Lights. Camera. Action! We are exploring Hollywood….Studios that is. Thats right we are continuing our Disney World adventure.
Lets face it, who hasn’t grown up watching Disney movies or T.V. shows. I know I did and I would bet that most of you would say the same thing. Disney has been making feature length movies since 1937, when they released Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Walt was creating animated shorts long before that. I’m going to date myself here but I can remember popping in an old VHS tape into the VCR and watching some Chip and Dale cartoons. Funny enough, I recently came across these same old cartoons on Youtube and enjoyed watching them now as much as I did as a kid.
In essence that is what Hollywood Studios focuses on. The movie side of the Disney. In doing this, the rides and attractions are more show based than that of their other parks. Not to say that they don’t have any thrills rides because they do have some really good ones. All Disney properties are on display: Disney Animation, Marvel, and Star Wars.
I will get this out of the way, since it one of the biggest question that we get when people hear that we had went to Disney World. Did you make it to Toy Story Land? Unfortunately, the answer to this question is no. We were a month too early for the opening. We had hoped that there would be a soft opening while we were there, but nothing. It gives us an excuse to go back.
Like the other parks, Hollywood Studios is divide into section: Hollywood Boulevard, Sunset Boulevard, Animation Courtyard, Echo Lake, Commissary Lane, Grand Avenue, Pixar Place, Toy Story Land and eventually when it open in 2019 Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge.
Hollywood Boulevard is the main street that leads you into the park from the main gate. It is filled with shops and eateries much like Main Street, USA in the Magic Kingdom. One really cool thing that they do here, especially if you are a Star Wars fan, is the March of the First Order. Several times a day Hollywood Boulevard falls under control of the First Order as the march from the main gate to the main stage near the Animation Courtyard. Lead by Captain Phasma, the First Order Stormtrooper vigilantly search for Resistance scum.
Sunset Boulevard is were we spent most of our time while we were there. At the end of Sunset you will find two of the iconic thrill rides, Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster and the Tower of Terror.
As you make your way through the Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster, you meet up with rock legends Aerosmith, a younger version of them anyway. They are in the middle of a recording session when they realize that they are late for their concert. They invite the group to join them at the concert. The call a super stretch limo for you to follow them. This is not your average limo. No, this is a high speed thrill ride. The coaster races you through the streets of L.A all while you listen to the tunes of Aerosmith. Unlike the actual roads in L.A., there are twist, turns, and drops. Oh yeah! Its all in the dark so you can’t see whats coming up. This is my favorite ride in the park. As I mention, it does slingshot you to high speed in a matter of a few seconds and is extremely fun. Just use caution if you have neck or back issues cause it might just aggravate them.
On a dark and stormy night The Hollywood Hotel was in for the shock of its life. Literally, as it was struck by lightning sending a family and their bell hop to the other side when their elevator plummeted back to the bottom floor. This is the premise of the Tower of Terror ride. You board an elevator that transports you to the Twilight Zone. Once there you see strange things and encounter the ghosts of the poor victims of the accident. You travel a short distance down a hallway. Be wary, for when the doors open you will experience free fall. For the elevator gives way and drops you. Slowing down long enough to shoot you back up and stops just long enough for you to catch your breath before dropping you again.
Echo Lake is kind of the center of the park. Here you will find Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular. The first time that we came to Disney World I was disappointed that they did not have the Indiana Jones Ride like the one in Disneyland. Instead they have a Epic Stunt Spectacular show. This show demonstrates some of the stunts that they used while in the film Raiders of the Lost Ark.
I will suggest stopping by the 50’s Prime Time Cafe. It is locate not far from Indiana Jones. It is a little pricy but the food is well worth it. Don’t expect to be treat politely if you misbehave. The waiter and staff will scold you as if we were back in the 50s. No elbows on the table and definitely don’t be caught playing with your toys (cellphones). It is all in fun so don’t be offended.
Grand Avenue is tuck into one of the corners of the park but here you can find a fun little show to watch. Muppet Vision 3D is, like the title suggest, a 3D movie experience. The cast of Muppets take you on a behind the scene tour of the Muppet Show. As you would expect craziness ensues.
Also found in this area is Star Tours. On this ride you travel to a galaxy far far away as you explore the worlds of Star Wars. The idea is that you are a traveler aboard a shuttle that is harboring a spy that the Empire or First Order is looking for. As you flee your pursuers you jump to various planets and have different experience at each one.
Outside of Star Tour you will find Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple. Sorry friends but this one is for the kid. Throughout the day children get the chance to experience what its like to become a Jedi. Under the tutelage of a Jedi Master they will face many trials and eventually come face to face with forces of the Dark Side.
Oh Pixar Place, we were not friends. As I mention before Toy Story Land was not opened yet. Which was a bummer but what can you do. In this area is were we made a big mistake. One of the ride in Hollywood Studios that always has a huge wait time is Toy Story Mania! We decided to tempt fate and wait in the line. Heres were the mistake was made. Do to the construction of Toy Story Land, they had to redirect the line. I might be exaggerating a bit but I would say about 90% of the ride was outside in direct sunlight. They did attempt to create shade by putting up umbrellas along the path. Lets face it, it really didn’t help that much. Hopefully now that Toy Story Land is open they have improved the line conditions. Other than the line, the ride itself is a fun interactive ride were you compete with other people in your car to score points. I hate to say I didn’t do as well as I would have like but thats ok I still had fun and thats all that matters.
There is a cool little museum in the Animation Courtyard. Walt Disney Presents is a journey through Walt’s life as a struggling animator to the powerhouse that Disney is today. Inside you will find displays about Disney and the animation process. I found it cool to see some of the old machine that were used to animate. Definitely worth the time to check it out.
I had mention that we spent most of our time in Sunset Boulevard, but there was one thing that I neglected to talk about for it only happens once a night and that is Fantasmic!. Fantasmic! is a live action, laser, and pyrotechnic show. The Wizard Apprentice Mickey takes you on a journey through the catalogue of Disney films. Almost everyone makes an appearance during the show. Even the dragon form of Maleficent. If you have the time I would highly recommend seeing it. Get there early though for it fills up quickly. There are some other night show that Hollywood Studios does but we were not able to catch them.
Hollywood Studios is a little more low-key than the other Parks. We had a lot of fun while we were there and had a lot more experiences than what I talked about. I hope you get a chance to explore it yourselves.
Our last stop will be Epcot. We’ll see you there. Until next time.
Thanks for stopping by.
Josh
