Armchair Imagineering: Improving Disney's Hollywood Studios (with a new name!)

[Disneylandfan85]

I know there are some threads on improving Disney's Hollywood Studios already, but this one will probably not work with their ideas. This thread involves how I would improve the park.

The first thing that's going to be changed is the park name. That's right, my feeling is that the "studio" aspect of the park has really lost its way and can never find its way. Let's face it, the park has abandoned any real pretense of being a real studio. In fact, in the Imagineering Field Guide for the park, there's this little bit of information that says:

As the public expressed more interest in learning about the world behind the scenes, the media obliged with more and more stories and features about these topics. The arrival of DVD media allowed for the movies we purchase to offer much of the backstage information that the Studios park used to focus on. Our recent projects have focused on more immersive experiences that put the Guest in the middle of the action. So, the park is now less about the nuts and bolts of filmmaking craft and more about putting Guests into experiences inspired by film, television, and other media in new and exciting ways. The name Disney's Hollywood Studios reinforces this shift.

So you see, this is one reason why the Studios has abandoned its pretense of being a true studio. After all, why should a theme park cannibalize that which can now be found on DVD? I also think that since the park has abandoned any pretense of being a true studio, we should re-rename the park so that there are no ties to the word "Studios" at all and to relieve the park of being a working studio. Thus, the park will receive a new name. The only one I could come up with is something like Disney Hollywood Adventure. Notice the lack of an apostrophe-S. That's kind of based on what happened with DCA, which for some reason also dropped the possessive from "Disney".

Part of the problem with this park, though, is... well, take a look at this article here, it'll explain: http://progresscityusa.com/2010/02/0...-bout-studios/.

What do you think?

[Bill]

Okay, the first thing you need to realize is that Bob Iger removing the 's from DCA's name is because of his reasoning. In Iger's mind, Disney is just a brand that can go before any name to make (insert property here) more valuable. "Disney's" is supposed to be spoken. "Disney", except when used in-conjunction with Walt, is not. So even though we see it written, Disney California Adventure, you should be saying "California Adventure." Disney is just the brand attached.

So your actual idea, if you want to go with the whole, "get rid of the 's thing," is really just to rename the park "Hollywood Adventure." That doesn't sound right to me. What does sound right? Hollywoodland. Disney's Hollywood. Walt Disney's Hollywood. Or maybe, Disney's WTF Adventure... err... (well, how else do you describe a park that has Aerosmith in a roller coaster in a land that is supposed to be in the 1940s, Drew Carey as an Undercover Cop that is hardly ever open, An animation tour of a closed Animation Building, Toy Story in a carnival inside a Pixar Studios that has been taken over by live toys, a Backlot Tour with no backlot, a giant playground based on a 22 year old movie that today's kids have never seen, and a Bond-less Car Stunt Show that pretends you're in France because the show is from France?)

[Disneylandfan85]

Okay, the first thing you need to realize is that Bob Iger removing the 's from DCA's name is because of his reasoning. In Iger's mind, Disney is just a brand that can go before any name to make (insert property here) more valuable. "Disney's" is supposed to be spoken. "Disney", except when used in-conjunction with Walt, is not. So even though we see it written, Disney California Adventure, you should be saying "California Adventure." Disney is just the brand attached.

Don't people already call it just "California Adventure"? I know I do. And correct if I'm mistaken, but I think the buses all call it just "Hollywood Studios" already, too.

So your actual idea, if you want to go with the whole, "get rid of the 's thing," is really just to rename the park "Hollywood Adventure." That doesn't sound right to me. What does sound right? Hollywoodland. Disney's Hollywood. Walt Disney's Hollywood. Or maybe, Disney's WTF Adventure... err... (well, how else do you describe a park that has Aerosmith in a roller coaster in a land that is supposed to be in the 1940s, Drew Carey as an Undercover Cop that is hardly ever open, An animation tour of a closed Animation Building, Toy Story in a carnival inside a Pixar Studios that has been taken over by live toys, a Backlot Tour with no backlot, a giant playground based on a 22 year old movie that today's kids have never seen, and a Bond-less Car Stunt Show that pretends you're in France because the show is from France?)

Or maybe Magic Kingdom II?

Anyway, the first thing I will do is this: the One Man's Dream exhibit show will be broken up into various individual components and scattered to all the parks. In the case of Disney's Hollywood Studios/Disney Hollywood Adventure, a new, smaller OMD show will be put in the Carthay Circle Theater on Sunset Boulevard, and it will be called Walt Disney - One Man's Dream: Entertainment King. Being as this park's theme is on movies and television, that will be the main theme of the exhibit, Walt's animation and forays into live-action and television. It will probably be the largest of the OMD exhibits at the resort.

Also, Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards will be home to a copy of the Red Car Trolleys being added to the CA Adventure. Alternate footpaths may have to be built to allow for foot traffic, especially on Sunset, but if done right, it would make a swell mode of transportation between the Crossroads of the World and the Tower of Terror.

Anyway, that's the first part of the new and improved DHS/DHA. What do you think so far?

[KingEric]

that park has been a mess from day 1, and will continue to be a mess.

[Disneylandfan85]

that park has been a mess from day 1, and will continue to be a mess.

I know, and that's one reason why it needs to be fixed up big time! Anyway, here are a few more ideas. Over in the Muppet-type section of the park, the Muppet*Vision show will be updated. It will also receive a new name: Kermit the Frog's Muppet*Vision 4D. Also, yet another abandoned concept, the Muppet Movie Ride, sees the light. Here, take a hilarious trip through the movies, as only the Muppets can do it! Features scenes from "Frankenstein", "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" and Disney's own "Peter Pan".

What do you think now?

[Disneylandfan85]

I've also just created a thread for The Magic of Disney Animation, which is to be updated as well: Improving "The Magic of Disney Animation".