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[Kristof]

Walt Disney World has send out a press release about the Disney-MGM Studios name change.  Here's the full text:

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (Aug. 9, 2007) -- In the Walt Disney World theme park famous for all things Hollywood, it's curtain up on the launch of new attractions, new looks, new breakthrough experiences...

...and a brand-new name.

Disney-MGM Studios will be renamed Disney's Hollywood Studios, effective January 2008, announced Meg Crofton, president of Walt Disney World Resort.

"The new name reflects how the park has grown from representing the golden age of movies to a celebration of the new entertainment that today's Hollywood has to offer -- in music, television, movies and theater," she said.

Framed by the park's supporting cast of classic Hollywood architecture are shows and attractions straight from contemporary Hollywood, such as Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, "Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show" and many more. Disney's Hollywood Studios is also the place to meet favorite character stars of today including Lightning McQueen and Mater from Disney-Pixar's "Cars," Power Rangers and Little Einsteins.

With exciting coming attractions and experiences, the best and brightest of Hollywood is about to emerge for park guests, Crofton said.

"As Disney continues to grow and invest in our family entertainment business, we constantly explore new ways to deliver high-quality, immersive experiences for our guests," she added. "As a park all about entertainment, Disney's Hollywood Studios will deliver like never before. Now we can say that Hollywood is literally our middle name."

New Attractions, Experiences

    * Toy Story Mania! Guests get sporty in a new, interactive "Toy Story" competition inspired by Disney-Pixar's "Toy Story" films and hosted by characters like they've never before experienced. Past a queuing area featuring a giant Mr. Potato Head, guests grab 3-D glasses, board fanciful ride vehicles and zip into a world of exciting midway-style games hosted by many of their favorite "Toy Story" characters including Woody, Hamm and Rex. Once inside "Andy's Toy Box," the competition heats up. Who can rack up the most points? Using spring-action shooters, guests launch darts at balloons, rings at aliens, eggs at whimsical barnyard targets. Toy Story Mania! takes the interactive ride-game experience to infinity -- and beyond. (summer 2008)

    * "Block Party Bash." Play, party and dance as the Disney-Pixar Film Pals present "Block Party Bash," the wildest, most interactive parade in Disney history. New to Disney's Hollywood Studios, "Block Party Bash" will invite guests to rock to retro tunes, be dazzled by high-flying acrobatics and join in the fun as more than 20 partying Disney-Pixar Film Pals fill the theme park streets. This immersive rolling spectacle will feature favorite characters from "The Incredibles," "Toy Story 2," "Monsters, Inc." and "A Bug's Life." (spring 2008, replaces "Disney Stars and Motor Cars" parade)

    * "Playhouse Disney-Live on Stage!" A whole new cast of friends from Playhouse Disney fills the popular Playhouse Disney stage. Children will be on their feet singing, clapping and dancing to performing stars from "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse," "Little Einsteins," "Handy Manny" and more. ("Playhouse Disney-Live on Stage!" will be dark most of January 2008, reopens February 2008)

    * "Disney High School Musical 2: School's Out!" With new songs and a rollicking new spirit, the Disney Channel Original Movie "High School Musical 2" comes to life on the streets of Disney's Hollywood Studios. It is interactive fun as high-energy performers on a traveling stage invite all ages to catch Wildcat fever by singing and dancing. (fall 2007, replaces "High School Musical Pep Rally")

    * Meet and Greet Adds Handy Manny. And what would a Disney theme park be without characters? Disney's Hollywood Studios is center stage for character meet and greets. Disney Channel stars JoJo and Goliath and the Little Einsteins welcome guests in the Animation Courtyard next to "Playhouse Disney-Live on Stage!" and will be joined for the first time by Handy Manny later this year. (November 2007)

Part of the Disney's Hollywood Studios magic includes events for which the park is famous. To a stellar lineup including ABC Super Soap Weekend, the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, ESPN the Weekend and Star Wars Weekends, the park reprises the Playhouse Disney in Concert series with dynamic concerts and special entertainment for little ones.

Headliners include favorite children's acts The Doodlebops, Imagination Movers, Dan Zanes and Friends, and Johnny and the Sprites. The fun happens on select dates Aug. 30-Oct. 28, 2007, during Little Ones Travel Time in a 10,000 square foot, air-conditioned performance venue. For the complete show schedule: disneyworld.com/pdic.

In addition, holidays at Disney's Hollywood Studios will have a special sparkle this year as the park hosts the Harlem Gospel Choir Nov. 30-Dec. 25, 2007.

"This is easily one of the most ambitious attractions rollouts in the 18-year history of the park," Crofton said. "With so many great coming attractions, we are thrilled to be launching a Studios year unlike any other. Wrapped in a brand-new name...Disney's Hollywood Studios."

Source: Walt Disney World press department

[peep]

They make it sound all very exciting but if a press release never did that then there would be no point I suppose. I think Toy Story mania! sounds different, I like the idea where its not just a shooting game. They seem to be changing a lot of the shows too which is interesting. Still not as much as WDS which is developing at a huge rate.

[Maarten]

Mmm.. Disney's Hollywood Studios sounds more appealing to me then the Disney-Pixar Studios name. On the other hand, I still prefer Disney-MGM Studios and I think many people will keep refering to the park as Disney Studios or MGM (Studios). Perhaps they should have gone with the Walt Disney Studios Florida name, but Disney's Hollywood Studios sounds good to me as well.

By the way, I am glad to hear that the additions aren't all Pixar orientated. I heard somewhere that they were planning to retheme the Honey I Schrunk the Kids Playground to A Bugs Life. It a good thing in my opinion that they keep focussing on everything Holywood, rather then just Pixar for the moment.

[Anthony]

No way! :lol:

Needless to say I'm happy with this, back in March:

I think, in respect of the original theme and its history, they should name it "Disney's Hollywoodland" or something. It should have Hollywood in the title.

So - celebrations that they're not going to steal the Walt Disney Studios name! And it's quite funny they seem to have proved every single WDW fan wrong too... :wink:

[The Butlin Boy]

This sounds alright to me, but the name may need some getting used to. :wink:

[Patrick]

The name is rather odd, but I'm sure it will work kinda :? , as for the "new" stuff really is that the best they can do in their whole 18 year history :lol: , though as said before it's nice to see as usual wdw are completely confident with their press releases.  Though I doubt the name change will do much, everyone will still call it Disney MGM probably, just like everyone calls Disneyland Paris, Eurodisney.

[Anthony]

The name is rather odd, but I'm sure it will work kinda :? , as for the "new" stuff really is that the best they can do in their whole 18 year history :lol:

Ha, yeah I thought that... one new attraction, an imported parade and a few meet 'n' greets is one of their biggest investments? Shows how much WDW spends on its parks...

A funny post a spotted on WDWMAGIC.com, about how the "new" park will apparently celebrate modern Hollywood as well as classic:

They are adding ... Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton meet and greets which will replace the current streetsmosphere characters. Also they will gut out the remains of soundstage 1 and open up a brand new, interactive ride themed to Lindsay Lohan and her DUIs. Guests will board a "Mercedes" style vehicle and drive around recklessly while white powder is shot from the vehicle to incorporate these new 4-D style effects. Never the same ride twice. Imagineers have also planned on having a photo opportunity on the ride where guest pictures will show up as mugshots.

:lol:

The rename is strange in that WDS will probably soon have its own single land named Hollywood Studio, whilst for MGM (can't stop the habit yet) that's the whole park. WDS' catchphrase should be "More than just Hollywood..." Oh, and doesn't DCA have a sub-land of HPB called "Hollywood Studios"? WDI searched long and hard for this name then.

We just have to hope they don't advertise the namechange and amazing range of investments too much, especially since this is happening the same month as "our" Hollywood Boulevard and ToT open... :x

[Haz]

The last two posts are the same thoughts i had today at work, but as i am new i thought not to post.

 The additions are not good, development of the mania ride is not going well and testing is proving a nightmare,there is also talk of delays.

 The rest of the stuff is just  not what you would read and book a holiday for,the park itself is great in terms of detail but lacks rides.

 I bet universal are having sleepless nights with what Disney  have just announced.

 Sorry to sound negative

[penfold12]

I read today that this part of a multi year name change, and within 5yrs it will be called Disney's Hollywood. Dont shoot me down, but I love that idea. It means that the studio buildings will be able to sit very well with the fantastical themed side of things. I would even go as far as to say the name would help our studios! Less constricting!

[mtt]

they were gonna change the name around 2000, remember being in the park and cms saying how the merch would be changing due to the name change to walt disney studios, thety changed their mind then

[GeoffD]

Yeah the name sounds a bit odd to me.
Especially when you say
Disney's Hollywood studios, Florida.

[Joseph Carter]

why could it not just be The "Disney Studios".

[britincgn]

And it seems the name may be changed once again in the near future to "Disneys Hollywood"which I think seems to be the better choice because all these long titles just seem to confuse!

[The Butlin Boy]

There is rumor on Screamscape about a possible 'Lucas Land'

(8/17/07) SlashFilm has posted their own article about how Walt Disney World will rename the park as Disney's Hollywood Studios and how this will result in the park being transformed over time into a series of themed lands not unlike Islands of Adventure. We already know the old Mickey Ave. area will become a Pixar themed land, and there is already a mini Playhouse Disney area outside the Animation building, and the area around MuppetVision is already themed to the Muppets. They also mention the same stories I've been hearing about how Disney and Lucas are making big plans to update the Star Wars and Indiana Jones attractions in the park. They go so far as to say that the entire area from the Indiana Jones Stunt Show down to Star Tours / Tattooine Traders will become a sort of Lucas Land. My own sources have confirmed that the new Disney's Hollywood Studios name for the park was a very recent change to the plans that were previously based on calling it Disney-Pixar Studios for months. They say that a new and very positive relationship with George Lucas was a key factor in dropping Pixar from the name in favor of a more generic name that would also allow for the whole new "Lands" concept for the park.
  We've already talked about the possible upgrades for Star Tours 2, but they mention that one idea on the table for Indiana Jones is to upgrade the stunt show with new scenes from the new fourth and final film in production. (From what I've been hearing, this may be in addition to a new Indy themed attraction of some kind as well.) They go on to say that the Backlot Express restaurant will be renovated and replace most of the props and scenery with replicas of costumes and vehicles from the Indiana Jones and Star Wars films. All of this may be done by mid 2009.

 :arrow: http://www.screamscape.com/html/wdw_-_d ... tudios.htm

EDIT: WOOO 1000 posts /

[Anthony]

The logo for Disney's Hollywood Studios has been released:

LIGHTS, CAMERA... LOGO!: Disney-MGM Studios transitions to a new name -- Disney's Hollywood Studios -- effective Jan. 7, 2008. On Oct. 25, 2007, Walt Disney World Resort unveiled the new official logo the renamed theme park will take. The bright, new logo features a clapboard-holding Mickey Mouse. "Mickey still plays a prominent role for us," said Studios vice-president Michael O'Grattan, "and Hollywood now truly is our middle name."

What do you think? The "Studios" is a little familiar, isn't it? :wink: