Disney's Hollywood Studios

Disney theme park
The Sorcerer's Hat is the icon of Disney's Hollywood Studios
Disney's Hollywood Studios
Location	Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA
Opening Day	May 1, 1989
Resort	Walt Disney World Resort
Theme	Show business
Website	Disney's Hollywood Studios homepage
Operator	The Walt Disney Company

Disney's Hollywood Studios is the third theme park built at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA. Spanning 135 acres (546,000 m²) in size, its theme is show business, drawing inspiration from the heyday of Hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s. The park opened on May 1, 1989 and was known as Disney-MGM Studios from May 1, 1989 until January 6,

Attractions

Fantasmic! The Earful Tower is visible in the background.
The park consists of six themed areas. Unlike the other Walt Disney World parks, the Disney's Hollywood Studios does not have a defined layout; it is more a mass of streets and buildings that blend into each other, much like a real motion picture studio would. The layout of the park, however, did have an interesting design characteristic. If you look at an older version of a Disney's Hollywood Studios map and turn it upside down (or look at an old aerial photo oriented due north), you will see a Hidden Mickey in the overall layout of the park. Recent construction and changes to the park have eliminated much of this image.

Hollywood Boulevard

Hollywood Boulevard is lined with venues selling Disney merchandise and food. This is also the route of the daily Disney Stars and Motor Cars Parade. Michael Eisner, who had a major part in the park's creation ever since the earliest development, demanded the opening land operate on the same principle as Main Street, U.S.A.—a street lined with shops and food, but in a style more fitting to the Studios.

• The Great Movie Ride, a dark ride paying homage to several classic films, including Casablanca and The Wizard of Oz. It is located at the end of Hollywood Boulevard.
• A.T.A.S. Hall of Fame Plaza, which features busts of past and present icons of the television era, such as Oprah Winfrey and Walt Disney.

On February 7, 2008 park officials announced that the popular television series American Idol will inspire a new interactive stage show to be constructed in the former Superstar Television theatre, which will open near the end of 2008

Echo Lake

Echo Lake is the only body of water within the park, and is surrounded by attractions. Two snack stands reside along the lake: Min and Bill's Dockside Diner, inside a miniature ocean liner; and Dinosaur Gertie's Ice Cream of Extinction, inside a large green dinosaur reminiscent of the animated Gertie the Dinosaur from the early days of motion pictures. The lake's elliptical shape, when viewed from the air, formed one of Mickey Mouse's two ears in the large "hidden Mickey" that was featured in the park's original layout.

• Star Tours, a motion simulator ride set in the Star Wars universe.
• Jedi Training Academy, a live-action stage show where children are selected to become padawan learners and receive "lightsaber training" from a Jedi master. This show originally was a special event during the annual Star Wars Weekends, but it has since been added to the park's daily entertainment schedule.
• Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!, a live-action performance showing how movie stunts are done. The show re-enacts various scenes from Raiders of the Lost Ark.
• Sounds Dangerous!, a 3-D audio presentation featuring comedian Drew Carey.