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Disney Hollywood StudiosFormerly Known As MGM Official web Site: Click Here The links below take you out of this web site. Please remember to click "Back" to return Disney's Hollywood Studios OverviewAMERICAN IDOL ATTRACTION OPENING IN LATE 2008
On January 1, 2008, Disney-MGM Studios was renamed Disney's Hollywood Studios.
When Disney's Hollywood Studios opened on May 1, 1989, chairman Michael Eisner declared "Welcome to the Hollywood that never was and always will be." At the time, the only attractions were the
Great Movie
Ride, The
Backlot Tour (which was the Backstage Studio Tour),
Magic of
Disney Animation and the Monster Sound Show which has morphed into
Sounds
Dangerous.
(Indiana
Jones Stunt Spectacular was still a work in progress and didn't open until
August.) Yessiree, it was a thrill a minute with all of 4 attractions. They did
have an evening fireworks show "Sorcery in the Sky" which debuted a year later.
By then
Star Tours had opened.
One great show that has survived since 1991 is the Beauty and the Beast stage show. Unfortunately, the equally wonderful Hunchback of Notre Dame stage show did not last. Originally, the Earffel Tower was the park's icon, only to be outdone by yet another oversized hat, the 122 ft tall Sorcerer's Mickey's Wizard Hat. You can't miss it, they plunked it right in front of the replica Grauman's Chinese Theater. Disney's Hollywood Studios is a mixed bag when it comes to attractions for little kids. There's the "Voyage of the Little Mermaid", "Playhouse Disney-Live On Stage", "Jim Henson's Muppet Vision 3-D" and the aforementioned "Beauty and the Beast" as well as the 'Honey I Shrunk the Kids" Playground. There are also a ton of character meet and greets. On the flip side, the length of most of the shows and attractions will make some kids (including those over 21) start to squirm in their seats. It's impossible to track how many parades this park has hosted, so we're not going to even attempt it. The latest is Block Party Bash. This one was imported from Disney's California Adventure theme park. Disney is touting 'going green' so maybe they're recycling parades along with paper and plastic. Speaking of which, Disney's Hollywood Studio's "Fantasmic!" is based on the super popular Disneyland show. Unfortunately, it's not identical and the best scene from the California version is missing from this one. If you've never seen the one in CA, you'll probably think it's fantastic. For those of us who have seen both, I won't spoil it but, in comparison, you wish they left it alone. They also added the "Lights, Camera, Action! Extreme Stunt Show" from Disneyland Paris. Disney's Hollywood Studios is home to perennial special events starting with
"ESPN - The Weekend,
Stars Wars Weekends,, Night
of Joy and
Super Soap
Weekend. The best is the
Osborne Spectacle of
Dancing Lights for the holidays. Fortunately, the latter isn't just a
weekend event but covers the full Christmas season. If you're in town when its
there, you definitely don't want to miss it. At the Sci-Fi Drive In, you're seated in convertibles watching clips of some pretty cheesy horror flicks. Then there's Mama Melrose's Ristorante. Just walking in and getting a whiff of the wood fired pizza oven makes you hungry. Hollywood and Vine is a buffet with a character breakfast and lunch. As always, the usual assortment of counter serve restaurants are everywhere. In 2008, Toy Story Mania! is set to open in May with the American Idol attraction being added later this year. There you have it. A little history of "Disney's Hollywood Studios" from its less than stellar opening to the theme park of today. In this case, it didn't start with a Mouse but with a rival studio opening a theme park just a few miles from Mickey's door!!
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