When I think of today’s Disney’s Hollywood Studios I cannot help but feel that this theme park appeals mostly to Generation X. My daughter and my son have always loved this park and they are Generation X.
Over the years the evolution of Disney MGM Studios to Disney’s Hollywood Studios has resulted in changes that have changed my attitude towards this theme park.
I don’t want to say that I don’t like the park any more but I will say that these changes have made me like it less. That’s just my opinion and it’s only fair that I share my reasons with everyone.
So buckle up:
The “Working Studio” label was what guests heard from Day 1, and how guests would see how television and movie productions were made. I have to be honest by saying that was pretty much true with the attractions and such that were around for the first decade or so of the park’s existence. With the exception of perhaps The Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular Show, I cannot think of another attraction that lives up to this moniker today.
The Absence of Major Nighttime Fireworks in a major Disney theme park seems like blasphemy but guess what? Unless some drastic changes are made we will never see a major nighttime spectacular in Disney’s Hollywood Studios again. I treasure those years when I was able to see “Sorcery in the Sky” but me, along with everyone else, may never see that type of nighttime fireworks again at the park. Why? Well it boils down to the original plan for the park. The actual footprint for the park should have probably had the front of the park moved up perhaps as much as 100 to 200 yards because the park is just too small for everything that apparently had been planned for the park. The addition of Galaxy’s Edge and Toy Story Land no doubt has brought smiles to a lot of guests but with those additions was the removal of the traditional firework launch point.
Along with the launching point safety comes into play here. By that I mean if they moved the launching point back then there is danger of fireworks landing on Oceola Parkway. Hence I believe the alternative is to now see low level fireworks at Fantasmic.
The signature Disney theme park parade is something that both children and adults enjoy when visiting a theme park. You will not see any parades at Disney’s Hollywood Studios this year. You may see a cavalcade of sorts which I guess could be described as a mini parade but I cannot think of a parade other than the retired Stars and Motor Cars Parade that used to run through Hollywood Boulevard.
It bothers me enough that there is no nighttime parade (except for party nights) in the Magic Kingdom but at least there is the Festival of Fantasy Parade during the day.
Don’t Make Promises You Can’t Keep I aways say. In Disney’s Hollywood Studios Galaxy’s Edge there is one amazing attraction and I don’t have to tell you that it is Rise of the Resistance. Smuggler’s Run does not do it for me. I have done Rise many times more than Smuggler’s Run. But wasn’t there a third attraction planned? Yes. The attraction is known as the “Bantha Ride” and from what I understand it sounds like it involved a creature called “Elee” who gives guests a ride around the land. Here is Elee.
Boy doesn’t this Elee look like a Therii?
Anyway according to former imagineer Frank Mezzatesta the attraction went through a year of design and planning but in the end was dropped because of several factors…first it was seen as costing too much to actually bring to fruition, secondly there was a capacity issue….the loading and off loading volume and the queuing area for the area in Galaxy’s Edge where this attraction would sit. Thirdly, as is a concern with imagineers, would they be able to bring authenticity to this attraction? Seems odd to me that it took a year to come to these conclusions.
If you want to learn more about this you may want to pick up the book Art of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge by Amy Ratcliffe. If you are interested in this book you can order it on Amazon.
So my point in all this is that shouldn’t Galaxy’s Edge have a bit more than one decent attraction, a bunch of stores with Star Wars merchandise, and expensive lounges and restaurants?
Star Wars Weekends were pretty cool. For those of you who have had the chance to visit the park on those weekends you certainly would remember the crowds and the amazing costumes worn by guests. In fact I remember walking through the park and wondered if I was looking at a guest or a costumed cast member half the time.So why go through the trouble of creating Galaxy’s Edge but not bring back Star Wars weekends? Anyone?
By the way I almost clocked a storm trooper one year during a Star Wars Weekend. I believe this was 2013 or 2014. I happen to be in the Studios and I forget what part of the park I was in but it was crowded throughout. Apparently I was in an area where Darth Vader was about to arrive and there was some pushing and showing going on. All of a sudden I was aggressively shoved from behind and I got pretty angry I swung around with fist cracked and I was face to face with a storm trooper who was not much taller than me. He was shaking his head as if to say, “That wasn’t me! Please don’t!” I don’t know exactly what happened but I figured it would be best to just let it go; but everyone has a breaking point when it comes to being shoved in a crowd and that was mine.
The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights was one of those dights and sounds of the Studios during the Christmas Season that was hard to describe with words or videos…you had to see it in person to understand how much work went into the display and to appreciate the wonderful feeling of seeing the lights “dance” along with the music. Jennings Osborne knew what he was doing. Well that’s gone and we have part of Galaxy’s Edge replacing the Streets of America where the Osborne lights lived. I don’t know of another place where music and lights can fill you with the joy of Christmas. I miss it.
From Hands on to Hands off is how I describe the changes in this theme park. Previous attractions such as Monster Soundstage, Superstar Television, Backstage Tour, and others had the guests interacting with cast members and such….especially with Streetmosphere as the Streetmosphere performers often got the guests involved. That was the lure of the Studios…not anymore.
A fiscal decision is how I see the reasons for these changes. a fireworks display is not cheap but again the park being so small something had to give and if change meant that cost would yield to revenue generating then it certainly would be a no-brainer to those who were looking to raise revenue. Think of how much it cost to string up and light the Osborne Lights compared to raking in money from shops and restaurants with a new land.
Too small a footprint for this park is the main culprit. Not having the foresight to imagine the growth of a theme park can end up sacrificing some legacy components of the park and unfortunately this may be what happened to the Studios theme park. I imagine we’ll have to wait and see what’s in store for this park over the next decade or so to see if in fact it will continue to be a park for just Generation X or for everyone.
It certainly is not your father’s theme park.
See you next time!
Star Wars Weekend, oh my! We once traveled to see it from Japan and it was just because of Star Wars Weekend. We might have redeemed our FFM for the flight tickets to cut the budgets yet even so traveling from the other side of the world and only for three nights is still unbelievable I know but that much we loved it.
The Osborne, oh my! How I loved that and how I miss that even now. I think it’s cultural difference between USA and Japan, it was very much rare to see houses decorated like that here in Japan. Those music and the lights, while after even “dancing” how wonderful they’re. I am still grateful that I could have experienced it after park closed but open to us. Oh those good old days!!!