Disney’s Hollywood Studios – Its Unknown Future (part I)
I’m like most Disney theme park fans, I hear rumors all the time, some of them are more legit than others, but it can be hard to tell which actually have some nuggets of truth. To help with this, I have a rule – I don’t believe anything until Disney actually breaks ground on the project. But that doesn’t mean I can’t speculate about the latest rumors. So, keeping my rule in mind, here’s my latest understanding of changes coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
The Sorcerer’s Hat is getting moved. If it’s possible to save the hat (which isn’t a given considering how much steel and concrete when into placing it at DHS) there are a couple of options as to where it will end up. It could go where it should have been placed originally – the Christmas Tree planter in the lakeside plaza out on front of the park. There it will provide a great moment as guests arrive from the bus, parking lot, or friendship boat dock. It can continue to house a store just like the little shop outside of Disney’s Animal Kingdom does. Plus, you’ll be able to view the hat from 360 degrees, which you really can’t in the park. Another likely location would be Disney Springs where it would fit in nicely in the modern west side area.
Moving the hat is rumored to be the first step in what will be a major makeover for Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This will likely happen over a period of many years, but the park is expected to get (we’ll try and figure out the order of these later): Star Wars land, Toy Story play land, Cars Land (junior edition), a new parking lot entrance and extra parking spots, a performance corridor for parades, and a placemaking overlay on the order of Disney’s California Adventure (possibly with an entirely new entrance plaza).
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