Disney's Hollywood Studios facts for kids

Disney's Hollywood Studios is an exciting theme park located at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, United States. It's all about the magic of show business, taking you back to the golden age of Hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s.

This park was the third one built at the resort. It first opened its doors on May 1, 1989. Back then, it was known as Disney-MGM Studios.

Many people love visiting this park! In 2009, about 9.7 million guests came to Disney's Hollywood Studios. This made it one of the most visited theme parks in the United States and worldwide.

The park's famous symbol used to be The Sorcerer's Hat. This hat was inspired by the magical hat from the movie Fantasia. It became the park's icon in 2001, replacing the Earful Tower. Both of these icons have since been removed.

Explore Disney's Hollywood Studios

The park is divided into six different areas, each with its own special theme. Unlike some other Disney parks, Hollywood Studios doesn't have a simple, clear layout. It feels more like a real movie studio, with streets and buildings blending together.

Long ago, if you looked at the park from above, you could see a large Hidden Mickey shape. It was in the plaza at the end of Hollywood Boulevard. However, new buildings and changes have made this image disappear.

Hollywood Boulevard: The Main Entrance

Hollywood Boulevard is the first area you see when you enter the park. It's lined with many stores where you can find cool Disney stuff. Parades, like the Pixar Block Party Bash, travel down this street. You can also often find live street entertainment happening here throughout the day.

At the very end of Hollywood Boulevard, you would have seen the Sorcerer's Hat. Behind it, inside a building that looks like Grauman's Chinese Theater, is The Great Movie Ride. This is a dark ride that takes you through famous scenes from classic movies. You'll see parts of Casablanca, The Wizard of Oz, and Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Echo Lake: A Classic Hollywood Feel

Action on the set of Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!

Echo Lake is a small, oval-shaped lagoon in the park. It was designed to be one of the "ears" in the park's original Hidden Mickey shape. Around the lake, you'll find many attractions and services. Some buildings here look like the fun, unusual "California Crazy" style of architecture from Hollywood's early days.

At The American Idol Experience, guests could try out their singing skills for a live audience. If they did well, they could even win a special pass for the real TV show tryouts! Next door, Sounds Dangerous! offered a cool 3-D audio experience with comedian Drew Carey.

Echo Lake also has three attractions based on movies from George Lucas' Lucasfilm studio. Star Tours: The Adventures Continue is an exciting motion simulator ride that takes you into the Star Wars universe. The Jedi Training Academy is a live stage show where kids can learn to be "padawan learners" and get "lightsaber training" from a Jedi master. Finally, the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! is a live show that re-creates scenes from Raiders of the Lost Ark. It also shows you how movie stunts are performed!

Streets of America: Movie Sets and Stunts

The entrance and exterior of Muppet*Vision 3D

This area used to be part of the park's original Backlot Studio Tour. It looked like New York City and San Francisco movie sets. Now, it's open for everyone to walk through. The Studio Backlot Tour used to feature a tram ride through backlot areas and through Catastrophe Canyon. This was a "movie set" filled with special effects.

Kids could play on giant plants and toys at the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure. This play area was based on the 1989 Disney movie. The Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show was added in 2005. It gave you a behind-the-scenes look at how exciting car action scenes are made for movies.

Animation Courtyard: Disney's Creative Side

This part of the park was once where tours of the active production studios began. Its entrance has a square "studio arch," just like a real Hollywood studio might have. The Animation Courtyard celebrates Disney characters from the past, present, and future.

The Magic of Disney Animation is an attraction that shows you how animators bring characters to life. It also has fun games and exhibits. You can even meet some of your favorite Disney and Pixar characters here!

Mickey Avenue, a section within the Animation Courtyard, has two walk-through exhibits. Walt Disney: One Man's Dream tells the story of Walt Disney's life and what he created. It has photos, models, rare items, and a short movie about his life. At "Journey into Narnia," guests could see props from the Chronicles of Narnia movies and meet Prince Caspian.

The Courtyard also has two live shows. Playhouse Disney Live on Stage! features puppet characters from Playhouse Disney shows on The Disney Channel. These include characters from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Handy Manny, and Little Einsteins. Across the plaza, Voyage of the Little Mermaid uses special effects like glow-in-the-dark puppets, lasers, and water. It re-creates favorite scenes and songs from the animated Little Mermaid movie.

Toy Story Land: Play Like a Toy

The newest section of the park is Toy Story Land. It looks like the Emeryville, California campus of Pixar Animation Studios. Here, you'll find attractions like Toy Story Midway Mania!. This is an interactive 3D ride based on classic carnival midway games. Each game is hosted by characters from the Toy Story movie series.

Toy Story Land is also home to Luxo Jr.. This is a six-foot-tall audio-animatronic version of Pixar's famous desk-lamp mascot. This moving character performs shows throughout the day and evening, right across from Toy Story Midway Mania.

Sunset Boulevard: Thrills and Shows

Sunset Boulevard was the first big addition to Disney's Hollywood Studios, opening in July 1994. The main attraction here is The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. This is a thrilling ride based on the classic television series.

Nearby, you'll find Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith. This is an indoor roller coaster that launches you at high speed in the dark. It even has three inversions (where you go upside down!).

Sunset Boulevard also has two outdoor amphitheaters for live stage shows. The covered Theater of the Stars hosts Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage. This stage show brings scenes from the movie to life. The open-air Hollywood Hills Amphitheater is home to Fantasmic!. This amazing nighttime show features Mickey Mouse and many other Disney characters. It's filled with fireworks, lasers, and cool water effects.

Images for kids

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  The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror opened in 1994, as part of the park's first expansion.

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  The Sorcerer's Hat stood at the park's hub between 2001 and 2015.

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  Hollywood Boulevard

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  Echo Lake

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  Grand Avenue

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  Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge

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  Toy Story Land

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  Animation Courtyard

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  Sunset Boulevard

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  Imperial Stormtroopers parade near the Sorcerer's Hat during Star Wars Weekends.

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  The former Streets of America area was originally a working backlot set with New York City facades and was used in several film productions. A majority of the sets were demolished in 2016.

See also

In Spanish: Disney's Hollywood Studios para niños