The Wandering Disciple

The imaginative minds, affectionately known as the Imagineers, at Walt Disney World have long been the architects of wonder, continuously designing and producing spectacular parades and shows that have ignited the imaginations of park guests for multiple generations. The entertainment landscape within the parks is a dynamic one, where the visitor experience is in a constant state of flux, evolution, and innovation, ranging from breathtakingly elaborate fireworks displays that paint the night sky to engaging and meticulously choreographed daytime parades.  Among the many cherished spectacles was the highly popular Disney Stars and Motor Cars parade. This specific event was first introduced in 2001, coinciding with the massive celebration known as the "100 Years of Magic Celebration," which honored the centennial of Walt Disney's birth. The parade quickly became a staple of the Disney-MGM Studios (later renamed Disney's Hollywood Studios) park experience and continued i...

  For many years, a towering, iconic Sorcerer's Hat served as the unmistakable central landmark for Disney's Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM Studios), drawing visitors deep into the park's vibrant heart. The hat, an enormous, three-dimensional representation of the magical cap worn by Mickey Mouse in his role as the Sorcerer's Apprentice from the classic film Fantasia , was initially erected as a centerpiece for the park's 100 Years of Magic celebration, honoring the centennial of Walt Disney's birth. Its prominent placement quickly cemented its status. Much like the instantly recognizable icons of the other Walt Disney World theme parks—Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom, the geodesic sphere of Spaceship Earth at EPCOT, and the intricately carved Tree of Life at Disney's Animal Kingdom—the Sorcerer's Hat became the park's most famous symbol and a favored backdrop for countless visitor photographs. Its design featured bold colors, stars, and the moon...

When you visit the Walt Disney World Resort, not a single detail is spared in turning the Central Florida park into locations all across the globe. If you pay attention to the detailed theming, your journeys through the resort will feel a lot like a trip around the world.  This is the Sunset Boulevard area of Disney's Hollywood Studios. This area is made to look like Hollywood during the golden days of film. From the vintage traffic lights to the spot filming on the streets, the details bring it all to life right before your eyes.  Taken: November 19, 2007 at Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World (Lake Buena Vista, FL)

Lake Buena Vista, Florida: A trip down Sunset Boulevard at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is like taking a step back in time to the glamorous days of Hollywood. Designed to resemble Hollywood during the 1940’s, Sunset Boulevards is home to two of the parks major attractions. Sunset Boulevard opened in 1994 as an expansion to the park. The new expansion added a new avenue for shops, rides and attractions. The expansion was anchored by a new thrill ride, the Tower of Terror and a new theater, Theater of the Stars. Tower of Terror opened in 1994 and was the tallest attraction in Walt Disney World until Expedition Everest opened in 2006. The ride is based on the popular sci-fi TV show “The Twilight Zone.” Guests enter the eerie Hollywood Tower Hotel and quickly begin to notice that things aren’t quite right. As you continue further into the hotel, you see indications at how vibrant the hotel once was and then all of a sudden everyone just disappeared. Soon you are ushered into an elevator car...

Lake Buena Vista, Florida: Today marked our final day of this trip. The theme park of the day today was Disney Hollywood Studios. We grabbed breakfast this morning at the McDonald’s by the hotel then hopped aboard the WDW bus to the park. We arrived at the park before opening and found ourselves close to the front of the line for entry into the park. Once the gates opened we began our tour through the studios. The first stop was The Great Movie Ride. It has been several years since I rode this ride and since most of the time it has a large line, we took advantage of being near the front of the crowd to hop aboard with no wait. The focus of the visit to the studios was to try and hit some of the shows and attractions we normally skip in an effort to get to our favorites. Since we have an annual pass, we rarely do everything in the park, rather mingle new attraction in each time we go in an attempt to experience everything that Disney has to offer. With this in mind, today we ...

Lake Buena Vista, Florida: As you pass through the gates of Disney Hollywood Studios and begin your journey, Hollywood Boulevard is your gateway to the fun and excitement that awaits you within the park. Lined with shops and a giant sorcerer’s hat at the end, Hollywood Boulevard is the studios version of Main Street. The only ride attraction found here is the Great Movie Ride. Located inside a replica of the Chinese Theater, the ride was opened in 1989. It is a 22 minute moving theater ride that combines animatronics with live actors and special effects to create a special look at the history of motion pictures. The ride travels through scenes from Singing in the Rain, Mary Poppins, Public Enemy, Alien, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Tarzan, Casablanca and the Wizard of Oz. Hollywood Boulevard is home to many of the shops. The following stores and merchandise can be found here: Celebrity 5 & 10: Hollywood Studios items. Crossroads of the World: souvenirs from the park. The Darkroo...

Lake Buena Vista, Florida: Since the Walt Disney Company was built on the silver screen, its only fitting that the third park at Walt Disney World Resort would be built around the movies. Disney-MGM Studios is not only a theme park but also a working production studio. Opening in 1989, the 135 acre theme park was built to resemble the golden era of Hollywood. The themed lands of the park were like soundstages from Hollywood dropped right in the middle of Central Florida. Unlike the other Disney parks, the park is not laid out with the typical wagon wheel layout, it is situated much like a city with intersecting streets leading to the different lands of the park. There are six lands to the park: Hollywood Boulevard, Sunset Boulevard, Animation Courtyard, Pixar Place, Streets of America and Echo Lake. The rides and attractions of the park pay tribute to the many great films from Hollywood. The Great Movie Ride features live actors that recreate scenes from some of the best known m...