring much-needed attractions to Hollywood Studios. Not only would they be high-capacity attractions but they would also help to balance the thrill-heavy, height requirement attractions of the park. Up next will be an area near and dear to my heart, the section of the park that encompasses attractions such as the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, Star Tours, and Muppet Vision 3-D.

Disney's Hollywood Studios Part 2: Sunset Boulevard

Sunset Boulevard is an area of Hollywood Studios that has a defined theme, but it is one that needs to be developed and expanded upon. This section of the park carries on the Golden Age of Hollywood theme established while walking up Hollywood Boulevard and features some great details that help immerse guests into the time period. The area also includes two of the park’s marquee attractions, Tower of Terror and Rockin’ Rollercoaster, although the latter does not fit with the theme of the area at all. What I want to do with Sunset Boulevard is solidify its theme and provide some new attractions to balance out the thrill-heavy nature of the current area. The original plans for Sunset Boulevard actually called for a more expansive land, but these plans were scaled back due to budget cuts. My plan for this area of the park is to incorporate several of the ideas that were originally put forth by Imagineers when designing Sunset Boulevard.

As it stands now, much of the upper part of Sunset Boulevard, just after making the turn from Hollywood Boulevard, is dominated by shops. Hollywood Boulevard already features a wide assortment of shops and the ones on Sunset Boulevard do not really offer anything unique or special. Therefore, I would keep the shops on the left side of the street, both the Sweet Spells candy shop and Villains in Vogue (although this would be returned to a shop selling exclusively villains merchandise). On the right side of the street I would transform the shops into new experiences for the guests.

The first buildings on the right currently house the Legends of Hollywood shop and the Planet Hollywood store. In their place I would create a restaurant that was originally planned for the park, David Copperfield’s Magic Underground. This would have been a magic-themed restaurant where diners would enjoy their meals amidst various magic act props. In keeping with the time period of the area, this restaurant would showcase the era of Harry Houdini and his magic tricks and death-defying escape acts. As guests would dine they would be treated to various acts and tricks performed by magicians roaming throughout the restaurant.

Further down Sunset Boulevard are the Mouse About Town and Sunset Club Couture shops. Among the building facades for these shops is a small-scale replica of the Carthay Circle Theater, the theater in which Walt Disney premiered Snow White and which is now going to be the centerpiece of Disney’s California Adventure.

I would redesign the exterior facades of these shops to give the Carthay Circle Theater a larger, more grand appearance (more along the lines of what is planned for California Adventure).

Inside of the theater I would have a show entitled “The Magic of Disney Animation.” This would replace the current show that is found inside of the Animation Courtyard (because I have something else planned for this location) but be completely different from the current show. The show would be divided into two parts. The first component would highlight the animation process and utilize the film “Back to Neverland” starring Walter Cronkite and Robin Williams that originally was shown prior to the Animation Tour at what was then the Disney-MGM Studios.



Following this would be another film about the legacy of Disney animation featuring a highlight of clips from every Disney animated feature film all set to a dramatic score of some of the best music from these movies. What I envision for this film is something along these lines:



After exiting the theater guests would walk through a post-show area highlighting concept art, storyboards, and models previewing upcoming Disney and Pixar animated movies.

Moving further along Hollywood Boulevard we come to Theater of the Stars which currently houses the Beauty and the Beast show. As popular and timeless as the movie is, this show has been a mainstay at Hollywood Studios for years and is in need of a change. First, I would give the exterior of the theater a major refurbishment and also enclose the theater to allow for a more enjoyable, climate-controlled setting which would also enable the use of greater lighting and other special effects. The exterior façade of the theater would have the appearance of the grand movie palaces prevalent during the Golden Age of Hollywood. Below is some concept art from the planning stages of Hollywood Boulevard of a building that was never constructed that is the type of style that I envision for this theater:

As for the show itself, I would replace Beauty and the Beast with a show that is performed aboard the Disney Cruise Line as well as at Hong Kong Disneyland called The Golden Mickey’s. The premise of this show is that guests are attending an awards show highlighting achievements by various Disney animated films in several different categories, such as romance, villains, heroes, comedy, etc.



The show does not highlight any one particular movie but rather features musical sequences from numerous Disney animated films, such as Tarzan, Lion King, Lady and the Tramp, and Aladdin.



The beauty of this show is that the musical sequences can be switched out over time to keep the show fresh and up to date; already the Disney Cruise Line has added in a new musical sequence from Tangled. In addition, the finale of the show features one of my favorite Disney songs not from a Disney movie:



Next to Theater of the Stars is the Hollywood Hills Amphitheater, home to Hollywood Studio’s nighttime spectacular Fantasmic. This show continues to be a popular fan favorite so I would keep it very much as it is now but with a few minor tweaks and improvements. The biggest change would be the removal of the Pocahontas sequence and replacing it with a Pirates of the Caribbean sequence complete with a replica of the Black Pearl along with apperances by Jack Sparrow and Captain Barbosa. Most of the other changes I would make with the show would be updates to the technology used, including new fountain effects more along with lines with what is used in World of Color at California Adventure, new high-definition projections onto the water screens, more pyrotechnic effects, and a new dragon like the one they have in Fantasmic at Disneyland.

Tower of Terror ranks consistently as one of the most popular attractions at Hollywood Studios and all of Walt Disney World. Therefore, I would make no changes to this attraction.

Despite its popularity, Rockin’ Rollercoaster starring Aerosmith does not fit in at all with the theme of Sunset Boulevard, which forces me to make some significant changes to this attraction. However, my changes would be more in the theming and storyline rather than with the ride system itself. I would use this opportunity to create an entirely new mini-land at the end of Sunset Boulevard encompassing the current Rockin’ Rollercoaster as well as the surrounding area. The theme of this new sub-land would be based on an idea that was originally planned for the park but never came into being.

Roger Rabbit's Hollywood, sometimes known as Maroon Studios after the cartoon studio featured in the 1988 film, would have been a mini-land based around Roger Rabbit and the other inhabitants of Toontown. Planned at the height of Roger's popularity, a New York Times article described the land: “This will be a kind of Toontown, where - as in the movie - only cartoon characters may live.” It would look like the cartoon studio buildings featured in the film with all the cartoon peculiarities such as boxes of TNT, grand piano's hanging above the sidewalk, and Roger shaped holes in the walls.

My vision for Roger Rabbit’s Hollywood is that the exterior façade, viewed from Sunset Boulevard, would look like the exterior of Maroon Cartoon Studios from the movie, which blends in well with the classic Hollywood feel of the area.

Once passing under the archway and into the studio itself, guests would then find themselves in the whimsical Toontown. This new area would include two attractions, one geared towards adults and the other for the entire family.

One of the attractions planned for this new land was a ride featuring Benny the cab that would take guests on a wild and crazy ride through Toontown. While never built in Disney World this attraction did come to fruition in Disneyland as Roger Rabbit’s Car-Toon Spin. This is the new overlay that I would give to Rockin’ Rollercoaster. The ride vehicles would be rethemed to look like Benny and guests would be launched on a much more thrilling ride through Toontown with many more props and effects than on the current coaster. I would also include some animatronic figures to add depth to the storyline, including guests being pursued and shot at by the Weasels.

Another attraction originally planned for this area was called the Toontown Trolley. This was to have been a simulator-style ride where Roger Rabbit would take guests on a tour of Toontown only to have things go awry. I envision this attraction to be far more mild than Star Tours, one that would not have a height requirement and could be enjoyed by the entire family. Guests would board a trolley that would have screens on the front and sides of the vehicle in place of windows. Roger Rabbit would begin the tour taking guests past some of the more prominent locations throughout Toontown but then loses control of the vehicle. The trolley begins moving faster and faster and taking guests on an out-of-control ride through the streets of Toontown narrowly dodging vehicles driven by well-known characters. Below is some concept art that was originally released for the ride:

With all these additions, Sunset Boulevard would become a more complete area of the park, balancing out the popular thrill rides with other offerings for the rest of the family while helping to more solidify and expand upon the great theming and detail that already exists in the area.

Stay tuned for my next entry which will include dramatic changes to the Animation Courtyard.

Disney's Hollywood Studios Part 1: Hollywood Boulevard

Disney’s Hollywood Studios has dramatically changed since it first opened in 1989. Not only has the name of the park changed from the Disney-MGM Studios, but the main function and purpose of the park has changed as well. When the park debuted in 1989 it was meant to be a working film studio with a theme park component. As a result, the various attractions and shows on the theme park side were not necessarily meant to take up the whole day.

On Opening Day, May 1, 1989, the park included five attractions: The Great Movie Ride, The Magic of Disney Animation Tour, The Monster Sound Studio, Superstar Television, and the Backstage Studio Tour (which was a two hour experience). Later that year the park added the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular in August and Star Tours in December. A look at the original park map shows the clear delineation between the theme park and studio areas of the park:



Over the years, the working studio component faded away and the Disney-MGM Studios became more of a traditional theme park. However, the attractions and shows found in the park have not changed substantially enough to keep up with this change in the park’s main function. As a result, the rebranded Disney’s Hollywood Studios is still considered by many to be a half-day park lacking a sufficient number of attractions to warrant spending a whole day there.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios today is probably the park that needs the most work of any at Disney World. Although no longer a working studios, it has yet to fully make the jump to being a full-fledged theme park and it sometimes feels as though it is still looking for its true identity. One of the things that works against the park is its layout, lacking the same hub-and-spoke design that makes Magic Kingdom so easily navigable. Rather than having a defined layout, the park is more a mass of streets and buildings that blend into each other, much like a real motion picture studio; this layout makes travelling through the park from one point to another somewhat of a challenge. Another pitfall is the park’s small size, the smallest of all the Florida parks. At the same time, the park does have a few things working in its favor. First, the Hollywood theme of the park is one that encompasses so much of what Disney is about. In addition, the park already has a set of themed areas, but the themes just need to be more defined and developed.

I truly believe that Disney’s Hollywood Studios is the park with the most potential, but in order to realize that potential it will require a lot of work. My goal for Hollywood Studios is to better develop its themes, firmly establish the park’s identity, and yet still remain true to the original mission of the park as presenting “The Hollywood that never was and always will be.”

Hollywood Boulevard sets the tone for the rest of the park and while the building facades along the street capture the Hollywood feel, what is inside the shops is the kind of merchandise that can be found throughout the rest of Disney World. With exception of Sid Cahuenga’s memorabilia shop, the rest of the stores on Hollywood Boulevard are very generic. For this reason, I would give the shops here the same treatment as I did with the shops on Main Street at Magic Kingdom, converting them into a series of smaller specialty stores each selling different types of unique merchandise that would fit better with the Hollywood theme of the park.

Also, to provide some kinetics to Hollywood Boulevard, I would add the Red Car Trolley Line similar to what is being added to Disney's California Adventure. Not only would this help to solidify the theme and time period of Hollywood Boulevard, but it would also serve the practical purpose of helping to transport guests into the park. The trolley line would start at the front of the park and make stops at the end of Sunset Boulevard by Tower of Terror as well as in front of the Great Movie Ride.



At the end of Hollywood Boulevard sits one of the biggest travesties in the history of Disney World. The decision to put the giant Sorcerer Mickey hat in front of the replica of Grauman’s Chinese Theater completely destroys the illusion of being in Hollywood. Prior to the hat, the Chinese Theater set to perfect backdrop at the end of Hollywood Boulevard:





Today, the Hat not only completely blocks of the view of the Chinese Theater but also throws off the forced-perspective and makes the Hollywood Boulevard entrance to the park feel smaller:





The Chinese Theater at the end of Hollywood Boulevard was something that drew guests into the park, immersed them in the park’s theme, and inspired them to explore the other areas of the park. The Hat does none of these things and is more of an intrusion than anything else.

My plan calls for the complete removal of the Hat and in its place I would construct a stage for a new outdoor production, similar to the stage shows in front of Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom. Gone would also be the Disney Channel Rocks show that currently performs in front of the Hat. In its place performing on the new stage would be a show entitled “Hooray for Hollywood” which would exemplify all the glitz and glamour of the golden age of Hollywood. Included in the show would be singers and dancers performing songs such as Hooray for Hollywood and There’s No Business Like Show Business. Also included in the show would be appearances by classic Disney characters as well as some of the Citizens of Hollywood.
The show would have a feel similar to what was performed for the park’s Grand Opening Ceremony, just not on as large a scale:



Disneyland had a show entitled “Show Biz Is” in the 1980s and its opening number was a song that I think would fit very well in this new show:



Inside of the Chinese Theater is an attraction that is very near and dear to my heart, the Great Movie Ride. This is a classic Disney attraction that has been a part of the park since it first opened and therefore I would make no major changes to the ride itself. What I would do is fix all the effects that are in need of repair, some of which have not been working for many years. Among the things I would fix, I would make sure that the Busby girls would once again spin, the Gangster car would move, and the side Alien would be fully functioning. I would also see to upgrades and enhancements of the Audio-Animatronic figures, new and improved lighting throughout the ride, and an updated finale montage.

Next to the Great Movie Ride sits a theater that has served many purposes over the years. It began as the home of Superstar Television, later changed to Doug Live, and today houses the American Idol Experience. American Idol no longer has the popularity it once had and the show itself does not really mesh well with the overall Hollywood theme of the park in general and especially the theme of Hollywood Boulevard. In its place I would bring in a show from the Disney Studios in Paris called CinéMagique.



The premise of the attraction is that guests are seated in a theater expecting to see a production about the history of film. The first film clips shown are from the silent era. All of a sudden, a cell phone starts ringing from a seat near the front of the theater. A man answers it and starts a loud conversation with the airline that has lost his luggage. During his conversation we learn that his name is George. George eventually gets up from his seat and walks up onto the stage. The characters in the silent film are in the midst of a love scene when they “break the fourth wall” and become aware of the annoying man talking on stage. A wizard is summoned, takes one look at George, and starts to conjure a spell. He sprinkles some magic dust and with a blast of smoke on the stage and the man disappears and a moment later reappears in the movie.

The character of George is played by Martin Short and guests follow him as he travels on a wild and crazy journey through classic movies ranging in everything from Mary Poppins to Silence of the Lambs to Casablanca to Gone with the Wind to Monty Python and the Holy Grail. This 30-minute show is one of the highest rated attractions at the Disney Studios in Paris and would be a welcome addition to Hollywood Studios.

Here is a look at CineMagique:



Hollywood Boulevard helps to set the tone as guests enter the park and the changes made here help to better solidify both the theme of this area and the park as a whole, but this is only the tip of the iceberg. Stay tuned for even greater changes throughout the rest of Hollywood Studios.