Walt Disney World Trip Reports
Topic: Randy's Report: DHS

#	Author	Message
1	RandySavage Wed 4/9/2008 10:06p	DISNEY'S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS: Ten years ago, the Studios was my favorite park at WDW. While small, it was still a beautiful park with some great themed areas (Sunset & Hollywood Boulevards). The Tower of Terror was generally accepted as the best theme-park attraction on the planet, and Star Tours, Indiana Jones, the Great Movie Ride, Muppet-Vision and Indiana Jones, while not fresh, were ten years younger than they are today. Going back a decade later, I found that some things had changed and some had not. PROS: Hollywood & Sunset Boulevards: If you've been reading my reports, you know that I appreciate cohesive, detailed themed environments. The 1930s Hollywood art deco architecture of these boulevards along with the background music and street characters are transporting in the best Disney way. The only real damper is the godforsaken sorcerer's hat shop blocking the park's natural weenie - the Chinese Theater. Rock n' Rollercoaster: While I wish the entrance were placed in the Backlot rather than 1930s Sunset Boulevard, I had fun on this coaster. The take-off and on-board audio were great. Watching the trains take off from the queue was a bonus. Jedi Training Academy: This supped-up street show went well beyond my expectations. The Jedi master was a good actor and the Darth Vader appearance was well done. They found a great voice mimic (for the pre-recording) because it sounded just like Vader! Stormtroopers were funny as well. Happily surprised by this one. CONS: Sorcerer's Hat: I applaud WDW management for removing the Epcot Wand. Getting rid of this Sorcerer Hat blight must be a priority. It is the visual equivalent of placing a 100-foot, severed Tinkerbell head in front of the Magic Kingdom's castle. It significantly detracts from the beauty of the park. I can't stand it. Not Enough to Do: We only stayed at the Studios for one morning, because the kids prefer rides to shows and there were almost no rides at the Studios for them. Midway Mania (which has an exterior reminiscent of a suburban Barnes & Noble) should help when it opens, but the park still needs a lot more. Defoliation: Again, many trees were leafless... maybe it's the season. Disney Vacation Club: The attack of the DVC Kiosk... Great Movie Ride: GMR is a favorite attraction from my youth, so I was very keen to look for flaws/changes: The Footlight Parade scene now lacks any water and is completely static. From memory, the Alien drool once dripped onto passengers (maybe I'm imagining)... that no longer happens. There are smoke stains on the Old West bank building (that bursts into flames) that should be painted over. Most irritating of all is the final montage where they've added clips from decidely non-classic Disney films like "Narnia", "Pearl Harbor" and "Armageddon" at the expense of clips from actual cinematic classics like "Big", "Singing in the Rain" and "Terms of Endearment." The next step is to replace the clip from "Lawrence of Arabia" with one from "Hannah Montana Live". Just because most of the audience hasn't seen these classic films doesn't mean the standards of the montage should be lowered. The montage film is also extremely worn out and needs to be redone digitally. And once again, I find that nine-out-of-ten live guides aren't as good as a great pre-recorded voice over. I would like to see the human guides dropped in favor of the Voiceover guy who says "This is Alien... you are with Sigourney Weaver aboard the Spaceship Nostromo..." Imagine that voice saying "This is the underworld, scene of such classic gangster films as the Public Enemy, starring the great James Cagney" instead of a half-hearted, half-talented college student repeating it for the 100th time that week. The Benches: In a cost-saving effort, it seems like most of the hundreds of benches at WDW, particularly at the Studios, have had their wood replaced with Trex, a kind of synthetic plastic that looks sort of like wood, doesn't require painting and doesn't weather. Trex sags a bit and doesn't look as good as freshly painted or stained wood. I hope they put the savings into some really worthwhile attractions. Cast Members: While I was trying to check out the amazing model of Tokyo DisneySea at One Man's Dream, two young cast members were leaning on the glass having a private conversation and sending text messages. I wouldn't have really cared if they were in a corner somewhere, but they were obstructing the view of the model and it was a little irritating. The kids working at our local museum don't do that, so I don't expect it at a $70/day destination park. Rosie the Riveter's Hot Dogs: Sad to see it no longer exists. OVERALL: For our family, the DHS was the least enjoyable park. There weren't enough rides to keep the younger set (7 and under) happy. The Studios really needs at least 3 more family rides - not shows -and one big E ticket (at the opposite side from ToT) to become worthy of a full day. Classics like Indy, Star Tours, Muppet-Vision and GMR are nearing twenty years old and need attention badly (i.e., new script/stunts for Indy; new screen technology and additional destinations for Star Tours; new film for MuppetVision; new voice-over for GMR). As much as I dislike the thought of the Studios no longer being an actual studio, I think, realistically, the walking and tram tours have seen their day, and it seems likely that those areas will be converted to a Pixar land or another filmic-themed area. The DHS still has a strong foundation in Hollywood & Sunset Boulevards, the Lucasfilm based attractions, and the GMR. I think it has reached its nadir (with the sorcerer's hat) and will improve with time.

All times are Pacific Time (US)

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