As most of you know, Disney's Hollywood Studios has an identity crisis. You see, it does not know if it wants to be a working film studio or if it wants to be a "ride the movies" park like Universal Studios Florida. My solution is that it should be a working film studio, like it was in the late 1980s and early 1990s. My reasoning behind this is that although the public has a general idea of how movies are made, very few ever get to see the process firsthand. Yes, I know that it would cost a lot of money for Disney to get major film studios to make movies here, but it wouldn't cost as much for independent filmmakers to shoot movies here. If Disney goes this route, it's a win-win situation. The independent filmmakers will have their time in the spotlight while Disney saves money for other projects.
On the other hand, you might say that the working film studio concept is old and outdated. That may be the case, but don't we have enough "ride the movies" parks around the country. There's Universal, Paramount, Cedar Fair, and, to a certain extent, Six Flags. The Disney Imagineers claim to have steered clear of the working film studio concept in the mid-2000s because "most DVDs on the market have behind-the-scenes" special features. Well, that may have been true just a few short years ago, digital/online downloading is on its way to overshadowing DVDs. When you download a movie from iTunes or the Internet, you only get the movie, no special features or behind-the-scenes previews. Without those special features, Disney can provide a behind-the-scenes look at filmmaking with Disney's Hollywood Studios. After all, the word "studio" is in the park's name; it's there for a reason.
On the other hand, you might say that the working film studio concept is old and outdated. That may be the case, but don't we have enough "ride the movies" parks around the country. There's Universal, Paramount, Cedar Fair, and, to a certain extent, Six Flags. The Disney Imagineers claim to have steered clear of the working film studio concept in the mid-2000s because "most DVDs on the market have behind-the-scenes" special features. Well, that may have been true just a few short years ago, digital/online downloading is on its way to overshadowing DVDs. When you download a movie from iTunes or the Internet, you only get the movie, no special features or behind-the-scenes previews. Without those special features, Disney can provide a behind-the-scenes look at filmmaking with Disney's Hollywood Studios. After all, the word "studio" is in the park's name; it's there for a reason.