Disney’s Hollywood Studios is a fully working studio and theme park at over 135-acres in size, and two-thirds of the park is closed off to the public as actual movies and television shows are filmed here on location. The rest Hollywood Studios is a creative theme park dedicated to bringing the magic of movies, television, radio and Broadway to life in an educational and exciting environment. Disney’s Hollywood Studios is centered on the movie making process, from the Pan-Pacific Auditorium replica at the main gates, to the 1930′s style Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards and the New York Street back lot. There are also plenty of movie-themed restaurants located inside the park, including 1950′s Prime Time Café, Hollywood & Vine, The Hollywood Brown Derby, Mama Merose’s Ristorante Italiano and the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater.
Hollywood Studios Rides and Attractions
Hollywood Studios - Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular
Hollywood Boulevard is the main street that guides visitors from the entrance gates into the heart of the park, very similar to Main Street USA in the Magic Kingdom. The Boulevard is lined with a loads of unique shops, each with its own unique theme. Hollywood Boulevard recreates the glitz and glamour of 1930′s Hollywood, making you feel as if you have just stepped back in time. Some of the exciting attractions found here include Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream, which chronicles the amazing life of Walt Disney himself. The Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular is a live show guiding you through how filmmakers create spectacular special effects and incredible stunts. Relive scenes from Raiders of the Lost Ark as actors recreate them with live action fights and huge explosions! Then, take a ride into space on the ultimate Star Wars thrill ride, Star Tours, or enter the magnificent reproduction of Mann’s Chinese Theater where over 50 animatronics figures bring to life scenes from many memorable films including The Wizard of Oz. Other attractions found on Hollywood Boulevard include Sounds Dangerous starring Drew Carey, ATAS Hall of Fame and Disney Radio Studios.
Hollywood Studtios - Tower of Terror
On the next street along, Sunset Boulevard, you’ll feel like you have stepped back into 1940′s Southern California. In addition to being the road that leads up to the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, two of the best rides in the park. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror takes you inside a 1930′s hotel, where you enter a lift shaft an plunge 13 stories in a rickety old elevator, as you become part of an episode of the Twilight Zone. The Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is Disney’s latest roller coaster that turns, flips and rocks ‘n’ rolls all set to the music of the rock band, Aerosmith. Sunset Boulevard is also lined with shops, restaurants and fantastic street entertainment. It is also the street on which Beauty and the Beast, Live on Stage and Fantasmic are situated. Fantasmic is a thrilling action-packed extravaganza pitting good against evil, complete with breathtaking fireworks, lazers, pyrotechnics and dancing water fountains all set to music.
Animation Courtyard is where you can meet all of your favorite Disney characters and go behind the scenes in the world of animation. Attractions in Animation Courtyard include the Voyage of The Little Mermaid, Playhouse Disney – Live on Stage and The Magic of Disney Animation.
Hollywood Studios -
Next up is Mickey Avenue where you can get a close up look at a real, working movie studio. One of the newest attractions here is the Lights, Motors, Action Extreme Stunt Show. A live show, similar to the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, giving you a spectacular behind-the-scenes look at how dangerous action stunts are created for the movies. You can also take the Disney Hollywood Studios Backlot Tour, where you’ll see many of your favorite TV and film locations and enter Catastrophe Canyon to take a look at how special effects are created for some of the most intense natural disasters seen in some of todays high budget films.
New York Street is next, boasting an amazing replica of the New York skyline. Here you can find Jim Henson’s Muppet Vision 3-D show, which is an interactive show featuring kermit the Frog and all your other favorite Muppet characters. Also found on New York Street is Disney’s Toy Story Pizza Planet Arcade and the Toy Story Character Greetings, where you can meet Woody, Buz Lightyear, Jessie and Bullseye the horse from the Toy Story films. Last up is the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set, an interactive childrens playground with larger than life oversized props from the popular movie itself.
The History of Hollywood Studios
Hollywood Studios opened on May 1, 1989 originally called “Disney-MGM Studios” and remained under that name until the change to “Hollywood Studios” in January 2008. The park was originallt drempted up as an attraction to be located within Epcot. However the idea seems so great and full of potential, that it was given a park all to itself. The idea to dedicate a whole new park to the idea was also largely due to a race against rival Universal Studios. Universal, who already had a very successful theme park in California, announced plans to create a second theme park in Florida, near the already existent Walt Disney World. A race ensued and MGM Studios was opened nearly two years earlier than Universal. The park’s original layout mimicked Universal Studios in Hollywood, with a “backstage” tram tour providing most of the entertainment, but within a few years the tour was halted and instead more popular thrill rides, such as the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror were introduced.
Contact: Hollywood Studios Address and Phone Number
Disney-MGM Studios
P.O. Box 10,000
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
407-824-4321
Hollywood Studios Park Map
Hollywood Studios Park Map - Click to enlarge
