Disney's Hollywood Studios

 

The third park in Walt Disney World is a place where film, TV, and show business are celebrated. Here, the worlds of film are brought to life, and the glitz and glamour of Hollywood are recreated.

The park originally was planned to be a pavilion at Epcot, but it later evolved into a park of its own. The park opened in 1989 as Disney-MGM Studios. Disney made a twenty-year deal with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, but that deal expired in 2008, and that year, the park was renamed Disney's Hollywood Studios. Since then, the park has slowly moved away from its movie-making origins and has learned more towards the worlds of film.

Let's go over the top five things to see in this park.

#5 Rock'n'Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith

Location: Sunset Boulevard
Height Requirement: 48 in.
Opening Year: 1999
Scope: E-Ticket
This high-speed roller coaster, the most intense roller coaster in Walt Disney World, is an indoor thrill ride at the end of Sunset Boulevard. It features two barrel rolls and a loop. Here, guests travel through LA as they listen to the rock music of Aerosmith.

Guests come into G-Force Records, where rock legends Aerosmith are finishing recording a new album. However, their manager comes in and informs them that they're late for a concert on the other side of town, and guests are invited to come along. They board a super-stretch limo and hold on tight as Steven Tyler gives a countdown, before they go speeding off into the dark, going through the Hollywood sign, over Beverly Hills, and more.

#4 Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run

Location: Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge
Height Requirement: 38 in.
Opening Year: 2019
Scope: D-Ticket
In this interactive motion simulator, guests are in groups as they embark on a harrowing mission. Pilots fly the ship, gunners attack, and engineers operate the ship. Plus, there is a video game element. Get more coaxium and bang up the ship less, and you'll get more points.

Guests are employed by Onhaka Transport Solutions, a questionable transport group located on Battuu. Here, guests will join the owner of the company, Hondo Onhaka, as they fly the Millennium Falcon on a mission to steal some valuable coaxium for the Resistance. They will travel to the planet of Corelia and fight off First Order ships as they go to take this supply, and it's a different ride every time, depending on how well guests do.

#3 Toy Story Mania!

Location: Toy Story Land
Height Requirement: None
Opening Year: 2008
Scope: E-Ticket
This 3-D shooter ride is an interactive experience where guests can compete to gain more points. It involves five carnival games that gain points, as well as a practice area to practice shooting. Guests will knock over targets, pop balloons, break open plates, toss rings, and more as they attempt to gain a high score, and at the end, they will win a virtual prize.

#2 The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

Location: Sunset Boulevard
Height Requirement: 40 in.
Opening Year: 1994
Scope: E-Ticket
Guests come into a haunted elevator and hold on for their lives as it moves up and down through a drop tower. This ride features forwards and backwards movement, random drops and rises, and occasionally a fake drop just to startle them.

The story of this ride is that guests are visiting this old hotel called the Hollywood Tower Hotel. It was closed in 1939 due to a mysterious incident, but it's been reopened and is now accepting visitors once again. However, things are not as they seem. When guests go into a library, an episode of The Twilight Zone plays, where Rod Serling explains the backstory. Five people were riding the elevator when a storm struck the building and all of them disappeared. Now, guests will be riding the elevators too, traveling into the Twilight Zone and having a hair-raising experience through the cursed building.

#1 Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance

Location: Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge
Height Requirement: 40 in.
Opening Year: 2019
Scope: E-Ticket
This is an immersive experience that combines advanced animatronics, screen effects, trackless ride vehicles, and motion simulator elements to create a unique experience. It is one of the greatest attractions to date and it really has to be seen to be believed.

Guests come in as new recruits for the Resistance. Their first mission is to meet with Leia on a nearby planet. They board a shuttle and leave the planet, but the First Order captures their ship and forces them onboard their Star Destroyer. Luckily, the Resistance comes to the rescue, giving them an escape plan. Guests board a hijacked transport and travel through the bowels of the ship, encountering stormtroopers, AT-AT walkers, probe droids, and even Kylo Ren himself.

Honorable Mention: Star Tours: The Adventures Continue

Location: Echo Lake
Height Requirement: 40 in.
Opening Year: 1989
Scope: E-Ticket
This 3-D motion simulator ride is an epic journey through the Star Wars Galaxy. This features random sequences to give guests a different ride every time, taking them to different locations, coming across different characters, and other surprises.

Guests come into the flight terminal for Star Tours, a transport company that ushers travelers across the galaxy. Through a bit of a mix-up, C-3PO becomes the captain, and he and R2-D2 fly the ship out. If that wasn't bad enough, there's a rebel spy onboard (where a random audience member is chosen) and they must get them to safety before the bad guys come after them.

This features many planets from all nine episodes, such as Tatooine, Naboo, Hoth, Crait, and others. The ride has even been updated to include new sequences based off the Disney+ series.

And that's it for now. Make sure to see my new book on Amazon, Magecraft: Legend of the Last Snawfus.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Universal Islands of Adventure

Image
  Let the adventure begin! This is an immersive park where guests travel to many different islands, being placed in the worlds of each land. In eight lands: Port of Entry, Marvel Super Hero Island, Toon Lagoon, Skull Island, Jurassic Park, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Hogsmeade, the Lost Continent, and Seuss Landing. Every land is a new reality. Originally conceived as "cartoon land," the park was developed shortly after the first park opened. As the idea evolved, more than cartoons were featured, and this idea eventually became Islands of Adventure. The park opened as Universal's second gate in 1999, bringing literature worlds to life. Although this is a more family-friendly park than Universal Studios Florida, it still has its fair share of thrills, including the resort's most intense coaster, the Incredible Hulk Coaster. Now let's go over the top five things to do here in this park: #5 Jurassic Park River Adventure Location: Jurassic Park Height Require...
Read more

Universal Studios Florida

Image
  It's time to discover the real side of movies in Universal Studios Florida. This is where guests are invited to "ride the movies" and experience many attractions based on films. These immersive, innovative attractions make the worlds of these films come to life in many surprising ways. This park opened in 1990, and it kind of invented what Universal parks are today. This is where immersive rides based on movies were first introduced to the Universal parks. After their success here, they were added to the park in Hollywood. Despite being a more mature setting, newer additions like Dreamworks Land and Minion Land have been aimed at families. Let's go over the top five things to do in this incredible park. #5 E.T. Adventure Location: Hollywood Height Requirement: 34 in. Opening Year: 1990 Scope: C-Ticket This suspended dark ride sends guests flying through the night as they help E.T. return to his home planet. This was an opening day attraction in 1990, and it's th...
Read more