The Disney-MGM Studios is going away

[flippyshark]

The Disney MGM Studios will close its gates for the final time on December 31st, 2007. That night, the park will be demolished, and a near-exact replica will be built in its place. This new park will open the next day, January 1st, 2008, and will be known as Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Read about it here (http://origin.mercurynews.com/travel/ci_6592775)

[blueerica]

Ummm... Near exact replica? Cool, and all but... uh.... OK.

[lashbear]

As long as they can find all those cool antiques for the HTH lobby again !!! ;)

[DreadPirateRoberts]

I hope they can recycle and use some of the old stuff. ;)

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Ummm... Near exact replica? Cool, and all but... uh.... OK.Babe, if you're serious, you're going to kick yourself....read it again....:)




DCA is next, right?

[mousepod]

When we went house-hunting last weekend, we visited Disney's Hyperion Studios, which was renamed "Gelson's". Like Disney-MGM, it no longer has a working animation team on site.

I wonder if Disney would rip down the Grauman's facade and put up an El Cap replica...

[blueerica]

Babe, if you're serious, you're going to kick yourself....read it again....:)



Well, I wouldn't go as far as to say I would kick myself... but it's certain that I can't read straight after ~15 hours of working and writing another big-ass research paper. I am, however, laughing pretty good.

Thank god for semi-decent nights of sleep, when the interruptions don't even seem to bother me.

[RStar]

It's interesting that they can change the name of a whole park like that. Can you imagine the printing bill? All the letter head, envelopes, business cards, invoices, theme park merchandise, napkins and cups, signs, and marketing & advertisements they will need to do? Yikes!



Well, if they can change the name of a whole park, perhaps they can do that with DCA. Perhaps Disney's Hollywood Adventure. or Disney's Hollywoodland. It has gone more form California to Pixar movies anyway. Each land could be a theme in catigory of movies, with the exception of the Hollywood backlot.

[scaeagles]

I hear Ty Pennington is in charge - they're making a show called "Extreme Theme Park Makeover" with hundreds of thousands of volunteers helping his design team.

[DreadPirateRoberts]

Well, if they can change the name of a whole park, perhaps they can do that with DCA.

There are rumors floating around (http://jimhillmedia.com/blogs/jim_hill/archive/2007/08/10/a-special-what-s-in-a-name-edition-of-why-for.aspx):

The Imagineers aren't really looking to change the name of Disney's California Adventure. In fact, the way I hear it, what WDI is actually thinking of adding a new word to the title of this particular theme park.

Ah, but what a difference that one word would make. What am I talking about? Well, how would you feel if they changed DCA's name to "Walt Disney's California Adventure" ?

The idea here is that all of DCA's "districts" (Remember? Back when this theme park originally opened up back in February of 2001, the Imagineers were quite specific about this matter. Disneyland had "lands." Whereas Disney's California Adventure -- because it was infinitely more adult & sophisticated than its boring, older sibling across the plaza -- had "districts") would eventually come to thematically represent various aspects of Walt's journey from being this poor boy in Marceline, Missouri to becoming a genuine Hollywood legend.

Here's the part of the rumor that I find interesting:

Mind you, one of the more interesting ideas that the Imagineers are reportedly toying with is completely ripping out the Golden Vine Winery restaurant. And in its place building an approximation of the Disney family's Holmby Hills estate. Inside the house itself would be "Walt's Place," a brand-new restaurant that would celebrate the man as well as his love of American comfort food. Meanwhile, out in the "backyard" of this estate would be a brand-new version of the Carolwood Pacific Railroad. Which guests could then board and -- via an elaborate system of tressels -- take a quick scenic trip around the Grizzly Peak Recreation Area. Where they could then view rafters splashing along Grizzly River Run and hikers exploring the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail before heading back to the Holmby Hills estate

[innerSpaceman]

Hmmm. I think the Walt concept is promising ... but would not, alas, save that Park. Nor will any name change. A rose and all that.

Hmmm, and Disneyland Paris has changed its name no less than three times. It must be indeed difficult to catch everything that needs to be changed, because remnants of all four names can be found around that resort to this day.

[flippyshark]

Hmmm. Interesting, but I always have the same question after I visit the JHM website. What the heck is up with Jim Hill and sentence fragments?!?! I had to stop reading the article lined above because the fragments were driving me to distraction. Causing me anguish. Because they were nonstop. As if he had never taken English. 101. Which is why I couldn't take it anymore.

[RStar]

Hmmm. I think the Walt concept is promising ... but would not, alas, save that Park. Nor will any name change. A rose and all that.
Which is why they are planning on pouring plenty of money into it, to hopefully add rides as well. I hope they don't plan to just pretty it up and change the name.
Hmmm. Interesting, but I always have the same question after I visit the JHM website. What the heck is up with Jim Hill and sentence fragments?!?! I had to stop reading the article lined above because the fragments were driving me to distraction. Causing me anguish. Because they were nonstop. As if he had never taken English. 101. Which is why I couldn't take it anymore.
I noticed that. Maybe he's in a hurry? As in tired of running the website?

[HTHBellcaptain]

The Disney MGM Studios will close its gates for the final time on December 31st, 2007. That night, the park will be demolished, and a near-exact replica will be built in its place. This new park will open the next day, January 1st, 2008, and will be known as Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Read about it here (http://origin.mercurynews.com/travel/ci_6592775)

I have made a major decision. As some of you may be aware, I have worked at the Disney-MGM Studios since it opened in 1989. I think it's time for a change. As of January 1, I am transferring to that new park that they are building. Yep, you guessed it I'm transferring to Disney's Hollywood Studios. Supposedly, they're going to have some tall thrill ride that I could work at.

[Stan4dSteph]

I have made a major decision. As some of you may be aware, I have worked at the Disney-MGM Studios since it opened in 1989. I think it's time for a change. As of January 1, I am transferring to that new park that they are building. Yep, you guessed it I'm transferring to Disney's Hollywood Studios. Supposedly, they're going to have some tall thrill ride that I could work at.
I will be running through this new park on January 13. I will let everyone know how it goes.

[lashbear]

I have made a major decision. As some of you may be aware, I have worked at the Disney-MGM Studios since it opened in 1989. I think it's time for a change. As of January 1, I am transferring to that new park that they are building. Yep, you guessed it I'm transferring to Disney's Hollywood Studios. Supposedly, they're going to have some tall thrill ride that I could work at.
I'd keep away, if I were you. Some tell me it's haunted !

[innerSpaceman]

The odd thing about the name change is that, for decades, the shorthand name for the Park was "MGM." I guess now people are going to have to call it "The Studio Park" or some such, but it's hard to change a name that everyone's gotten used to.


Everyone calls The Mad Tea Party simply "the Teacups." So if they changed the official name of that attraction to The Mad Hatters Fun Spin, wouldn't people still call it "the Teacups" regardless?

So will people continue to call the theme park "MGM" even when it's no longer part of the official name???

[flippyshark]

So will people continue to call the theme park "MGM" even when it's no longer part of the official name???

I suspect they will do just that for quite a while. I've been among those who have tried (in vain) to get people to stop calling it MGM, for years. I preferred "Studios," as it better reflected the park. (The actual presence of MGM was extremely minimal - even when we opened. For instance, even The Wizard of Oz, seen on The Great Movie Ride, was a property of Ted Turner back in 1989. Some of the GMR Finale clips are from MGM movies. Out in the park, there's Min N' Bill's Dockside Diner. That's about it.)

I still call the attraction in Tomorrowland 'People Movers," even though officially it's Tomorrowland Transit Authority. "People Movers" is easier to say, more descriptive of what's actually there, and it's more nostalgic. "Teacups" would continue to be descriptive even in the event of a name change. ("Slow Teacups" might be even more descriptive for you West Coasters - :D )

"MGM" on the other hand, well, it was NEVER a good summation of that park. I'll be interested to see what happens.

Trivial Note: Originally, the whole Studios idea was going to be a pavilion in Future World at Epcot. Michael E. was the one to press for a studio park. Imagineers on the project referred to it as "The Studio Tour" during the design phase. Anyway, here's the thing. To this day, certain Imagineers of my acquaintance still call the park "The Studio Tour." They will undoubtedly continue to do so even if the Backlot Tour within the park someday closes down.

[Chernabog]

There are rumors...

Never, ever, ever believe anything you read on Jim Hill's website. He makes things up.... literally. He has quotes for people that he never interviewed. He hears something that came from his best friends sister's boyfriend's brother who once was thought to have seen an email that may or may not have been something to do with Disney... and suddenly that email is gospel! Jim suddenly has 5000 words in extrapolating what was written on said imaginary email.

Every so often he gets a tidbit right, but even a blind man fumbling around in a bathhouse will grab someone's balls eventually.

[RStar]

but even a blind man fumbling around in a bathhouse will grab someone's balls eventually.Thank you, now I'll have that image stuck in my head all day........:eek:

[Kevy Baby]

I have made a major decision. As some of you may be aware, I have worked at the Disney-MGM Studios since it opened in 1989. I think it's time for a change. As of January 1, I am transferring to that new park that they are building. Yep, you guessed it I'm transferring to Disney's Hollywood Studios. Supposedly, they're going to have some tall thrill ride that I could work at.WOW - that is going to be a big stretch - you must be nervous. Good luck with the big change!

[HTHBellcaptain]

So will people continue to call the theme park "MGM" even when it's no longer part of the official name???

It will be interesting to see whether people can change or not. Myself, I glad they're dropping MGM from the name. I remember early on in the Disney-MGM Studios history that some people didn't even know that it was a Disney park. They thought it was owned by MGM. Go figure.

My guess is that most people will just refer to it as "The Studios." My hope is that people don't call it by it's initials, like DCA (Disney's California Adventure) or DAK (Disney's Animal Kingdom). I think we have way too many TLA's as it is (Three Letter Acronyms).:D

[lashbear]

I think we have way too many TLA's as it is (Three Letter Acronyms).:D

I thought it stood for Two Letter Acromym :p

[HTHBellcaptain]

or maybe Try Lizard Archery

[Not Afraid]

Too Little Anarchy?

[CoasterMatt]

Try Less Absynthe?

[Ghoulish Delight]

Tender loving abuse.

[Matterhorn Fan]

Time Lags Always?

[RStar]

Too Late Always for me.