Let’s break down what makes Disney’s Hollywood Studios so unique.
The Best – Thrill Rides
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Disney’s Hollywood Studios is home to arguably the best selection of pure thrill rides of any of the four Disney World theme parks. The park is home to several roller coasters as well as the legendary Tower of Terror, giving it an edge over Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Rock’ n’ Roller Coaster is perhaps the most intense ride, not just at Disney’s Hollywood Studios but at Walt Disney World, featuring a launch and multiple inversions. Guests twist, turn, soar, and drop as they make their way to a last-minute Aerosmith concert. During their ride, certain Aerosmith tracks play in the roller coaster’s on-ride speaker system, heightening the experience that much further.
Slinky Dog Dash in Toy Story Land is also quite fun. While considered a more family-friendly alternative to Rock’ n’ Roller Coaster, Slinky Dog Dash still packs a punch, featuring some big hills and drops as well as two launches.
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, on the other hand, takes riders up and down on a runaway elevator ride. The maximum drop is over 130 feet, and each drop sequence is randomly generated, so no two rides are exactly the same.
While not a thrill ride in the traditional sense, other attractions like Star Tours and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance are also quite fun and thrilling.
The Worst – Dead Ends and (Essentially) Empty Spaces
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Disney’s Hollywood Studios has undergone significant changes since it first opened in 1989. Originally called Disney MGM Studios, the park was far more focused on moviemaking and Hollywood than it is today. As such, the park used to feature several rides and attractions intended to peel back the curtain on filmmaking.
The best example of this was the Studio Backlot Tour. Much like Universal’s iconic tram tour, Disney MGM’s Studio Backlot Tour took guests all around the park, showing them unique pieces of movie history along the way. At one point in the ride, guests made their way through Catastrophe Canyon, a fake canyon set piece created for “moviemaking.” The canyon set featured intense fire and water effects, simulating the kind of special effects used in disaster movies.
The canyon and the Studio Backlot Tour closed in 2014, as did the Streets of America, to make way for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Tons of other attractions have come and gone at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, with certain areas of the park falling into weird, in-between spaces as a result of these changes.
Places like Star Wars Launch Bay at Animation Courtyard and Pixar Place feel like holdovers from a park long gone. While there’s fun to be had in these locations, we can’t help but feel like they are essentially dead ends of a park that could use some more interconnectivity.
Other places, like the theater in the Echo Lake section of the park, could use some upgrades. The theater currently houses Vacation Fun, an 11-minute short film starring Mickey and Minnie Mouse. It’s undoubtedly fun, but we also can’t help but feel this space could be used better.
The Best – The Atmosphere
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Disney’s Hollywood Studios has perhaps the best and most unique vibes in Walt Disney World. The park is home to so many different rides, attractions, and franchises, allowing guests to immerse themselves in several detailed worlds.
Places like Toy Story Land and Galaxy’s Edge really come to life at night, as does the park’s main entrance, Hollywood Boulevard. One of our personal favorite places at the park is Sunset Boulevard, which transports guests back into the golden age of movies using vintage-inspired neon signage, a number of retro shops and stalls, and gorgeous views of The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.
The Worst – The Dining
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Disney’s Hollywood Studios is known for its impressive rides and attractions, but the park is pretty forgettable when it comes to dining. There are a number of sit-down and quick-service places to grab a bite at, but overall, the food options at Disney’s Hollywood Studios are subpar at best.
Hollywood and Vine, a buffet-style character meet and greet restaurant, is one of the park’s more popular options for children, but adults will get very little out of eating here. Other places like 50’s Prime Time Cafe are fine but nothing spectacular, though this location does feature some great, albeit “unique” service.
Currently, the park is down two restaurants: Mama Melrose Ristorante Italiano and PizzeRizzo. These two dining locations closed as part of the upcoming overhaul of Muppets Courtyard, which will eventually transform into a new land inspired by a classic Pixar movie.
The Best – Fantasmic
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While each of Disney World’s four theme parks features its own nightly show, Fantasmic is often considered the best of the bunch. Guests will watch Mickey Mouse travel through all kinds of classic Disney movie moments, eventually taking on the legendary Maleficent dragon.
Fantasmic features dozens of fireworks and various pyrotechnic effects, impressive water jets, and floats carrying dozens of iconic Disney characters to tell its story.
Fantasmic is the ideal way to wrap up a long day at the parks and has been one of Hollywood Studios’ most popular attractions for decades.
What’s your favorite part of Disney’s Hollywood Studios?
The post The Best and Worst Parts of a Day at Disney World’s Hollywood Studios appeared first on Inside the Magic.
