What remains from Disney-MGM Studios’ early years and where to find it
Disney-MGM Studios saw a lot of changes as it became Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but there are still some areas around from the early days in the park today.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios (originally Disney-MGM Studios) has always been a favorite theme park for me. As time passes, more of the original theme park is being stripped away, including the recent demolition of Muppet Courtyard and the announced removal of the Animation Courtyard archway. But, at least for now, there are large areas in the park still featuring iconic architecture and appeal from the early years of Disney-MGM Studios that I love seeing every time I visit.
Although architectural change is the nature of theme parks, Disney’s Hollywood Studios has taken some hard hits given its overall change of theme. When the park first opened, it was all about the making of movies. As that trend and desire has waned for the public, the park needed to pivot to stay relevant.
With the change of theme came the removal of backlot sets once used for production. The Streets of America and land that originally housed Residential Street (and later “Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show“) were removed for the creation of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. A lot of space originally used for the Backlot Tour has been repurposed for Pixar Plaza and Toy Story Land.
But if you loved the original park as much as I did, there are some beautiful areas still giving the rush of nostalgia we all crave.
Hollywood Boulevard
When entering the park, a lot of Hollywood Boulevard still looks as it did on opening day in 1989. Although some shop names may have changed, the general architecture of the buildings is still intact. This nostalgic mashup of the “Hollywood that never was and always will be,” as declared by then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner when the park opened, continues to make a grand statement, placing you in a fictional Hollywood of yesteryear.
For the first five years of Disney-MGM Studios’ life, you could only look ahead to the Chinese Theatre when entering, as Sunset Boulevard wouldn’t exist until 1994. For a while, from 2001-2015, the opening-day view of the Chinese Theatre was obstructed by a giant Sorcerer Mickey hat. The original view of the Chinese Theatre has since returned, albeit with a new attraction inside.
Echo Lake
One location that always stands out to me is over to the left after entering the park. If you’re enjoying a view of Echo Lake and Gertie the Dinosaur, so much of this surrounding area has seen very little change. And I love it for that.
Also in Echo Lake, a giant standee of Indiana Jones looks down upon guests as the opening-year show “Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!” still thrills guests to this very day.
The 50’s Prime Time Café [sic] is still there treating guests like family, and that general area of Echo Lake still includes nods to older Disney movies including “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” and “The Rocketeer,” in tact since the days of Disney-MGM Studios.
Star Tours
The entrance to Star Tours: The Adventures Continue is an interesting piece of old school Disney-MGM Studios history. Although Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge completely immerses you in the world of the films, Star Tours still includes remnants of Disney-MGM Studios’ original movie-making theme, reflective of the ride’s 1989 opening.
If you look on the back sides of the giant AT-AT and the forest trees of Endor, you’ll notice these are simply set pieces; only the fronts are dressed for the camera. The guest’s ability to view the undressed backsides was intentional to pull back the curtain and share how movies are made.
Commissary Lane
ABC Commissary (originally known as simply The Commissary) and Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant opened in 1990 and 1991, respectively. These two Disney’s Hollywood Studios dining staples have gone largely unchanged stylistically, other than the TV shows adorning the commissary walls through the years.
Hooray for Hollywood
In recent years, Disney’s Hollywood Studios has seen a lot of change, and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down as the park looks ahead (toward projects like a “Monsters, Inc.” roller coaster). For that reason, I cherish the moments I get to spend in spaces that still remind me of what I love about Disney-MGM Studios. Change isn’t a bad thing, but it doesn’t make it any easier to say farewell to the things we love.
Jeff DePaoli is an event producer and voiceover artist living in Los Angeles. He can be heard as the voice of Disney Trivia on Alexa as well as the host of “Dizney Coast to Coast” podcast, where he and his special guests share honest opinions on all things Disney at DizneyCoastToCoast.com. DePaoli’s opinions are his own and do not necessarily represent Attractions Magazine.
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Hol’ up! That Rocketeer stuff was not there originally. It was added when Peevy’s Polar Pipeline replaced the original Lakeside Newsstand.