Hollywood Boulevard

Once through Disney Studio 1, the Hollywood set continues in a much more realistic fashion, with Hollywood Boulevard on the studio lot. Between the two is a small park, at the center of which stands a copy of "Partners," the statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse crafted by Blaine Gibson. You'll also find a copy of the dedication of Walt Disney Studios Park, opened by then-CEO Michael Eisner on March 12, 2002:

To all who enter this studio of dreams... welcome.
Walt Disney Studios is dedicated to our timeless fascination and affection for cinema and television. Here we celebrate the art and the artistry of storytellers from Europe and around the world who create the magic. May this special place stir our own memories of the past, and our dreams of the future.

The Hollywood Boulevard sets use an illusion of forced perspective to give the impression the buildings are taller and the street longer than they are. Seen from the point of view of Disney Studio 1, Hollywood Blvd. seems to go on for miles, all the way to the famous Hollywood sign. In reality, it's merely a handful of carefully-placed facades.

Each facade, though, is a work of art unto itself, dressed out with props and exterior details that complete the illusion. Whether it's the Deluxe Talent Agency (where hopeful starlets might go to get discovered) or Gower Books & Music (which takes its name from Gower Street in Hollywood), these look like real businesses you can step right into.

Ready for your close-up? Be sure to visit DeMille Studio for professional headshots! (Cecil B. DeMille was not only one of the greatest directors in old Hollywood, but also the subject of Norma Desmond's famous line in the film Sunset Boulevard: "Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up."

There's the well-traveled intersection of Hollywood and Vine, and nearby... Hollywood & Lime, a refreshing drink and snack station sponsored by Perrier. Typical of what would be found on a real movie studio lot, much of the food service at Walt Disney Studios Park is handled by food trucks and carts like this, all in the guise of Studio Catering.

The entire Hollywood Blvd. area of Walt Disney Studios was added to the park in 2007, both as a placemaking enhancement and to support the addition of the park's newest attraction, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.

A near duplicate of the Tower of Terror attraction built at Disney California Adventure, Guests in the Paris park are taken beyond the old Hollywood sets and placed right in the middle of the action in their very own episode of "The Twilight Zone."

All the World's a Stage

Hollywood Pictures Backlot at Disney's California Adventure is not meant to be Hollywood. After all, you can visit the real thing just up the road. Instead, this district of the park sets out to recreate the feeling of being on the lot of a grand Hollywood movie studio.

The scene opens with a dramatic studio gate for the fictional Hollywood Pictures (although for a time Disney did release films under the "Hollywood Pictures" banner). The gate is an elaborate tribute to the Great Wall of Babylon set from D.W. Griffith's 1916 silent film classic, Intolerance. The original set was constructed at the junction of Hollywood & Sunset Boulevard and remained in place for quite a few years after production wrapped.

The main drag of the Hollywood Pictures studio is decked out as a giant exterior set of Hollywood Boulevard. Take a peek around any of the Spanish baroque or art deco facades, and you'll discover they're held up by scaffolding.

Beyond the Hollywood Boulevard set are the sand-colored sounstages and other production facilities of the studio. In some, like the now-shuttered Hollywood & Dine restaurant, Guests could visit standing sets from various productions. In the case of Hollywood & Dine, a food court-style restaurant, the interior sets recreated the look of a number of legendary Hollywood clubs and eateries including Don the Beachcomber, Schwab's Pharmacy, Villa Capri, the Wilshire Bowl, the Zebra Room, the Victor Hugo Restaurant and Ciro's.

The Hollywood Pictures Backlot culminates in a spectacular forced-perspective scene, creating a trompe l'oeil effect of a streetscape of classic Hollywood movie palaces against a blue-sky backdrop. Among the theaters depicted is the El Capitan, which the Walt Disney Company has leased since funding a multi-million dollar restoration effort in the early 90s. The marquee of the El Capitan typically showcases the latest Disney film release (usually playing simultaneously at the real El Capitan).

The scene also includes the "entrance" of the Hyperion Theater, based on the historic Los Angeles Theater which opened in downtown L.A. in 1931 with the premiere of Charlie Chaplin's City Lights. The Hyperion gets its name from the California street on which Walt Disney had one of his early studio facilities.

An Adventure in America

Standing across World Showcase Lagoon is the stately Georgian manor facade of the host pavilion, The American Adventure. At one point conceived as a ride-through experience bridging Future World and World Showcase, the attraction evolved into one of the most spectacular theatrical presentations ever created for a Disney Park. It was moved to the opposite side of the lagoon both to be a better host, blending architecturally with its neighbors, and to serve as a draw, its must-see status inspiring Epcot Guests to make the trip through World Showcase.

The American Adventure show is immense in scale, and the building housing it is equally huge. To help keep it from overshadowing the other World Showcase pavilions, the trick of forced perspective is employed. But where forced perspective is often used in the parks to make structures like Cinderella Castle or the Matterhorn appear taller or larger, here its goal is to make the mansion look smaller.

In reality, the front face of the building is nearly five stories tall, but is made to look like two (or three if you count the windows in the roof). The illusion is accomplished through the use of oversize details. Doors on the first floor, for example, are nearly 10 feet tall. You'll also notice a line of brick across the center of the facade, creating an artificial delineation between the "first" and "second" stories.

Inside, the pavilion is equally grand. The rotunda takes your breath away, even if the wonderfully talented Voices of Liberty aren't performing. Should you find yourself in a nearly empty rotunda, try this trick: stand at one end and have a friend stand at the other... and whisper. Although you'll be quite a distance apart, you can easily hear one another. The acoustics are that good.

There are many details to enjoy here while waiting for Franklin and Twain to take the stage. Take a few moments to walk the perimeter and admire the paintings on display, marking key moments in American history. Some claim a Hidden Mickey behind the front left leg of the black and white steer in this depiction of the journey west. I say it's wishful thinking, but you may feel otherwise.

Heading around the room, be sure to read through the quotes featured on the wall and contemplate how they reflect on the American experience, and don't miss this most-unusual antique... a one-legged table standing in the corner.

The American Heritage Gallery, a fairly recent addition to the pavilion, currently features an exhibit entitled "National Treasures." On display are, among other things, original Edison inventions and articles once owned by the likes of Mark Twain and Abraham Lincoln.

The American Adventure attraction speaks for itself. It may not be the huge draw it once was, but the show is as inspiring as ever. The technology never ceases to amaze me, and the film montage at the end never fails to bring a tear to my eye. The song playing over that montage is "Golden Dream" by Bob Moline.

"Golden Dream" also happens to be the name of the replica Virginia Sloop docked at the edge of the lagoon. It's an homage to the very beginnings of this nation, a country settled by people who set sail in search of their dreams and found them in a land called America.