The Complete Guide to Hollywood Studios

Disney’s Hollywood Studios opened in 1989, under the name Disney-MGM Studios. In many ways, the park served as an answer to Universal Studios Florida, which was being constructed at the same time. Hollywood Studios was originally a relatively small park, containing a Studio Tour and a handful of other attractions. Over time it has grown into one of the most popular theme parks in all of Walt Disney World, especially following the addition of the highly anticipated Galaxy’s Edge. The first time I visited Hollywood Studios, the park was undergoing a major remodelling. On my most recent trip to the park however, I got to experience the park in its full reimagined glory. I really enjoyed it, and there’s now tons to do. Hollywood Studios has definitely now earned its status as a full day theme park!

• If its your first time visiting Walt Disney World, check out the basics in my overview post HERE.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios – The Basics:

• Where? 351 S Studio Drive, Lake Buena Vista, Florida
• When? Hollywood Studios is open daily, however hours differ by season and day of the week. Disney Resort guests can get into the park 30 minutes before regular park guests. On certain days, resort guests are also eligible for extended park hours in the evening.
• How much? Basic park tickets start at $109.00 USD per day for one park. Park Hopper passes cost more, and you can also pay to add on the Genie+ feature, which lets you make Lightning Lane (skip the line) reservations for certain attractions. When staying on Disney property, I purchase my tickets with my resort package.
• How to get there: Most Disney Resorts connect to Hollywood Studios by shuttle service. A variety of resorts including Pop Century, Art of Animation, Caribbean Beach and Riviera Resorts are linked to the park by the Skyliner, which is a convenient way to get to Hollywood Studios. Boat service is also available from the resorts along the EPCOT boardwalk.
• Website: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/destinations/hollywood-studios/

Things to Know Before Visiting Hollywood Studios

If you’re looking for the most exciting, thrilling and immersive attractions in Walt Disney World, Hollywood Studios is probably the park that you are going to enjoy the most. It had definitely changed a lot on my most recent trip, and for that reason you need to make sure you give it the appropriate amount of time. While one day will allow you to see all the park has to offer, the days of Hollywood Studios being a half day destination have long gone.

Walt Disney World now uses the Genie+ system. My most recent trip to the parks was my first experience with it. It takes a bit of getting used to, coming from the old Fastpass+ mindset, but overall I found it really intuitive and simple to use (even if I’m not the biggest fan of having to make that first reservation at 7.00am each day). Unlike Fastpass+, Genie+ is a paid service, but I think its worth the extra cost. Other than Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios is the park where you’ll get the most advantage out of using it, as the park has quite a few attractions that get long lines as the day goes on.

The only major attraction that doesn’t currently use Genie+’s included Lightning Lane system is Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. Resistance offers Individual Lightning Lane reservations for purchase throughout the day to avoid the regular standby queue. As the best attraction in Walt Disney World, personally, I think its worth it.

Given the popularity of the rides at Hollywood Studios, you should aim to get to the park 60 minutes before official opening time.

• Need help planning a day at Hollywood Studios? You can read the itinerary I followed on my recent trip HERE.

Layout of Disney’s Hollywood Studios

As you enter Hollywood Studios, you’ll head down Hollywood Boulevard, a main street type entrance area that leads to a replica of the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, the park’s iconic landmark. From the Chinese Theatre, you can branch off into either Sunset Boulevard or Animation Courtyard to the right, or Echo Lake to the left. Moving deeper into the park, Toy Story Land is located behind the Chinese Theatre to the right, while Grand Avenue connects Echo Lake to Galaxy’s Edge (which also links back to Toy Story Land). It might seem hard to visualise the layout of Hollywood Studios compared to the other parks at Walt Disney World, but if you look at the park map, you’ll easily find your way around.

For the remainder of this post, we’ll take a deep dive into each of these areas of the park and cover all there is to do at Hollywood Studios.

Hollywood Boulevard

The entrance area to Hollywood Studios, Hollywood Boulevard, is inspired by the real life street of the same name, though the palm lined thoroughfare here is set back in Hollywood’s Golden Age. Numerous landmarks can be seen as you make your way down the street, most notably the Chinese Theatre, which houses the park’s newest headline attraction. Hollywood Boulevard is also a good place for shopping, with countless stores and eateries throughout the area.

Rides in Hollywood Boulevard:

Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway

The Runaway Railway is a trackless dark ride housed inside the Chinese Theatre (the former home of the popular Great Movie Ride). Its definitely an upgrade on its predecessor. Believe it or not, its actually the first attraction in a Disney park themed around the adventures of Mickey Mouse himself! You board a train after Goofy crashes it through a screening of Mickey’s latest cartoon, and the rest is history. Move over Its a Small World, this ride has a new contender for a song that will be stuck in your head after riding!

Naturally, being a new attraction that is also right at the front of the park. the Runaway Railway is bound to be swamped with guests throughout the day. Making a Lightning Lane reservation works well, though on my latest trip I beat the crowds by doing this one right on park opening.

Dining in Hollywood Boulevard

Hollywood Boulevard is home to the signature dining restaurant of Hollywood Studios – the Hollywood Brown Derby. Inspired by the famous Brown Derby, this restaurant serves American gourmet style food in an excellent vintage Hollywood atmosphere. There’s even a lounge and bar area if you’re not looking for a full meal. The restaurant also offers Fantasmic dining packages (although Fantasmic was not back up and running on my latest visit to the park). If you’re looking for a quick pick me up to go, this part of the park is also where you’ll find the Trolley Car Cafe, which is essentially the Starbucks of Hollywood Studios.

Sunset Boulevard

It may be the second most well known street in Hollywood, but in this park, its the place to be. Sunset Boulevard continues the theming of 1940s Hollywood as another long street that takes you to a number of the park’s more thrilling attractions. There’s also a fair bit to see in terms of entertainment in the various venues along this thoroughfare. Unlike the rest of the park however, you won’t find much in the way of dining on Sunset Boulevard.

Rides in Sunset Boulevard:

Rock n Rollercoaster starring Aerosmith

As one of the best rollercoasters in all of Walt Disney World, Rock n Roller Coaster is also one of its most thrilling. Housed totally inside and in the dark, this coaster starts with an initial launch from zero to 57 miles per hour that is sure to get your adrenaline pumping. The idea of the ride is that you’re taking a trip with Aerosmith across Hollywood in their super fast limo to make it to a concert on the other side of town. As a result, your heart pounding rush through multiple loops and inversions is accompanied by various rock tracks from the band. Rock n Roller Coaster is a great thrill ride, and thanks to the single rider line you can do it over and over again. I love this coaster!

The Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror

What could be more thrilling than a high speed coaster in the dark? Try the mansion next door. The Tower of Terror is my favourite ride in all of Walt Disney World. After becoming immersed in the incredibly themed mansion that doubles as the queue area, you’ll find yourself boarding the tower’s elevator from the boiler room. That’s where the ride begins as you’re sent soaring up the thirteen story shaft, crossing over into the Twilight Zone in the process.

What follows is a series of random plunges up and down the shaft, making it seem as though the elevator cable has snapped on numerous occasions. You’ll get (very) brief views of the rest of the park from the top of the tower, but you’ll probably be screaming too much to take it in! The Tower of Terror is an incredible experience, filled with nods to the Twilight Zone TV series along the way. Don’t miss this one. Lines can build up here, making it another good use of Genie+.

Other Attractions in Sunset Boulevard:

Beauty & The Beast Live on Stage

Housed in the outdoor Theatre of the Stars, this 25 minute performance is a Broadway style show that retells the story of Beauty and the Beast. While its obviously an abridged version, all the classic musical numbers make their way into the performance. The theatre is outdoors but there’s a canopy that blocks out the sun, making Beauty and the Beast a good choice when the lines get long throughout the park during the early afternoon. Its not on the level of some of the other plays throughout Disney World, but its still worth catching this one during its multiple performances throughout the day.

Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy

Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy is a relatively new addition to the Hollywood Studios lineup. Housed inside a theatre, this ten minute screen based film sees a real animatronic Lightning McQueen taking a whirl around a virtual racetrack and doing battle with his rivals. Various other characters from the Cars franchise make appearances along the way. Its a fun show that is good for killing time if you’re in this area of the park when things get busy (and another excuse to get out of the Florida heat).

Fantasmic

Fantasmic is the night time spectacular Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Starring Mickey Mouse, the show is all about good versus evil and numerous special effects, water projections and fireworks as our favourite Mouse does battle against various Disney villains, including the Dragon form of Maleficent. Its a great show, but make sure you arrive before showtime. Even though the outdoor arena can hold up to 10,000 guests, its not unusual for guests to be declined entrance due to the arena hitting capacity. Fantasmic generally runs one or two times a night. If there’s two performances scheduled, the second will normally be less crowded.

Fantasmic was still closed on my latest trip to Walt Disney World, however it has reopened as of November 2022.

Dining in Sunset Boulevard

There’s no fancy dining options in Sunset Boulevard, but if you’re after a bite in this section of the park, you’ll want to head over to the Sunset Ranch Market. Inspired by the original Farmer’s Market in Los Angeles, this dining area offers regular theme park cuisine at numerous counter service stands. Nothing special, but decent if you’re stuck.

Animation Courtyard

Tucked away to the right of the Chinese Theatre, this small corner of the park is home to more of Hollywood Studios’ entertainment. Formerly the start of the backlot tour, it now contains various attractions based on Walt Disney and his animated creations. You won’t find any rides in this tiny part of the park, nor any dining options aside from a Joffrey’s stand.

Attractions in Animation Courtyard:

Walt Disney Presents

This walk through exhibit is a mini-museum that gives visitors a greater understanding of the life of Walt Disney and the theme parks that he inspired. If you’re interested in Walt’s life, this is a really underrated area to spend a bit of time seeing. It culminates in a touching movie in tribute to the creator of all things Disney. At the back of the hall there is also a meet and greet location for various Disney characters (I’ve met Moana here in the past, though on my most recent trip it was Sully from Monsters Inc).

Star Wars Launch Bay

Another walk through exhibit, Launch Bay is all about the Star Wars films, with various replicas of props and costumes on display. I’m not sure how long Launch Bay will be around – it always struck me as an area to give guests a quick Star Wars fix while Galaxy’s Edge was being built, but if you’re a fan, its worth quickly checking out the exhibits on display here. The highlights of Star Wars Launch Bay are the character meet and greets – currently you can meet Chewbacca, Darth Vader and BB-8 here.

Disney Junior Dance Party

Not having kids, I’ve never seen this show, nor do I have any intention of doing so. Basically, its a sing and dance along performance for children featuring various Disney Junior characters (most of whom I have no idea who they are). If you’ve got young kids, they’ll likely enjoy this.

Echo Lake

Over to the left of Hollywood Boulevard, the Echo Lake section of the Studios is once again themed around the real lake of the same name in Los Angeles. Fringing around the small man-made lake there are more buildings in the vein of Hollywood’s Golden Age and a number of classic attractions. Aside from the lake itself, perhaps the best known landmark in the area is the giant dinosaur statue. Named Gertie, and housing an ice cream stand, this is a tribute to one of Hollywood’s very first animated characters (she was brought to the screen before the work of Disney!).

Rides in Echo Lake:

Star Tours – The Adventure Continues

Star Tours is the original Star Wars attraction at Walt Disney World, dating way before the opening of Galaxy’s Edge. While it may no longer be groundbreaking, its still a lot of fun for fans of the galaxy far, far away. Basically, you board a motion simulator vehicle and thanks to our favourite droid navigation team of C-3PO and R2-D2, you’re taken on a journey through hyperspace, stopping at randomly selected planets along the way. That’s the best part of Star Tours – you never know where you’re going to go on your journey. One ride could see you podracing on Tatooine, then next time you’ll be darting around imperial walkers on Hoth. While Star Tours is nowhere near as popular as it used to be thanks to Galaxy’s Edge, its still a lot of fun.

Other Attractions in Echo Lake:

Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular

This 30 minute outdoor stunt show is the only Indiana Jones themed attraction that you’ll find at Walt Disney World. While that’s not necessarily a knock on what is a fun show, it always reminds me of the absence of the Indiana Jones Adventure ride found in Disneyland. Putting that aside, the stunt show takes place multiple times throughout the day and sees the actors recreating key scenes from the Indiana Jones films. Some guests are even picked out from the crowd to participate as extras. Filled with special effects, its probably the best show at Hollywood Studios, and while the theatre houses up to 2,000 people, you should plan on arriving before show time if you want to get a good seat.

For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration

It wouldn’t be Disney without some Frozen magic! This 25 minute show takes place indoors in a large theatre. The basic premise is a retelling of the original Frozen story, with live actors introducing film clips from all the major scenes and musical numbers. The lyrics appear on the screen and guests are encouraged to sing along. The show culminates with Elsa arriving and showering the theatre in a snow storm. While the Frozen sing-along is targeted towards younger visitors, its a decent way to get out of the heat, and the historian actors that host the show are pretty entertaining as well.

If you need more Frozen in your life after seeing the show, you can stop by the nearby Celebrity Spotlight to meet Olaf the snowman!

Dining in Echo Lake

There’s plenty of options for dining at Echo Lake. If you’re after a quick snack, both the Backlot Express Restaurant and the Dockside Diner are counter service restaurants offering casual theme park food. In terms of sit down meals, you’ve got two options. The Hollywood & Vine Restaurant is character dining (either with Disney Jr characters for breakfast, or the regular Disney gang for other meals). Meanwhile 50’s Prime Time Cafe is one of the best restaurants in Hollywood Studios, offering American comfort food in a retro kitchen setting, complete with a table-side TV showing old cartoons.

Grand Avenue (and Commissary Lane)

Situated behind Echo Lake, and for all intents and purposes including the mini-land of Commissary Lane, Grand Avenue is the final section of Hollywood Studios that continues the theming of Los Angeles, this time the gentrified Downtown district. This area of the theme park doesn’t contain any rides, but there is one very entertaining show and a number of dining options making it worth exploring. It also contains a meet and greet location where you can meet Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

Attractions in Grand Avenue:

MuppetVision 3D

With Grand Avenue previously being the Muppet themed area of the park (there’s still a fountain of Miss Piggy nearby), this fun 3-D show is where you should come to see the popular puppets at Hollywood Studios. After a hilarious pre-show, you’ll enter the main MuppetVision theatre for a wacky 15 minute 3-D feature with all your favourite characters making appearances throughout. MuppetVision is hilarious and well worth seeing. I’d schedule in a visit during the park’s busy afternoon hours.

Dining in Grand Avenue & Commissary Lane

Grand Avenue (and the associated Commissary Lane) is packed with dining venues. In terms of counter service options, ABC Commissary is themed as a simple production studio’s food court and serves various American and some international options. Unlike most quick service options, you can make dinner reservations here as the restaurant transitions to a sit down affair in the evening. Meanwhile, the Baseline Tap House offers a number of brews on tap. If you’re craving pizza, look no further than PizzeRizzo, a seasonally opened Muppets themed pizzeria.

For proper table service dining, there’s two options. Not far from the pizzeria is Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano, an Italian restaurant (though nowhere on the level of the Italian cuisine you can get at EPCOT). Meanwhile, Sci-Fi Dine-In Restaurant offers one of the most unique dining experiences at Disney World, with typical burgers and other American cuisine served inside a convertible shaped table at a drive-in theatre. Its a really cool experience, even though there’s better food elsewhere. You’re definitely coming for the ambience here.

Toy Story Land

Toy Story Land opened in 2018 and is themed around the very popular Pixar franchise. While Toy Story was originally represented at Hollywood Studios through Toy Story Mania, this section of the park expanded around that attraction, resulting in an area filled with family friendly rides, something that Hollywood Studios was actually in desperate need in its line up. The idea of Toy Story Land is that you’ve been shrunken down to the size of a toy and are able to explore Andy’s backyard. While doing so, you’ll have the opportunity to meet various Toy Story faves such as Woody, Buzz Lightyear and Bo Peep, as well as witness performances by the Green Army Men.

Rides in Toy Story Land:

Toy Story Mania

Pre-dating Toy Story Land itself, Toy Story Mania is an interactive dark ride where guests compete in various virtual arcade games using canons on their vehicles to shoot at targets on screens. Pretty much all of the Toy Story gang makes appearances hosting the games, and its a lot of fun competing with your ride companion for the highest score. Toy Story Mania gets busier as the day goes on, making it a decent Lightning Lane reservation later in the day. The queue area is pretty cool, including a giant interactive Mr Potato Head animatronic. Toy Story Mania definitely shouldn’t be missed if you’ve never experienced the attraction before.

Slinky Dog Dash

Slinky Dog Dash is the headliner of Toy Story Land and one of the more popular rides in Hollywood Studios. This family friendly rollercoaster is probably around the level of Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train in terms of intensity, meaning pretty much everyone that meets the height requirement will enjoy it. There’s no loops or inversions, but the ride does include two launches which add to the excitement. While careening along the track on Slinky Dog, you’ll also be rewarded with great views across Toy Story Land. As the ride comes to an end, you’ll briefly be serenaded by Wheezy before you disembark at the loading area. Slinky Dog Dash is really popular – get a Lightning Lane reservation or plan on a long wait for this one.

Alien Swirling Saucers

Alien Swirling Saucers is a mid-way style ride that is mostly for guests that can’t experience the more thrilling rides around Hollywood Studios. Themed around the alien toys from the films and their obsession with the Claw, this is a basic spinner ride that uses similar mechanics to Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree at Disney’s California Adventure. Basically you ride around a flat area in a vehicle attached to the back of a spinning alien and whip about to some tunes. Its fun to watch, but not worth a huge wait in line.

Dining in Toy Story Land

At the moment, the only place to grab a feed in Toy Story Land is at Woody’s Lunch Box. This quick service destination serves up basic dishes such as toasted sandwiches and nachos with a twist. Its good for a quick snack, but be warned that there’s no indoor seating here (or anywhere in the land). A full service restaurant is planned for Toy Story Land in the future, with Woody’s Roundup Rodeo BBQ set to open some time in the next year or so.

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

Having opened in 2019, the newest land in Hollywood Studios was also one of the most anticipated in the history of Walt Disney World. This highly immersive realm brings the Star Wars films to life in a similar manner to the Harry Potter worlds at Universal Studios. As you enter the Black Spire Outpost on the planet of Batuu, you really will feel like you’ve taken a trip to another planet.

There’s so much to see and do on Batuu. It really is a living, breathing community in the Star Wars universe. While exploring the brilliantly themed shops and food stalls, you’ll see iconic characters such as Rey, Chewbacca and Kylo Ren roaming the land. There’s also unique opportunities for guests to build their own lightsabre or droid at Savi’s Workshop or Mubo’s Droid Depo respectively. Both are highly innovative experiences, with advance bookings highly recommended (especially for the sabres).

Rides in Galaxy’s Edge:

Rise of the Resistance

The headline attraction at Galaxy’s Edge is perhaps the best ride in Walt Disney World. Its also the most popular, and for that reason you need to do a bit of planning to make sure you can ride it. Rise of the Resistance used to operate a virtual queue in place of a regular standby line. That had been phased out by the time I visited the park over the summer, but the standby line gets LONG. Since its a lengthy ride, I don’t think its the best choice to rope drop (you can knock over other rides instead). Your only other option to avoid a long wait is to purchase an Individual Lightning Lane reservation at 7.00am on the day you visit. Honestly, to me, this was worth it.

As far as the attraction itself goes, its a 25 minute immersive experience that takes you on a critical Resistance mission. Without spoiling too much, you’ll be captured by First Order forces and come face to face with Kylo Ren through a series of clever waiting areas (you won’t even feel like you’re in line) before making your escape on a troop transport, dodging imperial walkers and jettisoning back down to Batuu. All in all, its the closest you’ll come to feeling like you’re actually in the Star Wars universe. This ride is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. If this is the future for Disney attractions, there’s amazing adventures ahead. Highly recommended.

Millenium Falcon: Smugglers Run

The other ride in Galaxy’s Edge is no slouch either – Smuggler’s Run lets you fly the iconic Millennium Falcon after all! Entering the queue beside a full sized replica of the ship, your quest brings you face to face with space pirate Hondo Ohnaka. You’re subsequently recruited on a mission aboard the galaxy’s fastest hunk of junk. As you enter the instantly recognisable main hold, you’ll be assigned roles (pilot is obviously the best). From there, you enter the cockpit and through the powers of screen based technology, you’re jumping to hyperspace in a ride where you actually control the ship’s movements. Your actions on board will determine the success of your mission (and also how bumpy the ride ends up being!). Its so much fun!

While you might be tempted to use Genie+ to cut down on your waits at Smuggler’s Run, the attraction’s single rider line is really efficient. While you probably won’t be assigned the pilot role, you’ll cut down waiting time significantly, making it the perfect attraction to re-ride. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy Smuggler’s Run as much as I did, but I rode it multiple times on my latest visit to the Studios.

Dining in Galaxy’s Edge

Surprisingly, there’s no fully serviced restaurant in Galaxy’s Edge. If you’re looking for a scrumptious bite, your best bet is Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo, a counter service location that offers up casual dining in air conditioned comfort. Other food and drink options include Ronto Roasters and the infamous blue and green milk (but not actually milk) stand. The most popular spot to get a drink in Galaxy’s Edge is Oga’s Cantina. Reservations are essential here (book well in advance). Here you can enjoy the ambience of and enjoy a space cocktail or two as life goes on outside. Just leave your droids at the door.

Clearly there are so many ways to spend your time in Hollywood Studios. The theme parks at Walt Disney World all have their own distinct properties that make them memorable, but I think its safe to say that your day at the Studios will be the most thrilling and adventurous of your trip. Do you agree? What’s your favourite ride at Hollywood Studios? Did Galaxy’s Edge blow your mind the way it did mine? As always, I’d love to hear from you. Let me know what you enjoy about Hollywood Studios.