DHS CARS LAND

[Goofyernmost]

Just a random thought here, but sometimes I get the feeling that many of us are reading the Title of DHS incorrectly. It's official name, I believe is Disney's Hollywood Studios. With that name it encompasses all of the possible studio representation that they desire. We are thinking of it as a singular...i.e. Disney Studio. They are saying this is Disney's....Hollywood Studios Park.

In reality it stopped being or even trying to represent the Hollywood of the 20's and 30's at the moment it opened. Indiana Jones was not from the 30's as a movie produced then, nor was the Backlot Tour. In fact the only place that even made an attempt to be that was the entrance back to the theater. Turn any direction after that and you were in the present or resent. In that sense Cars Land fits like a glove. It can occupy a currently useless piece of property that is labeled "Back Lot". And even though I have enjoyed Lights, Action...it is pretty much a stretch to think of that as really Hollywood. Catastrophe Canyon was cool in it's time, but it's time has passed and really isn't considered much of a draw anymore, it's just there so they use it. I would hope that they find a fitting place for Walt's' plane though.

 

[flynnibus]

In reality it stopped being or even trying to represent the Hollywood of the 20's and 30's at the moment it opened. Indiana Jones was not from the 30's as a movie produced then, nor was the Backlot Tour. In fact the only place that even made an attempt to be that was the entrance back to the theater. Turn any direction after that and you were in the present or resent

ehh.. because they were different LANDS - just like Space Mountain in Tomorrowland doesn't take anything away from Frontierland..

The classic hollywood area was only Hollywood Blvd and the extended Sunset Blvd. The far side of echo lake and beyond was already supposed to be studio area.. hence the idea of 'backlot sets', 'movie magic' shows, etc.

 

[marni1971]

ehh.. because they were different LANDS - just like Space Mountain in Tomorrowland doesn't take anything away from Frontierland..

The classic hollywood area was only Hollywood Blvd and the extended Sunset Blvd. The far side of echo lake and beyond was already supposed to be studio area.. hence the idea of 'backlot sets', 'movie magic' shows, etc.

Technically, Echo Lake and Backlot Annex was still theme park land. Only through the arch was the real studio.

 

[JustInTime]

I think the only way Cars Land would work in DHS is if the park was actually split into different studios! Lucas Studios, Muppet Studios, Pixar Studios, Disney Animation Studios, and the front of the park/ TOT area would be known as Classic Hollywood Studios.

I do think that a whole carsland still wouldn't fit, but RSR would and if they do go along with the Mosters Inc ride, it can work! Plus finally move Pizza Planet back there and use the old PP for a new muppet or Star Wars attraction!

Pixar Place is already supposed to be like that. It's modeled after the real Pixar Studios. I always assumed that is the direction they would go after Pixar Place opened.

 

[flynnibus]

Technically, Echo Lake and Backlot Annex was still theme park land. Only through the arch was the real studio.

To clarify - I didn't mean it was the 'working studio' but those areas were themed to being about movie making/studio stuff - not attempting or promoting classic hollywood themselves.

 

[Rasvar]

Real life has been hitting me hard keeping me from being around here. I've heard a couple of hints that something may be up from folks who normally don't talk about thing until something is under way. Not enough to say with any certainty. Just found the comments to be unusually timed around the New Fantasyland opening. Not sold it was not idle musing from some folks who had a few too many celebratory drinks.

 

[Rasvar]

Luigi's flat out sucks. It is the only part of the land I take issue with. A waste of money and a vanity project for John Lasseter to bring Tomorrowland's 1960s Flying Saucers back. They barely move, people don't get how to move them, they bunch up, so even if you know how to move them, you can't. A waste.
.

I loved the idea in theory. It just did not work out. Unfortunately, it seems the only way to improve it would just make the situation worse. Single riders are much more effective and you would have to drop the number of tires by about a third to open up enough space based on my own observations and riding. Don't really see a realistic way to save this. It may last longer than Superstar Limo only for the sake of having something. I'm hoping someone is already looking at a replacement. Kind of a tight area, so not sure what they can put in there attraction wise but I'm not paid to do that job nor could I do it.

 

[Mattdaddy4321]

Was at Disney today and a cast member told me Disney is getting rid of the lights motor action due it costing too much. She said it will be replaced with a Cars theme.

 

[lazyboy97o]

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/dhs-cars-land.846133/
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/numbers-cars-and-quality.856357/

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

As said, a cloned Cars Land is being thrown around as a replacement for LMA as well as the apparent entirety of the backlot tour (and apparently a Monster Inc coaster is under consideration too). Still not greenlit apparently but it's under heavy consideration by the company (or was just a few months ago, things change fast though). Though I doubt that a cast member would know the facts, they probably just read it online like the rest of us.

 

[mickey2008.1]

Same old stuff. If only the new news was announced on Dec. 7th. But cancelled. Same old stuff.

 

[Mattdaddy4321]

Thanks. Yeah just heard her saying she was going to miss LMA. Wonder when they will get it going.

 

[JWG]

I would love to see Disney Parks Strat Plans. Specifically, WDW's portion. In the next 10 years we will... repaint some stuff.
This rumor is being kicked around a lot and hopefully will be true some day (not holding my breath).

We did backlot tour last week. The line was SO SHORT that they couldn't do the real pre-show stuff with the special effects and guest interaction. They had a cast member hurriedly run through "if we were shooting a scene we would..." and in a very fragmented and confusing manner launch all of the special effects before hurrying us on. It was very awkward and if I didn't already know what that was supposed to be, I'd have been very confused.

They'd have been better off just letting the line queue without even acknowledging this piece. It was like a race to the tram. And THEN all of the windows in the shops you ride through were blacked out. What a waste...

Demo it and give us the REAL Cars Land, not the cardboard cutouts.

 

[Mattdaddy4321]

That's funny cause I was there today and they did the same thing cause nobody wanted to participate.

 

[Patricia Melton]

I think in the next few years we'll see a serious rebranding of DHS. It's lost its identity.

Personally, I think it was a foolish project...because at its heart it was supposed to be a working studio and that was never going to happen in Orlando. The movie industry did not want to relocate to Florida to be watched by the public while they filmed. Michael Eisner was insane to push this.

But, yet, here in 2012 we still have DHS ostensibly themed as a park that's supposed to be built around working production facilities and sound stages...but entertainment production is never coming back to Orlando.

They should take the movie theme and instead of making it about production have this park be where the movies really come to life...and have lands that are set inside classic films. Have a Star Wars Land, a Pixar Movies Land, a Muppet Studios Land, an Indiana Jones Land, a Maroon Cartoon Studios Land (Roger Rabbit and classic cartoons for the kids) etc.

The infrastructure can remain mostly the same...and the theme can be that when entering one of these lands it's like walking into the sound stages those movies were made...and the attractions would take you into those movies.

I think it would be marvelous.

Just don't touch my Brown Derby restaurant because I love my cobb salad and grapefruit cake! I wait all year to have those on my next trip!

 

[Longhairbear]

I heartily agree. I am still bothered a bit with the generic studio facades in Hollywoodland in DCA, I never really cared for them. On the other hand I miss the Golden Girls house at DHS.
Supposedly when Carsland opened, a young boy exclaimed to his parents that this is where Cars was filmed. I think DHS needs more of that type of attraction, (although I'd rather that RSR stay in CA.) which is why I love the Great Movie Ride.

 

[RalphinSC]

That's funny cause I was there today and they did the same thing cause nobody wanted to participate.

That's such a bummer. One of my favorite DHS memories is of being a participant in the boat torpedo scene for the Backlot tour.

It does need to go away though. The ride has been languishing in the purgatory of poor show for years.

 

[misterID]

It's a shame they can't retheme/refurb the BLT to a Pixar Studios theme.

 

[bgraham34]

Two things stopped the Studios from being my favorite park.
1. When it stopped being a working studio it lost its appeal.
2. When they started showing Fantasmic a few days a week I stopped going. ( I loved being in that park at night, but since that happened but has since changed I still dont like going.)

 

[Next Big Thing]

But, yet, here in 2012 we still have DHS ostensibly themed as a park that's supposed to be built around working production facilities and sound stages...but entertainment production is never coming back to Orlando.

Quite a bit of production still takes place over at Universal. Obviously not as much as a Hollywood studio, but they shoot commercials, TNA (They do pay-per-view tapings monthly), Family Fued, Ellen DeGeneres Show, Florida Lotto (nightly), FSN and Sun Sports (SS19), etc. Major motion pictures to be shot here recently include "The Final Destination" and "Tooth Fairy 2". Shaquille O'Neill was actually in town during horror nights to film for an upcoming show of his called "Upload with Shaquille O'Neill" (Similar to Tosh.0 for fans of that show).

If that's not enough to prove production is possible in Orlando just over the past 3 years, then maybe we should step back into roughly the time you were talking that Eisner was crazy for thinking to do this. First of all, one of the big attractions to MGM at opening (since it didn't have many "actual" attractions), was "The Mickey Mouse Club". Move over to Universal and they were going strong with Nickelodeon up until the early 2000's. Now it may not be a crazy amount of production, but there certainly IS production in Orlando. Whether Universal benefited from Disney shutting down, we'll never really know, but I assume probably a bit. That still doesn't mean that there isn't anything going on.