Is Disney's Hollywood Studios' theme a bit loose?

[Californian Elitist]

Their vacation home has a bigger castle than their actual home? XD
actually, the theory has merit. After all, even when Disney World had a Toon Town, it was kind of pathetic next to Disneyland's. So I could believe that's where they actually live.

Not to mention Disneyland came first, if we're talking about parks in general.

 

[mharrington]

Toy Story Midway Mania is supposed to be a carnival/pier-themed attraction, hence the reason it was designed for DCA. But the attraction is located in DHS, even though there's no midway or pier like area in the park...it's there simply because it's Pixar and Toy Story is a movie. It's not constricted.

Which is why I think the Toy Story midway ride is best at DCA, because there, it is constricted. Or at least it tries to be.

 

[Wilt Dasney]

This is a bit of a hobbyhorse of mine. The DHS theme is even weaker than most people realize, because its main conceit ("You can walk into the movie/music/TV show and be part of the action!") is what theme parks do by definition.

The day Disneyland opened its gates in 1955, a major part of the appeal was being able to walk into the worlds of Peter Pan or Snow White and join in the action. Walt described the entire park as a movie set that the audience could interact with.

At its best, DHS overlays this pre-existing concept with a touch of Hollywood patina. This works pretty well along the main entrance drag. At its worst, it annexes attractions into the "theme" purely because they're based on media properties (by which logic, Peter Pan's Flight would be a perfect fit for the park). The best (or worst) example I can think of is Toy Story Mania. When the ride can exist in a completely different park without a single detail changed and fit BETTER, your theme is...yes...a bit loose.

 

[Dragonrider1227]

I guess you could say DHS is for the movies and tv shows that don't fit in Disneyland or Magic Kingdom. Like things that aren't directly tied to Disney. Such as The Muppets and Star Wars. Yes, I know Star tours is in Disneyland but I feel it works better in DHS.

 

[HakunaMatata89]

i don't have a problem with the theming except i agree with above about TSM could fit in with another park as it is.

 

[mharrington]

I guess you could say DHS is for the movies and tv shows that don't fit in Disneyland or Magic Kingdom. Like things that aren't directly tied to Disney. Such as The Muppets and Star Wars. Yes, I know Star tours is in Disneyland but I feel it works better in DHS.

Why would Star Tours work better in the Studios than in Disneyland? I think this article on the state of the Studios probably put it best:

Setting Star Tours on a soundstage [...] is an enormous cop-out. I thought so the first time I went as a kid – I didn’t know what they were going for, with C-3PO’s coffee break area and bulletin board off to the side. Are we going to Endor, or are we watching people make a movie about people going to Endor?

Speaking of which, if they are going to do a Star Wars-themed land here, how is possible that the park is still called "Hollywood Studios"?

 

[Bairstow]

Why would Star Tours work better in the Studios than in Disneyland? I think this article on the state of the Studios probably put it best:

Setting Star Tours on a soundstage [...] is an enormous cop-out. I thought so the first time I went as a kid – I didn’t know what they were going for, with C-3PO’s coffee break area and bulletin board off to the side. Are we going to Endor, or are we watching people make a movie about people going to Endor?

Speaking of which, if they are going to do a Star Wars-themed land here, how is possible that the park is still called "Hollywood Studios"?

The writer is incorrect to call this as a "cop out".
As it was originally designed, every attraction at MGM Studios was designed to "exist" within the framework of being in an actual, working movie studio. The film equipment or soundstage theming was admirably consistent, so your suspension of disbelief and your "connection" with reality was only tested at very specific moments, like when your tour guide on the Great Movie Ride hops off the vehicle, or Robin Williams is "actually" turned into a cartoon character, or you enter the Star Tours building and leave the Endor "set" behind. A lot of their newer attractions like Midway Mania and Tower of Terror have completely dispensed with the conceit, and have gone back to the tried-and-true theme park approach of having each individual attraction temporary impose its own "reality" on the guest.

Universal Studios Florida used to have a similar unifying attraction conceit, but it was never as uniform.
The queue for the Mummy ride is a really interesting example of the "studio tour" reality blending and fading into its own substituted reality, and things get only more complex in the ride itself.

 

[JohnD]

Let's be honest: In the abstract Universal Studios is probably better than HS (Disclosure: Haven't been to US -- yet.) But WDW does have 4 parks.

I'm not so worked up about the theming as others. I mean, MK is building a parallel exit next to Main Street and some were getting worked up over that it better be themed. All I know is that my feet were killing me on 11/11. An alternative exit would be wonderful. The theme would be the last thing on my mind.

As for HS, MM is in Pixar Place. What's the problem? And so RnRC and ToT are both on Sunset Blvd. Who said both had to be from the same era?

 

[PrinceJohn82]

I think the theming is decent but the park suffers from a poor layout.

When touring HS I feel like I'm walking through a house that has had a dozen renovations, each time building another room off a corner of the house. (On the other hand you have the other 3 parks with the excellent wheel hub layout.) It's more for that reason that HS is my least favorite park.

 

[Bairstow]

Let's be honest: In the abstract Universal Studios is probably better than HS

Barely.
Universal Studios has some truly world-class rides (Mummy, Men in Black) but overall it suffers from the same spotty exterior themeing, poor layout (apart from the lagoon) and the critical problem of being a "working studio park" with no working studio.
Things will surely change quite a bit once the new London/Potter area opens, but for now it's almost exactly like MGM: a mess of a park built on a broken concept annoying sprinkled with can't-miss attractions.

 

[Californian Elitist]

At least Universal has an actual studio.

 

[BryceM]

Barely.
Universal Studios has some truly world-class rides (Mummy, Men in Black) but overall it suffers from the same spotty exterior themeing, poor layout (apart from the lagoon) and the critical problem of being a "working studio park" with no working studio.
Things will surely change quite a bit once the new London/Potter area opens, but for now it's almost exactly like MGM: a mess of a park built on a broken concept annoying sprinkled with can't-miss attractions.

At least Universal Studios Florida surpasses (in my opinion) on the exterior theming in lands such as New York. Because honestly, New York > Streets of America. Streets of America feels vapid, New York in US feels lived. I also prefer Universal Studios' Hollywood to Hollywood Studios' Hollywood. For one, there is not a big hat and stage at the end of the street, then you've got actual attractions like Horror Make-Up Show and Terminator, and I love the Garden of Allah Villas. Then there is San Franscisco, which is also better than its Streets of America counterpart.

Honestly, Universal Studios' biggest flaws are Production Central and KidZone.

 

[mharrington]

As for HS, MM is in Pixar Place. What's the problem?

The area is supposedly themed to Emeryville, which is in California, yes, but nowhere near Hollywood.

 

[lazyboy97o]

As for HS, MM is in Pixar Place. What's the problem? And so RnRC and ToT are both on Sunset Blvd. Who said both had to be from the same era?

The problem with Pixar Place is that it lacks clarity. Are we at the Pixar Campus? Or are we toys? Both get presented. Then with the attraction, we enter a nondescript door and suddenly find ourselves in a bedroom.

Rock n Rollercoaster lacks a transition. You just suddenly sump forward more than half a century into another non place.

 

[ExtinctJenn]

I'm sure this was said somewhere in these 7 pages and I'll admit right up front I read pages 1 and 7 only so I apologize if so but...

I think the key to remember is the theme at DHS was more than just a theme. When the park first opened as Disney-MGM Studios it was an actual working production studio. The backlot was actually used for production (films, television, music videos, etc.) and the animation building housed a room of actual animators working on current Disney productions (Lilo and Stitch being fully animated there if I remember correctly).

Since the production studios shut down, some of what was there in tandem with that has lost it's association and maybe has become a bit loose. They've done an ok job of filling some of the space with attractions that continue the "Hollywood" theme but ultimately the anchor for those is gone. The backlot isn't a backlot anymore in the traditional sense. The animation building is ultimately a shell of left over space that they've tossed some M&Gs into.

If you never had the chance to visit before the studios themselves shutdown I could definitely see how it just seems like poor theming/planning. If you were able to experience the park in the first few years it was open you'd have at least the memory of how it once felt cohesive. Or at least that's my opinion as someone who did.

 

[mharrington]

I think the key to remember is the theme at DHS was more than just a theme. When the park first opened as Disney-MGM Studios it was an actual working production studio. The backlot was actually used for production (films, television, music videos, etc.) and the animation building housed a room of actual animators working on current Disney productions (Lilo and Stitch being fully animated there if I remember correctly).

...

If you never had the chance to visit before the studios themselves shutdown I could definitely see how it just seems like poor theming/planning. If you were able to experience the park in the first few years it was open you'd have at least the memory of how it once felt cohesive. Or at least that's my opinion as someone who did.

I have indeed known the Studios before it was altered dramatically. I've seen it that way, too. That's another reason why I'm having difficulty seeing it as any other way except that.

 

[Goofyernmost]

I have indeed known the Studios before it was altered dramatically. I've seen it that way, too. That's another reason why I'm having difficulty seeing it as any other way except that.

I have to admit that the Studios had a loose theme in it's opening days a bit puzzling. But, OK, if that's the way people feel, my question would be, what should it look like? What would anyone do to make it "tighter", then as well as now.

 

[BiffyClyro]

Not really. Remember they have to try and incorporate the theme whilst appealing to a wide audience, so it can't be too in your face.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Not really. Remember they have to try and incorporate the theme whilst appealing to a wide audience, so it can't be too in your face.

Huh? The biggest successes of themed entertainment have strong themes.

 

[Uncle Remus]

for the love of God............