Apr. 18, 2008: Disney-MGM Studios: The End of MGM Name

[Werner Weiss]

Originally Posted by Disneykin Kid

I remember now, I heard that later they were planning to just shorten it to Disney's Hollywood, taking off the Studios, because it's no longer a working studio. Maybe it was just a rumor???

They knew it wasn't a working studio when they announced the name change last August. In any case, the park is still has a Hollywood movie studio theme.

Walt Disney Studios Paris was never a working studio, but has "Studios" as part of it name.

A name change is an expensive undertaking. I can't see Disney's Hollywood Studios as a temporary name. Anything's possible, but that rumor doesn't make sense to me.

[Werner Weiss]

Originally Posted by JLW11Hi

Hello! New to the boards.

Welcome!

Originally Posted by JLW11Hi

Did Disney ever intend to take advantage of the vast MGM film library it obtained in their deal with MGM? Because besides the Great Movie Ride, which we now know has little to do with the contract that gave Disney the right to use their name and much of their films, there didn't seem to be any other representations of MGM films in the park. I know they show Tom and Jerry in the SciFi Dine In, but is that it?

Your right. There really wasn't much MGM at the park that guests commonly called MGM.

Reading The Disney Touch by Ron Grover, it seems that access to the MGM library was very important to Disney executives when the new park was being planned in 1985. But there wasn't much MGM content at the park when it opened, and the subsequent expansions really didn't leverage the MGM contract very much (with tiny exceptions such as Tom and Jerry in the SciFi Dine In).

[Werner Weiss]

Originally Posted by Mr_Incredible

Why do they have an Indiana Jones stunt show and (I'm assuming) characters running around, when they could easily have had 007? Why not have a street show where an actor portraying Inspector Clouseau trying to find the Pink Panther? Wouldn't it have been nice if there was a Wizard of Oz ride?

MGM's contract with Disney excluded some of the best-known MGM movies.

According to The Disney Touch by Ron Grover:

MGM also protected 35 of its classic movies, including Gone with the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, the James Bond series, Rocky, and several Woody Allen movies, by requiring Disney to obtain special permission to use anything from them. By September 1986, the granting of special permissions had begun. Disney requested and got the right to use portions of The Wizard of Oz and Singin' in the Rain for audio-animatronic characters sprinkled throughout The Great Movie Ride.

Before the park even opened in 1989, Ted Turner bought the pre-1986 MGM/UA library. Warner Bros. and Turner merged in 1996. While such transactions would not have cancelled the original contract, it meant that Disney was dealing with new owners for any subsequent special permissions.

[Disneykin Kid]

Originally Posted by Werner Weiss

They knew it wasn't a working studio when they announced the name change last August. In any case, the park is still has a Hollywood movie studio theme.

Walt Disney Studios Paris was never a working studio, but has "Studios" as part of it name.

A name change is an expensive undertaking. I can't see Disney's Hollywood Studios as a temporary name. Anything's possible, but that rumor doesn't make sense to me.

Werner, thanks for your concise answers, I asked questions in other threads and never got answers, so yours are much appreciated.

[BigPigletFan]

This is a wonderful story and addition to Yester Studios! Thanks for putting it together.

As for another name change, I doubt it would happen anytime soon. As of last weekend they still have signs to replace (mainly road signs) or bring back (the dedication plaque, animation arch) so there's a lot of work that needs to be done. Not to mention the Cast Member costumes, jackets, etc. that had to be updated or they chose to (GMR) update.