Disney's Hollywood Studios

**Disney's Hollywood Studios**, formerly known as **Disney-MGM Studios (Theme) Park** is a theme-park in Walt Disney World. It is the original theme-park to have the *Twilight Zone Tower of Terror* attraction, an attraction which has come to be an icon for the park.

## History

### Backstory

Disney's Hollywood Studios is largely themed to being a romanticized and sometimes alternate-history depiction of Hollywood, Los Angeles.

## Summary

### Lands

* **Animation Courtyard**: The Animation Courtyard is themed towards being a studio-lot used by various Disney characters.
* **Commissary Lane**:
* **Echo Lake**: Echo Lake is themed to being a film production area of Hollywood with active film-sets and classic cinema characters present.
* **Grand Avenue**: Grand Avenue is themed to the real-life Grand Avenue area of downtown Los Angeles. The majority of Grand Avenue is themed towards hosting the Muppets.
* **Hollywood Boulevard**: Hollywood Boulevard is the studios', "Main Street" and features the Chinese Theatre.
* **Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge**: This is one of the few lands not set in Hollywood, instead being on the planet Batuu in the Star Wars galaxy. It does however have shared theming with the Echo Lake attraction *Star Tours*/*Star Tours: The Adventures Continue* which is rationalized as being a Hollywood film-set for the Star Wars franchise.
* **Sunset Boulevard**: Sunset Boulevard is themed to being the historic Hollywood location of the same name.
* **Toy Story Land**: Like Galaxy's Edge, Toy Story Land is not themed to Hollywood but is instead set in the backyard of Andy Davis from the film Toy Story where guests are the size of toys.

## Tower of Terror attractions

### Animation Courtyard

#### Magic of Disney Animation

This removed part of the Animation Courtyard had an area themed to the dressing-room of Minnie Mouse. In it, was a poster for a film titled *The Bride of Frankenollie* written by Harrison Hightower IV, a relative of *Tower of Terror* character Harrison Hightower III.

### Grand Avenue

#### BaseLine Tap House

There is an advertisement for the Pacific Electric Railway in the brickwork of this restaurant, featuring the Hollywood Tower Hotel on it.

### Sunset Boulevard

Gilbert London and Carolyn Crosson's luggage is located under a sign for Route 66 on Sunset Boulevard.

#### Citizens of Hollywood

These are denizens of the fictionalized depiction of Hollywood in the park. One citizen in particular is police-officer Percival P. Peabody who is also a resident of Buena Vista Street.

#### Rock 'n' Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith

This is the Tower of Terror's sister-attraction with an interconnected story and setting relating to the music-studio *G-Force Records*.

#### Trolley Car Car Café

The Trolley Car Cafe is a Sunset Boulevard café sponsored by Starbucks which is set in a headquarters for the Pacific Electric Railway, built in 1928.

### Other connections

In the 1990s, the Rocketeer would be seen in shows on Hollywood Boulevard, flying. The dining-service Echo Lake, "Peevy's Polar Pipeline" in Echo Lake is themed to being run by Rocketeer character A. "Peevy" Peabody and contains the Rocketeer's gear, a newspaper with the title, "Who is the Rocketeer", and blueprints for the rocketeer's jetpack.The hand-prints of, "The Rocketeer" are in the pavement outside of the Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard.

## Trivia

* The *Hollywood Tower Hotel* has become an icon or, "Park weenie" for Disney's Hollywood Studios. The traditional icon was the Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard which is often obscured by stages, shows, and the short-lived, "Sorcerer's Hat" stage which was official icon for a time. Another icon was the *Earful Tower* water-tower that was removed in 2016.
* The park is designed with elements of theming to the Touchstone films *The Rocketeer* (1991) and *Who Framed Roger Rabbit* (1989), both of which featured alternate-history depictions of Hollywood.

## References

1. ↑ https://blogmickey.com/2017/10/photo-paradise-pier-billboard-appears-sunset-boulevard/
2. ↑ http://ultimateorlando.blogspot.com/2013/09/new-inside-jokes-tributes-added-to.html
3. ↑ https://duchessofdisneyland.com/california-adventure/buena-vista-street-mailboxes/
4. ↑ https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2015/02/04/first-look-and-review-the-trolley-car-cafe-at-disneys-hollywood-studios/
5. ↑ https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2013/07/today-in-disney-history-the-rocketeer-flies-at-the-walt-disney-world-resort/
6. ↑ https://allears.net/dining/photos/peevys-polar-pipeline/exterior/
7. ↑ http://www.mainstgazette.com/2009/06/hoax-or-reality.html
8. ↑ http://www.mainstgazette.com/2011/07/who-is-rocketeer.html