Is the next shoe ready to drop for the upcoming Disney’s Hollywood Studios expansion?
Disney has already closed American Idol Experience and will slowly be consolidating its “Frozen Summer” offerings, the Sing-Along which is expected to move into the former home of American Idol, the ice rink may go away or may be moved, and the store will be moved. But Frozen is expected to have a home at Disney’s Hollywood Studios for some time in the future.
For a long time, the big rumors have been about a Star Wars themed land coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. However, there has also long been a rumor of a second expansion happening simultaneously (or nearly) that would grow the presence of Pixar Studios in the park.
Those Pixar Place rumors have been growing significantly louder recently. Word is that the Studio Backlot Tour will be closing forever on September 27th and that adjoining areas, restaurants, and outdoor vending would close beginning in early October. Meanwhile the Oaken’s Trading Post store will move to the old exit area for the Studio Tour (the former AFI exhibit). It’s believed that will make way for a third track to be added to Toy Story Midway Mania in the warehouse currently home to the ice rink.
One site, WDW News Today, is reporting that DHS will get a version of the Toy Story Land that currently exists in some form in Hong Kong Disneyland and Disney Studios Paris. Other rumors point to some version of a Monsters Inc attraction being added to the park. It’s also possible that a slightly reduced version of Cars Land will be coming.
I don’t see Cars Land coming unless we hear that the Lights Motors Action stunt show is closing, but the other two seem like decent possibilities. My wish is that DHS gets a complete makeover like DCA received a few years ago. It needs more capacity, more family rides, and more themed spaces that are up to modern day Imagineering standards.
That’s the fan boy in me talking. The more practical side, doesn’t see Disney building both a Star Wars land and a Pixar Place expansion at the same time in one park.
If you had to pick either Star Wars land or a Pixar Place / Cars Land expansion, which would you build at Disney’s Hollywood Studios?
One last tidbit. With Star Wars and Cars Land, it will mean that almost all the ‘studio’ parts of the park have been removed. So should the park keep its name, or will a massive makeover mean a new name for Disney’s most amorphous gate? How does Disney Hollywood Adventure sound to you?
I love Pixar, but I gotta say a Star Wars land would be soooooo cool! I would love to see something really immersive, like Universal’s Harry Potter stuff. I would think that night draw in a new crowd too and really make the park a destination. Big undertaking but boy would that be awesome.
My vote is to rename/retheme it as Disneys Frozen Land.
Take every Frozen tshirt, every Frozen cardboard cutout, every rethemed Frozen float and Frozen idea and just throw it into that park and that park alone. Then blast the soundtrack 24/7 (yes, even at night for 3rd shift workers to “enjoy”.) That way the other parks are no longer infected with Half baked frozen nonsense and Frozen fans can have a place to go enjoy all things Frozen. (Well, until the fad ends and people move on)
[Yes I’m bitter. But can you blame people like me? I’ve never hated a movie I loved so much in my life and it’s entirely due to Disney forgetting its roots (and 99.9% of its franchise catalog)
Star Wars land makes the most sense, with the new movie coming out in about a year. If Disney moves fast they could have some/all of it open by Christmas next year when Episode 7 is released.
Since Disney can’t capitalize on Marvel properties at DHS, star wars is the next logical option for a new themed area to tie into the movie side.
Star Wars Land for sure. I would go waay more frequently with that! Increased Pixar and Frozen presence are a plus too. Might even begin to make it a 2 day park for me!
Star Wars would be a smarter idea, given the success of Star Wars weekends. However, the Pixar stuff appears to be definitely happening now.
The name doesn’t mean anything to most people anyway, does it? I doubt very many of the people in the park at any given time have any idea that it was ever a working studio or even care.
I want to be sad about the loss of Backlot Tour. I really do. It’s a ride I have such fond memories of. But I just can’t work up the required emotion. Backlot Tour has been a ride on it’s dying breath for years now. The pre-show hasn’t been updated in forever, and they’ve slowly taken away piece after piece that made the tour special.
The recorded narration instead of a Cast Member, the Houses, the Props, and the look into the ‘Studio’ area that is now mostly blacked out windows. I would have liked to see Backlot Tour given a real revitalization, but at this point, I’ve already mourned it back when it was ‘Seasonal’ more often than not.
And put me down for Star Wars land first. Though I have a feeling they won’t keep the ‘feel’ Star Tours has, that you are walking onto a working set.
all I will say is this. Disney Imagineering did not relocate Kathy Magnum, who oversaw the construction of Carsland to WDW without a plan to use her talents. Whatever the project I suspect she’s involved.
I hope it’s Star Wars land. Pixar just got Cars land at Disney World, so it would just make sense, seeing as Star Wars Weekends has just been such a great time for us every year. And although I love Hollywood Studios, I do feel as though that portion of the park is a void of activities. Aside from Lights, Motors, Action, that area is essentially a ghost town when the holiday season isn’t going on.
My wish would be Pixar Land! Featuring:
– Toy Story Midway Mania
– Ratatouille
– Monsters University
– The Incredibles
– Wall-E
I still think that “Disney’s Hollywood Studios” is an appropriate name — between animation, TV & movies, it still fits.
That all said, I think they can add to the Star Wars presence & the PIxar presence at the same time, since both already have a foot-hold in the parks.
Continue expanding Pixar Place down the ‘street’. Adding rides, etc. And, for the love of Pete, move Pizza Planet over there and replace it with a Muppet restaurant already!!!! Sheesh… anywho…
And they can continue adding more Star Wars stuff in that section of the park without too much disturbance to the Force (see what I did there?).
They seem intent on doing as little as possible. None of this will happen quick. Expect the park name to change to Disney’s Hollywood Adventure. Because it is. Iger is leaving drawer full of bills and chores that have been put off. WDW is in the midst of a huge identity crises that leaves it feeling more and more like a whimsical shopping center. Not a resort.
Sooner or later someone will have to address the elephant in the room;
Why is the “new” Fantasyland vastly inferior to the Diagon Alley addition at Universal.
Why!?!? How did this happen?
When will someone cop to the fact that New Fantasyland is largely disappointing?
It saddens me to note this.
Every addition to WDW has seemed measured and begrudging for years. How long is everyone going to pretend there’s not a problem here?
And why can’t WDW supply decent entertainment offerings that aren’t “bought” from somebody else.
Put the koolaide down for a second and recognize there’s a problem.
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