WDW Magic has posted an image from the Disney-MGM Studios showing that the park’s logo has been removed from the gateway leading to the courtyard in front of the Animation building. This is, of course, in preparation for the park’s January transition to “Disney’s Hollywood Studios”. Despite my antipathy for this park, I can’t help being a little sad.
When I was in Florida last week I wanted to swing by the Studios and pick up some last-chance merchandise with the Disney-MGM logo on it. Sadly, all the shirts I could find had the Power Rangers or something equally ridiculous on them so that wound up being a wash. Still, I wish I had picked up something.
Note: This post would have featured the delightfully ironic and hilarious title “End of an Error” save for the fact that I’m not sold on the name change itself, and the fact that they’re just changing the name instead of bulldozing half the park and starting over. So I’ll have to save the fruits of my rapier wit for some other day…
You know, I’ve often said that they wouldn’t need to do too much to Disney-MGM to spread the retro theme all the way through it… Lucas Land is still kinda odd but all Mickey Avenue needed was better building facades, different posters, some vintage cars and stuff and it wouldn’t be that hard of a transition. Same with Animation Courtyard. Wouldn’t be too hard to reconfigure the New York stuff either. Of course now with that awful car stunt show in the back of the park and Mickey Ave getting all Pixarized, it’s pretty much a missed opportunity. Of course Star Tours will always be out of place in all this….
This is all true; while the Studios is nowhere near my favorite park I’m totally fascinated by it. Maybe it’s because the concept of a Studios park gives WDI an incredible amount of thematic leeway and they have been pretty much completely unable to take advantage of it.
As far as I’m concerned, everything north of Hollywood and Sunset should get the wrecking ball (excepting One Man’s Dream, which should be preserved either here or in the MK) and the hat should of course be exploded a la the Reichstag at the end of WWII.
Extending period theming throughout the park is an interesting idea (although negated by Pixar Place becoming Emeryville East), and I wouldn’t mind the idea of making lands out of various “Studios” themed to different properties – WDAS Studios, Pixar, WDP, Lucas, Muppets… As long as there’s thematic consistency and *flow*.
They need to restructure the park because its Frankenstein-like construction history has led to a mess of a layout and several sore thumbs (MOTORS ACTION!!! SPONSORED BY BRAWNY!!!).
Like I said, the possibilities are endless – enough that even a shabby armchair Imagineer such as myself can spend hours wandering around the park blueskying ideas.