Disney’s Hollywood Studios opened on May 1st 1989 and was the third park to open at the Walt Disney World resort near Orlando, Florida. It was the only park in Disney World that we only visited once. It wasn’t because we didn’t like it, but we simply didn’t have time to do everything, so a second trip had to be cut out.
Each park has its own distinct feel and character. The entrance to Hollywood Studios still has the late 80’s look to it, but that doesn’t mean it looks old or dated, it just added to its own individuality.
We used the Fastpass+ system every time we were at a park and it was very helpful in getting us on the rides with a minimal wait. But it did give less freedom to our days because we had rides scheduled in at certain times of the day, even though they were in hour blocks.
Rides:
Toy Story Midway Mania – This is located in the Pixar Studios area and was one of Emma’s favourite rides in previous visits to Disney World. It is similar to Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin at Magic Kingdom, which I got a better points score on than her. So she was after revenge and managed to get it too. She scored 127,000 points while I reached only 120,000. It was a close call at times and we both had aching arms from the dodgy (ahem) way you have to pull on the space gun to shoot the targets. I loved this ride and was our favourite in Hollywood Studios. The friendly competition was fun and I love the bright, colourful Toy Story theming of the attraction.
Muppet Vision 3D – This is a funny cinematic performance from the muppets which also has audio-animatronics and a live action character to add to the story and realism. It was enjoyable and a good bit of fun. Every theatre/cinema type show is interactive in some way, which usually means getting sprayed with water!
The Great Movie Ride – We didn’t have a fastpass for this one and had about a half an hour wait, which was well timed as we managed to avoid a torrential downpour! It is a slow moving ride that takes you through different films through history, which again meant realistic animatronics and live action characters. I loved the Alien section, seeing Sigourney Weaver hiding from the aliens was cool.
Star Tours – This was our last ride of the day and is a simulator. You are in a space pod, controlled by R2-D2 and C-3PO. The latter is actually in the pod with you flying the ship! It was a fun ride that has you escaping from the enemy and taking a lot of twists and turns that actually made me feel slightly sick at once stage!
If we had the time to go again we would have only watched the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular and tried to get on Midway Mania again, but that is why we didn’t prioritise a second visit to the park. We didn’t want to do the Tower of Terror, as that kind of ride doesn’t sit well with us. Also Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith might have been a bit too much Aerosmith for my liking and I wouldn’t have been able to escape!
In the next year or two there will be a lot more to Hollywood Studios than there is at the moment. They have closed off sections of the park, some areas that Emma really liked, such as the fake streets of San Francisco and the umbrella and lamppost from the film Singing in the Rain. But in their place they’re building Toy Story Land and Star Wars Land, both of which should make Hollywood Studios as popular as the other parks again.
Where The Wildings Are 