When the first rumors of Toy Story and Star Wars themed lands coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios there was a persistent rumor that the park would leave room for a third-land that would come in phase 3. That third land is here sooner than that, as the remains of the Streets of America and Muppets Courtyard combine to become Grand Avenue.
Inspired by downtown Los Angeles and the revitalization currently underway there, Grand Avenue is where vintage office buildings and warehouses are being converted for other uses. As we discussed BaseLine Tap House takes over the former Writers Stop location, but the area will also get a dusting of facades representing other merchants you might find in the new LA.
A lot of those areas Disney is building now are expected to become extended queue areas for guests waiting to get into Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Looks like Disney is preparing for Hogwarts level crowds, even though a version of the land will have already opened out west by the time Disney’s Hollywood Studios is finished.
Muppets Courtyard becomes Grand Park, an urban square with popular shops and restaurants like PizzeRizzo and Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano. Good news Muppets fans too. Although the theater has been renamed to Grand Arts Theater, Kermit, Miss Piggy, and the gang aren’t going anywhere. MuppetVision 3D will remain.
Disney plans to open Grand Avenue this fall.
ICYMI: Our recent August update from Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
…….. someday we’ll find it a new muppetVision 3D movie the lovers the dreamers and me
Glad that it’s not leaving but wish they could replace the movie someday
We noticed the fountain outside of the Muppets attraction is, well, no longer a fountain. Any idea when the shrubs were planted?
They’ve been there for at least a year and are supposedly not intended to be permanent. The fountain was turned off to accommodate construction work in the area and from what I’ve read, will be turned back on once they are finished.
I saw somewhere that the fountain was converted as they worked on some of the plumbing around the Streets of America. I believe that the implication was that it was temporary.
I’m not thrilled that the Muppets Courtyard name is going away so soon. I took it as a positive sign that MuppetVision wouldn’t disappear like it did in California. Now I’m back to nervous. It’ll be far easier and cheaper for Disney to turn the Grand Theatre into a movie preview location than make a new MuppetVision film.
Sounds very similar to what was already there. Not sure I’d refer to it as a “new land”.
I’m hesitant to be excited about any theming related to Los Angeles with the exception of the Los Angeles that Walt arrived to. I will miss the Singin’ in the Rain umbrella attached to the street light. It was a great little detail missed by many.
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