Why Hollywood Studios is being rebuilt

[Darth Sidious]

I'd really like them to utilize Mary Poppins in a dark ride featuring all the music. I feel like it translates so well into a great ride, just like Frozen would because of the great and familiar music.

 

[Monoblanco13]

I'm hoping for an Inside Out attraction inside WoL. Too soon?

Try Imagination instead.

Either of these would please me, here's hoping but not holding my breath.

 

[Monoblanco13]

I honestly think they should just shutter the whole park....Close it down for a year and a half...Go wild with construction, without the worry of impacting guest areas...this should speed the process up...., and then reopen a newly named, newly branded park...
With only 5 rides and a couple shows they really cant afford to shut anything else down before adding to the park roster. I know we have skipped DHS completely our last few trips to WDW... Just not enough to do, and then the few rides there are so crowded it's not worth it.

As much as it pains me I would agree with this decision, though it wouldn't happen.

 

[Bairstow]

I wonder if Disney is testing just how small and unappealing a park can get without effecting the sale of four-park hopper passes. The new TEA numbers certainly seem to suggest that if there is a bottom, Disney hasn't found it yet. If they do close Lights Motors Action and the numbers rise yet again, Disney may well decide to cancel any Star Wars project, concluding that it would be wasted effort.

 

[ford91exploder]

I wonder if Disney is testing just how small and unappealing a park can get without effecting the sale of four-park hopper passes. The new TEA numbers certainly seem to suggest that if there is a bottom, Disney hasn't found it yet. If they do close Lights Motors Action and the numbers rise yet again, Disney may well decide to cancel any Star Wars project, concluding that it would be wasted effort.

And from an immediate financial point of view they would be correct, WDW is still laboring under the assumption that Orlando is a 'Mature No Growth Market'. Nothing will happen until UNI surpasses DHS/AK numbers.

They success of UNI's NEW attractions still has not sunk in at Burbank and probably will not with the uncreative string of movies TWDC is greenlighting which are all remakes of past successes.

Tomorrowland could have been so much more but even the trailers gave us no reason to WANT to go, Just a creepy tram car on a dark background with a bewildered kid, Some eye candy and a girl with a pin. As a failure it's amazing It had GEORGE CLOONEY for crying out loud and he was not in ANY of the trailers, It's a modern day Ishtar.

TWDC has truly morphed into a IP and Real Estate holding company, When you are hired in Burbank are you issued a green eyeshade or are you expected to bring your own along with a supply of quill pens?

 

[Brad Bishop]

Something else they should do with the overhaul: Get rid of, or at least hide, the warehouses/sound stages. It's not a working studio. It's never going to be a working studio again.

If it were a working studio then the sound stages/warehouses would be fine. It wouldn't feel weird the way TSMM is placed because, it's a studio. This is just how studios are and this particular sound stage is being used for a ride.

Because that's now how it is you just end up with TSMM being one ride-containing warehouse placed oddly close to the backside of GMR. You don't really have a clear view of the front of the ride and the whole area feels like a cramped alley, because that's what it is.

Streets of America has the same problem. It'd be awesome if you wandered down it and thought, "Oh, yeah, I remember that scene from a TV show or movie I recently saw that was filmed here. How cool!" It's not. If I recall, only one thing was shot there and it was a Bette Midler movie (maybe TV movie) from 20+ years ago and that was it. As it is, it feels like a Chinese version of Main Street USA. I can imagine the Chinese knock-off of Disneyland having a "Main Street" facade but no actual stores because they're just trying to kind of mimic DL/MK and don't really care enough for the details so, facade it is. When I walk down it I just think of what a waste it all is. Something cool could be done with it. Instead, it's just a street with fake stores and nothing to do except maybe an odd vendor with hats or a popcorn stand.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

I was at the park the first week it was open. 25 years later they still only have 5 rides. My patience is fine. I'll be up at Universal riding new exciting attractions while I wait.

And that's my biggest complaint with people stating that since they are closing so much, it is now only a half day park. They've never had tons of rides, and the only "ride" that has closed in the last 4 years is the Backlot Tour, which should have been closed long ago. So if it was OK 5 or even 10 years ago with the rides it already had, why isn't it OK now, with all the same rides???

 

[Brad Bishop]

And that's my biggest complaint with people stating that since they are closing so much, it is now only a half day park. They've never had tons of rides, and the only "ride" that has closed in the last 4 years is the Backlot Tour, which should have been closed long ago. So if it was OK 5 or even 10 years ago with the rides it already had, why isn't it OK now, with all the same rides???

I'd argue that people are giving it the benefit of the doubt with a hope towards growth. They're essentially saying, 10 years back, "This place is OK now.. Imagine how cool it'll be when the finish it!" Then nothing happens and it's the same thing as it was 10 years ago and they're disappointed. They had hopes that it'd be more. Instead, it's the same old thing.

You can look at Epcot the same way. You just wish they'd do something with it. The whole "ever changing with new ideas" thing. Instead, it's stuck, too. What may have been "OK" 10-15 years back is just reminder of how disappointed you are now that it's still the same.

 

[Communicore]

Something else they should do with the overhaul: Get rid of, or at least hide, the warehouses/sound stages. It's not a working studio. It's never going to be a working studio again.

Easier to build and rebuild attractions on the cheap inside sound stages.

 

[doctornick]

And that's my biggest complaint with people stating that since they are closing so much, it is now only a half day park. They've never had tons of rides, and the only "ride" that has closed in the last 4 years is the Backlot Tour, which should have been closed long ago. So if it was OK 5 or even 10 years ago with the rides it already had, why isn't it OK now, with all the same rides???

Totally agree. As far I'm concerned, DHS has always kinda sucked. There's been some tinkering over the years that has made incremental changes but there's never been some period where it was great to visit. It's nothing like Epcot which was once great but has gotten worse; DHS is probably about as good as it's every been.

 

[spacemt354]

And that's my biggest complaint with people stating that since they are closing so much, it is now only a half day park. They've never had tons of rides, and the only "ride" that has closed in the last 4 years is the Backlot Tour, which should have been closed long ago. So if it was OK 5 or even 10 years ago with the rides it already had, why isn't it OK now, with all the same rides???

Upkeep and relevancy could also be two other factors.

Little Mermaid, Indy, elements of the Great Movie Ride, Beauty and the Beast, Honey I Shrunk the Kids playset, RnRC even to an extent. All attractions that have basically not changed since the 90s. If I watched the promo videos we used to get in the late 90s for Disney MGM Studios, some of the stuff is exactly the same.

What was OK 10-15 years ago, is really outdated now. That's not to say some shows don't fill up. Last time I was at Indy it played to full capacity. But I think rides age better than shows, which means shows need to be updated more frequently to stay relevant.

When people point to the "ride" count to show how DHS "lacks attractions" I always find that misleading. Sure, there are only 5 "rides" but there are many more "attractions." There are several more things to do in the park, you've just either done them before or they aren't interesting anymore. That's the real problem in my view.

 

[marni1971]

It's nothing like Epcot which was once great but has gotten worse; DHS is probably about as good as it's every been.

Nah. MGM was great in the early 90s.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Nah. MGM was great in the early 90s.

Yup. From 1989-1994 MGM Studios offered:

- substantial, informative backstage tours
- actual film and TV production
- frequent new additions, most quite good
- high-tech rides (for their time)
- lots of places to get a good meal (including the now closed Sounstage Restaurant)
- a somewhat cohesive theme that made sense with the park's layout ("stuido" vs "theme park" split)

Although new things have been added since, much of the above list has either become removed or dated.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Nah. MGM was great in the early 90s.

Well they had 10.4M guests in 1997 and finally got back to close to that last year at 10.3M. They had good attendance back in the day.....

 

[MagicHappens1971]

I thought it supposed to move sometime this month.

I heard the weekend when Frozen Summer Fun starts, isn't that next weekend? Or the weekend after that?

 

[CDavid]

Lights, Motors, Action will reportedly close soon as a cost-cutting measure, but will not be replaced.

This is nuts. You are correct that if there is a bottom the Studios don't appear to have found it yet, but you can't just keep taking on water without eventually sinking the ship. Closing yet another attraction - a large people-eater at that - in a park which already lacks adequate attractions is simply unbelievable. We are often critical of Disney here - for justifiable reason - but sometimes you just have to shake your head in disbelief.

 

[spacemt354]

This is nuts. You are correct that if there is a bottom the Studios don't appear to have found it yet, but you can't just keep taking on water without eventually sinking the ship. Closing yet another attraction - a large people-eater at that - in a park which already lacks adequate attractions is simply unbelievable. We are often critical of Disney here - for justifiable reason - but sometimes you just have to shake your head in disbelief.

Well if you take a look at the past attendance numbers, even before LMA (I believe in 2005?), they aren't that much different than what they are today. They were around 8-9 Million.

I think the only way Disney is going to kick it into gear is if a Uni park passes DHS. Which at the current rate, might be about 4-5 years, which based on the timeline of rumors around here, seems to be the time when Pixar/Star Wars will be almost finished or complete.

The real question is, will a Uni park pass DHS before that point while these things are under construction? That will be interesting to see.

 

[George]

I'd really like them to utilize Mary Poppins in a dark ride featuring all the music. I feel like it translates so well into a great ride, just like Frozen would because of the great and familiar music.

I've always thought a theatre in the back of the UK in EPCOT that had 3 or 4 showings of Mary Poppins daily (a 38 minute long theme park version with all the big songs) would be nice.

 

[doctornick]

I think the only way Disney is going to kick it into gear is if a Uni park passes DHS. Which at the current rate, might be about 4-5 years, which based on the timeline of rumors around here, seems to be the time when Pixar/Star Wars will be almost finished or complete.

I disagree. I think Disney would only "kick it into gear" if they see DHS having decreasing revenue. If they note that guest spending goes down (which would likely be strongly tied to park attendance and time guests spend in the park) then that will encourage them to invest in DHS to draw guests to the park/encourage them to stay longer/buy more stuff.

There has been some indication by insiders (like the original posts in this thread) that DHS' numbers look bad. One would think that it would encourage quick and substantial investment. Yet it has not -- in fact, we have seen the opposite with attractions being shutters, possible just for the expense savings.

I don't think anyone making decisions at Disney really cares whether Uni passes any Disney park in attendance as long as revenue numbers meet expectations.

 

[spacemt354]

I disagree. I think Disney would only "kick it into gear" if they see DHS having decreasing revenue. If they note that guest spending goes down (which would likely be strongly tied to park attendance and time guests spend in the park) then that will encourage them to invest in DHS to draw guests to the park/encourage them to stay longer/buy more stuff.

There has been some indication by insiders (like the original posts in this thread) that DHS' numbers look bad. One would think that it would encourage quick and substantial investment. Yet it has not -- in fact, we have seen the opposite with attractions being shutters, possible just for the expense savings.

I don't think anyone making decisions at Disney really cares whether Uni passes any Disney park in attendance as long as revenue numbers meet expectations.

Well as you said, park revenue and park attendance are strongly tied to each other. In order to reach the scenario I was postulating, DHS would have to either flatten out attendance or decrease over the next few years. I don't think those numbers would meet Disney expectations.

Quick investment has been done. Frozen last summer was basically put together in weeks. But quick is not substantial or long lasting. And attraction closings are usually a sign of things to come. It's not good for business to have multiple attraction closings with nothing planned. There's something coming. It's only a matter of when/where.

And I wouldn't be so sure to think that Disney would want to sit idly by and watch their studios park dwindle in comparison to parks down the road, while they sit on vital properties such as Lucasfilm and Pixar. Losing the majority crowd in your own town is not good for business either.