How to Be a Disney’s Hollywood Studios Fan

The third theme park to open at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, Disney’s Hollywood Studios was better known as Disney’s MGM Studios from 1989 until 2007. It was determined in January 2008 that the name change was necessary to “reflect how the park has grown from representing the golden age of movies to a celebration of the new entertainment that today's Hollywood has to offer—in music, television, movies and theater.”

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Upon entering the park, take a picture of the Studios’ icon, Mickey’s Sorcerer Hat, as it comes into view as you enter on Hollywood Boulevard.
2. Obtain a park map and familiarize yourself with the layout. The Hollywood Boulevard entrance street is home to The Great Movie Ride, a classic ridethat takes guests journeying through some of their favorite movies. Otherwise, the Studios has five main streets of attractions: Sunset Boulevard, Animation Courtyard, Mickey Avenue, Streets of America and Echo Lake.
3. Check out the thrills. Sunset Boulevard is off to the right of the main park entrance, and houses the Studios’ two biggest attractions: the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and the Rock’n’Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith. Both of these attractions are usually crowded throughout the day and you should consider using Disney’s FastPass to bypass the wait time.
4. Once you move past Sunset Boulevard, head into the Animation Courtyard on your right. This is home to the Voyage of the Little Mermaid, as well as Playhouse Disney and the Magic of Disney Animation (an often forgotten area for character meet-and-greets).
5. Further into the park is Mickey Avenue, which is where you’ll want to take the Backlot Tour and catch a glimpse of behind the scenes movie-making magic. Mickey Avenue will lead you towards Streets of America, where you can visit attractions such as the new Lights Motor Action Extreme Stunt Show and the beloved Muppetvision 3-D theater.
6. Looping back around to Echo Lake, be sure to check out Star Tours and the Indiana Jones Extreme Stunt Show, as these are two favorites among frequent Studios visitors. This will put you near the small Commissary Lane. While not home to any attractions, this is a great spot for the kids to meet up with some of their favorite characters.
7. Head back over to the very back end of Sunset Boulevard to catch Fantasmic, the Studios’ nighttime spectacular. Join Mickey Mouse as the battles the Disney villains with fire, water and fireworks.