Disney Hollywood Studios getting renamed/rethemed?

[Sharon&Susan]

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

Both Commissary Lane and Animation Courtyard are themed to take place in a studio, Muppet Vision 3D and Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular are both about the production process of making a movie, Rock N' Rollercoaster is set in a music studio, and Sci Fi Drive In and Star Tours are both set in a soundstage. There's still plenty of Studio theming inside the park.

Magic Kingdom also isn't a literal Kingdom and except for one area of the park doesn't take place in a Magic Kingdom.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Disney-MGM Studios was designed in two parts, the "theme park" and the "Studios" (where originally you could only enter and exit through what is now Animation Courtyard). That's why there's a big sign/arch in front of Animation Courtyard. It was the entrance after the entrance.

For all the changes made to DHS, most of the "theme park" area (Hollywood Blvd, Echo Lake, Sunset Blvd) looks the same on the outside. So you have half a theme park that's very explicitly set in 1930s/1940s Hollywood and the other half that's mostly Star Wars and Toy Story. There's no one name or theme that accurately sums that up, so "Hollywood Studios" might as well be it. "Hollywood" referring to the park's literal and thematic setting and "studios" to encompass everything under the Disney brand (Star Wars, Pixar, Muppets, Indiana Jones etc).

 

[mharrington]

Both Commissary Lane and Animation Courtyard are themed to take place in a studio, Muppet Vision 3D and Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular are both about the production process of making a movie, Rock N' Rollercoaster is set in a music studio, and Sci Fi Drive In and Star Tours are both set in a soundstage. There's still plenty of Studio theming inside the park.

Magic Kingdom also isn't a literal Kingdom and except for one area of the park doesn't take place in a Magic Kingdom.

The Animation thing is long gone, which is a shame, as it was literally the one thing that actually had any movie production going on, but it was abandoned in 2004.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

Disney-MGM Studios was designed in two parts, the "theme park" and the "Studios" (where originally you could only enter and exit through what is now Animation Courtyard). That's why there's a big sign/arch in front of Animation Courtyard. It was the entrance after the entrance.

For all the changes made to DHS, most of the "theme park" area (Hollywood Blvd, Echo Lake, Sunset Blvd) looks the same on the outside. So you have half a theme park that's very explicitly set in 1930s/1940s Hollywood and the other half that's mostly Star Wars and Toy Story. There's no one name or theme that accurately sums that up, so "Hollywood Studios" might as well be it. "Hollywood" referring to the park's literal and thematic setting and "studios" to encompass everything under the Disney brand (Star Wars, Pixar, Muppets, Indiana Jones etc).

Yes, while it's no longer a studio, I never got the drive to rename it. At least the studio conceit gives it some sense of an identity and guiding concept. Take that away, and it might as well be ¨Disney Park.¨

 

[Sharon&Susan]

The Animation thing is long gone, which is a shame, as it was literally the one thing that actually had any movie production going on, but it was abandoned in 2004.

I'm not talking about the walkthrough, I'm talking about the area labeled Animation Courtyard on any map of Hollywood Studios. You walk through a studio entrance arch (not a replica of any studio's entrance specifically, but reminds me of the famous Paramount arch) and every building is designed to look like a sound stage on a studio lot.

 

[erasure fan1]

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

That's kind of my point. There is no good answer because the park has lost its original theme. I'm not arguing that the name shouldn't change. Or that the name is, as it stands, works perfectly. My point is, in the parks current state, I haven't heard or seen a name that really works better than what they have. If they want to retheme the park, with a new concept that all works together, I'll be all for it. But we all know that Disney at this point in time, has just about zero concern about having a cohesive theme.

 

[PaisleyMF]

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".

Thanks for point out a great video. Been visiting the parks since 1991 (first trip ever, high school graduation gift) worked on Disney in 2006 and passholder since 2008. I seen all the changes and still stand by my post still getting into a movie, tv show, or still watching how a “movie” is been made.
And if I am not mistaken, the “ride the movies” was from Universal, not Disney.

 

[mharrington]

I'm not talking about the walkthrough, I'm talking about the area labeled Animation Courtyard on any map of Hollywood Studios. You walk through a studio entrance arch (not a replica of any studio's entrance specifically, but reminds me of the famous Paramount arch) and every building is designed to look like a sound stage on a studio lot.

But the idea of the Animation Courtyard was the actual animation studio. It has been replaced by Star Wars Launch Bay, which I find rather incongruous in that area, and redundant with Galaxy's Edge down the way.

Disney-MGM Studios was designed in two parts, the "theme park" and the "Studios" (where originally you could only enter and exit through what is now Animation Courtyard). That's why there's a big sign/arch in front of Animation Courtyard. It was the entrance after the entrance.

For all the changes made to DHS, most of the "theme park" area (Hollywood Blvd, Echo Lake, Sunset Blvd) looks the same on the outside. So you have half a theme park that's very explicitly set in 1930s/1940s Hollywood and the other half that's mostly Star Wars and Toy Story. There's no one name or theme that accurately sums that up, so "Hollywood Studios" might as well be it. "Hollywood" referring to the park's literal and thematic setting and "studios" to encompass everything under the Disney brand (Star Wars, Pixar, Muppets, Indiana Jones etc).

Maybe "Hollywood" could fit, but "Studios" needs to be changed. I don't like that "Studios", once used in a literal way, is now being used in a figurative way. I had proposed "Hollywoodland", which was actually a proposed land idea for Disneyland back during the ill-fated Disney Decade, or failing that, "Hollywood Fantasy", which is at least honest about it not being a real Hollywood.

Here's another reason why I think the name should change. It comes from this post from a site called Progress City, U.S.A. (http://progresscityusa.com/page/85/), which explains that the reason the park is the way it is was due to cheapness. Bear in mind, it came out in 2010, and obviously, things have changed since then:

The Disney-MGM Studios park was built in an extremely short time on a small budget, to beat Universal to the punch, and I see these “soundstage” elements as an easy cop-out to save some money. I have no problem with the idea of a “live set” on the New York Street or what used to be the backlot; when there was the pretense of actual filming it was fun to see how perspective worked with the city backgrounds or the residential street false-fronts. But it doesn’t work, for me, with the “theme park” side of things. Setting Star Tours on a soundstage, for instance, 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? Introducing the “working set” idea creates a whole extra layer of stuff to get between the guest and the experience. Cramming all these big-box attraction buildings in back to back makes it look like Universal, and robs the properties of the rich areas they deserve. Indy deserves an area of its own. Star Wars deserves an area of its own. Not a set, or a big warehouse building, but a fully-themed area.

Now other areas can play by other rules. The Muppets, which you mention, are essentially running their own “studio” so that type of theming makes sense. It also makes sense within the confines of their humor, which is very meta and self-referential. I’ve no problem with that – but I do think that Muppets deserve to have their area all to themselves, and another attraction to boot!

The point of my rant is that I don’t think Disney has done well in the post-“working studio” era of combining those old facilities with the existing theme park. I love movies, and the process of making movies, so these are all concepts that should appeal to me, but they’re so haphazard and poorly defined in the park now, it’s hard to see where they’ve committed to any single idea. The idea of not knowing what’s around the next corner is appealing in a way, but not when what’s around the corner is the Lights, Motors, Action marquee and state fair grandstand or the weird old Hunchback theater building. Hence, again, the need for the bulldozers. Give Lucas and the Muppets their own areas. Either remove the eyesore that is the Sounds Dangerous/SuperStar Television building or re-theme it extensively to match the period look of Echo Lake and the Chinese Theater. Clear out the muck. Add layers of activity, and add water! The backlot is like the Sonora desert.

Anyway, I think you get the idea.

 

[DoleWhipDrea]

Build cheaply and you'll pay for it later. I love Yesterworld - seriously, if you haven't watched any of their videos, I highly recommend you check them out.

For all of the fondness of this park's past and having some of (currently) WDW's best attractions, the park as a whole has an identity crisis and awful to navigate as a guest, IMHO. With all of Iger's acquisitions, it really was short-sighted to boot The Great Movie Ride. A lot could have been updated with IPs Disney now owns. So much could have been done to really thoughtfully re-design and plus up the park, but it's just a hodgepodge of things now. It's a shame. Without the dedication to reimagine and invest, I don't think we'll see a new name for a while. The mindset of leadership would have to radically change.

 

[mharrington]

The reason I chose "Hollywood Fantasy" was because I wanted a name worthy of its rather oxymoronic slogan, "The Hollywood that never was and always will be."

 

[mharrington]

In the opening of this recent video on the Studios by ReviewTyme, the host looks over a series of potential names from way back when:


Disney's Kaleidoscope Park sounds interesting. Or perhaps Disney Hollywood Kaleidoscope Park.

 

[FeelsSoGoodToBeBad]

I sometimes refer to it as MGM as well, but usually catch and correct myself. I enjoy the park quite a lot, with one exception.... TSL (at the very least) needs more SHADE! When we went last March we hit a very hot spell with heat indexes of nearly 100F. We barely spent any time in TSL and less than we would have liked in SWGE because it was so difficult to find any shade.