DISNEY-MGM STUDIOS OPENING DAY
ATTRACTIONS, RESTAURANTS & SHOPS
Attractions:
The Great Movie Ride
a dark ride paying homage to several classic films, located inside The Chinese Theatre - a recreation of
the famous Hollywood landmark Mann's Chinese Theatre
The Backstage Studio Tour
a 2-hour guided tour including the short films The Lottery (starring Bette Midler and directed by Garry Marshall) & Michael and Mickey
The Magic of Disney Animation Tour
a show and tour including the 9-minute short Back to Neverland
The Monster Sound Show
hosted by Sony - showing the importance of sound in cinema through a film and an interactive stage show
Superstar Television
hosted by Sony in a 1,000-seat theater - an interactive live show that recreates the production of some of
TV's greatest shows, using park guests as part of the cast
Restaurants:
50s Prime Time Cafe
themed retro diner across from Echo Lake
Backlot Express
warehouse style themed counter service
Hollywood & Vine
Art Deco-designed restaurant located in the Echo Lake area
Hollywood Brown Derby
located on Hollywood Boulevard & patterned after the famous Hollywood landmark Brown Derby restaurant
Min and Bill's Dockside Diner
snack kiosk
Studio Catering Co.
counter service
Soundstage Restaurant
full-service restaurant located in Soundstage 5
Shops:
Animation Gallery
Crossroads of the World
Dinosaur Gertie's Ice Cream of Extinction
Mickey's of Hollywood
Sid Cahuenga's One-of-a-Kind
GRAND OPENING OF DISNEY-MGM STUDIOS
THE GRAND
OPENING OF
THIS SITE MADE IN THE USA
The Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park at
Walt Disney World opened to the public on
May 1, 1989. Located south of EPCOT, it was Disney's
5th theme park in the world and the third park on WDW property. Although it rained throughout the day, the park was packed. It was the largest opening day press event in Disney World history. The park was so crowded that officials had to close its parking lot at only 9:15 a.m. - just about an hour after opening!
The park includes a replica of the entrance to Grauman's
Chinese Theater, with a courtyard for celebrity handprints
and signatures. A program called "Star Today" (which would
allow celebrities over the years to leave their mark) started
on this day. The very first "Star Today" was original
Mouseketeer Annette Funicello.
Among the Hollywood legends who visited the park were
George Burns and Bob Hope, who helped cut the filmstrip
ribbon dedicating the Studios.
Entrance to the park was $29 for adults and $23 for children
(between the ages of 3-9).
MAY 1, 1989
In 2008, the park hosted about 9.61 million guests, ranking it the fourth-most visited amusement park
in the United States, and seventh-most visited in the world. That was the same year
the park was re-named Disney's Hollywood Studios!
"The world you have entered was created by the Walt Disney Company & is
dedicated to Hollywood - not a place on a map, but a state of mind that exists wherever people dream & wonder & imagine, a place where illusion & reality are fused by technological magic. We welcome you to a Hollywood that never was - and always will be."
-opening day dedication of Disney-MGM Studios
During that opening year, the park added two attractions based on popular George Lucas
films: Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular (on August 25, 1989) and
Star Tours (on December 15, 1989).
The Walt Disney Company's original concept of the Disney-MGM Studios was to operate it as a full fledged television
and motion picture production facility, not just a theme park. (In 1988, among the first feature-length movies filmed at the facility, prior to its completion and opening as a theme park, were Ernest Saves
Christmas and Newsies. ) Despite the "MGM" in the park’s name, Metro-Goldwyn-
Mayer had no part in designing, owning, or operating Disney-MGM Studios -
although many of its famous films are featured in The Great Movie Ride.
Disney-MGM Studios draws inspiration from the heyday of Hollywood in the 1930
and 1940s. The park consisted of 4 themed areas in 1989 - but unlike the other Walt
Disney World parks, it does not have a defined layout. The park features a mass of
streets and buildings that blend into each other, much like a real motion picture
studio would. In 1989, the areas consisted of Hollywood Boulevard, Echo Lake,
Streets of America, and Animation Courtyard. (Sunset Boulevard and Pixar Place
were later added - giving the park a total of 6 themed areas.)
The park's icon in 1989 was the Earful Tower (but as of 2001 the park was represented by The Sorcerer's Hat, a giant
stylized version of the magical lid from Fantasia.)
1989
1989
This Day in Disney History - THE FIRST - THE ORIGINAL
Traveling in time since 1999!
