|
|
 Disney-MGM Studios
is a 135-acre working studio and theme park. Nearly two-thirds of the park is closed off to the public, where actual movies and television shows are filmed. The rest is a creative theme park devoted to bringing the magic of movies, television, radio and Broadway plays to life in an educational and fun environment. Disney-MGM is centered on the movie making process, from the Pan-Pacific Auditorium replica at the main gate to the 1930s style Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards and the New York Street back lot. There are also several movie-themed restaurants located inside the park, including 50s Prime Time Café, Hollywood & Vine, The Hollywood Brown Derby, Mama Merose’s Ristorante Italiano and the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater. Disney-MGM Studios is located inside the Walt Disney Resort, about 30 minutes south of Orlando at U.S. Route 192 and Interstate 4. Take the GreeneWay toll road from the Orlando International Airport, or from Orlando, take I-4 to the Epcot exit, then follow the signs to Disney-MGM. Come salute the world of show business – as only Disney can.
Disney-MGM Studios Address and Phone Number
Disney-MGM Studios
P.O. Box 10,000
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
407-824-4321
Disney-MGM Studios Rides and Attractions
Hollywood Boulevard is the main street that brings visitors from the entrance into the rest of the park, similar to Main Street USA in the Magic Kingdom. It is lined with a plethora of unique shops, each with its’ own individual theme. Hollywood Boulevard recreates the glitz and glamour of 1930s Hollywood, making you feel as if you’ve stepped back in time. Some of the exciting attractions found here include “Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream,” which chronicles the amazing life of Walt Disney. The “Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular” is a lesson in how filmmakers create spectacular special effects and incredible stunts. Relive scenes from “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” and more. Take a ride into space on the “Star Tours,” the ultimate Star Wars thrill ride inspired by the movie, or enter the magnificent reproduction of Mann’s Chinese Theater where more than 50 audio-animatronics figures bring to life scenes from “The Wizard of Oz,” “Casablanca,” and more. Other attractions found on Hollywood Blvd. Include “Sounds Dangerous Starring Drew Carey,” “ATAS Hall of Fame,” and “Disney Radio Studios.”
On Sunset Boulevard, you’ll feel you have stepped back to 1940s Southern California. In addition to being the road to the “Twilight Zone Tower of Terror” and “Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster,” Sunset Boulevard is lined with shops, restaurants and street entertainment. It’s also the site of “Beauty and the Beast, Live on Stage,” and “Fantasmic,” an action-packed extravaganza between good and evil, complete with fireworks, lights, pyrotechnics and dancing waters set to music. The “Twilight Zone Tower of Terror” takes you inside a 1930's hotel, where you will plunge 13 stories in a rickety old elevator, as you become part of an episode of the Twilight Zone. The “Rock 'n' Roller Coaster” is Disney's latest and greatest steel roller coaster that turns, flips and rocks ‘n’ rolls, all set to the beat of the famous rock band, Aerosmith.
Animation Courtyard is where you can greet some of your favorite Disney characters and view behind the scenes in the world of animation. Attractions here include the “Voyage of The Little Mermaid,” “The Magic of Disney Animation,” and “Playhouse Disney – Live on Stage!”
Next in line is Mickey Avenue where you will get an up close look at a real, working movie studio. One of the newest attractions here is the “Lights, Motors, Action Extreme Stunt Show.” Visitors are amazed as engines rev and tires screech, giving you a spectacular behind-the-scenes look at how action stunts are created for the movies. You can also take the Disney-MGM Studios Backlot Tour, where you’ll see many of your favorite “TV houses” and enter “Catastrophe Canyon,” for a look at how special effects are created for some of the most intense natural disasters.
The amazing replica of New York City’s skyline is where you’ll find “Jim Henson’s Muppet Vision 3-D,” an interactive show featuring Miss Piggy, Kermit and all your favorite Muppet characters. Also found on New York Street is “Disney’s Toy Story Pizza Planet Arcade,” and the “Toy Story Character Greetings,” where you can meet Buzz, Woody, Jessie and Bullseye from the Toy Story movie. Last, by not least, is the “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set,” an interactive kids’ playground with larger than life props from the popular movie.
Disney-MGM Studios History
Disney-MGM Studios opened on May 1, 1989. It was an idea created by the corporate environment to build Walt Disney’s dream of a park devoted to showcasing the great wonders of filmmaking. The idea for the park was loosely based on the tram tours of the early 1900s that dominated the movie studio lots in Hollywood, California. Due to costs, the idea for the park was moved from California to Florida, where the Disney Company had more land and it was cheaper to build. Largely, the Disney-MGM Studios was a race against rival Universal Studios. Universal, who already had a very successful park in California, announced plans to create a second theme park in Florida, near the already existent Walt Disney World. A race ensued and MGM Studios was opened nearly two years earlier than Universal. It was the first U.S. theme park built under Michael Eisner’s term as Disney CEO. The park's original layout mimicked Universal Studios Hollywood, with a "backstage" tram tour providing most of the entertainment, but within a few years, the tour was nixed and instead more popular thrill rides, such as the “Twilight Zone Tower of Terror” were brought into the park.
Disney-MGM Studios Park Map (click on map for larger view)
|
|
|
