Disney's Hollywood Studios (General Discussion)

[Nick]

Cruz Ramirez from Cars 3 now meeting in Pixar Place (by the 3rd track exit of TSMM)

 

[Speed]

 

[Freak]

So instead of adding a new coaster the way it was originally proposed, they want to reskin RnRC to something that would feel out of place and lose the awesome music and move a mediocre show over here.

That sounds bloody awful. Moving a mediocre show and retheming a ride doesn't sound like much of an expansion to me. Hot dang, would it kill them to ADD another ride? What's up with all of this obsession of replacing? This park needs more rides, not replace the ones that already work.

 

[Alicia]

All of this info is taken directly from Jim Hill on the recent Disney Dish Poscast, so take it with a grain of salt.

At least discussions of tearing down old Animation Courtyard for a new land are going on. That area looks cheap and temporary with Launch Bay right now.

 

[Mr. EPCOT]

My problem with this whole idea is that it would be a complicated, rather large endeavor to move the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster entrance and queue to Animation Courtyard. You'd have to somehow work through or over the backstage areas that service the Sunset Boulevard restaurants.

 

[Nick]

According to Martin, this isn't happening any time in the near future, although it is on the table.

IMO he's far more credible than Hill so I wouldn't expect this until well after SWL opens, if ever. Personally I think an Indiana Jones land is much more likely at DHS after SWL.

 

[GadgetGuru]

Talks about this door coaster have been going on for years. I can't think of a theme park attraction with more on-again/off-again rumors.

Jim Hill is an excellent storyteller, but I have the feeling he reports on rumors too early in their lifecycle. All of his reports help tell some of the stories of Disney's bureaucracy, which is interesting in a different way.

I'm gonna call this happening for a Phase 2. There's been too much talk over the years for this ride not to eventually get built.

 

[Scott W.]

Talks about this door coaster have been going on for years. I can't think of a theme park attraction with more on-again/off-again rumors.

Jim Hill is an excellent storyteller, but I have the feeling he reports on rumors too early in their lifecycle. All of his reports help tell some of the stories of Disney's bureaucracy, which is interesting in a different way.

I'm gonna call this happening for a Phase 2. There's been too much talk over the years for this ride not to eventually get built.

Does anybody have any of the concept images of the Monsters Inc coaster that were accidentally leaked? I've seen so many people talking about it but I can't find them any where.

 

[Freak]

According to Martin, this isn't happening any time in the near future, although it is on the table.

IMO he's far more credible than Hill so I wouldn't expect this until well after SWL opens, if ever. Personally I think an Indiana Jones land is much more likely at DHS after SWL.

Indiana Jones land would be a far better option. They should do something like Big Grizzly Mountain in HKDL but themed to the Lost Mine. If they do that, I hope the main ride won't be a clone of the ride that's over twenty years old.

Talks about this door coaster have been going on for years. I can't think of a theme park attraction with more on-again/off-again rumors.

Jim Hill is an excellent storyteller, but I have the feeling he reports on rumors too early in their lifecycle. All of his reports help tell some of the stories of Disney's bureaucracy, which is interesting in a different way.

I'm gonna call this happening for a Phase 2. There's been too much talk over the years for this ride not to eventually get built.

I like the idea of the door coaster but leave RnRC alone. You have the money and space, so build it on its own.

 

[GadgetGuru]

Does anybody have any of the concept images of the Monsters Inc coaster that were accidentally leaked? I've seen so many people talking about it but I can't find them any where.

I didn't know there was leaked concept art. Here's a detailed description from Jim Hill from a long while back. This is all I remember seeing.
Monday Mouse Watch : Get ready for WDW's monstrous new coaster

 

[Nick]

Does anybody have any of the concept images of the Monsters Inc coaster that were accidentally leaked? I've seen so many people talking about it but I can't find them any where.

I didn't know there was leaked concept art. Here's a detailed description from Jim Hill from a long while back. This is all I remember seeing.
Monday Mouse Watch : Get ready for WDW's monstrous new coaster

Martin leaked a single piece of art a few years ago... it was of the facade. I'd have it if I was at home, although I'm pretty sure @Mike S has the art.

 

[Scott W.]

I didn't know there was leaked concept art. Here's a detailed description from Jim Hill from a long while back. This is all I remember seeing.
Monday Mouse Watch : Get ready for WDW's monstrous new coaster

If I remember the story correctly, Disney accidentally loaded up details to their intranet for staff before quickly pulling it all down.

 

[Nick]

If I remember the story correctly, Disney accidentally loaded up details to their intranet for staff before quickly pulling it all down.

Yep, it made it onto The Hub for a short while. An announcement was actually planned but at the last minute they pulled the plug.

 

[Alicia]

Martin leaked a single piece of art a few years ago... it was of the facade. I'd have it if I was at home, although I'm pretty sure @Mike S has the art.

Image of door coaster that could've been in third midway mania track soundstage:

Image found here: Soundstage 1 Behind Walls! | Page 6 | WDWMAGIC - Unofficial Walt Disney World discussion forums

 

[Nick]

So we all know DHS could use some major help. I was looking at the park map and thinking what I would do with Billions in mind (which it really needs AFTER SWL and TSL) for the park. By 2019 (or whenever SWL opens), the park will have 9 rides and 5-6 shows.

Here's what I would do (can you tell I can't sleep??):

1. Bulldoze the animation building and the adjacent parking garage (yes, the one they are currently hiding). Move all operations run out of the animation building and all offices to elsewhere on property.

2. As a segue from Toy Story Land, you would enter a Monstropolis themed area where you would find the Monster's Inc. Door Coaster and Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor. Both would take up a rather small amount of space. Perhaps there would be a B-ticket type ride as well. Moving Laugh Floor would free up space in Tomorrowland as well. Harryhausen's would be a table service restaurant in Monstropolis (Japanese Restaurant).

3. From Monstropolis, you would walk behind where The Little Mermaid show currently sits to give you an idea of where we are. The Little Mermaid show would be updated to the DCL version of Tangled: The Musical. Then opposite of the theater would be a Tangled boat ride, filling a park need... a ride for all ages and the lack of a boat ride in the park. The Snuggly Duckling would be the quick service in this area.

4. By this point we are starting to run out of room as you have to take backstage space into account. So last in this area would be an Up-based Paradise Falls Rafting Adventure Ride, filling another park need, as DHS doesn't have a pure water ride either. This ride would be far longer than Kali and would be extremely well themed.

Since this would be built completely on backstage land, it's a true expansion and a gain of 4 rides (all exclusive), 1 new show (replacement) and a attraction moved from another park. Also 2 new restaurants, 1 QSR and 1 TSR.

 

[Scott W.]

So we all know DHS could use some major help. I was using the park map and thinking what I would do with Billions in mind (which it really needs AFTER SWL and TSL) for the park. By 2019 (or whenever SWL opens), the park will have 9 rides and 5-6 shows.

Here's what I would do (can you tell I can't sleep??):

1. Bulldoze the animation building and the adjacent parking garage (yes, the one they are currently hiding). Move all operations run out of the animation building and all offices to elsewhere on property.

2. As a segue from Toy Story Land, you would enter a Monstropolis themed area where you would find the Monster's Inc. Door Coaster and Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor. Both would take up a rather small amount of space. Perhaps there would be a B-ticket type ride as well. Moving Laugh Floor would free up space in Tomorrowland as well. Harryhausen's would be a table service in Monstropolis (Japanese restaurant).

3. From Monstropolis, you would walk behind where The Little Mermaid show currently sits to give you an idea of where we are. The Little Mermaid show would be updated to the DCL version of Tangled: The Musical. Then opposite of the theater would be a Tangled boat ride, filling a park need... a ride for all ages and the lack of a boat ride in the park. The Snuggly Duckling would be the quick service in this area.

4. By this point we are starting to run out of room as you have to take backstage space into account. So last in this area would be an Up-based Paradise Falls Rafting Adventure Ride, filling another park need, as DHS doesn't have a pure water ride either. This ride would be far longer than Kali and would be extremely well themed.

Since this would be built completely on backstage land, it's a true expansion and a gain of 4 rides (all exclusive), 1 new show (replacement) and a attraction moved from another park. Also 2 new restaurants, 1 QSR and 1 TSR.

If I'm following this correctly, what I really like about this idea is that it would create a loop from RnRC up to TSL and get rid of the dead end on sunset strip.

 

[Nick]

You also have to focus on the bottom half of the park however if the park is going to see it's full potential:

5. Move all essential buildings for daily operations ASAP. Once everything is moved, Demolish everything from Indiana Jones on back, Sounds Dangerous/Frozen building, Jedi Training stage and ST outdoors queue.

6. Starting at about Hollywood & Dine, the area would start to turn into more of a Caribbean/Adventure feel. Once you pass where H&D is, you would stumble upon Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure. The show building for this would be located in the parking lot, but the entrance to the ride would be roughly where Indiana Jones is now. The queue would be similar to Space Mountain as far as the long walk to get to the ride. I think two Pirates rides can co-exist as the ride and the films are very different. This would also allow the original pirates to revert to it's original form, sans Jack Sparrow.

7. To the right of the entrance to Pirates would be an Indiana Jones mini-land. Since Pirates was put all the way back into the parking lot, there's a lot of room to play with still. There would be two main attractions: an updated version of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril and an all new, state-of-the-art Indy ride (not IJA). Backlot Express would be turned into something similar to Jock Lindsey's to complete the Indy area. To finish off this adventure area, a clone of Tokyo DisneySea's Journey to the Center of the Earth would be put in place

8. If Star Tours would escape demolition, a change of theme to The Muppets would be ideal. You don't want to put a big IP in an ancient ride system and Muppets are right next door. Muppets also have so much content to choose from that they could easily randomize sequences just like ST2.

Since this would be built on backstage land and currently used attraction space, the park lost two shows (IJ and Frozen sing-a-long), but gained 4 rides, bringing my theoretical park total up to 16 now, while the number of shows drops to 5. I can't even imagine how many Billions it would take to accomplish this knowing how Disney spends money though. And even then there's upgrades to be made. Fantasmic! and BatB for example.

 

[Scott W.]

This could be a really stupid thing to say but do Pixar themed rides cost a little less to make as they don't have to be life like plus they will have access to all the original CAD information from Pixar?

 

[Nick]

If I'm following this correctly, what I really like about this idea is that it would create a loop from RnRC up to TSL and get rid of the dead end on sunset strip.

It would be very difficult to connect all the way due to facilities back there now, but also there has to be a place for CMs to eat while on break in the park and we'd be paving over one of those spots. The easiest place to move it would be over by RNRC. However, the way I have it drawn up, there would be quaint entrance points from Sunset Blvd into each sub-section.

So yeah, you'd be able to walk off RNRC, turn into Animation Courtyard (i'd keep the name around considering the animation theme... Tangled isn't Pixar) and not only be able to go into TSL, but make it into SWL and do a loop around the park.

This could be a really stupid thing to say but do Pixar themed rides cost a little less to make as they don't have to be life like plus they will have access to all the original CAD information from Pixar?

Based on how much Radiator Springs Racers along cost, i'd say it probably doesn't make much of a difference. RSR was the most expensive single attraction at the time it was built I believe.

 

[Scott W.]

It would be very difficult to connect all the way due to facilities back there now, but also there has to be a place for CMs to eat while on break in the park and we'd be paving over one of those spots. The easiest place to move it would be over by RNRC. However, the way I have it drawn up, there would be quaint entrance points from Sunset Blvd into each sub-section.

So yeah, you'd be able to walk off RNRC, turn into Animation Courtyard (i'd keep the name around considering the animation theme... Tangled isn't Pixar) and not only be able to go into TSL, but make it into SWL and do a loop around the park.


Based on how much Radiator Springs Racers along cost, i'd say it probably doesn't make much of a difference. RSR was the most expensive single attraction at the time it was built I believe.

That's a good point. RSR was worth every penny though.