Disney owns all the great IP

Thanks to shrewd acquisitions such as Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and now Fox’s primary media assets, Disney’s different than they were even a decade ago. Today, they own many of the most important intellectual properties available. When Michael Eisner first agreed to construct Hollywood Studios, nobody had a great idea on how to fill the park with engaging attractions. That’s why it was so threadbare in the beginning.

The park suffered over time because all of the new attractions, many of which were excellent, still couldn’t overcome the perception that Hollywood Studios is a half-day park. Experienced theme park tourists can run through all of the rides in about two hours, presuming Fast Passes and Single Rider usage. This explains why the park has been in decline for so long. It simply doesn’t have enough meat to it.

Remembering that you’re temporarily a park planner, how would you add the meat? You know that the park space is limited, as it’s the second smallest Walt Disney World gate at 135 acres. To expand, you first have to contract. Keeping that in mind, how many attractions at Hollywood Studios do you feel are worthwhile enough that guests make time during hectic Disney vacations to ride them? You already know how Disney answered this question.

Emphasizing the Disney in Disney’s Hollywood Studios

I call the recent changes to Hollywood Studios the Mickey Vader Plan. A couple of years ago, Disney shocked the world by announcing a planned expansion at the park. By altering the current landscape at Disney's Hollywood Studios, they could add a new themed land, one with the best brand in the world behind it. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge should open in 2019. When it does, it will instantly become the biggest draw for Disney in the 21st century, maybe even the best addition since Space Mountain back in 1975. The addition is that significant.

Why did Disney decide to do something so bold? Well, I’ve enumerated it point by point. Disney’s Hollywood Studios was never attraction-heavy. It was also a somewhat flawed concept due to the near-immediate struggles with MGM in populating the park. Over time, the MGM divorce and modern disenchantment with the Golden Age of Hollywood further reduced interest. But Star Wars...Star Wars, everybody knows. A ride on the Millennium Falcon is something that people have dreamt of doing since 1977.

Image: DisneyAdding Galaxy’s Edge is only a half-measure, though. Changing only that part of the park isn’t enough on its own. Then, it’s just the new and improved Disney's Hollywood Studios featuring Star Wars Land. Disney execs appreciated this and settled on a bolder plan. They also chose to add Toy Story Land, an expansion of Toy Story: Midway Mania into a fully themed land including two new attractions. Between it and Star Wars Land, that’s four new attractions coming to theme park that’s been notoriously stagnant throughout its existence. Still, Disney wanted to make one more dramatic change.

The attraction best associated with Disney's Hollywood Studios is the one that was there on opening day, The Great Movie Ride. At D-23, Disney shocked everyone by announcing its closure. They’re replacing it with Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. This change is the most dramatic one at the park as well as the most necessary. As long as The Great Movie Ride was straight in front of the entrance gate, it inexorably linked Hollywood Studios with its muddy history.

Image: DisneyBy placing an exciting new attraction there in its place, Disney establishes that this isn’t the park that you remember from your youth. Instead, it’s future-proofed with the first Mickey Mouse ride in the history of Disney theme parks. Think of this change as the final stamp of approval on a long-needed makeover of the least popular gate at Walt Disney World.

With Mickey Mouse, Buzz Lightyear, and Darth Vader out in front, Disney's Hollywood Studios will fundamentally change from deteriorating to the most interesting theme park in Orlando over the next few years. The shuttering of several popular attractions is the opportunity cost to alter the perception of this park. It’s a true turning point for what was once a half-day park that will soon become the home of the most crowded themed land anywhere on the planet.