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
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.
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.
No way! :lol:
Needless to say I'm happy with this, back in March:
Quote from: "Baloo"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:
This sounds alright to me, but the name may need some getting used to. :wink:
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.
Quote from: "PATMAGIC"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:
Quote from: "Piebald"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..." :P 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
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
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!
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
Yeah the name sounds a bit odd to me.
Especially when you say
Disney's Hollywood studios, Florida.
why could it not just be The "Disney Studios".
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!
There is rumor on Screamscape about a possible 'Lucas Land'
Quote(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 (http://www.screamscape.com/html/wdw_-_disney-mgm_studios.htm)
EDIT: WOOO 1000 posts :D/
The logo for Disney's Hollywood Studios has been released:
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QuoteLIGHTS, 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:
I'm not 100% convinced that I like this logo. There is something just not quite capturing about it. and usually I'm totally positive about Disney stuff.
The o in studios would make a great pin badge though.
If they had made the hollywood a little bit bigger the 2nd and 3rd line would line up on the right.
With the other logos in WDW I would have liked to see something more like the animal kingdom "icon" logo or the Magic Kingdom "icon" logo. You get the drift.
It looksa little like DCA, WDS and MGM all rolled into 1.
I quite like the new name. I didnt know about the change until I was actaully there, we dined in the drive in diner and shared a car with an off duty cast member who told us to get something with MGM quick because the MGM contract had run out.
So off I ran and bought some ToT MGM magnets which take pride of place on my fridge :D
I like the new logo for the Disney's Hollywood Studios. I'm also glad that they are not using the same name of the WDS in Paris and I have to say that the logo of WDS in Paris looks better.
Quote from: "Baloo"QuoteLIGHTS, 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:
Lets hope they dont think its unique for them ! :P
Why the new name?
Quote from: "WaltDisneyFanBoy"Why the new name?
Dont you read ? :?
Track back to page 1
Is the paris resort also gonna use the new brand name for the parc?
Quote from: "WaltDisneyFanBoy"Is the paris resort also gonna use the new brand name for the parc?
No the paris studios will keep the Walt Disney Studios name.
Quote from: "mehdi5"Quote from: "WaltDisneyFanBoy"Is the paris resort also gonna use the new brand name for the parc?
No the paris studios will keep the Walt Disney Studios name.
Good, becouse I don't think it would be good for The Walt Disney Studio's paris, to use the new name. They so much problems at the beginning, Pealpe are finally finding the way to the parc now.
Disney have taken down the Disney MGM sign, nothing in place yet, will let you know.
Some photos from The Disney Blog on Flickr:
New signs
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No sign
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Old signs
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Source (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/indigoskye/sets/72157603698723496/)
The Earffel Tower is getting a new logo:
(//http://www.thedisneyblog.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/02/17/earfultowerdhs.jpg) (//http://wdwmagic.com/thumbnails/disneyshollywoodstudios/webDSC08505_small.jpg)
TheDisneyBlog / WDWMAGIC.COM
Mickey is facing the opposite direction now. It still looks squashed if you're used to the WDS version though. :wink:
The arch finally has a new logo:
http://thedisneyblog.com/wp-content/upl ... tudios.jpg (http://thedisneyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/mickey-hollywoodstudios.jpg)
I'm surprised they put a DHS logo there to be honest, it just seems strange to have it again after the main entrance, especially when that area is no longer a studio and will soon (if I'm correct) be renamed to something Pixar-ish.
Yeah they changed the name while i was still working at epcot and we had to get used to it quick but i still kept saying disney-mgm studios.I dont mind the new name but i prefer the old one and loads of people will still and maybe always refer to it as disney-mgm studios.You wouldnt believe how quickly they changed the signs even down to the tiniest ones yet the most important signs like the ones on the roads were yet to be changed when i left in february.
Quote from: "RobinHood"I dont mind the new name but i prefer the old one and loads of people will still and maybe always refer to it as disney-mgm studios.
A lot of people will probably keep saying Disney-MGM, or even just MGM for some while. I think the new name gives the park more of a Disney indentity. Like it really belongs to Walt Disney World.
It was particularly difficult for me working at the Great Movie Ride!!! :shock: LOL It's part of the script after all. We messed it up pretty often and the funniest time was once when I said it as Hollywood the first time and in the next sentence (we say the name twice in a row) I said MGM :lol:
Quote from: "anthonysprincess"It was particularly difficult for me working at the Great Movie Ride!!! :shock: LOL It's part of the script after all. We messed it up pretty often and the funniest time was once when I said it as Hollywood the first time and in the next sentence (we say the name twice in a row) I said MGM :lol:
For CMs it must be pretty confusing too. ;) But most guests probably won't even notice it when you mess up with things like this. :P
Quote from: "Remco K."Quote from: "anthonysprincess"It was particularly difficult for me working at the Great Movie Ride!!! :shock: LOL It's part of the script after all. We messed it up pretty often and the funniest time was once when I said it as Hollywood the first time and in the next sentence (we say the name twice in a row) I said MGM :lol:
For CMs it must be pretty confusing too. ;) But most guests probably won't even notice it when you mess up with things like this. :P
Well I think when I say one thing and then the other they notice LOL. I was also wondering though, how many people didn't even know it was a new name because they'd never been there before.
Quote from: "Remco K."A lot of people will probably keep saying Disney-MGM, or even just MGM for some while. I think the new name gives the park more of a Disney indentity. Like it really belongs to Walt Disney World.
I agree.
I like the "Disney's Hollywood Studios" name better than the previous one myself.