Disney's Hollywood Studios (General Discussion)

[belloq87]

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.

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.

Price tag: $8 billion!

But yeah... if even half of that were to come to fruition, Hollywood Studios would be in great shape. I think your proposed adventure area (with Shanghai Pirates, two Indy rides, and Journey to the Center of the Earth) would probably be the greatest land on the planet just in terms of attractions!

 

[Nick]

Price tag: $8 billion!

But yeah... if even half of that were to come to fruition, Hollywood Studios would be in great shape. I think your proposed adventure area (with Shanghai Pirates, two Indy rides, and Journey to the Center of the Earth) would probably be the greatest land on the planet just in terms of attractions!

I know nothing close to what I laid out will happen (at least not all of it together, maybe pieces here or there), but a man's gotta dream!

 

[Mr. EPCOT]

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?

I kind of doubt it. My guess is that Pixar uses proprietary drawing software that doesn't export files particularly easily to other drafting programs.

 

[Alicia]

I kind of doubt it. My guess is that Pixar uses proprietary drawing software that doesn't export files particularly easily to other drafting programs.

I've heard the topiaries created based on Pixar and 3D animated Disney films are the most accurate because they have 3D files and accurate maquettes to work from.

 

[Nick]

I kind of doubt it. My guess is that Pixar uses proprietary drawing software that doesn't export files particularly easily to other drafting programs.

Another Pixar example: Ratatouille cost $270M back when they were building it in 2012-14.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Another Pixar example: Ratatouille cost $270M back when they were building it in 2012-14.

IT COST WHAT. Are you sure on that number because $270 million is how much Diagon minus HE roughly cost.

 

[Alicia]

IT COST WHAT. Are you sure on that number because $270 million is how much Diagon minus HE roughly cost.

Well it does include a fountain and a sit down restaurant... So, in Disney money...

 

[Nick]

IT COST WHAT. Are you sure on that number because $270 million is how much Diagon minus HE roughly cost.

Let me be a bit more clear... The ride actually cost $150M, but at WDSP it is a whole sub-land. Basically our France Pavillion built in actual France without the movie. Add in the Chez Remy restaurant and WDI spending and you're at $270M.

 

[Scott W.]

I kind of doubt it. My guess is that Pixar uses proprietary drawing software that doesn't export files particularly easily to other drafting programs.

I'm sure Pixar use all their own software. Before they were producing films, they did offer hardware and software for CGI.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

I'm sure Pixar use all their own software. Before they were producing films, they did offer hardware and software for CGI.

Did a quick search, modeling is done using off the shelf modeling software which explains why it's easy to get those files for topiaries and such.

Rigging (aka the animation part) is all proprietary.

Rendering is done using, of course, RenderMan which is publicly available software Pixar developed.

:topic:

 

[UNIrd]

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.

We might get a Green Army Men parachute drop if we're lucky but thank you for sharing. :ears:

 

[Nick]

They finally started on building the new Cast Wardrobe building:

 

[Viator]

Len Testa is hearing that Great Movie Ride will be closing by Summer of next year, for a Mickey attraction.



There are also construction permit's for the attraction.

 

[Mad Dog]

Sounds like they're waiting for TSL capacity to replace the GMR capacity so they can make the change.

 

[SpyderDan]

Meanwhile the stupid Star Wars Launch Bay remains as basically just an advertisement?

 

[Alicia]

Len Testa is hearing that Great Movie Ride will be closing by Summer of next year, for a Mickey attraction.



There are also construction permit's for the attraction.

Sounds like they're waiting for TSL capacity to replace the GMR capacity so they can make the change.

I reported on this in some depth a month ago. Some rumors were saying GMR could close as soon as this fall, but I've always guessed they would wait until AT LEAST Toy Story Land opened before closing yet another attraction.

Also, we've been discussing this rumor for a year now here: Great Movie Ride Closing? | Inside Universal Forums

It's just finally hitting mainstream I guess. Or Disney is actually ready to rip off the band-aid.

Seems like all the Disney rumors are coming out now, not only ahead of D23 but as we get closer to the time construction must actually begin for everything to be ready by the anniversary.

 

[Mad Dog]

I reported on this in some depth a month ago. Some rumors were saying GMR could close as soon as this fall, but I've always guessed they would wait until AT LEAST Toy Story Land opened before closing yet another attraction.

Also, we've been discussing this rumor for a year now here: Great Movie Ride Closing? | Inside Universal Forums

It's just finally hitting mainstream I guess. Or Disney is actually ready to rip off the band-aid.

Seems like all the Disney rumors are coming out now, not only ahead of D23 but as we get closer to the time construction must actually begin for everything to be ready by the anniversary.

This is kind out of left field, BUT when you see all of this kind of activity in the corporate world, it's often to make a company or division more suitable for an acquisition....Not to say that's what's happening, but it is sometimes a sign.

 

[belloq87]

Len Testa is hearing that Great Movie Ride will be closing by Summer of next year, for a Mickey attraction.



There are also construction permit's for the attraction.

Nothing would make me happier than if GMR was still open for my trip this fall.

I still can't stand the idea that the park's mission statement dark ride, packed with wonderful sets and copious AAs, will be replaced by a much shorter, screens-heavy thing (if that's what it's really going to be).

 

[Chris]

Very confusing thread with a Hollywood Studios in California...

 

[Nick]

Very confusing thread with a Hollywood Studios in California...

There is no Hollywood Studios in California (aside from actual Hollywood Studio lots).

The closest you could get to confusing would be Universal Studios Hollywood... but it's not Universal Hollywood Studios so not sure on confusion.