LUXURY CHAMPIONSGATE VILLA
LUXURY VACATION VILLA FOR RENT IN CHAMPIONS GATE, ORLANDO, FLORIDA
DISNEY'S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
351 S Studio Dr N, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830, United States
Tel No : +1 (407) 939-5277
Website:
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/destinations/hollywood-studios/Follow us on:
Disney's Hollywood Studios is less than a 20 minute drive from our Luxury Champions Gate Villa. The third theme park opened in 1989 at Walt Disney World originally under the name of Disney MGM Studios and consists of over 135 acres. Hollywood Studios consists of 7 areas as follows:
Hollywood Boulevard, is based on the real street of the same name, serves as the park's main entrance and operates in the same vein as Main Street, U.S.A. at Magic Kingdom. It is lined with themed streetscape facades and venues selling Disney merchandise and park services. Guests enter through the main entrance gate, which resembles the Pan-Pacific Auditorium. Near the park's gate is a recreation of the Crossroads of the World tower. Live street entertainment and seasonal parades travel down the main street throughout the day. At the far end of Hollywood Boulevard stands an exact replica of Grauman's Chinese Theatre, which houses Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway, a dark ride themed to the world of Mickey Mouse animated shorts. Near the entrance of Animation Courtyard—resides The Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant, a themed replica of the original Brown Derby restaurant in Hollywood, California.
Echo Lake, inspired by a neighborhood in Los Angeles, is designed to mimic the suburban "California Crazy" form of architecture from Hollywood's Golden Age and is anchored around the area's namesake lake.
Echo Lake includes three major attractions based on characters and films created by George Lucas and produced by Lucasfilm. Star Tours – The Adventures Continue is a 3-D motion simulator ride set in the Star Wars universe. The Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple, a live-action stage show, invites children to become "padawan learners" and receive lightsaber training from a Jedi master. The live-action Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! re-enacts various scenes from Steven Spielberg's Raiders of the Lost Ark, while illustrating how professional film stunts are performed.
The Hyperion Theater houses For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration, a musical show based on Disney's 2013 animated film Frozen. Behind this building lies a subsection named Commissary Lane, that connects Hollywood Boulevard directly to Grand Avenue and bypasses Echo Lake altogether. In this area, resides the ABC Commissary and the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant, a dinner theater with a retro-style theme featuring vintage car themed tables and a large movie screen featuring continuous clips of science-fiction films from the 1950s.
Grand Avenue is themed as a historic district inspired by the real location of the same name in downtown Los Angeles. The area is anchored by Muppet*Vision 3D, a 4D film attraction starring the Muppets from Jim Henson's The Muppet Show, that is presented at the Grand Arts Theatre within the avenue's Grand Park, itself also inspired by the real park of the same name. Grand Avenue is also home to PizzeRizzo—a Brooklyn-style pizza restaurant owned by Rizzo the Rat—Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano,[25] and BaseLine Tap House, a modern California-styled pub. The main street of Grand Avenue leads into a recreation of a Figueroa Street Tunnel which connects to Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge.
Grand Avenue was originally planned as a themed area called Muppet Studios, following Disney's acquisition of the Jim Henson Company. In addition to Muppet*Vision 3D, this area was to include a themed restaurant and a Muppet dark ride parody of The Great Movie Ride. The deal fell through after Henson's death, and only Muppet*Vision 3D was developed.
The realized Muppet-themed section became a part of the park's former Streets of America area, which encompassed several attractions, including an urban street amalgamation of New York City and San Francisco. The area's namesake street facades were formerly the park's working backlot set, which was originally a component of the park's inaugural Studio Backlot Tour, and opened to pedestrian park traffic in the mid-1990s; this area closed on April 2, 2016. The Muppet-themed areas and a single remaining block of the Streets of America facades were reincorporated into Muppets Courtyard, which served as a placeholder designation until Grand Avenue was completed in September 2017.
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge is set within the Star Wars universe, at the Black Spire Outpost village on the remote frontier planet of Batuu. Attractions include Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, a dark ride that places guests in a climactic battle between the First Order and the Resistance; and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, a flying simulator attraction that allows guests to pilot the Millennium Falcon through a customized secret mission on behalf of Hondo Ohnaka and Chewbacca. Restaurants and shops include Oga's Cantina, Savi's Workshop, and the Droid Depot. The land opened in 2019, replacing the park's Streets of America section.The 14-acre area cost an estimated $1 billion.
Toy Story Land is inspired by Pixar's Toy Story series. The 11-acre area is themed to Andy's backyard with three attractions, each hosted by characters from the series. The attractions include Toy Story Mania!, an interactive 4D attraction inspired by classic carnival midway games; Slinky Dog Dash, an outdoor roller coaster; and Alien Swirling Saucers, a spinning teacup ride. The land opened on June 30, 2018.
Toy Story Mania! was originally a standalone attraction within Pixar Place, an area dedicated to films and characters created by Pixar, resembling the animation studio's Emeryville, California campus. Pixar Place was also the home of Luxo Jr., a six-foot-tall audio-animatronic version of Pixar's desk-lamp mascot. The moving character performed periodic shows throughout the day and evening across from Toy Story Midway Mania.
Animation Courtyard is home to attractions based on films and characters created by Walt Disney Animation Studios. Its entrance is marked by a square "studio arch". This section of the park originally was the starting point for the Studio Backlot Tour.
The former Magic of Disney Animation building hosts Star Wars Launch Bay, a Star Wars exhibit featuring behind-the-scenes props and character meet-and-greets with Darth Vader, Chewbacca, and BB-8. Mickey Avenue, a subsection of Animation Courtyard, is home to a walk-through exhibit, Walt Disney Presents, which explores the life and legacy of Walt Disney through photos, models, artifacts, and a short biographical film narrated by Julie Andrews. The Courtyard section also hosts two live shows. Disney Junior Dance Party! entertains guests with characters from Disney Junior series, including Mickey and the Roadster Racers, Vampirina, Doc McStuffins, and The Lion Guard. Across the plaza, Voyage of the Little Mermaid uses glow-in-the-dark puppets, lasers, music, projectors, human actors and water effects to recreate favorite scenes and songs from the 1989 animated film.
- Hollywood Boulevard
- Echo Lake
- Grand Avenue
- Star Wars Galaxy's Edge
- Toy Story Land
- Animation Courtyard
- Sunset Boulevard
Hollywood Boulevard, is based on the real street of the same name, serves as the park's main entrance and operates in the same vein as Main Street, U.S.A. at Magic Kingdom. It is lined with themed streetscape facades and venues selling Disney merchandise and park services. Guests enter through the main entrance gate, which resembles the Pan-Pacific Auditorium. Near the park's gate is a recreation of the Crossroads of the World tower. Live street entertainment and seasonal parades travel down the main street throughout the day. At the far end of Hollywood Boulevard stands an exact replica of Grauman's Chinese Theatre, which houses Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway, a dark ride themed to the world of Mickey Mouse animated shorts. Near the entrance of Animation Courtyard—resides The Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant, a themed replica of the original Brown Derby restaurant in Hollywood, California.
Echo Lake, inspired by a neighborhood in Los Angeles, is designed to mimic the suburban "California Crazy" form of architecture from Hollywood's Golden Age and is anchored around the area's namesake lake.
Echo Lake includes three major attractions based on characters and films created by George Lucas and produced by Lucasfilm. Star Tours – The Adventures Continue is a 3-D motion simulator ride set in the Star Wars universe. The Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple, a live-action stage show, invites children to become "padawan learners" and receive lightsaber training from a Jedi master. The live-action Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! re-enacts various scenes from Steven Spielberg's Raiders of the Lost Ark, while illustrating how professional film stunts are performed.
The Hyperion Theater houses For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration, a musical show based on Disney's 2013 animated film Frozen. Behind this building lies a subsection named Commissary Lane, that connects Hollywood Boulevard directly to Grand Avenue and bypasses Echo Lake altogether. In this area, resides the ABC Commissary and the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant, a dinner theater with a retro-style theme featuring vintage car themed tables and a large movie screen featuring continuous clips of science-fiction films from the 1950s.
Grand Avenue is themed as a historic district inspired by the real location of the same name in downtown Los Angeles. The area is anchored by Muppet*Vision 3D, a 4D film attraction starring the Muppets from Jim Henson's The Muppet Show, that is presented at the Grand Arts Theatre within the avenue's Grand Park, itself also inspired by the real park of the same name. Grand Avenue is also home to PizzeRizzo—a Brooklyn-style pizza restaurant owned by Rizzo the Rat—Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano,[25] and BaseLine Tap House, a modern California-styled pub. The main street of Grand Avenue leads into a recreation of a Figueroa Street Tunnel which connects to Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge.
Grand Avenue was originally planned as a themed area called Muppet Studios, following Disney's acquisition of the Jim Henson Company. In addition to Muppet*Vision 3D, this area was to include a themed restaurant and a Muppet dark ride parody of The Great Movie Ride. The deal fell through after Henson's death, and only Muppet*Vision 3D was developed.
The realized Muppet-themed section became a part of the park's former Streets of America area, which encompassed several attractions, including an urban street amalgamation of New York City and San Francisco. The area's namesake street facades were formerly the park's working backlot set, which was originally a component of the park's inaugural Studio Backlot Tour, and opened to pedestrian park traffic in the mid-1990s; this area closed on April 2, 2016. The Muppet-themed areas and a single remaining block of the Streets of America facades were reincorporated into Muppets Courtyard, which served as a placeholder designation until Grand Avenue was completed in September 2017.
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge is set within the Star Wars universe, at the Black Spire Outpost village on the remote frontier planet of Batuu. Attractions include Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, a dark ride that places guests in a climactic battle between the First Order and the Resistance; and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, a flying simulator attraction that allows guests to pilot the Millennium Falcon through a customized secret mission on behalf of Hondo Ohnaka and Chewbacca. Restaurants and shops include Oga's Cantina, Savi's Workshop, and the Droid Depot. The land opened in 2019, replacing the park's Streets of America section.The 14-acre area cost an estimated $1 billion.
Toy Story Land is inspired by Pixar's Toy Story series. The 11-acre area is themed to Andy's backyard with three attractions, each hosted by characters from the series. The attractions include Toy Story Mania!, an interactive 4D attraction inspired by classic carnival midway games; Slinky Dog Dash, an outdoor roller coaster; and Alien Swirling Saucers, a spinning teacup ride. The land opened on June 30, 2018.
Toy Story Mania! was originally a standalone attraction within Pixar Place, an area dedicated to films and characters created by Pixar, resembling the animation studio's Emeryville, California campus. Pixar Place was also the home of Luxo Jr., a six-foot-tall audio-animatronic version of Pixar's desk-lamp mascot. The moving character performed periodic shows throughout the day and evening across from Toy Story Midway Mania.
Animation Courtyard is home to attractions based on films and characters created by Walt Disney Animation Studios. Its entrance is marked by a square "studio arch". This section of the park originally was the starting point for the Studio Backlot Tour.
The former Magic of Disney Animation building hosts Star Wars Launch Bay, a Star Wars exhibit featuring behind-the-scenes props and character meet-and-greets with Darth Vader, Chewbacca, and BB-8. Mickey Avenue, a subsection of Animation Courtyard, is home to a walk-through exhibit, Walt Disney Presents, which explores the life and legacy of Walt Disney through photos, models, artifacts, and a short biographical film narrated by Julie Andrews. The Courtyard section also hosts two live shows. Disney Junior Dance Party! entertains guests with characters from Disney Junior series, including Mickey and the Roadster Racers, Vampirina, Doc McStuffins, and The Lion Guard. Across the plaza, Voyage of the Little Mermaid uses glow-in-the-dark puppets, lasers, music, projectors, human actors and water effects to recreate favorite scenes and songs from the 1989 animated film.
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
The blockbuster ride at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, this is a revolutionary feat of Imagineering that redefines theme park rides. It seamlessly blends the boundaries of queue, pre-show, attraction, and puts guests in the middle of an intergalactic adventure. We could go on and on about this mind-blowing experience and its nonstop barrage of jaw dropping moments.
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
The ‘supporting’ attraction for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. The queue is beautiful, the pre-show is impressive, and stepping foot into the Millennium Falcon while waiting to board the ride is arguably the highlight of the attraction as a whole. We do not recommend using a FastPass+ on Smugglers Run unless you can’t score Slinky Dog Dash or Runaway Railway. Instead, do it later in the day or via Single Rider.
Slinky Dog Dash
Slinky Dog Dash is the crown jewel of Toy Story Land, this family-friendly roller coaster offers mild thrills, a nice track layout, decent duration, and interesting queue filled with fun details. The biggest weakness is its relative lack of Imagineering, with no show scenes–albeit a cute ending. There’s unrealized potential here, but the coaster is still better than expected. We highly recommend getting FastPass+ for Slinky Dog Dash if you can, particularly at night when the lighting on the ride looks beautiful. If you’re unable to score a FastPass+, do Slinky Dog Dash first thing in the morning or get in line just before the park closes.
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
A free-fall thrill ride set in the Twilight Zone with an elaborate lead-in and excellent story. This is the best Walt Disney World attraction to open in the last 20 years. It’s technically a thrill ride, but it’s so much more. Tower of Terror’s mood, the atmosphere, and the environments before the ride are all top-notch. It’s worth going through the experience of the attraction up until that point, even if you don’t do the ride itself. Tower of Terror has a 40″ height requirement and offers FastPass+. In its tier, it’s a good use of FastPass+, but don’t hesitate to wait in line for 30-40 minutes for this–the queue is an experience itself, with plenty of references from Twilight Zone episodes.
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
Intense (by Disney standards) roller coaster with a loop, featuring Aerosmith. The pre-show and queue help make it more of a fully fleshed out experience, but Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is basically an unthemed rollercoaster in the dark. It’s fun, but it’s not 90-minute-wait fun. It’s a thrills for the sake of thrills attraction. This is a great FastPass+ selection from the second tier. Otherwise, do it first thing in the morning or via Single Rider.
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
This features a series of loosely-connected vignettes in a variety of environments that the runaway cars bounce between at a fairly frenetic and disorienting pace. Consequently, we’ve enjoyed it more and more on subsequent ride-throughs, once we had our bearings on things and were better able to embrace the chaos. In a sense, the ride is very much in keeping with how a cartoon would bounce around, and it also boasts an earworm of an original song.
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is a good use of a FastPass+ selection, but we’d still recommend prioritizing Slinky Dog Dash on that front. If possible, instead do Runaway Railway towards the end of the night, right before the projection shows and fireworks.
Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
A stunt show themed to Indiana Jones. Despite its age, Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular still works. It features a variety of different stunt styles, offers humor, and engaging narrative scenes that just work. As far as action-oriented shows at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, this is by far the best. FastPass+ is available, but totally unnecessary.
Walt Disney Presents
A walk-through tribute to Walt Disney, with a film at the end. It helps put the parks in context, lifts the curtain on some things, and in so doing makes the theme parks more impressive. Commit 10 minutes to it to get out of the sun and into the air-conditioning. You’ll likely find yourself spending a lot more time inside as you pore over the many interesting pieces that have made the Disney empire what it is today.
Fantasmic
Disney’s Hollywood Studios’ nighttime spectacular in which you enter Mickey Mouse’s dreams in a show featuring projections, characters on stage, boats, fire, fireworks, and more. If you’ve never seen the Disneyland version, you’re likely to be blown away by Walt Disney World’s Fantasmic, which is completely unlike the fireworks at Epcot and Magic Kingdom.
If you only have one night at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and have to choose between this and Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular, choose this unless you are a huge Star Wars fan. Fantasmic is significantly better. Depending upon your priorities, Fantasmic can be a good use of FastPass+.
Lightning McQueen Racing Academy
A 10-minute show featuring an impressive Lightning McQueen Audio Animatronics vehicle who interacts with other characters on screen and the audience as he uses state-of-the-art racing simulator. McQueen encounters friends like Mater and Cruz Ramirez, with the salient message being one of teamwork, friendship, and perseverance. He also encounters one of his main foes, Chick Hicks, who interrupts the show to challenge Lightning McQueen. I won’t give away how this all ends, but you can probably guess it. It’s a fun show with some cheeky humor and enough morsels that it won’t bore adults–kids will likely love it.
