Disney's Hollywoodland

[WDWCrazy]

Disney’s Hollywoodland

(armchair Imagineering by WDWCrazy)

This didn't get too much attention when I posted it on another forum, so I brought it here.

This is my variation on the movie-themed park. It will combine elements of DHS in Florida and the Magic Kingdom-style park. Its similarities to DHS are, of course, the movie theme and I want the front of the park to be a Golden Age Hollywood setting just like in DHS. It will be like DL and MK because it will have a hub layout with distinct lands based on different movie genres or films (this is not a working studio and theme park, although I do have a land devoted to film-making and movie studios – the lands are the movies, not soundstages).

THE ICON:
I will keep the Sorcerer’s Hat as an icon for the place; however, it will not be shoehorned into the park’s Hollywood section. Rather, I’d place it just outside the turnstiles so that people walk through it to get to the gate. I’d keep the area around nice and open to prevent traffic problems from people inevitably wanting pictures. The Hat would be enlarged a bit, and I have some personal touches that I’d add underneath. A grandiose fountain underneath in the vein of what they have outside of HKDL (but with a movie theme) will be placed there. I envisioned Sorcerer Mickey right in the middle above everything else on a column of water, arms outstretched as if he were making magic. Scattered throughout the fountain would be various Disney characters, and every character would be involved with a fountain element in some way (e.g. Lilo & Stitch surfing a wave, an angry Donald piloting a very leaky boat). This would be quite the lively fountain. Up inside the cone of the hat would be hundreds of twinkling lights, fiber optics, and even a few lasers all synchronized to a BGM soundtrack featuring jazzy 30’s-40’s tunes (including an upbeat rendition of “Hooray for Hollywood”) and versions of classic Disney songs in the style of the 30’s and 40’s.

The best way to describe the logistics of this ambitious entrance before the gate is like walking under Spaceship Earth at Epcot, except people only need walk around the fountain and not an entire pavilion. (Is that too confusing?)

THE LAY OF THE LANDS:
As I said, this park will have a hub layout similar to DL or MK. The Chinese Theatre will be the main in-park weenie and will sit at the center of the hub. Most lands branch off the hub as they do in DL.

Here are the lands I have planned in my mind:
· Hollywood Blvd. – The Main St. of Hollywoodland, mostly identical to the one in DHS, except this one features trolleys. The one ride here is the Great Movie Ride. This street is the main part of the parade route.
· Sunset Blvd. – Once again, like at DHS, but with trolleys and different attractions. I’m considering actually not having a Tower of Terror here because I made another freefall ride for Toontown based on Roger Rabbit.
· Toontown – The “Fantasyland” of Hollywoodland, and the home Mickey & Friends as well as Roger Rabbit. This land is very important, with a glut of attractions.
· Muppet Square – The craziest land in this park. Featuring the Muppet Movie Ride!
· Indiana Jones: The Lost Expedition – A land devoted entirely to Indy. The thematic transition to this land is quite interesting and mysterious, I assure you.
· Sci-Fi Land: The name speaks for itself, a land devoted to the sci-fi genre. This section will be heavily influenced by Star Wars and feature several Star Wars attractions.
· The Shadowlands: My favorite part of this imaginary park. Combines three sub-lands: one for Disney villains like many have dreamed, one devoted to horror films, and one devoted to Nightmare Before Christmas.
· Narnia: Enter the magical storybook world. This land is more about exploring on foot, but there will be some rides, too.
· Streets of America: Like the one at DHS, but with rides galore. Including the Gangster Shootout that was never built!
· Route 66: This “Cars”-themed will be connected to the Hollywood/Sunset area thematically in that Route 66 is the “Road to Hollywood” (Route 66 went to L.A., right?). Similar to DCA’s proposed Carsland.
· Pixar Place: Since Pixar films don’t fit so well in DL parks, this mega-land will represent those great films through the sub-lands of Monstropolis (“Monsters Inc.”), Paris (“Ratatouille”), Toyland (“Toy Story”), and Sydney Harbor (“Finding Nemo”).
· Walt Disney Studios: This land is all about movie-making. Includes a “realistic” side based on real movie studios, and a “crazy” side that’s been taken over by cartoons and devoted to the art of animation. I wonder if this land should be divided between both sides (say, a Disney Studio and a Toon Studio? I thought combining it made an interesting backstory)

Yes, this park would be huge in real life, but this is my imagination combining my own concepts, unbuilt Disney rides, and some concepts I’ve seen from the internet into one big, whopping park that I would totally want to visit.

THE NIGHTTIME ENTERTAINMENT
Still haven’t decided where it should be, but I want Fantasmic to be the headliner for nighttime shows in Hollywoodland. It will be like the original show, but with some major edits to give it a Hollywood undertone and a combination of DL and WDW elements. I even found a way to incorporate the Muppets and Nightmare Before Christmas into this show! It will be presented in an amphitheater designed for the show. I thought it would be cool to have it in the Shadowlands, and then have the light and goodness flood the land after the show for people to walk out into, but then I thought it might be even cooler to ride these villain rides at night to amp up the chill factor (because Hollywoodland is of course going to open ‘til 1 am during peak season).

Maybe as a kiss goodnight, we could have a real fireworks show as well…I’ll have to work on that

So there it is. I’ll post some detailed posts about each land and the major rides when I can. Hope ya’ll like it.

[MANEATINGWREATH]

DUDE THIS SOUNDS AMAZING, KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK! I actually designed a new version of the Muppet Movie Ride if you want to hear about it, I posted it in my Disneyland Australia Thread. Where would this park go, Hong Kong?

[Sesshomaru-sama]

That sounds pretty awesome. I'm loving this idea. Great job!

Sincerely, a brother of a half-demon,
Sesshomaru-sama

[WDWCrazy]

Thank you for your kind responses. Once again, I'll come back when I can and post some detailed descriptions of the lands and major attractions.

ManEatingWreath: You know, I never gave any thought to locating this park into the real world...but Hong Kong would make sense for a location.

Next post:
A trip into Hollywood's Golden Years on the glitzy, art-deco streets of Hollywood Blvd!

[Sesshomaru-sama]

Why would Hong Kong be a good location? Is it to add on Disneyland Hong Kong?

Sincerely, a brother of a half-demon,
Sesshomaru-sama

[MANEATINGWREATH]

I suppose Hong Kong would be reasonable as the park does not have a Toontown yet nor an Indy or Star Wars ride.........

[WDWCrazy]

Hollywood Boulevard
Gateway to the Showbiz Kingdom

WALKING TOUR:
Out of the shadows of the towering Sorcerer’s Hat, immediately you are transported to the Golden Age of Hollywood. The gates to Hollywoodland are the iconic art deco curves of the Pan Pacific Auditorium. Once through the turnstile, guests find themselves in a city square that is the Hollywood version of Disneyland’s Town Square. Everyone’s favorite mouse, Mickey, towers above the square standing upon a globe at the Crossroads of the World, which forms an island in the middle of the square. Guests familiar with DHS will notice familiar buildings such as Sid Cahuenga’s One-of-a-Kind memorabilia shop and Oscar’s Service Station, but the square is bigger and more spread out. Turn left after the gate, and you’ll see the Hollywood Blvd. station for the Red Car Trolley, offering one-way or round-trip service to and from the Sunset Blvd. station. Let’s continue up the street. Both sides are lined with shops, all recreations or stylizations of real Hollywood architecture. On the roofs of the buildings, two billboards are placed advertising old movies (e.g. Fantasia or a Cary Grant movie) or products of the time period, and these will be switched out periodically to add to the realism. Hollywood Blvd. here is similar to World Bazaar in Tokyo because bisecting the two sides of the street is a side street that acts as a shortcut to Sunset Blvd. and Route 66. Hollywood, Sunset, and Route 66 are self-contained, which you’ll notice as you enter the park’s hub. The Chinese Theatre is this park’s main weenie, located within the hub. A moat separates Hollywood Blvd. from the lands (except Sunset and Route 66), with bridges leading like spokes outward to all the fun lands of the movies, just like Disneyland.

The Great Movie Ride
Inside the Chinese Theatre is The Great Movie Ride, a classic from DHS, but edited slightly from the original. The ride’s queue is similar to DHS, including a room showing trailers of the movies to be recreated in the ride. The ride has the same capacity as the DHS ride, but in order to improve the show, every tour will have two guides. One group will experience the gangster takeover scene, and the other group will have their tour taken over by a Wild West outlaw. Most of my changes are at the end. One thing to note is that all the Hollywood soundstage/movie set theming is not present.
Scene by scene:
- “The Footlight Parade”: this scene will go back and be fixed so that it moves again
- "Singin' in the Rain" and an expanded “Mary Poppins” scene marks the beginning of a tribute to Hollywood musicals: “Luck be a Lady” from “Guys and Dolls”, “Shall We Dance” from “The King and I”, and a scene from “The Sound of Music” (haven’t decided which number…there’s so many )
- “Casablanca” will be moved to the beginning, as well as additional vignettes from classic Hollywood romances: “Gone with the Wind”, “My Fair Lady”
- Gangster movies: The second tour group will stop here, experience a shootout in the street, and a gangster will hijack the tour
- Western movies: After passing animatronics of John Wayne and Clint Eastwood, the first tour group will get caught in the middle of a Wild West bank robbery and shootout, and an outlaw will take over their tour after blowing up the town with dynamite
- “Alien” and “Indiana Jones”: our tour guide comes back after the gangster/outlaw is turned into a skeleton in the “Raiders of the Lost Ark” scene
- After traveling through haunted catacombs with mummies coming to life, riders enter the climactic battle from “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”. The ride vehicles start spinning along with the “current” as rain falls and lightning flashes (guests will get a little wet). Pirates and Davy Jones’ crew swing back and forth between the ships, and cannons are going off all the while that create air blasts the guests can feel. Some cannonballs even hit the ride vehicle, creating a sudden jolt to create the illusion of impact. Animatronics of Davy Jones and Jack Sparrow fight aboard the Flying Dutchman over the Dead Man’s Chest, and animatronics of Barbossa, Will, Elizabeth, and some of the more familiar characters are seen fighting as well. Think of this as the sword fight from DLP’s Pirates ride x100. This scene is only the beginning of the ride’s climax.
- Our riders aren’t out of the waters yet  the vehicles “float” into the improved “Fantasia” scene. The vehicles are sway a little in a wavy sea with cool wind gusts blowing. Up ahead, we see bigger waves breaking on a tall outcropping of rock. Of course, our friend Sorcerer Mickey is up there using his magic to manipulate the waters and the skies. Stars twinkle and comets race past above the guests upon Mickey’s command. The Sorcerer Mickey AA will be quite animated and complex, performing a myriad of motions like in the movie.
- After we pass Mickey, the wind picks up into a swirling vortex. TORNADO! Riders are given the illusion of being swept up by the storm, and, through a video projection, guests will see themselves being lifted high above a Midwestern plain. And…what just barely missed hitting us? Could it be…Dorothy’s house?
- Everything turns pitch black, and we find ourselves in “The Wizard of Oz”. A scene with the Munchkins and Wicked Witch plays out just like in DHS. Riders then follow the Yellow Brick Road to the finale.
- The vehicles go straight into a large theater where the film montage plays. When the montage plays, Tinker Bell appears on screen, and the tour guide tells her, “Take us on home!” After Tinker Bell does her magic the vehicles go through a hallway with neon lights and art deco designs like the first tunnel simulating the transition back from the movie world, where Audio-Animatronic representations of the main characters in the ride’s movies all flank the vehicles and take a bow. The tour guides will say something to the effect of, “Let’s hear it for all our classic Hollywood characters! (audience is prompted to applaud) Take a bow, guys!” During this time, “Hooray for Hollywood” is playing.
- The vehicles return to the same station where they started and they exit directly into the hub to “enjoy the rest of [their] day at Disney’s Hollywoodland!”

So, guys, tell me what you think! How do ya like Hollywoodland so far?

If my speed in posting this is any indication, I am pretty busy, so I'll post as often as I can.

Next post:
Hollywood Blvd. (continued) - Red Car Trolley

[MANEATINGWREATH]

I really like this whole project! Its like Disneyland created around a different theme! I do have a Muppet Movie Ride if you want to check it out.

[alyx92]

Sounds like a park I would like to go to! DHS is my favorite of the parks and this sounds great! If i have any ideas that you might want to use, I'll post up. Keep up the good work!!!!!!

[WDWCrazy]

Originally Posted by MANEATINGWREATH

I really like this whole project! Its like Disneyland created around a different theme! I do have a Muppet Movie Ride if you want to check it out.

Yes, a movie themed DL is exactly what I wanted. The layout of the park is ideal from a navigation standpoint. And DL is successful in that it combines several different theme experiences (e.g. Adventureland, Tomorrowland), so my theory was that the same idea would work for movie themes that don't necessary fit into the lands of DL.

I'll have to check out your Muppet Movie Ride when I get the chance.
Posted via Mobile Device

[Sesshomaru-sama]

It's all pretty amazing right now. I'm loving the ideas.

Sincerely, a brother of a half-demon,
Sesshomaru-sama

[MANEATINGWREATH]

As for Sci-fi place or whatever, include ideas from the Tomorrowland 2055 project and the Sci-fi City redo of TDL's Tomorrowland that would make it great!

[WDWCrazy]

Originally Posted by MANEATINGWREATH

As for Sci-fi place or whatever, include ideas from the Tomorrowland 2055 project and the Sci-fi City redo of TDL's Tomorrowland that would make it great!

Wow you totally read my mind. I was definitely looking for inspiration from both concepts. If you can imagine some of that stuff with a bit of a Star Wars motif, then you have a pretty good mental picture of what Sci-Fi Land looks like. But you'll have to wait - I am only on Hollywood haha! I like the enthusiasm.

BTW the Trolleys are almost done.
Posted via Mobile Device

[MANEATINGWREATH]

Include the flying saucers! lol.

[WDWCrazy]

Originally Posted by MANEATINGWREATH

Include the flying saucers! lol.

Luigi's Flying Tires in Route 66 (based on the DCA concept) is a takeoff on the Flying Saucers. Though it is something to consider...

Anyhoo....

The Red Car Trolley
The trolley in Hollywoodland serves pretty much the same purpose as the Main Street Vehicles in Disneyland.

Here are some good pics for reference (copy and paste into your address bar):http://micechat.com/forums/disneylan...g-red-car.html

Of course, the trolley will have to be scaled down a bit for it to work in the park, plus the trolley will need a different power source so that there aren't any overhead electric wires throwing off the scale and looking ugly. But, I am more concerned with the look of the trolley, and the first page of that thread has the trolley I'm looking for. Notice the intricate details in the woodworking, and scroll down a little to get a look at authentic machinery to operate it.

The Red Car Trolley will run in a loop to maximize capacity, starting at Hollywood Blvd, turning right down Sunset, looping back through the Hub to the beginning of Route 66, and back down to Hollywood Blvd. The station at Route 66 will be the "L.A. City Limits Station", to maintain continuity with the backstory of Route 66 and Hollywood Blvd (referring to the original post: Route 66 is the "Road to Hollywood" featuring attractions inspired by the movie "Cars"). Sunset Blvd. will have a roundhouse for the trolleys that guests can explore.

So I have the look down, but I need you guys to help me with the power source. I don't want overhead wires, but at the same time dressing up buses to look like trolleys is silly because trolleys are supposed to run on rails and it would throw off the authentic machinery I wanted inside. Any suggestions?

Next post:
Sunset Boulevard