Disney's Hollywood Studios Archives - Page 3 of 9

February 28, 2021May 8, 2024

WHAT IF… Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Entered the Twilight Zone? An Armchair Imagineering Pitch

Every day at Walt Disney Imagineering, designers ask themselves and each other the same question: “What if?” In the so-called “Blue Sky” phase of design, there’s no limit; no capacity; no technology; no budget. The idea is to dream big and let reality hem in the project’s scope later. In this new monthly Park Lore Possibilityland mini-series, we invite you to “Blue Sky” with us, and to reimagine a ride that could use a refresh.

This time, it’s all about Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, an unusually-aged leftover of another era at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Check out our solution for this could-be classic, then submit your own!

And before we head off, remember that you can unlock rare concept art and audio streams in this story, access over 100 Extra Features, and recieve an annual Membership card and postcard art set in the mail by supporting this clickbait-free, in-depth, ad-free theme park storytelling site for as little as $2 / month! Become a Park Lore Member to join the story! Until then, let’s start at the beginning…

Stories in the Extra Features and Special Features collections of Park Lore are all about connections – they’re the threads that interlace between the Lost Legends, Declassified Disasters, Modern Marvels, and Possibilitylands you’ll find in our Main Collections. In other words, these features are for people who really want to dig deep.

This article and hundreds more are available for Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum Members who help support this ad-free, clickbait-free, quality-over-quantity collection with a monthly membership. Park Lore Members can access more than a hundred Member-exclusive articles, unlock rare concept art and construction photos in every story, stream audio across the site, tune into podcast exclusives, and receive an annual member card and merch in the mail!

If you choose to join Park Lore’s community of Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum Members, you’ll instantly unlock this story (and of course, a lot more). You can learn more about joining and supporting Park Lore (and browse all the available Extras and Special Features) in the “Memberships & Perks” menu above. If you can’t afford a Pass, please contact us; we’ll make some magic happen.

Log In or Join Now

January 23, 2021February 26, 2024

Disney Parks Quiz: How Long Has It Been Since Each of These Theme Parks Had an IP-FREE Headliner?

“The year is 2021. The Intellectual Property Wars have been waging for decades…” What might sound like the beginning of a post-apocalyptic young adult novel is all too real for theme park fans today. As their respective parent companies race to create, borrow, or outright buy the hottest brands they can get their hands on, Disney and Comcast’s theme parks have become a pop culture battleground.

We spent an entire Special Feature here on Park Lore examining the age of the “Disney+ Park” – an era of increasing interchangeability and diminishing themes as IP floods into theme parks. And why not? With nearly $100 billion in acquisitions over the last two decades (and many unexpected IPs en route to Disney+ and Disney Parks), wouldn’t it be downright irresponsible for Disney to waste time with original mythologies, original worlds, or original characters? Wouldn’t it be a disservice to shareholders to build Mystic Manor instead of Ariel’s Undersea Adventure?

Which brings us back to 2024… Today, we’ll look back in the archives to discover… What was the most recent IP-free headlining ride at U.S. Disney and Universal Parks? How many years has it been since each debuted a truly original major attraction without a blockbuster movie, character, or brand as its reason for being? You might be surprised…

January 6, 2021March 16, 2021

How It Works: 9 Real, Screen-Free, In-Your-Face Physical Effects… And How the Magic’s Made

Here at Park Lore, we love to look at rides differently. In Member-exclusive Extra Features across the site, we dissect fan-favorite rides and attractions to reveal the inner workings of Imagineering masterpieces. Along the way, we’ve tracked some of the absolute coolest moments, effects, and encounters you can find in Disney and Universal Parks, like 10 of Must-See Projection-Based Effects, 10 “How’d They Do That?” Effects that Amaze Us, 10 BIG Scenic Reveals That Give Us Goosebumps, and of course, our popular list of the 25 Most Incredible Audio-Animatronics on Earth.

But for many Imagineering fans, there’s nothing quite like the classics… Even as projection, light, sound, animatronics, and – yes – screens become increasingly prevalent across Disney and Universal Parks, it’s still practical effects – real, tactile, in-your-face, and physical – that seem to leave us astounded. These are the big ones – the effects that are so mesmerizing, surprising, and astounding, even seasoned Imagineering fans may not have recognized the complexity required to make them work.

Today, we’ve collected just a handful of some of the physical effects we love… true, practical, in-your-face effects that leave guests recoiling, ducking, shrieking, or just staring in awe as no screen can. Note that these effects often serve as big moments in the rides they occupy, so expect spoilers! And for each, we’ll include a video that’s already fast-forwarded to the big moment so you can inspect these effects up close… Which had you fooled? Which are must-sees for leaving first-time guests with their jaws dropped? Which of the hundreds of screen-free physical effects do you love most?

Pages: 1 2 3

December 17, 2020April 6, 2021

The Imagineering “Bucket List:” 16 Must-See Masterpieces from Across Disney Parks

If you want to get a Disney Parks fan thinking, ask them which ride is their favorite and why… But if you want to get a Disney Parks fan dreaming, ask them which rides are on their bucket lists. After all, unless you’re lucky enough to have made it to all twelve Disney theme parks on Earth, every Imagineering fan should have a “bucket list” of must-see rides and attractions; the experiences they daydream (and sometimes, YouTube) about. And while everyone’s Imagineering “bucket list” is unique, we wanted to get you started with 16 must-see masterpieces that’ll jump start your wish list.

Don’t misunderstand: there are plenty of rides that are so definitively Disney, it’s hard to imagine a (Disney) world without them. But our goal today wasn’t to select the “best,” the “biggest,” the “coolest,” the “most classic” or even our “favorites,” but to choose the far-flung, one-of-a-kind, historic-or-modern masterpieces that are… well… rare; aspirational; sought-after; goals! So don’t feel bad if you haven’t gotten close to completing this list yet. Instead, add our “bucket list” picks to your list of rides worth daydreaming about… and maybe one day, booking a flight for.

How many of our “bucket list” attractions have you experienced firsthand? Which Disney Parks attractions top your “bucket list?” Which parks do you daydream of visiting, and what do you think will be your first stop when you finally get there? There are plenty to choose from, and absolutely no wrong answers!

Pages: 1 2 3 4

November 10, 2020February 22, 2021

MOUSE HUNT: 5 Giant Hidden Mickeys You Can Only Spot From the Air… Or Google Maps

Hidden Mickeys… Whether you consider yourself a seasoned Imagineering insider or simply a vacationeer who loves an annual trip to Disney Parks, chances are you have been on the hunt for Hidden Mickeys – the elusive, I-Spy-ready icons splashed throughout the rides and attractions of Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Famously formed by a circular center topped by two circular ears (resembling the iconic silhouette of Mickey, of course), the hunt for Hidden Mickeys had produced blogs, books, tutorials, YouTube videos, and more.

And while you can spend hours and hours searching out these silhouettes while waiting in line or re-riding your favorite attractions, they aren’t always formed by fine china curiously arranged on a dinner table, pebbles in pathways, or Mickey-shaped paint splatters…

Pages: 1 2

November 7, 2020March 16, 2021

Rides of the Renassaince: The Surprising Shortage of E-Tickets from Disney’s ’90s Classics

Nostalgia is a force more powerful than gravity. If you ask just about anyone on Earth, movies, music, television shows, video games – and yes, Disney Parks – used to be so much better. At this point, it’s really no surprise that each generation is practically repulsed by the media of the next; that our rosy hindsight leaves us sad and sorry for those who grow up without knowing the pop culture milestones that meant so much to us. Basically, everyone on Earth thinks the stories of their own childhood are just objectively the best.

Millennials, though, are probably right. After all, in the 1990s, Walt Disney Animation did the unthinkable: it returned animation to the zeitgeist. After decades of declining returns and meh-movies that threatened to literally bankrupt Walt Disney Productions, 1989’s The Little Mermaid was not just a return to form, but a return to formula. Not since Sleeping Beauty thirty years earlier had Disney tapped so beautifully into a timeless, romantic, artistic retelling of a fairytale. And Ariel was only the start…

Pages: 1 2 3

October 18, 2020March 16, 2021

COUNTDOWN: The “Worst” Rides of the Century (So Far)

If you’ve already scoured Park Lore’s Extra Features collection, you may have stumbled on our list of the Best Rides of the Century (So Far) – a just-for-fun, totally-opinionated countdown of Imagineering’s greatest achievements of the millennium. But… not every ride can be a classic. If you’ve read any entries in our in-depth Declassified Disaster series, you know full well that the story of Disney Parks is one filled with collosal failures, unbelievable flops, and attractions that just turn out to be bad decisions born of a specific time, mindset, or leadership.

More often than not, the difference between a ride fans love and one they loathe is just what a ride replaced, what was lost from sketch to reality, or – worst of all – how it doesn’t live up to fans’ expectations. And frankly, there’s just something interesting about things going wrong… It’s interesting when an attraction fails to find the audience Disney’s designers had hoped… and often, how they own up to the mistake by updating, changing, replacing, or outright closing projects that don’t find their footing.

Today, we’ve collected seven of the “worst” Disney attractions of the century (so far) to share our thoughts on why these projects just didn’t land. Now, granted, this list is – by necessity – merely an opinion piece! And it’s so important to remember that each was worked on by highly-skilled artists, designers, and writers whose work we don’t discount… More to the point, whatever your least favorite ride might be, millions upon millions of people love it, care about it, and have spectacular memories on it. So take our opinions for a grain of salt, and share your own 21st century disaster condenters in the comments below or when you share this feature with friends and family!

Pages: 1 2 3

October 17, 2020February 21, 2021

COUNTDOWN: The “Best” Rides of the Century (So Far)

The story of theme parks in the 21st century is about to be a weird one… We may only be 20% of the way through the first century of the 2000s, but we’ve already lived through some of the wildest swings of the pendulum in themed entertainment design ever. Theme parks began in a lowly position as the tail end of Eisner’s budget-conscious ’90s and early 2000s lead to an era of underbuilt, abandoned, and low-budget plans, made all the worse by the 2001 obliteration of tourism in the wake of September 11th and, further, the financial crisis of 2008. Budgets were slashed. Theme parks cancelled. Projects downsized.

Arguably, that trend was reversed only by the opening of the Wizarding World in 2009, propelling Universal (and by extension, Disney) into the modern age of “living lands,” big-budget investment, per-capita spending records, and theme parks as corporate revenue-generators… Who would’ve foreseen an era where E-Tickets weren’t enough? Where competitors battled over blockbuster IPs? Where guests would queue for hours not for rides, but for food and shops? Where Disney and Universal would drop a billion dollars on a single land? Of course, this golden age of investment is itself coming to an unceremonious end thanks to the catastrophic fallout of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the results of which will no doubt be felt in the parks for decades.

So now, today, we find ourselves in an unusual position: half celebrational, half mournful, 2020 seems like a good time to look back at what may have represented the height of Imagineering; the pinnacle of theme park spending; the biggest $200 million E-Tickets we’ll see for a while. So today, let’s take a look at some of the best to come out of Disney (and Universal) Parks so far in the 21st century – that is, opening in the year 2000 or later. (So no, Indiana Jones Adventure, The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, and The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror won’t be on this list… though you can read up on each in our Modern Marvels collection!)

Pages: 1 2 3

October 11, 2020June 7, 2021

From Dining with the Dead to Picnics on Pandora, Just Imagine Eating at These In-Ride Restaurants

“Here you leave today and enter the worlds of yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy.” And while you’re in them, you’ve got to eat, right? From the very beginning, dining at Disney Parks has been more than just part of the experience; it’s been part of the story. When you eat hand-pulled taffy on Main Street, indulge in a Dole Whip beneath the torches of Adventureland, pop a beignet and mint julep on the wrought iron patios of New Orleans Square, or saddle up for some barbecue in Frontierland, you’re seeing Disney’s culinary imagination at work.

In many regards, considering dining as part of the story was fantastically realized in 1967, when Pirates of the Caribbean opened at Disneyland. There, as guests cast off from Lafitte’s Landing, they encounter one of the ride’s most ingenious moments. Drifting at first beneath the cloudless night sky and alongside firefly-lit marshes, guests suddenly find the swamp’s still waters illuminated by the reflection of paper lanterns strung up over the waterside patio of a stately, remote plantation house on the bayou’s edge. It’s alive with classy jazz music… and waterfront diners. But they aren’t Audio-Animatronics; the hustle and bustle of the ongoing evening dinner party is real thanks to diners at Disneyland’s most exclusive public restaurant, The Blue Bayou.

The Blue Bayou gave guests the opportunity to dine inside a ride. It wasn’t just novel; it was magical both for riders and diners. Arguably, Disney’s never topped that initial, perfect fusion of ride-and-restaurant (though both Paris and Shanghai’s Pirate rides have followed the formula). Hints of the concept have popped up, like in Magic Kingdom’s Village Haus (overlooking “it’s a small world’s” boarding) and, at Epcot, The Land’s Good Turn Restaurant (with views of Listen to the Land), the San Angel Inn (which closely mirrored the Blue Bayou but with Mexico’s El Rio Del Tiempo waterway), and The Seas’ Coral Reef Restaurant.

But the idea of truly placing a restaurant within (or at least, in proximity to) a ride hasn’t really happened in quite a while… Which is why we’ve cooked up some ideas for ride-restaurant pairs that would be amazing to dine in. Are these spatially possible? Practical? Of course not! Consider this more of a conceptually exercise than a concrete one. But if you can join us in temporarily forgetting space constraints, ignoring blueprints, and thinking Blue Sky, consider how great these dining experiences would be…

Pages: 1 2

October 3, 2020April 6, 2021

10 Most Incredible Projection-Mapped Moments in Disney Rides (With Videos to Prove It)

For more than six years, Disney’s designers have been assembling an industry-leading toolbox of storytelling tricks. From Audio Animatronics to cutting edge ride systems, Disney doesn’t just lead the industry… sometimes, it is the industry. But in the last few decades, fans have seen one particular tool rise to the forefront in Disney Parks: projection mapping.

While we certainly could make a list of the most incredible scene-based effects in Disney Parks, projection mapping is not just “screens!” In fact, it’s quite a lot more. When Imagineers use projection mapping techniques and technologies, they create media to project onto physical sets and built or natural environments. In that way, projection mapping isn’t about merely projecting media, but about using projected media to expand, deepen, enrich, or enhance a world.

To that end, our list will be packed with in-ride moments where projection mapping adds life, energy, and “magic” to Disney Parks rides! Sometimes subtle, sometimes explosive, projection mapping is a major tool in Imagineers’ toolbox today, and with each subsequent use, designers seem to refine its roles. These are just some of our favorites… where else have you seen projection mapping enhance your favorite Disney attractions?

Be warned! Projection-based moments that serve as jaw-dropping finales, showstopping scenes, and epic encounters are on this list, so if you’d rather avoid spoilers for rides (up to and including Disney’s newest), you may have to skip an entry or two!

Pages: 1 2 3