Movieguy Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 It's kind of a bummer. I like the hat, although I don't *love* it. I also don't *love* the Chinese Theater facade. I'm personally hoping they both eventually get ripped down in the changes coming to the studio and or at least something totally new is put in front of Great Movie Ride as I don't think that building is a very good centerpiece for the end of the street. There is plenty of room between the end of Hollywood Blvd and the Chinese theater to re-imagine what that area will look like and finally give the park a proper, permanent icon. Although I didn't hate the hat, I kind of liked the theater facade, for nostalgic reasons. It's not as distinguished or as memorable as Spaceship Earth or Cinderella Castle either, so I wouldn't protest its replacement, but I do wonder what kind of centerpiece would really fit that park. Any ideas, Robb? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megametal Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 I just consider the Hollywood Tower Hotel as the park's icon. It's not the centerpiece, no. But you can see it from most of the WDW property and it makes more sense than the Earful Tower ever did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedimaster1227 Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 I'm still holding out hope for a Carthay Circle Restaurant in front of the Great Movie Ride... But that's simply because I want a place where I can get those amazing Sriracha-Glazed Duck Wings and Carthay Circle House Biscuits closer to home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halltd Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 I like the hat itself, but HATE where they put it. It just messed too much with the overall scale of the street. As such, I'm ecstatic they're finally tearing it down! With TCM as the new sponsor for The Great Movie Ride, I doubt the theater is coming down anytime soon...or anything going back up in front of it. But, I could be wrong. I hope whatever plans they have cooked up just add to the Hollywood theme like what they did out at DCA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 I'm still holding out hope for a Carthay Circle Restaurant in front of the Great Movie Ride. Oh, god I hope not. I still think that Carthay Circle was the dumbest, most ugliest building they could have chosen to put at the entrance of DCA. People in California don't even know what that building is, or had never heard of it before DCA and now of course they all now pretend to be "experts" on it! We never ate there because the menu never looked appealing to either of us. That, IMO, would be far worse than the Chinese theater! lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cedarpointer Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 What a shame. I love the look of the building and had a great meal there. Also got great seats to see World of Color. What ever they do Im sure it will be up to Disney World quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Intimidator305 Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 Before I get hounded with comments, I know this will likely not happen, but I'd love to see a slightly smaller Earful Tower somewhere in the proximity of where the Hat was if nothing else is going to be added. Of course, right not in the middle of the view of the Chinese Theater, but slightly to the side. I'm sorry, but I have never thought or never will think that the theater is a good icon at the end of the main entry way - it just isn't up to par with the rest of the parks in the resort as far as icons go (water parks included). I'm hoping for a replacement of both like Robb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megametal Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 Why did they not go big with a centerpiece for MGM Studios? I mean, I know that the animation department wasn't doing that well when planning for the park was going on, but I thought the Disney company itself was doing fine, so I doubt it was money concerns... That park has not aged well, and I'm glad Disney has noticed that. If they had done Tower of Terror when the park opened (I know the tech probably wasn't around yet), they could have switched it's spot and the Great Movie Ride's spot, and that would have been much better. The Hollywood Hotel would have made a great centerpiece. I'm also surprised that the Honey I Shrunk The Kids play area is still themed to that. I would have thought it'd have either been gotten rid of or rethemed to A Bug's Life by now. I mean, Honey I Shrunk The Kids isn't even popular enough for Disney to have released on blu-ray yet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GwaziBSRider1 Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 I agree that the park hasn't aged well. I wasn't very impressed with it when I visited last year. It seemed so empty in the areas around MuppetVision and the Backlot tour ride (or whatever it was called). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 Why did they not go big with a centerpiece for MGM Studios? I mean, I know that the animation department wasn't doing that well when planning for the park was going on, but I thought the Disney company itself was doing fine, so I doubt it was money concerns... I think it was more that they *thought* the Chinese Theater would be a good centerpiece, but what they realized is that most people, outside of folks from California or movie buffs, really had no idea what it was. And the building really isn't that big or majestic, so it kind of got lost in it's surroundings. What they found is that it wasn't a very good "photo op" for most people. When the hat was built, it was supposed to be "temporary", but what ended up happening is that people resonated with it as something they would take a photo with, just like the Castle or Spaceship Earth, which never really happened with the Chinese theater. I'm of the opinion that the Chinese theater isn't going anywhere, but I also think it won't be the thing you see at the end of the street. My guess is that something else will become of that area in between the end of the street and the theater. It should be a VERY interesting next 18 months for this park as we see what will become of it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillrider Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 This park has so much potential. I hope to see a "California adventure" style makeover to Hollywood studios. Another problem this park is lacking in my opinion is an icon. Epcot has the globe, MK has the castle, animal kingdom has the tree, but the studios does not have a landmark. Someone brought up tower of terror. I would not mind that as the parks icon. I heard rumors that they are looking into adding another park into Disneyworld. I was thinking a Disney sea type park or Marvel themed park. But with Hollywood studios, Epcot, and animal kingdom lacking new attractions, is this a good idea? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoasterLover Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 A new park, assuming one is in the work, would take about three years to build and would open well after anything that is currently under construction on the property. I'm still a fan of a new Disney park opening in 2021 (Walt Disney World's 50th Anniversary), so an announcement wouldn't be for a few more years. In the meantime, all of the rest of the parks get some nice upgrades to be ready for the influx of guests (new Fantasy Land/the hub (MK), Avatar Land (AK), Frozen ride and meet and greet/Expanded Soarin w/ new show (EC), and whatever they may have in store for HS). If Universal can build as much as they have been building recently, then a similar amount of large investments would be completely feasible for WDW. In regards to Hollywood Studios, the park is in need of a lot of work, but with the closure of the tour, I think (hope) something big is in the works. I could totally see a California Adventure style/scope upgrade happening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garet Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 I'm still holding out hope for a Carthay Circle Restaurant in front of the Great Movie Ride. Oh, god I hope not. I still think that Carthay Circle was the dumbest, most ugliest building they could have chosen to put at the entrance of DCA. People in California don't even know what that building is, or had never heard of it before DCA and now of course they all now pretend to be "experts" on it! We never ate there because the menu never looked appealing to either of us. That, IMO, would be far worse than the Chinese theater! lol I'll be completely honest, having absolutely 0 knowledge of California and never really paying too much attention to DCA outside of seeing a few videos of the bigger rides, world of color and Cars Land, I'd always assumed when people talked about the Carthay restaurant, that it was a part of Cars Land and was a really terrible pun of the word cafe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrlandoGuy Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 Why did they not go big with a centerpiece for MGM Studios? I mean, I know that the animation department wasn't doing that well when planning for the park was going on, but I thought the Disney company itself was doing fine, so I doubt it was money concerns... My personal take on it is because when the park opened up is was supposed to be a lot more grounded in reality than most other theme parks at the time. When it opened it was an actual working movie studio, and the theming was pretty much entirely sound stages and "back lots" and stuff like that. None of the rides had any fantasy element to them (no Tower of Terror, Star Tours, Toy Story, etc at the time). The best icon they could do for that sort of theme was the water tower--something true to a real movie studio but also distinctly Disney. The Chinese Theater was never the *official* icon as far as I can tell but it definitely made the most sense to be at the head of the park because that main strip in the front was really the only themed area at the time and had that Golden Age of Hollywood vibe to it. What better centerpiece to what was supposed to be a realistic LA street than a real LA landmark? It worked for what it was at the time. Now, though, the park has expanded to be a much more traditional Disney park, so people expect a more traditional park icon. That's why the hat was such a popular photo op I guess--a lot more "theme parky". Either way, no matter what your opinion on the hat is/was, it really did create scale issues and made the entrance to the greatest Disney dark ride (IMO) kind of hidden. I'm glad it's going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Movieguy Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 ^ Yeah. At the time it opened, they had heard about Universal coming to Florida, and felt the need to have something similar to compete. But now that Universal seems to have shifted their focus from "Ride The Movies" to all things Harry Potter, Disney Studios no longer needs to compete with them in that aspect. I've heard they're putting in a completely new Muppetvision movie, in addition to the changes in The Great Movie Ride, so it'll be interesting to see how this park intends to evolve, and what direction they'll go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJeXeL Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Anyone seen this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dchang11 Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 This park has so much potential. I hope to see a "California adventure" style makeover to Hollywood studios. Another problem this park is lacking in my opinion is an icon. Epcot has the globe, MK has the castle, animal kingdom has the tree, but the studios does not have a landmark. Someone brought up tower of terror. I would not mind that as the parks icon. I heard rumors that they are looking into adding another park into Disneyworld. I was thinking a Disney sea type park or Marvel themed park. But with Hollywood studios, Epcot, and animal kingdom lacking new attractions, is this a good idea? Disney is building Avatar land at Animal Kingdom and big plans are coming for Hollywood Studios. Fans are talking in the forums about a 5th theme park coming in 2021 for the resort's 50th anniversary. A fifth park is not coming until attendance swells at the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios altogether. All the promotion and events for the 50th birthday celebration will be at the Magic Kingdom. It's not easy to find ways to boost Animal Kingdom's attendance because of its theme and Hollywood Studios attendance is dwindling with the Harry Potter attraction at rival Universal Studios that's driving Disney guests away for a day. From what I have heard, Imagineers are planning a large makeover at Hollywood Studios. The Backlot tour just closed for good and its predicted an expansion of Pixar land will replace it with a Cars or Monsters Inc attraction. It's going to be similar to the additions at California Adventure. But the crown jewel of the expansion is a Star Wars Land where Star Tours and Indiana Jones are located. There are reports construction and additions will expand into the parking lot. It looks like Disney is planning a knockout response to the Harry Potter park at Universal. According to Disney officials, the plans are ambitious. If that succeeds, Disney might make plans to open a fifth park at around 2026. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COASTER FREAK 11 Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 I honestly don't ever see a 5th gate being built. The current 4 parks has plenty that needs upgrading and maintaining. Add in the 2 water parks, Down Town Disney, Golf Courses, and the myriad of other things to do at WDW, there is already so much. Its already so big and massively expensive for a family to stay for 7-8 days. Add a 5th park into all of this and I think they are going to have a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBJ Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 The 50th celebration isn't too far away. A 6 year timetable would give them enough time to take on an ambitious revamp of the Hollywood Studios. Would very much like to see them do a little world building similar to the Harry Potter themed environments set in the Star War theme and an improved Carsland. I don't think 5th gate will happen either for the same reasons. There is little reason to take on a 5th park unless it can offer something radically different than what can be achieved in the existing parks. Hollywood Studios alone might be almost a new park if the various rumors turn out to be true. That being said, would be amazing to see their take on a coaster centered park, like a Cedar Fair / SF park (out of the sightlines of the existing parks). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 I honestly don't ever see a 5th gate being built. The current 4 parks has plenty that needs upgrading and maintaining. Add in the 2 water parks, Down Town Disney, Golf Courses, and the myriad of other things to do at WDW, there is already so much. Its already so big and massively expensive for a family to stay for 7-8 days. Add a 5th park into all of this and I think they are going to have a problem. I think the simpler answer is that it doesn't make sense to build a 5th park when they haven't even come close to maxing out the potential that the first four have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COASTER FREAK 11 Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 ^Yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jew Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 *IF* they do anything (which I don't think they will anytime soon), I would imagine it would be something smaller scale. Either an up-charge place (like Discovery Cove) or something like a new mini golf course/their version of a Family Fun Center to compliment the resorts already insane amount of entertainment options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Toro_thugga Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 I honestly don't ever see a 5th gate being built. The current 4 parks has plenty that needs upgrading and maintaining. Add in the 2 water parks, Down Town Disney, Golf Courses, and the myriad of other things to do at WDW, there is already so much. Its already so big and massively expensive for a family to stay for 7-8 days. Add a 5th park into all of this and I think they are going to have a problem. I think the simpler answer is that it doesn't make sense to build a 5th park when they haven't even come close to maxing out the potential that the first four have. Yeah that's mad true. I was just in WDW last month and they can really enhance what they already have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodie Warrior Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 There are lots of things they (IMO) need to do with their current four parks before they build a fifth. Such as... -Pretty much redo all of the Imagination and Energy Adventure pavilions at EPCOT -Add even more rides to DAK other than Avatar -Redo the entire left side of DHS, but that's already happening (at least I think so) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meteornotes Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 I would just be happy if the build Dinosaur 2... dt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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