Disney Hollywood Studios getting renamed/rethemed?

[mharrington]

I really do hope that the park changes its name some time in the future because it's no longer an actual studio and has ceased to be so for at least thirty years, if not more. One candidate was "CineMagine", which was not my first choice.

I would pick something a little less "imaginative". By "imaginative", I mean "something that flat-out indicates that nothing is real". Maybe it could be Disney (again, no apostrophe-S) Hollywood CineMagic Adventure (a bit of a mouthful, I admit). Or it could just be Disney Hollywoodland, which actually could be a subtle nod to the planned land addition to Disneyland during the ill-fated Disney Decade.

I'm just saying, though, that "studios" should be dropped from the name, since it's no longer a real movie studio. Even Universal Studios in Orlando still uses its facilities for actual studio work, albeit not necessarily for anything worthwhile, like wrestling or the Powerball.

 

[World_Showcase_Lover007]

They haven’t changed the name of the park because, as their survey showed a few years ago, Disney can’t come up with a suitable replacement name. And maybe, just maybe, someone there with common sense pointed out that the Studios name still works perfectly fine for what the park is.

 

[mharrington]

They haven’t changed the name of the park because, as their survey showed a few years ago, Disney can’t come up with a suitable replacement name. And maybe, just maybe, someone there with common sense pointed out that the Studios name still works perfectly fine for what the park is.

But it no longer functions as a real studio anymore, so it doesn't really make sense. Even Universal Orlando will sometimes use their facilities as a real studio, albeit not for anything of significance.

How can it have "studio" in the name if it doesn't even function as one?

 

[World_Showcase_Lover007]

But it no longer functions as a real studio anymore, so it doesn't really make sense. Even Universal Orlando will sometimes use their facilities as a real studio, albeit not for anything of significance.

How can it have "studio" in the name if it doesn't even function as one?

A studio doesn’t always just refer to a working production facility. The moniker is also used to describe companies or entities that work in the movie industry, like Sony Studios or Paramount Studios. If you’re in the biz, you can refer to yourself as a studio. And that’s what DHS does.

Also, it doesn’t have to be an actual studio to have the name, and the reason is simply because it is a theme park. Theme parks have leverage and leeway to invoke a feeling or emotion through different ways and it’s name is just one way they do it. EPCOT is not a community of tomorrow, but the name sticks. It’s all a land of fantasy and pretend. Nothing is literal and no one expects it to be.

 

[mharrington]

A studio doesn’t always just refer to a working production facility. The moniker is also used to describe companies or entities that work in the movie industry, like Sony Studios or Paramount Studios. If you’re in the biz, you can refer to yourself as a studio. And that’s what DHS does.

Also, it doesn’t have to be an actual studio to have the name, and the reason is simply because it is a theme park. Theme parks have leverage and leeway to invoke a feeling or emotion through different ways and it’s name is just one way they do it. EPCOT is not a community of tomorrow, but the name sticks. It’s all a land of fantasy and pretend. Nothing is literal and no one expects it to be.

EPCOT is not a land of fantasy. And maybe they could rename it to Disney Hollywoodland.

Maybe it's just that my background in Disney parks is mostly the castle parks, where it's easier to accept the whole "fantasy" aspect. And anyway, DHS used to be a real studio. How can it still be called a studio if it doesn't function as one? How can a studio evoke emotion just from it being called a studio? Anyway, also, most movie-themed parks nowadays don't even call them "studios" anymore, including Warner Bros. Movie World in Abu Dhabi or that Paramount park coming to London or South Korea or wherever.

 

[ChrisFL]

But it no longer functions as a real studio anymore, so it doesn't really make sense. Even Universal Orlando will sometimes use their facilities as a real studio, albeit not for anything of significance.

How can it have "studio" in the name if it doesn't even function as one?

How can it be Animal Kingdom if there's no king? (unless we're counting Simba)

 

[celluloid]

But it no longer functions as a real studio anymore, so it doesn't really make sense. Even Universal Orlando will sometimes use their facilities as a real studio, albeit not for anything of significance.

How can it have "studio" in the name if it doesn't even function as one?

This again? It is a studio within the theme. There are attractions, locations and references to film making production groups and places/processes within the park.

 

[erasure fan1]

But it no longer functions as a real studio anymore, so it doesn't really make sense. Even Universal Orlando will sometimes use their facilities as a real studio, albeit not for anything of significance.

How can it have "studio" in the name if it doesn't even function as one?

Because when you say "Disney studios", the first thing that comes to mind is film, TV and music. It still represents what the park is, in the most simple terms. You see the name, you know what to expect. And as of now, I have not heard a better name that fits better what the park is. Why? Because Disney has gone to the hodgepodge approach to theming. Personally, I always liked the faux studio approach with the salute to classic Hollywood.

 

[mharrington]

Because when you say "Disney studios", the first thing that comes to mind is film, TV and music. It still represents what the park is, in the most simple terms. You see the name, you know what to expect. And as of now, I have not heard a better name that fits better what the park is. Why? Because Disney has gone to the hodgepodge approach to theming. Personally, I always liked the faux studio approach with the salute to classic Hollywood.

The salute to classic Hollywood might have been easier to accept with The Great Movie Ride, but obviously it's long gone now. It also seems to undermine the claim about "riding the movies", because the only real movies you can "ride" now are "Star Wars" and "Toy Story".

Furthermore, the choice of lands is another reason why I find it hard for it to shake off its past history, because it doesn't have the stereotypical land setup. Look at this map from 2003:

More importantly, look at this guide book from when the park opened in 1989: https://www.wdwmagic.com/other/maps/gallery/01jul1989-disney-mgm-studios-guide-book-1989.htm. As you can see, New York Street was initially cut off from pedestrian traffic because it was part of the vast Studio Tour. In addition, Star Tours was not yet open, and there was no glimmer at all of a land called Sunset Boulevard. It's almost like it's an entirely different park than what is there today (or even in 2003)! That's another reason why I think the name should be changed along with the content. That way, it might be easier to accept the "fantasy-Hollywood-that-is-not-nor-is-meant-to-be-real" conceit. It was why I had suggested "Disney Hollywoodland" (note the lack of an apostrophe-S). Another name idea I've had is one that's actually honest about it being a "fantasy Hollywood", something like "Disney Hollywood Fantasy" (again, no apostrophe-S).

For me, just as some people continue to call it "MGM Studios" (why, though, I don't know), it will continue to be the place that should have been a working studio that was never meant to be another theme park with stereotypical lands and the like. That was a big reason why it was built to begin with, to produce real movies and shows there, and compete with Universal, which was doing the same thing with its Orlando property. Indeed, I believe Universal continues to use its facilities for real filming, albeit not for anything of significance in the grand scheme of things (like wrestling or the Powerball). So really, Universal has won out over Disney in that regard by default.

It's also the same reason why I still feel the exact opposite of EPCOT than others here, why I feel that it continues to carry on its original mission while others here think its mission has been compromised, whereas others are more willing to accept the Studios' original mission being compromised.

 

[stratman50th]

I still call it MGM and always will.

 

[PaisleyMF]

The salute to classic Hollywood might have been easier to accept with The Great Movie Ride, but obviously it's long gone now. It also seems to undermine the claim about "riding the movies", because the only real movies you can "ride" now are "Star Wars" and "Toy Story".

Mickey and Minnie Runaway Train, you do ride the cartoon. And Tower of Terror you are part of the episode of The Twilight Zone. On Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular you are watching a movie been filmed (okay not right now).

 

[Goofyernmost]

I still call it MGM and always will.

Just curious... why? MGM has absolutely no contribution to the park anymore. It's just doesn't make sense to keep calling it by a name that it no longer has. It's a minor thing, of course, and I am not putting you down for it. I just don't understand why. If you had a daughter whose last name was the same as yours before marriage and she took her husbands name when married, would you still call her Miss "yourlastname" or would you refer to here as Mrs. or Ms. "hislastname"? Do you still refer to Test Track as World of Motion? Is Soarin still thought of as Food Rocks? I know you are not alone. Many people still call it Disney/MGM, I just don't understand why!

 

[mharrington]

Mickey and Minnie Runaway Train, you do ride the cartoon. And Tower of Terror you are part of the episode of The Twilight Zone. On Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular you are watching a movie been filmed (okay not right now).

Technically, Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway and the Tower of Terror are based on TV shows, not movies. And you obviously don't ride the Indiana Jones stunt show, you're just watching stunts. It's one of the few connections with the old "studio" aspect. In fact, it may be the only "studio" aspect left.

Just to give you an idea of how far the Studios is from its origins, watch this video on the history the Backstage Studio Tour, whose demise is emblematic of where the Studios is now:


And by the way, throughout the video, the narrator continuously just calls it "MGM Studios".

 

[The Grand Inquisitor]

Disney is reportedly considering changing the name of Hollywood Studios to 'Cinemagine Park'

After years of speculation, it now looks like Disney has finally settled on a new name for Hollywood Studios and it doesn’t seem to be...

www.orlandoweekly.com

Good lord that is a awful name. I'm glad Disney kept the name of the park Hollywood Studios.

 

[erasure fan1]

Just curious... why? MGM has absolutely no contribution to the park anymore. It's just doesn't make sense to keep calling it by a name that it no longer has.

Maybe the same reason so many people still call the Wiilous tower in Chicago the Sears tower. For a lot of people that was the name for a lot of years so they just keep saying it.

Technically, Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway and the Tower of Terror are based on TV shows, not movies.

But again, TV shows are made in a studio and so is music. I understand what you are saying about the name. And if they can come up with something good, that they drive a better theme around, I'm fine with it. But even your idea for Hollywood land just sounds odd and in my opinion fits worse than studios. At this point, you have too many different ideas for any name outside of, Disneys IP kingdom. So I still feel if you see the Disney studios logo, you have a pretty good idea of what you are getting.

 

[MinnieM123]

I still call it MGM and always will.

I like the older name as well, for nostalgia purposes. (I'm also guilty of still referring to Downtown Disney, instead of Disney Springs.)

 

[stratman50th]

Just curious... why? MGM has absolutely no contribution to the park anymore. It's just doesn't make sense to keep calling it by a name that it no longer has. It's a minor thing, of course, and I am not putting you down for it. I just don't understand why. If you had a daughter whose last name was the same as yours before marriage and she took her husbands name when married, would you still call her Miss "yourlastname" or would you refer to here as Mrs. or Ms. "hislastname"? Do you still refer to Test Track as World of Motion? Is Soarin still thought of as Food Rocks? I know you are not alone. Many people still call it Disney/MGM, I just don't understand why!

Because that's what it was called when it opened, and years afterwards. Even though the name got changed we still called it MGM. We've been doing it so long it's stuck. Still call the FQ Port Orleans.
My nephew calls Magic Kingdom "Disney". He lives near Disney land and is a season ticket holder. That's what they call it so he just carried it with him to WDW.

 

[mharrington]

But again, TV shows are made in a studio and so is music. I understand what you are saying about the name. And if they can come up with something good, that they drive a better theme around, I'm fine with it. But even your idea for Hollywood land just sounds odd and in my opinion fits worse than studios. At this point, you have too many different ideas for any name outside of, Disneys IP kingdom. So I still feel if you see the Disney studios logo, you have a pretty good idea of what you are getting.

But all of the parks have Disney IPs in them. By that logic, all of the parks are studios, aren't they?

 

[Sir_Cliff]

For me, just as some people continue to call it "MGM Studios" (why, though, I don't know), it will continue to be the place that should have been a working studio that was never meant to be another theme park with stereotypical lands and the like. That was a big reason why it was built to begin with, to produce real movies and shows there, and compete with Universal, which was doing the same thing with its Orlando property. Indeed, I believe Universal continues to use its facilities for real filming, albeit not for anything of significance in the grand scheme of things (like wrestling or the Powerball). So really, Universal has won out over Disney in that regard by default.

The main reason it was built was to compete with Universal Studios Orlando as a theme park, not as a production facility. They didn't build it because they felt they desperately needed a studio in Florida or they would lose talent and box office, they built it to head off competition to their theme parks. So, while it was nice that it was also an actual working studio for a period and that added to the whole conceit of the park, that was never the main reason it was built.

 

[networkpro]

I like the older name as well, for nostalgia purposes. (I'm also guilty of still referring to Downtown Disney, instead of Disney Springs.)

Why not Disney Village Marketplace?