Where the movies happen! (Disney MGM Studios)

Member Name: flowerpot19

Product:	Disney MGM Studios
Date:	13/10/09 (8 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great atmosphere in this park!

Disadvantages: Some rides can get very busy!

This park was originally opened in 1989 as Disney's MGM studios. In 2008 it had a name change and is now known as Disney's Hollywood Studios. The park is based on the movies, and is designed to give guests an insight into what its like behind the scenes.
As you enter the park the first thing you will notice is the huge Sorcerer Mickey hat. The park was the focal point for the 100 years of Magic Celebration that began in 2001 to celebrate the 100th Birthday of Walt Disney. When the celebration ended the hat remained and is a focal point of the park.

The park is divided into a few sections -
HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD - The Main walkway of the park. This is where a lot of the action takes place. It's a great place to sit and relax as so many random characters just appear out of nowhere and start chatting to the public. Have your camera ready! There is one restaurant - the signature brown derby restaurant and one ride - the great movie ride. The great movie ride is fun and suitable for everyone as you basically sit in a tram and move around movie sets - there is one possibly jumpy part as you go through a set from Alien.
ECHO LAKE - Just off Hollywood boulevard is a nice lake which has a few restaurants and fast food places around. Nice place to sit and enjoy an ice cream or a drink. In this area you also have the Indiana Jones stunt show - if you like the films you'll love this show! It shows you how they created some of the actual scenes from the films! It also has the American Idol attraction where guests can audition and sing infront of an audience! - Or if like me you can sing you can just watch!
SUNSET BOULEVARD has my 2 favourite attractions in the Park. The first one is Aerosmith's Rock n Rollercoaster. This is a rollercoaster in the dark with lots of aerosmith music playing. The other attraction in the section is the Tower of Terror - with a twilight zone theme and great build up and preshow this ride is not for the faint hearted. Its an elevator that randomly drops 13 stories! It will also fire you up, bounce you a little bit etc. As the sequence is random you will never know what to expect!
PIXAR PLACE is the newest section of the park (used to be called something else but I cant remember what) and is home to the newest ride in Disney World - Toy Story Mania. I think this is one of the best rides in Orlando! It's a 3D adventure - you board your ride vehical and put on the 3D glasses. You go through a series of Carnival games based on shooting targets. It really is great fun!
ANIMATION COURTYARD has the animation studio. This is quite an underated attraction but worth it just for a break from the heat! There is a small show and then a bunch of things to walk through and look at.
STREETS OF AMERICA is home to the backlot tour - a ride through where they film shows and movies, through a working costume department and they show you loads of props and some special effects. This is a fun ride - one of my favourite but it gets a large queue.

The Disney Hollywood studios is a great day for all of the family - I usually visit this twice in a holiday if I can as I enjoy the fun atmosphere the park has and the attractions are so different to what we get in the UK. Its also a park where you can take your time walking around and enjoying the things going on.

Summary: A must see in Orlando