With the 30th anniversary of Disney’s Hollywood Studios (née Disney-MGM Studios) just around the corner, Disney has several improvements in process for the park. Let’s see how things are coming along.
It was a surprisingly slow morning, by April standards. There was plenty of room to walk in Toy Story Land first thing in the morning. It’s usually an uncomfortable mess.
Not too bad for 10 in the morning.
Slinky Dog Dash was posted at an 80 minute wait. Not ideal, but definitely nowhere near as bad as it has been.
With no extended queue line, PhotoPass was able to take peoples’ photos in front of the coaster track.
General Maintenance
What’s this? Have they finally fixed the Fantasmic! sign? It’s been turned off for the majority of the year.
Ah, not so fast. It’s not actually fixed. They have, however, covered the entire sign with a scrim with the sign’s artwork. It looks good, but it’s no substitute for a fully illuminated digital sign.
Mickey’s still missing from the “Crossroads of the World” sign at the front of the park. Hopefully he’s being fixed up in time for the anniversary on May 1st.
Landscapers were hard at work this morning sprucing up the flower beds all over the park.
They recently replaced a few of the shabbier looking handprints. Looks like they got around to painting them.
Now they just need to fix up Stallone.
Merchandise
We found this adorable straw-style hat near the Chinese Theater. Perfect for wearing on the beach at the Polynesian Resort while eating a Dole Whip.
The Beverly Sunset (formerly Sweet Spells) is the home to all things Pixar in Hollywood Studios. For the past few months, this corner had been nothing but Toy Story. They recently changed the wall to Pixar artwork.
There’s some really cute stuff here.
We found this baseball jersey styled Mickey shirt on Sunset Boulevard. Looks like it’s part of the recently released men’s line.
The Celebrity 5 & 10 is ready for Spring! They had this fun display to honor the season.
The Disney snack line of products has expanded into the neighboring nook. This space was until recently only candy and other snacks. I guess it’s appropriate, though.
This week’s retired cel at the Stage 1 Company Store is this fun Tower of Terror piece. It can be yours for only $500.
Construction
A quick look at the new tram loop and bag check area. They’re working on installing the ceiling of the bag check.
The concrete is slowly expanding.
They installed the handrails for the tram loading station. It’s in a very different location than it used to be.
Over near the boat dock and the Sorcerer Mickey topiary, they’re doing some concrete work. They’re ripped up the pavement around the flag poles. Looks like they might add some landscaping in there.
That’s it for today. We’ll keep you informed as these projects and more get closer to completion.