DHS Disney Animation-Inspired Experience Coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios

[Ice Gator]

This just sounds like a bandaid to fix this dead area. This is is super disappointing IMO; this should’ve been a new land.

This news makes it even worse that they closed Muppets.

Hard disagree. If they went with a new immersive land, you’d all be disappointed by the IP they chose to replace it with (because it wouldn’t be Muppets). They can’t use Marvel on the east coast so their IP options would be severely limited. I don’t want a World of Frozen or another Cars land at DHS.

 

[flynnibus]

Now you understand why the PLAY! Pavilion was abandoned in EPCOT.

buhaha.. no

 

[flynnibus]

Looking forward to this. Random thought - why share this now instead of at Destination D23 next month?

Probably just timelines... in the sense of wanting an early closure.. D23 is another month later.. and not wanting to wait that long?

Seems like a bonus in the Disney world... sooner the better.

 

[JohnD]

Hard disagree. If they went with a new immersive land, you’d all be disappointed by the IP they chose to replace it with (because it wouldn’t be Muppets). They can’t use Marvel on the east coast so their IP options would be severely limited. I don’t want a World of Frozen or another Cars land at DHS.

I would take a Cars Land at DHS if it meant not getting rid of ROA. If they went the route of "another", then I'd be very angry and ask why it couldn't just be in HS and while ROA had to be bulldozed.

 

[Ice Gator]

Not sure how anyone could be mad about this or why they think this is temporary. We literally just got a huge Mermaid refurb and they’re touching the most dead area of the park.

If you wanted a new immersive land, you’d all be disappointed to discover it wouldn’t be Muppets or Marvel- it’d be something else like Pixar, Moana, or Frozen (Frozen 3 in 2027). The options just seem limited to me and I think a hard refresh of Animation Courtyard is long overdue and keeps the essence of Hollywood Studios alive for a new generation.

 

[Ice Gator]

I would take a Cars Land at DHS if it meant not getting rid of ROA. If they went the route of "another", then I'd be very angry and ask why it couldn't just be in HS and while ROA had to be bulldozed.

Exactly my point. The big IPs already have lands in development, and the chances of them investing in a whole Muppets land or being allowed to use Marvel Studios are null. It would be a World of Frozen clone or some other IP that we’ve gotten too much of and would contrast with that section of the park.

My only other thought would be Lion King Land coming to Disney Adventure World- but we have Animal Kingdom for that here.

 

[SoFloMagic]

Now couple the hall with the world showplace in between the United Kingdom and Canada and you have the space for everything you could possibly need for food booths and special events like party for the senses.

No chance they'd block the events calendar for 2 months for that space to run a festival. Unless there's another pandemic.

 

[Tom P.]

I love the idea that for some reason they haven’t even considered plans to fix AC until this very moment. Why would the development of a new land take years? They don’t have plans for, say, a Monsters Inc land ready to go for this spot? Why is the only way to do something “quickly” to do it cheaply?

Most people here were happy when the Play Pavilion died but for some reason we’re all giggly about its second coming.

It takes years to construct a new land. Criticize that all you want, that's the reality. However, I just don't agree with the assessment of what they're doing here. I think it's good. I don't feel like it's cheaping out at all. I think it's doing something good that can be done quickly and does not preclude anything else that they might want to do.

More than that, though, we need more "small" projects and less big lands, IMHO. It's great to get a new land with a new E ticket, but it's the smaller stuff that is sorely lacking in some of these parks right now. I think this is just what Hollywood Studios needs at the moment.

 

[ChrisFL]

I think conceptually the idea is fine and getting back to the roots of the park. Execution is another issue, but I do agree that getting rid of the arch will open up the feeling of the area, though it does lose some of that "studio" feel to it.

 

[FigmentFan82]

I think this also gives WDW time to see if any more low tier Marvel characters that are not affected by the universal contract can potentially break out big in any future film projects to allow them a superhero land in this area.

 

[Disstevefan1]

So, more screens for kids to watch (yay!!) and the main attraction, meet and greets (ie LL$$).

Unless I am mis reading this, they are basically bringing back the animation attraction they had there a long time ago including the part where you learn how to draw characters!

 

[Grantwil93]

For anyone wondering why Feature Animation is staying…

The feature animation blog tour posted a few weeks ago was a “please stop asking us to tear down Feature Animation, we’re keeping it.”

I mean, the reality is that people don't realize just how much infrastructure really is in that area. It's not even just the animation building and the parking garage for it.

In terms of just the building that has brown derby, it also is the dance party and club 33 and the parks main cast cafeteria(which has a subway and stuff). Its all 1 building. so you can only change the show space if you dont want to also move 3 other things.

That building has a lot going on to consider just like demolishing parts of it or all of it. And if you build back in there, you have to figure out ways to cover that up to guests if those other things stay, or potentially move that infrastructure if you create a new land. so I can totally see why they don't want to go that far.

And changing the dance party into a different show makes sense. But I don't think they really want to move club 33 and the massive food and beverage infrastructure within that building that connects to 3 different locations If they don't have to.

that doesn't even consider the demolition and changes to the giant animation building. And the other bits of backstage, because it's not just the animation building, there are many buildings back there that house so many arms of business for the park and for Disney World as a whole. Its just not a good location to want to do too much. Not impossible, but a hard thing to sell Because its a massive project to move everything. Especially the stuff that isnt just offices and integral to the park operations.

This feels like a return to what makes sense for the park in that area. And an area that has consistently underestimated complications to just outright change.

 

[Casper Gutman]

Not sure how anyone could be mad about this or why they think this is temporary. We literally just got a huge Mermaid refurb and they’re touching the most dead area of the park.

If you wanted a new immersive land, you’d all be disappointed to discover it wouldn’t be Muppets or Marvel- it’d be something else like Pixar, Moana, or Frozen (Frozen 3 in 2027). The options just seem limited to me and I think a hard refresh of Animation Courtyard is long overdue and keeps the essence of Hollywood Studios alive for a new generation.

The options aren’t limited at all - Disney has a deep well of IP - and no one here would be upset with Moana or Pixar or even Frozen - in fact, those are the sort of IPs the most critical voices would prefer. Your post is just completely detached from reality.

 

[TalkingHead]

Unless I am mis reading this, they are basically bringing back the animation attraction they had there a long time ago including the part where you learn how to draw characters!
View attachment 872351

Sounds like a lot of nothing

 

[Grantwil93]

Im mainly curious where Vader ends up. Especially if they let you meet him with photos like it is currently.

I see almost zero possibility he meets outdoors with a formal line in GE. Chewie is the only character who has an actual line.

Maybe by Star Tours and the training academy gets repurposed?

 

[rill]

I'm not sure if there'd be any room with the current building's space but it'd be amazing if there was a section of it that's similar to the Animation Academy in DCA. I always loved seeing these montages with the concept art.

 

[Andrew C]

Im mainly curious where Vader ends up. Especially if they let you meet him with photos like it is currently.

I see almost zero possibility he meets outdoors with a formal line in GE. Chewie is the only character who has an actual line.

Maybe by Star Tours and the training academy gets repurposed?

Probably somewhere in GE. They have already warped the timeline there with Mando anyways...

 

[Casper Gutman]

SCENE: A Disney message board in 2014.

2014 Poster: Man, the Animation Courtyard is a real mess, with the really old Mermaid show and the big empty Animation exhibit. Still, I’m not sure this new Star Wars thing is the way to go.
2025 Poster: Greetings! I’m speaking to you from the future! Don’t worry, the Star Wars thing is temporary.
2014: How temporary?
2025: 10 years.
2014: That’s not very temporary. But after 10 years Disney finally does something to fix the area, right?
2025: Yes. They bring back the empty Animation exhibit and Mermaid.
2014: How does that fix anything? Those are the problems now!
2025: They plant some trees.
2014: How’s everything else going 10 years in the future?
2025: I have to go now.

 

[JohnD]

SCENE: A Disney message board in 2014.

2014 Poster: Man, the Animation Courtyard is a real mess, with the really old Mermaid show and the big empty Animation exhibit. Still, I’m not sure this new Star Wars thing is the way to go.
2025 Poster: Greetings! I’m speaking to you from the future! Don’t worry, the Star Wars thing is temporary.
2014: How temporary?
2025: 10 years.
2014: That’s not very temporary. But after 10 years Disney finally does something to fix the area, right?
2025: Yes. They bring back the empty Animation exhibit and Mermaid.
2014: How does that fix anything? Those are the problems now!
2025: They plant some trees.
2014: How’s everything else going 10 years in the future?
2025: I have to go now.

It doesn't change anything for you. It does for new families with experiences we remember that they can experience with their children for the first time.

 

[Casper Gutman]

It doesn't change anything for you. It does for new families with experiences we remember that they can experience with their children for the first time.

I’ve been told many times this doesn’t matter and that’s why it’s ok to tear out much, much more significant things like Muppets or the entire Rivers of America. Nostalgia matters now, huh?