This past weekend I was cleaning out some old boxes and came across an old map of Hollywood Studios. Needless to say, cleaning ceased for a while as I took a walk down nostalgia lane looking at the past of Hollywood Studios, formerly Disney-MGM Studios.
There are a lot of people, myself included, who still think of Hollywood Studios as MGM. Sometimes I still find myself calling it MGM and I know I’m not alone. I loved looking at the map and seeing how things used to be. There is a date on the map that says 2007, so it’s not *that* old, but a lot has changed in 12 years. For starters, the cover of the guide map is the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, which ended in 2016.
When you first open the guide map there are instructions for using the FastPass kiosks, which used to be located at the rides, by inserting your ticket to get a paper FastPass. Who remembers doing this, instead of picking your rides two months in advance? There is also information about Disney’s PhotoPass system, with instructions on where the photos can be picked up.
Another throwback included with this guide map is the Pal Mickey, which was a talking plush that guests could purchase. The Pal Mickey had park tips, fun facts, and games for guests. Did you have a Pal Mickey?
When the guide map is open you can see how different Hollywood Studios looks now. There’s mention of the “new” High School Musical 2: School’s Out show and the Hollywood Holly-Day Parade (the dotted line was the parade route). Under Sunset Boulevard you’ll notice that McDonald’s still had a presence in the park at this time, with Fairfax Fries where guests could get McDonald’s french fries.
Looking at the map you’ll also be able to see some attractions that are no longer in the park. Some of the attractions were tough to see go, like The Great Movie Ride.
Closed Attractions
- The Great Movie Ride
- Sounds Dangerous-Starring Drew Carey
- Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure
- Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show
- The Disney-MGM Studios Backlot Tour
- Journey Into Narnia: Creating The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
- The Magic of Disney Animation
The Earffel Tower is also still present on the map, but that’s long gone as well. This was right before the park changed it’s name to Hollywood Studios, so during my trip the following year I was able to get a picture of the Earffel Tower with no writing on it, since they were changing names. The Earffel Tower opened on May 1, 1989 and closed on April 26, 2016 to make way for Toy Story Land.
Side-by-side Comparison
You can see the differences in the pictures below.
This was a fun piece of Disney’s past to look at. It’s always interesting to see how things have changed. What memorabilia from Disney’s past do you have?
Thanks for reading!
Liz
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Liz
I love all things Disney, but my main love is for Disney World and I'm always planning for the next trip. Before becoming a Disney blogger, I was a radio DJ, so I guess I'm just continuing in the communication industry, just in a different form. I love talking Disney and I could talk about Disney all day. That's why I started blogging and created the Facebook group. The Disney community is full of friendly, helpful, and happy people...and I love being a part of it! If there is any Disney subject you would like to see covered just let me know! Need help planning your Disney vacation. Feel free to contact myself or Melissa at Never Stop Dreaming Travel Co. We love helping people plan their trips! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy! Don't forget to check out our Countdown to Disney app! Feel free to email me with suggestions of things you would like to see in the app :-)