*NOTE: The following was written back when the original Keys to the Kingdom articles were written and I never released it because my computer died before I could edit the thing and as such - some of these things may be outdated or maybe even already announced (STUPID HAT)*
After all this time and multiple parts of my Kingdom series, here we have made it to the grand finale: Disney Hollywood Studios.
Disney Hollywood Studios is neck and neck in contention for my favorite park and for the very same reason and that is nostalgia. I remember what the Studios used to be...actual working Studios.
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| Yes. I miss this. |
Let's take a tour, shall we?
As we walk through the gates and head down Hollywood Blvd, you see the Chinese Theater that houses The Great Movie Ride. Un-obscured by the giant Mickey Hat, this is the first thing that we notice that is different.
Walking up Hollywood Blvd, we take a right down Sunset Blvd to see that the Theater of the Stars no longer is the site of the Beauty and the Beast stage show and now houses a new Tangled extravaganza with songs from the movie and climaxing with "I See the Light" in which lanterns light up and float on stage and in the audience.
Moving through a new path built off the path where the Rock N Roller Coaster is located, We come across the Animation Courtyard where the big hat has been relocated.
Replacing the Voyage of the Little Mermaid is a new Frozen attraction. Either a stage show with live actresses singing the hit soundtrack of the film, or a ride through of some of the films most memorable moments. Either way, the AC needs to be cranked and the fake snow needs to fly.
NOTE: The stage show is happening, but I put it in the wrong spot. Still want to get rid of the Mermaid show.
Pixar Place will remain mostly the same as you walk out toward a lovely themed building with two entrances.
On the right will be an entrance to "Fix It Felix!" where you can meet the stars of Disney's Wreck It Ralph. The queue winds through a small portion of the Game Central Station where you can see in the windows different licensed video game characters as they move about their business. Several interactive screens line the queue with an "attract mode" that acts like you can visit these different interactive games that you can play on the wall from different trains in GCS. Once you get into the Meet and Greet proper, the room looks like you just stepped into "Fix-It-Felix Jr.!"
On the left side of the entrance you will find the queue for the new "E Ticket" attraction, "Sugar Rush!". Guests will wait in a similar queue with an animatronic Q*Bert at the end of the first room and the Surge Protector checking passengers at the door to the next section of queue. The next portion is a long corridor where the little train would have been to take you in and out of the game. As you get closer, the smells of candy fill the air.
The pre-show area includes several kiosks where you can play mini games related to your upcoming race and how you do indicates how much "Boost" you get for your vehicle as explained by Vanellope.
In the load area (which will have a sign above the load station that flashes "Loading...please wait." as passengers enter their themed cars and your booster levels match what you had earned in the preshow area. As you move into the dark ride section, you go through the training level with Ralph and Venellope, but King Candy/Turbo shows up using its networking capability and saps all of the Boost from your vehicles. As you chase Turbo through the lands of Sugar Rush, you Race alongside him until you are able to make him lose control and refill your boost just in time for you to boost toward the finish line at the Diet Coke mountain while Mentos falls in for an explosive finale.
You exit the attraction through Litwak's Arcade, an arcade/gift shop/restaurant modeled after the one in the movie.
As you go toward the Streets of America, not much has changed here because management wouldn't allow the area that brings in so many people during Christmas for the Osbourne Spectacle of Dancing Lights.
The small Muppets area wouldn't be expanded per say; however, we can re theme the Mamma Melrose eatery to the Muppets. Anyone familiar with the original plan for the area would know that this was going to be Muppet themed complete with a Swedish Chef that occasionally burns down the kitchen.
Going around the corner, we see the Tatooine Traders and Star Tours as normal; however, the entire area from here all the way to the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular and the American Idol Experience on the other side of Echo Lake.
In general, the entire area will be patrolled by Storm Troopers, Jedi, Droids, and several other types of entertainment in the streets.
Going along the side of Star Tours we can see the Backlot Express has been redone as the Mos Isley Cantina. In the front is a standard counter service with several booths and a Cantina Band. If you prefer to have the character meal with the Star Wars characters, you can go to the buffet on the inside where the bar looks like the one from the film with animatronic patrons that you cannot get to, but they will interact with you as you get your rotisserie chicken and heat lamped pizza. Since you are paying a premium, of COURSE you are getting a cantina band as well. Every so often a show will happen with lightsaber or blaster duels and the like.
Having replaced the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular will be a Speeder Bike attraction where we can zoom through the forest moon of Endor.
Replacing the Sounds Dangerous and American Idol attractions would be an entirely new experience themed around Boba Fett. Set up as if you are fugitives running from the Imperial forces, you enter the Cloud City (using a fake high speed elevator in the preshow) to get to the take off platforms to ship you and your party safely to a Rebellion controlled system. As you get into the transport (roller coaster car), you slowly make your way through the show scenes where you can see your ship in the distance getting prepared for takeoff. Boba Fett's Slave one appears in front of you and the bounty hunter demands that you stop and surrender. "It will only do for a surrender. You're wanted alive or dead," he explains before the transport launches into a chase made possible with projections, on board audio, and several inversions as you race around the darkened city night chased by Fett. The ride ends at a safe house (um...gift shop), as you have narrowly escaped the clutches of the famed bounty hunter.
There you have it! My newly revamped Disney's Hollywood Studios! What do you like? What would you do? If you like any of these ideas, please tell us here, on Facebook, or Twitter!
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