Disney's Hollywood Studios

Disney's Hollywood Studios
Previously known as Disney-MGM Studios
The Hollywood Tower Hotel, the icon of the park
LocationWalt Disney World, Bay Lake, Florida, United States
Coordinates28°21′25″N 81°33′22″W / 28.357°N 81.5561°W / 28.357; -81.5561
StatusOperating
OpenedMay 1, 1989; 35 years ago (1989-05-01)
OwnerDisney Experiences
(The Walt Disney Company)
Operated byWalt Disney World
Key people:
Jackie Swisher (VP)
Steve Ruffner (GM, Operations)[1]
Theme
Operating seasonYear-round
Websitedisneyworld.com/hollywoodstudios
Walt Disney World
Theme parks
Water parks
Other attractions and areas
Resorts
Affiliated services
Transport

Disney's Hollywood Studios is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Experiences division. Based on a concept by Marty Sklar, Randy Bright, and Michael Eisner, the park opened on May 1, 1989, as the Disney–MGM Studios Theme Park, and was the third of four theme parks built at Walt Disney World. Spanning 135 acres (55 ha), the park is themed to an idealized version of Hollywood, California, and is dedicated to the imagined worlds from film, television, music, and theatre, drawing inspiration from the Golden Age of Hollywood.[2]

Disney's Hollywood Studios was initially developed as both a theme park inspired by show business and an operating production studio, with active film and television production services, an animation facility branch, and a functioning backlot. Construction on the combined park and studio began in 1987, but was accelerated when the construction of the similarly themed Universal Studios Florida began a few miles away.[3] To increase public interest and the variety of film representation within the park, Disney entered into a licensing agreement with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), from which the park's original name was derived. The park's production facilities were removed throughout the 2000s, and many of the park's soundstages were retrofitted for newer attractions and guest use. The park's current name took effect in 2008, with the removal of the MGM-branding throughout the park. In the 2010s, the park began to distance itself from the original studio backlot intention and entered a new direction of immersive theming and attraction development inspired by imagined worlds from Hollywood storytellers.

The park's original landmark was the Earffel Tower, a faux water tower topped with Mickey Mouse ears. In 2001, the Sorcerer's Hat—a stylized version of the magical hat from Fantasia—was erected in the park's central hub and served as the icon until its removal in January 2015.[4] The Earffel Tower was also removed the following year. The Hollywood Tower Hotel has since been the official icon, with the park's replica of Grauman's Chinese Theatre serving as the visual centerpiece. In 2023, the park hosted 10.3 million guests, ranking it the tenth most-visited theme park in the world.[5]

  1. ^ Slater, Laurel (March 26, 2021). "Meet the Women Behind the Magic Leading and Protecting Walt Disney World Theme Parks". Disney Parks Blog. Archived from the original on March 26, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Bevil, Dewayne (February 7, 2018). "Disney: Park is Hollywood Studios for 'foreseeable future'". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  3. ^ Schmalz, Jeffrey (August 13, 1989). "Nastiness Is Not a Fantasy in Movie Theme Park War". New York Times. Archived from the original on December 3, 2010. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
  4. ^ Bevil, Dewayne (January 7, 2015). "Disney visitors say farewell to Hollywood Studios' big hat". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on January 7, 2015. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  5. ^ "TEA/AECOM 2023 Global Attractions Attendance Report". 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.