WDW Disney's Hollywood Studios Discussion Thread

[DannySixFlags]

Hate to bump an old thread, but does Star Tours still only have the sequel trilogy scenes?? I remember getting the Boba Fett scene in 2016 like it was yesterday. His barely-audible evil laugh in that scene (that I barely noticed then) makes me wish that I could get it when I go back next year.

[Haymaker]

On 3/16/2024 at 7:54 PM, DannySixFlags said:

Hate to bump an old thread, but does Star Tours still only have the sequel trilogy scenes?? I remember getting the Boba Fett scene in 2016 like it was yesterday. His barely-audible evil laugh in that scene (that I barely noticed then) makes me wish that I could get it when I go back next year.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/star-tours-disney-world-disneyland-mandalorian-andor-ahsoka-1235843031/

[A.J.]

Newly announced at D23: A land themed to Monsters, Inc will be coming to Disney's Hollywood Studios!

https://disneyparksblog.com/wdw/monsters-inc-land-announced-hollywood-studios/

It’s laughter they’re after when a brand-new land themed around Pixar Animation Studios’ “Monsters, Inc.” comes to life at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort. 

The news was shared during Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event. Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro, with a little help from Disney Legend Billy Crystal, took to the stage to reveal plans to build a living, breathing, and not-at-all-scary “Monsters, Inc.” inspired area where you’ll be able to stroll the streets alongside some of your favorite monsters. 

Picking up after the events of Pixar’s beloved film, humans have now been invited to visit the world of Monsters, Inc. — and the monsters need laughter to power the city and keep it running smoothly. But it’s not a true visit without the factory itself. You’ll be able to see the sights, hear the laughs and zoom through the building just like James P. Sullivan (a.k.a. Sulley) and Mike Wazowski — via a door!

Yes, a door. If you’ve been dreaming of riding through the door vault since the movie was released in 2001, you’re not alone — Josh has been thinking about this, too. “The first time I saw Monsters, Inc., all I wanted to do was ride on one of those doors like Mike and Sulley,” he told the crowd. “You’ll go into the factory and experience the first suspended coaster ever in a Disney park. Remember in the movie how those claws grab the doors and hoist them up into the air to take them away? We’re doing that, too. And you’re going along for the ride.”

The coaster will put you right in the middle of the monster action. Just be sure to fill out your paperwork! Roz is always watching…

Work on the project is slated to begin next year, so get ready to ROAR with laughter!

[Zand]

Continuing on from my Animal Kingdom report...

We arrived at Hollywood Studios right at noon with a reservation at 50s Primetime Cafe at 12:05. I also came armed with an 11:30 Star Tours reservation (which I made so that I could hit it ASAP to open up the rest of the A tier rides), 3:30 Tower, 5:10 Rise, and 6:45 Slinky Dog (which I snagged a couple days before after initially being unavailable). We went over and scanned in at Star Tours, but it took a while to get into the ride and we ended up just running across to the exit to make our lunch reservation. However, I was now able to reserve Smugglers Run at 1:15.

Lunch at Primetime was delicious and the atmosphere was fun. There were so many things about the rooms that reminded me of how my parents and grandparents would have decorated their kitchens when I was a kid.

After lunch we stopped at Star Tours (which was a walk on) to actually ride it and this is still a really fun attraction. Obviously it has been well eclipsed by many newer rides but it is still worth checking out for sure.

Continued down into Galaxy's Edge which was my first time there. This area is absolutely massive and it took a while to actually find Smugglers Run but eventually we were in. My wife and I ended up being pilots and were pretty f*cking terrible at our jobs. We loved the ride though and the theming is obviously incredible. After this ride we managed to snag a Toy Story Mania lightning lane at 2:30 despite it not having great times available earlier in the day (I have to say this system sucks in some ways but also was surprising in how much stuff would pop up out of nowhere unexpectedly).

We ended up waiting standby for Runaway Railway which was posted at an hour but barely took 30 minutes. My wife was a big Great Movie Ride fan and thought this did not do it justice, but I thought it was cute and fun.

Headed back over to Mania which I love. One of my favorite shooting rides (probably because I used to really enjoy Toy Story when I was younger) and it's just a great looking ride. I ended up snagging a Rock 'n Roller Coaster LL that overlapped my Tower LL which was perfect. 

Speaking of which, Tower of Terror is just a f*cking masterpiece. Despite the insane attractions Disney has built in the past couple decades, this is still my favorite on the property and everything about it has stood the test of time. Unbelievable theming and the ride itself is somehow way more thrilling than most modern freefall towers to me. I wish I had time to lap it over and over.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, its neighbor just kinda sucks and I still can't figure out how this fits in a Disney park. There's some intensity, a lot of roughness, and I just think the premise of the ride is meh. I would rate this the worst indoor coaster at Disney by far, and I don't think that is a controversial take.

Headed back down to the Galaxy to check out Oga's Cantina. Look, I know that it's a very cozy spot in the movies and they really wanted to go with the "exclusive club" feel and I get it. But having to cram into a booth with 2 other families, one of which had 3 screaming young children (one of which proceeded to dump an entire drink all over a bag of merchandise I had under my seat) kind of ruined the experience. It looks terrific and all, and I get that they want to take in as many people as possible, but that was a miserable experience. The drink was great however.

Next was Rise and the theming on this was out of this world. I thought the ride might be a bit over hyped though. After experiencing Flight of Passage a few hours earlier and being blown away, I kind of walked away from this one expecting more. Not sure what else to say. I'm not a huge Star Wars fan and maybe that had something to do with it, but I liked everything else here so I'm not sure why Rise didn't do it for me.

I had some time to kill before Slinky, so I reserved Alien Swirling Saucers which I then felt bad walking past a line full of 5 year olds just because I was bored. The ride is not great. We went over and saw the Muppets show afterwards which was a much better way of killing time. That show is adorable. 

Finally our Slinky Dog time came up and we even scored front row. Admittedly, as a coaster this thing has no forces whatsoever and it really doesn't need them. For the kids it's a home run of a ride and we loved it.

After this we had one more park to check off, and hopped on the Skyliner to Epcot. Arrived shortly after 7:30 and headed over for my first Guardians ride. Upon reaching the first room at the top of the line, the thing broke down for probably 30 minutes which became a bit frightening, but thankfully it finally reopened with just one side. An hour later we were zooming around space to the beats of Conga. My thoughts? Don't get me wrong, I loved it. But I think I expected more. The top speed is 60 and it's 5500 feet long yet if you told me Space Mountain was longer and faster I would almost believe it. The visuals are incredible, absolutely amazing. I think I just expected a bit more from the coaster. 

Unfortunately due to the breakdown it was after 9 when we got off so we were not able to get on Remy or take in some of the amazing Epcot atmosphere and food. Next time. I love this park and only popping in for an hour killed me as much as rushing through Animal Kingdom.

It was a long and tiring (and expensive) 14 hour extravaganza of a day, but we had a blast. Once we financially recover from the tickets, lightning lanes, food, and merchandise that we went a little too crazy with, maybe we'll be back sooner than later! 

[thepoint4life23]

I have to agree with you on Rise. Maybe its that I waited to long or really wanted more out of it, but I got off it expecting more out of it. I know a few things didn't work but over all liked Flight of Passage better. 

I will say the door opening and walking out into the  stair destroyer is a pretty epic movement and the AT/At in the ride but i still felt Flight of passage was  better 

[A.J.]

Disney has just announced that Animation Courtyard will be completely taken over by the new Monsters Inc land, with MuppetVision 3D closinng! In addition, the Aerosmith theme of Rock 'n' Roller Coaster will be retired, with the Muppets' Electric Mayhem band coming in to replace it!

https://disneyparksblog.com/wdw/monsters-inc-the-muppets-hollywood-studios/

Get ready to open the door because Mike and Sulley are coming to town!

That’s right, humans will be able to enter the world of Monsters, Inc. when it is added to the south side of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Building off the exciting announcements from last summer’s D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, the new land will include the coaster we’ve all dreamed of – a suspended ride recreating the door vault scene – plus dining and shopping and a whole new theater show. 

To make way for the monsters, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and more of their friends will be moving right along to Sunset Boulevard! But there’s more to the story: The Muppets will be taking over Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, teaming up with some of music’s biggest stars for a rockin’ music festival! 

We know so many of you share our love for The Muppets and know their energy will be a perfect fit for this coaster. Plus, as the first Disney ride ever to feature The Muppets, there’s sure to be laughter, screams and new tunes for this attraction for fans to enjoy throughout the adventure and plenty of Muppets-themed merchandise on Sunset Boulevard!

In the meantime, there’s still enough time to catch a super-stretch limo to the Forum to enjoy Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith and catch Muppet*Vision 3D again before their final curtain calls. 

As we move forward with these changes, we are having creative conversations and exploring ways to preserve the film and other parts of the experience for fans to enjoy in the future.

[bert425]

while I'm sad MuppetVision 3D is going away, I'm very optimistic about the Muppets having a coaster!

and Dr Teeth and the Electric Mayhem are really a rather good fit for that theming, I think!   

I know everyone loves Animal but my favorite Muppet has always been Janice, so I'm thrilled to see her on the same level as Ms Piggy and Kermit in the art.

[Nrthwnd]

It does make me wonder, if they're ever going to do anything with the Animation Courtyard in the future.....

[bert425]

22 hours ago, Nrthwnd said:

It does make me wonder, if they're ever going to do anything with the Animation Courtyard in the future.....

doesn't this indicate they are making over the entire Animation Courtyard into MonstersLand?

[Nrthwnd]

^ Hmmm. I didn't see that sentence above the concept art. Or under this thread's heading. But I don't think that's correct.

Because, in one of the few Disney sites I follow, an overview of the area where the new Monsters Land would go was shown, with the coaster`s show building (possibly) being built beyond the Studio`s "berm". And the Animation Courtyard is is in a different location altogether, while Star Tours will be beside this new Land on one side. And Galaxy's Edge on the other side of it.

It's what I've seen from overhead views and descriptions, etc.... So, IMhO, the Animation Courtyard isn't being used for Monsters Land.

[Haymaker]

5 hours ago, Nrthwnd said:

^ Hmmm. I didn't see that sentence above the concept art. Or under this thread's heading. But I don't think that's correct.

Because, in one of the few Disney sites I follow, an overview of the area where the new Monsters Land would go was shown, with the coaster`s show building (possibly) being built beyond the Studio`s "berm". And the Animation Courtyard is is in a different location altogether, while Star Tours will be beside this new Land on one side. And Galaxy's Edge on the other side of it.

It's what I've seen from overhead views and descriptions, etc.... So, IMhO, the Animation Courtyard isn't being used for Monsters Land.

Grand Avenue will be Monstropolis, previously known as Muppets Courtyard. Maybe thats the confusion. 

[PKI Jizzman]

Really wish Rockin would get a modern Vekoma looper refresh as well. With all of the lengthy refurbishments and downtime issues, it would do wonders to have new trains and track, smoother ride with a much better coaster experience. 

[Haymaker]

29 minutes ago, PKI Jizzman said:

Really wish Rockin would get a modern Vekoma looper refresh as well. With all of the lengthy refurbishments and downtime issues, it would do wonders to have new trains and track, smoother ride with a much better coaster experience. 

Pet peeve correction: Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, not Rockin. 

[JT325]

3 hours ago, PKI Jizzman said:

Really wish Rockin would get a modern Vekoma looper refresh as well. With all of the lengthy refurbishments and downtime issues, it would do wonders to have new trains and track, smoother ride with a much better coaster experience. 

Hello!  Lap bars please.