The expansion era

Image: DisneyAnyone familiar with the history of Disney’s Hollywood Studios understands that it’s one of the great misses out of all Disney parks. Don’t get me wrong. It’s wonderful for what it is, but Disney and MGM went to war soon after they introduced the park. It’s the child of a combative divorce. For that reason, it’s always seemed a bit incomplete.

Even the signature landmarks that Disney has tried to give Hollywood Studios have failed to stand the test of time. First, Disney gave up on the Earffel Tower in 2001, 12 years after its introduction. Then, they realized that the Sorcerer’s Hat built in 2001 wasn’t any more interesting. So, they tore it down in 2015. Interestingly, the Earffel Tower outlived its replacement by a year, as it was deconstructed in 2016.

The attractions at Hollywood Studios are shockingly great. There just aren’t many of them. In addition to Toy Story Midway Mania!, Two E Ticket attractions are among the best on the entire Disney campus. Those are Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith. Two other rides are almost as good. Star Tours – The Adventure Continues is one of the best motion simulator rides in the world. And The Great Movie Ride is a marvelous celebration of the golden age of Hollywood cinema.

Image: DisneyWhat’s the problem with Disney's Hollywood Studios? Well, that’s five rides, all of which most people would classify as somewhere between good and otherworldly. On an average day, someone using the FastPass system can ride everything worthwhile at the parks in three hours. Sure, plenty of shows and walkthroughs are available for movie lovers and fans of Walt Disney in particular. It’s just not a lot of quality attractions.

Disney finally addressed the issue in recent years. The big story is obviously Star Wars Land, which could and most likely will single-handedly elevate Hollywood Studios the same way that The Wizarding World of Harry Potter has done for Universal Resort Orlando. This is the Big Idea Disney needed to reverse the fortunes of a park that’s seemed unlucky, maybe even doomed, for 20 years now.

Still, no matter what Star Wars Land brings to the table, it’s only going to add two new attractions. Even the most diehard fans of the Force will probably spend only three or four hours in this area. Adding the existing three hours of entertainment at Hollywood Studios, that’s still not a full day park. It needs more.

The French solution

In 2010, another struggling part showed some gumption. Walt Disney Studios Park, a part of Disneyland Paris, expanded an existing themed land called Toon Studio. They added Toy Story Land to this section, introducing three new attractions along the way: RC Racer, Slinky Dog Zigzag Spin, and Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop.

This addition was such a hit that three other Disney parks mimicked the idea. The first was Hong Kong Disneyland, where Toy Story Land debuted in 2011. Shanghai Disneyland, which already featured Toy Story Hotel, was a natural location for this expansion, too. The most intriguing iteration of Toy Story Land for North American theme park tourists, however, is the one at Hollywood Studios.

The Americanized version of the French park will share several of the same themes and ideas. The 11-acre expansion will show what the human world looks like from the perspective of the toys. In other words, basic elements of your child’s playroom will seem gigantic in scope. Disney promises giant building blocks and toy pieces from various games. In other words, Imagineers will bring to life the set pieces from Andy’s room in the Toy Story movies.

The selling point here is simple. Disney already knows that Pixar Place is a wonderful recreational area for fans of Toy Story characters. Park planners will now build out the concept a great deal more, adding a full section of Toy Story memorabilia. What Star Wars Land is to fans of the force, Toy Story Land will be to Pixar fanatics. By adding a second type of franchised intellectual property to Hollywood Studios, Disney will finally provide a long overdue identity to the park. It’s the place people who love Star Wars and Pixar movies will go for some glorious escapist entertainment.