A Date Which Will Live in Infamy

December 7, 1941

On this date sixty-eight years ago, the U.S. Naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii was attacked, plunging the country into World War II. Today, on Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, we honor the brave men and women who served their country then and those who have continued to defend our freedom since.

This weekend, I had the great pleasure of spending time with a veteran of that war, my grandfather Julian Taylor. We took the family to Disney's Hollywood Studios for many reasons, not the least of which is that Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show is one of my grandfather's favorite attractions. As it turns out, there are several references to Pearl Harbor, World War II and the "Greatest Generation" throughout the Studios.

Guests visiting the Studio Backlot Tour first stop in at the Special Effects Water Tank. The pre-show area contains props and models from several big-budget action movies, including the 2001 epic Pearl Harbor, starring Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett and Kate Beckinsale. Portions of the actual large-scale models of the U.S.S. Arizona, Oklahoma and West Virginia used in the film are on display here.

Rounding the corner into the show, you may also catch a glimpse of this photo of Director Michael Bay on the set of Pearl Harbor, shooting in a massive water tank.

During the water tank show, Guest volunteers are selected to portray starring roles in scenes on a PT boat and in a ship's engine room. The "movie" in production here is the fictional Harbor Attack. Since the scenes are played for laughs, out of sensitivity there's no direct reference to Pearl Harbor in this portion of the show.

Pearl Harbor gets one more nod on the tour, though, as the shuttles pass by two prop planes used in the production of the film.

Check back over the next couple of days for more of the wartime storytelling details discovered at Disney's Hollywood Studios, and take a moment today to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice so many years ago.

Extinct Hollywood

Over the past 20 years, many attractions have come and gone at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Here's a mostly (I think) complete list of what has been:

Pacific Electric Pictures Screen Test - The current L.A. Cinema Storage shop on Hollywood Boulevard once housed this attraction/merchandise location in which Guests were pulled off the street and invited to "audition" before the cameras. They could then purchase a video cassette of their performance as a souvenir.

Sights & Sounds - Now part of Keystone Clothiers, this was another attraction/merchandise setup where Guests could record their very own music videos.

Discover the Stories Behind the Magic - These interactive kiosks were located in a small room beneath the giant Sorcerer's Hat during the year-long 100 Years of Magic celebration. The kiosks provided a look at some of the milestones in Walt Disney's entertainment career. Similar kiosks covering different aspects of Walt Disney's life and work were located in the other three parks at Walt Disney World.

SuperStar Television - The American Idol Experience now occupies the theater originally home to this attraction, where Guests were inserted into scenes from classic television shows. Later, this same location was home to Disney's DOUG Live! and Get Happy with ABC, a short-lived "attraction" which was really just a promotion for ABC's upcoming fall season.

Monster Sound Show - This attraction, located in the theater which now hosts Sounds Dangerous Starring Drew Carey, gave Guests the opportunity to step onto a Foley Stage and produce sound effects for a short film featuring Martin Short and Chevy Chase. Prior to Sounds Dangerous, the Sound Studio also hosted One Saturday Morning in which Guests applied sound effects to a segment of the 101 Dalmatians animated series.

Bear in the Big Blue House - Stage 5 in the Animation Courtyard was first converted from a restaurant (the old Soundstage Restaurant) to a theater for this live show based on the TV series. After a couple years, the show became Playhouse Disney - LIVE on Stage!, but still included Bear and his pals. The show was similar in structure, but actually quite different from the Playhouse Disney - LIVE show that plays today.

Here Come the Muppets - In 1989, the Voyage of the Little Mermaid theater was the spot where previews of coming attractions were screened at the end of the Backstage Studio Tour. By the next year, another theater had been built for that purpose (currently part of One Man's Dream), and this location hosted a live show with Jim Henson's Muppets. Highlights included Lily Tomlin as a Walt Disney World telephone operator and Animal crashing through the theater wall with a monorail.

Muppets on Location: The Days of Swine and Roses - This live Muppet show replaced Here Come the Muppets, but in a different location (roughly where Luigi's Casa della Tires and Premiere Theater are today). Kermit played the director, riding high on a camera boom, and Miss Piggy made a grand entrance in a pink convertible.

The Magic of Disney Animation - While an attraction with this title exists today, it is completely different from what was there from 1989-1996. The original attraction started with an exhibit gallery and the film "Back to Neverland" with Robin Williams and Walter Cronkite. Guests then toured the various departments of the Animation Studio, watching actual production take place. A couple of Roger Rabbit shorts were made here, as were segments of Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King. As the Studio expanded, they were able to produce entire films on their own, including Lilo & Stitch, Mulan, and Brother Bear. In 2004, the decision was made to close the Florida Animation Studio and consolidate production efforts at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. The area of this attraction which now houses the Character greetings and interactive stations used to be part of the working floor of the Studio.

Backstage Studio Tour - The original tour started in what is now called the Animation Courtyard and lasted nearly two hours, incorporating the Shuttle ride and Walking Tour of the Production Center. Please see my earlier post for more details on this attraction. As the attraction was split in two, the walking portion morphed into a couple different iterations. First was Inside the Magic: Special Effects and Production Tour. This started where today's Studio Backlot Tour begins, but then went through the Special Effects areas, Soundstages, and Post-Production facilities. In 1996, Backstage Pass to 101 Dalmatians made its debut. This attraction started under the marquee in front of Soundstage 1 and heavily promoted the new Glen Close live-action film. This version also replaced the Bette Midler short film "The Lottery" on Stage 4 (now home to Journey Into Narnia) with more clips, sets, and props from 101 Dalmatians. A couple years later, portions of Backstage Pass were updated to feature items from Home Improvement.

Let's Make a Deal - From the beginning, Studios Guests were invited to be part of the live audience for shows taping on the Soundstages. With NBC's early-90s remake of the classic game show Let's Make a Deal, the set was also used for an attraction version of the show on days when no tapings were scheduled. Guests in the pre-show were selected to be contestants, then taken backstage to get dressed in outlandish costumes so they could play for real prizes.

Disney Channel TV Tryouts - Another short-lived attraction, TV Tryouts occupied Soundstage 3 and gave Guests the opportunity to strut their stuff for a live studio audience. Clips of Guests performing in the attraction were then aired on Disney Channel in an attempt to promote the park, although I don't believe anyone was ever discovered this way. Most interesting was the pre-show, a video which told the fictional story of how Mickey Mouse got his start in show business. In the video, Gary Marshall played the director, and there were cameos by Michael Eisner, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and Roy E. Disney (portraying his uncle Walt). This video was later shown for a short time in the Main Street Cinema at the Magic Kingdom under the title "Mickey's Debut."

Who Wants to be a Millionaire - Play It! - In 2001, Soundstages 2 and 3 became home to the theme park version of the hit TV game show. This time, the set was built purely as an attraction (unlike Deal), but was occasionally used by the production crew when they decided to take Regis (and later Meredith) on the road. Guests played for points, pins, and prizes... up to a top prize of a trip to New York City (later changed to a Disney Cruise). Special editions of Millionaire were also created for the Star Wars, Super Soap, and ESPN Weekend events.

The Making Of... - At various times, portions of the buildings stretching from Soundstage 4 to the One Man's Dream theater were all used for promotional attractions designed to give Guests a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the production of the latest Disney films. The first was The Making of The Lion King in 1994, which was nothing more than Guests entering the back doors of the theater (near the Animation Courtyard restrooms) to watch a Disney Channel-produced special about the film. Later versions got more sophisticated for The Making of... Pocahontas, Toy Story, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Evita, and Armageddon. The most spectacular was probably The Making of The Haunted Mansion, which reproduced the interior set from that Eddie Murphy film on Soundstage 4. Stage 4 was next used for Journey Into Narnia: Creating the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, essentially a super-elaborate Making Of that included a live appearance by Jadis, the White Witch. Journey Into Narnia: Prince Caspian occupies this space today.

Theater of the Stars - The theater, now on Sunset Boulevard, was originally located on Hollywood Blvd. in the area where the Tips & Information Board is today. While there, the theater played host to several shows including "Hollywood! Hollywood!", "Dick Tracy in Diamond Double Cross," "Hollywood's Pretty Woman," and the Star Conversation series. During the Grand Opening week of the Studios, LIVE with Regis and Kathy Lee broadcast from this stage.

Backlot Entertainment - Once the New York Street sets were opened to pedestrian traffic in August 1989, efforts were made to put something out there for Guests to experience. Among the attempts were Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (a brief show and Character greeting), Al's Toy Barn (Character greeting, where Luigi's is today), Ace Ventura Pet Detective (show and autograph session), Toon Park (photo ops with Characters, a trolley, and the Dip Mobile from Who Framed Roger Rabbit), and Goosebumps Horrorland Funhouse (show and walk-through attraction).

Rocketeer Gallery - The space that is now home to the Toy Story Pizza Planet Arcade was originally intended to be a Muppet restaurant. When that didn't work out, the location opened as a make-shift exhibit space with props and costumes from Disney's 1991 summer release, The Rocketeer. The next year, the gallery was rechristened Studio Showcase, and the mix of props was expanded to feature items from Honey I Blew Up the Kid, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and other films. Studio Showcase was a precursor to the AFI Showcase being added to the end of the Studios Backlot Tour. Once AFI was opened, this space became the Studio Arcade for a short time before finally becoming associated with the Toy Story films.

The Loony Bin - While officially listed as a shop, this spot included loads of fun photo ops from Who Framed Roger Rabbit, as well as a collection of boxes which produced silly sound effects when opened.

The Backlot Theater - Today's Premiere Theater started out as a temporary outdoor venue, built to house "Beauty and the Beast - Live on Stage" during the construction of Sunset Blvd. The theater was enhanced with shade trees for its next production, "The Spirit of Pocahontas," and finally received a roof for "The Hunchback of Notre Dame - A Musical Spectacular."

The Hollywood That Was

It's hard to believe, but just one week from today, we'll be celebrating the 20th anniversary of Disney's Hollywood Studios. In honor of the occasion, I'll have a series of posts for you about the Grand Opening of the park, its history, and many of the storytelling details found throughout. But let's begin at the beginning...

The idea for a tour of the Disney Studios actually originated with Walt Disney and predates Disneyland. As early as the 1930s, Walt was receiving letters from fans wanting a peek behind-the-scenes at the place where Mickey Mouse and Snow White were born. Walt maintained that the actual day-to-day activities of production would be boring to the average outsider, but he ultimately couldn't resist the demands of the public. With the 1941 release of The Reluctant Dragon, Walt gave the people what they wanted... sort of. The film follows comedian Robert Benchley as he stumbles through all the various Studio departments on his way to a meeting with the Big Cheese.

Although The Reluctant Dragon was, in essence, a filmed tour of Disney's new Burbank Studio, people still couldn't visit, so Walt started dreaming up ideas for something that could be open to the public. His initial plans for a Mickey Mouse Park on Riverside Drive, across the street from the Studio lot, eventually grew into Disneyland. Meanwhile, Walt Disney continued to give his audience the occasional peek behind the curtain via the Disneyland and Wonderful World of Color anthology series on TV.

Many years later, when Disney's Imagineers were tasked with developing potential expansion ideas for EPCOT Center, one of the concepts which took hold was for an Entertainment Pavilion, to be located between The Land and Journey Into Imagination (concept art below ©Disney). Guests would have passed through a theater marquee facade to experience several attractions, including a trip through great movie moments, a show placing Guests into scenes from classic TV shows, and an interactive exhibit showcasing Disney animation.

When Michael Eisner and Frank Wells joined the Company in 1984, one of their primary goals was to increase the Studio's output of movie and television production. On an early visit to Walt Disney Imagineering in Glendale, they were presented with the Entertainment Pavilion concept. The Imagineers were asked to expand upon the initial idea to create what would become the third theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida: a working film and TV studio and Studio Tour attraction.

For the attraction side of things, Disney wanted to present an homage to the Golden Age of movies, fleshing out the idea by striking a licensing deal with classic movie studio Metro Goldwyn Mayer. The Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park would bring together the classic glitz and glamour of old Hollywood with a look at a modern production facility, where Guests could see actual movies, TV shows, and Disney animated shorts created right before their eyes.

The working studio started operations in Summer 1988, with the production of the Touchstone Pictures comedy Ernest Saves Christmas. The theme park made its debut the following year, on May 1, 1989. At opening, the Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park was intended to be a half-day experience. In fact, there were only five attractions: The Backstage Studio Tour, The Magic of Disney Animation, The Great Movie Ride, Superstar Television (current home of The American Idol Experience), and Monster Sound Show (now Sounds Dangerous - Starring Drew Carey).

Everything in purple on the map above was part of The Backstage Studio Tour. The tour began at the Shuttle load station (what is now the entrance to the Disney Animation attraction). In addition to areas still included on the Studios Backlot Tour, the Backstage Studio Tour Shuttles also visited the Greens Department, Residential Street, and New York Street. Along the way, Guests were treated to views of exterior sets from Golden Girls and Empty Nest (and later Honey I Blew Up the Kid, George of the Jungle, The Rocketeer, and Dick Tracy), and encounters with Herbie the Love Bug and the Dip-Mobile from Who Framed Roger Rabbit. At the conclusion of the Shuttle experience, Guests could take a break at the Studio Catering Company, then continue with Part II of the tour, a guided walk through the Special Effects Warehouse and Shooting Stage, Soundstages, and post-production facilities. Videos featuring Warren Beatty, the cast of The Cosby Show, George Lucas, Mel Gibson, and Pee-Wee Herman attempted to explain how everything was done, and a short film produced at Disney-MGM Studios (The Lottery, starring Bette Midler) showed how it all came together. The final stop on this two-hour tour was the Walt Disney Theater (now home to Voyage of the Little Mermaid), where previews of coming attractions were introduced by a humorous interaction between Michael Eisner (wearing a Mickey Mouse watch) and Mickey Mouse (wearing a Michael Eisner watch).

The Studios park was an immediate hit with Walt Disney World Guests, and work began on ways to expand the park and its offerings. Over the past 20 years, the Studios has grown by leaps and bounds. Today, it brings to life experiences from movies, TV, animation, live theater and music. The name Disney's Hollywood Studios, adopted officially in January 2008, reflects this growth and the park's mission to represent all aspects of Hollywood, both classic and modern.