Rumor LM Racing Academy Replacement in the works for Hollywood Studios?

UNCgolf

UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
Horizonsfan said:
I guess I fundamentally disagree that it no longer makes sense. Or at least that it ever was 100% cohesive with the rest of the park. It’s the entry experience and like the other three parks, the entry land’s main purpose is to squarely say “this is not your everyday life” and subtly “why don’t you buy something or get some food?”.

I see it as no different than entering through an aggrandized 1910s Midwest Main Street to then pass on to a medieval European castle & fair or a colonialist global south. Or passing under a modernist geodesic sphere to then experience pre-20th century pastiches of foreign countries and the US.

If we want to lament the slow killing of entertainment in the Hollywood Boulevard area, I think that’s well warranted. But to say the whole area is somehow now unwarranted because of the dearth of entertainment seems too far.

The whole park was built as such a blatant attempt to squash USF that it’s hard to buy into the notion that it had this noble ideal or cohesion on day one. I mean the park opened with Star Tour’s modern Sci-Fi set decor under construction just steps from a faux late 40s theater complex and a very 1980s stunt amphitheater.
Click to expand...

I'm not saying it was 100% cohesive, but it was two clear areas. Hollywood (really the Los Angeles area in general because it wasn't all Hollywood) as the entrance area, and then a studio backlot. You essentially started in Los Angeles, and then transitioned into a backlot -- which you can do right now in actual Los Angeles.

It was also more than just entertainment. The shops themselves used to be themed and now they really aren't beyond the facades (although that's not really unique to DHS; MK has lost a lot of this too), and the park was full of things, including attractions, related to movie making. That's why the Indiana Jones stunt show is structured the way it is, and that's also why the Star Tours area looks the way it does. Now that that aspect of the park has essentially been excised, the Star Tours entrance, the stunt show framing, and even the soundstages don't make sense the way they once did.

It was definitely more cohesive than it is now, and, at least to me, it was better/more enjoyable park. Now it's just kind of a mishmash of unconnected areas -- which isn't automatically a disaster, as the Magic Kingdom is really this too on a fundamental level, but the MK has far more to do in its areas than DHS does.

EDIT: To be fair, that original theme wasn't going to work forever, and I'm not sure they had any good options once they started moving away from it. So much of the original design (like the things I mentioned above, e.g., the soundstages) was fundamentally rooted in that theme, and they just seem random now.
 
Last edited:
AJT607

AJT607

Active Member
Star Tours and Indy (and Backlot Express) stick out like sore thumbs on that side of the park, much in the same way as Launch Bay and the mothballed Little Mermaid theater do on the other side. Like previous posters have mentioned, I doubt that they will get rid of something that is vaguely on theme (e.g., Cars next to RnRC) and that appeals well to kids/families that have nothing else to do in that space of the park. Any future efforts to DHS should be focused on some combination of Mermaid/Launch Bay (and if they invest significant resources, they could update Indy/Star Tours too). Anything else would be an incredibly misguided prioritization of resources.
 
B

Batman'sParents

Active Member
Doberge said:
Cars is a huge franchise and it's the only Cars attraction in Florida. I cannot imagine Disney putting a dollar more to replace it. It rates wells with kids in a park that doesn't have much for younger kids to do, so I also can't imagine replacing with something less kid friendly.
Click to expand...
Also a people eater.
 
J

JMcMahonEsq

Well-Known Member
Bocabear said:
Actually having a real Carsland and the accompanying 3 attractions plus shops, eateries and quick serve locations would be an even bigger people eater than this meet and greet thing. It sure would have been preferable to the underwhelming Toysland thing they built...
Click to expand...
Whenever I have been at HS, Toystory land is always packed with families and young kids. Slinky Dog has always been one of the top FP, FP+, LL sellers, and Toy Story Mania (hell even Alien Saucers) stay packed throughout the day. Not sure where underwhelming comes into play
 
D

doctornick

Well-Known Member
I would fully support a clone of Cars Land in DHS. It wouldn't be my first choice of stuff to build, but if copying something done elsewhere makes it more viable, that's fine. Biggest issue is that Mater's is basically the same ride as Swirling Saucers and the repetition would feel odd in a park with otherwise few rides.

I could see an easy swap being changing the Mater's ride for a Teacup concept where you are sitting in tires from the junkyard that are spinning around. At least that would bring in another style flat ride and you could still use the Mater songs.
 
UNCgolf

UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
Chip Chipperson said:
MMRR, MuppetVision, Beauty and the Beast stage show, LMRA, Frozen Singalong, and character meets isn't nothing. And Smuggler's Run has the same height requirement as Slinky. Sure, it's not as kid-friendly as Magic Kingdom but it's also not some wasteland for kids, either.
Click to expand...

I read it more as just pointing out that DHS doesn't have much to do in general. It's the weakest park at WDW even after spending the money on TSL and Galaxy's Edge.

Plus, regardless of how anyone feels about the quality of the attractions in TSL (there's no denying they're popular), the land itself is horribly designed. It wastes so much space -- it's much closer in size to Galaxy's Edge than you'd expect when you look at what each offers.
 
Last edited:
J

JMcMahonEsq

Well-Known Member
UNCgolf said:
I read it more as just pointing out that DHS doesn't have much to do in general. It's the weakest park at WDW even after spending the money on TSL and Galaxy's Edge.

Plus, regardless of how anyone feels about the quality of the attractions in TSL (there's no denying they're popular), the land itself is horribly designed. It wastes so much space -- it's much closer in size to Galaxy's Edge than you'd expect when you look at what each offers.
Click to expand...
When was the last time you actually visited Hollywood Studios?

In addition to everything Chip quoted as being able to do, there is also

RotR, Smugglers Run, Swirling Saucers, Slinky Dog, Toy Story Mania, Tower of Terror, Rocking Roller Coaster, Lightening McQueen.

There are also Droid Building, Light Saber Building, tons of great places for adult beverages, a number of great restaurants, themed and not, and all the shops to explore.

I don't see how anyone who has actually been there can objectively say there isn't much to do. Does it have the same amount of things to do as MK, of course not, its not MK nor is it trying to be. But that doesn't mean there is nothing to do.
 
UNCgolf

UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
JMcMahonEsq said:
When was the last time you actually visited Hollywood Studios?

In addition to everything Chip quoted as being able to do, there is also

RotR, Smugglers Run, Swirling Saucers, Slinky Dog, Toy Story Mania, Tower of Terror, Rocking Roller Coaster, Lightening McQueen.

There are also Droid Building, Light Saber Building, tons of great places for adult beverages, a number of great restaurants, themed and not, and all the shops to explore.

I don't see how anyone who has actually been there can objectively say there isn't much to do. Does it have the same amount of things to do as MK, of course not, its not MK nor is it trying to be. But that doesn't mean there is nothing to do.
Click to expand...

All of those things were there the last time I went to DHS. I didn't say there was nothing to do -- I said it's the weakest park at WDW with the least to do. It's a half-day park.

Also, the droid building and lightsaber building are extremely pricey add-ons. That's not something I'd point to as a great extra activity, especially since the droid building doesn't last very long and isn't remotely worth the cost (I haven't done the lightsaber building).
 
D

doctornick

Well-Known Member
The “problem” with DHS is it needs more stuff that aren’t at specific times or have long waits. Even the shows are not generally continuous running (I feel MuppetVision is the only one, I guess the Mickey film in the old Sounds Dangerous theater).

So it’s tough if you want to just “do something” on the fly as it usually involves a significant wait in a queue or for a showtime. The park could really use a continuously running AA show or some large capacity but not overwhelmingly popular rides that consistently have short waits.
 
ToTBellHop

ToTBellHop

Well-Known Member
doctornick said:
The “problem” with DHS is it needs more stuff that aren’t at specific times or have long waits. Even the shows are not generally continuous running (I feel MuppetVision is the only one, I guess the Mickey film in the old Sounds Dangerous theater).

So it’s tough if you want to just “do something” on the fly as it usually involves a significant wait in a queue or for a showtime. The park could really use a continuously running AA show or some large capacity but not overwhelmingly popular rides that consistently have short waits.
Click to expand...
I get that flat rides aren’t the sexiest to market, but they built a ton of attractions in the last decade at DHS and only included one flat ride (and it gets long waits because they other two Toy Story Land rides are frequently down or on reduced-capacity, driving up their wait times and pushing guests to the final option).

Disney should really consider more custom flat rides. There are a ton of styles that go beyond Dumbo spinners. I wouldn’t go full Pixar Pier, but sprinkled around DHS, Epcot, and DAK would be nice. Maybe find a way to avoid paying $100 million for each one, too…
 
Last edited:
DAK1928

DAK1928

Well-Known Member
time to update the shirt...

F_ieISUW0AABSJr.jpg
 
WDWFREAK53

WDWFREAK53

Well-Known Member
Bocabear said:
Now if only the Animation courtyard area could be turned onto the town square of Toontown...another IP they own...and perhaps clone the Roger Rabbit CarToon Spin...then it would be in line with the olf Hollywood feel of the park, adjacent to the MMRR, and would give them a place for a miscellany of cartoon characters to "live"...While adding another themed area to the park....
Click to expand...
I always thought the Chinese theater/Great Movie Ride should've been changed to be Disney Animation where you start off in black and white and end in a Pixar-style. The Animation area/Disney Jr. and VotLM could all be themed to the Disney Animation area.

From there you branch out into different aspects of the company's film library. Star Wars, Muppets, Marvel, Pixar to create as much of a hub/spoke design as you can. These lands wouldn't be based on one movie (like Carsland) but more of branches of the film studio (like a DLR Toontown) where the Pixar characters live.
 
UNCgolf

UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
ToTBellHop said:
I get that flat rides aren’t the sexiest to market, but they built a ton of attractions in the last decade at DHS and only included one flat ride (and it gets long waits because they other two Toy Story Land rides are frequently down or on reduced-capacity, driving up their wait times and pushing guests to the final option).

Disney should really consider more custom flat rides. There are a ton of styles that go beyond Dumbo spinners. I wouldn’t go full Pixar Pier, but sprinkled around DHS, Epcot, and DAK would be nice. Maybe find a way to avoid paying $100 million for each one, too…
Click to expand...

Toy Story Land was the perfect place to have multiple flat rides. They would have worked thematically, and it would be a much more efficient use of the space versus how poorly utilized that area is now.

I'm not really sure where they could put flat rides at EPCOT other than in the World Showcase pavilions, but that would feel like a waste of the attraction spaces.
 
Last edited:
WDWFREAK53

WDWFREAK53

Well-Known Member
UNCgolf said:
Toy Story Land was the perfect place to have multiple flat rides. They would have worked thematically, and it would be a much more efficient use of the space versus how poorly utilized that area is now.

I'm not really sure where they could put flat rides at EPCOT other than in the World Showcase pavilions, but that would feel like a waste of the attraction spaces.
Click to expand...

Put one in "The Land." I can see it now... Come ride the Salad Spinner!
(I kid).
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom