Welcome to Adobe GoLive 4

Take a moment to imagine Hollywood in it's heyday of tnd 40s. Your imagininghe 30s as will probably be somewhat fanciful and rather far removed from the reality that was Hollywood at that time. Disney-MGM Studios captures the spirit of what people imagine Hollywood of that period to be like. Micheal Eisner, the chairman of the Walt Disney Company, summed it up beautifully when opening the studios by saying "the Hollywood that never was and always will be". The whole atmosphere is a somewhat rose-coloured combination of delightful recreations of restaurants, shops and buildings, thrilling attractions, stage-shows and glimpses of what goes on behind-the-scenes at a working studio.

The studio is currently some 110-acres in size and located just southwest of Epcot Center. When it was originally built the most obvious landmark of the park was the tall water tower which has been dubbed the "Earful Tower" and as such has gained a pair of mouse ears courtesy of the Disney Imagineers. It has however more recently been eclipsed as the major landmark of the park by the addition of a new attraction, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror which looms more than 13 stories above the park. Of all the parks the studios has been growing the most in recent years, in fact in the last seven years it has more than doubled in size with the addition of new attractions. Several more attractions are planned for the future, so we expect to see the park continuing to grow, whilst as always Disney make tweaks and changes to existing attractions to ensure that guests never have the same experience twice.

Unlike the other two major parks the studios can't be divided quite so easily into sections as the distinctions between the parts of it are somewhat hazy at best. The result is that for informational purposes it has been loosely divided into six sections, namely Hollywood Boulevard, Sunset Boulevard, Echo Lake, New York Street, the Sound Stage and the Animation Courtyard. Disney-MGM Studios is a great place to simply wander round and soak up the atmosphere. Simply immerse yourself in the hustle and bustle of Hollywood and allow yourself to forget momentarily about the real world beyond the glitz and glamour of the movies. As you wander, however, it is worth noting that many of the attractions are shows and have set starting times, so if you have a particular favourite consult the entertainment schedule and ensure you are wandering around the right area at the time you want to see a particular show. There is even occasionally the chance to see actual productions being filmed as a member of the Studio Audience.

A few notes about Disney-MGM Studios. This place is not for the shy person, many of the shows make use of guests from the audience in the performance. It is worth noting that although you may get ribbed a little for it, the performers will not mind if you say no. As many shows feature live performers be prepared for schedule changes during the day or even for performances to be cancelled without notice and adjust your plans accordingly. While Disney try their utmost to ensure all performances run smoothly and according to schedule there are some things even they have no control over and so performances are not guaranteed.The Echo Lake area of the studios is where the glitz and glamour of Hollywood and Sunset Boulevard starts to give way to the studio areas themselves. Starting with the lake area itself guests will find 50s Hollywood represented with shops and restaurants, overlooking Echo Lake itself. In the lake there is a small almost cartoonish boat which contains a fast food outlet, while on the other side of the lake things move more towards the studio side of Echo Lake and as such a dinosaur is located in the lake containing an ice-cream fast food outlet.

On the studio side guests will find one of the 2nd unit stages in the shape of the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular which demonstrates the use of stunts in films and how they are done. Other attractions in the area include SuperStar television which shows use of "blue screens" and film merging and the Monster Sound Show which demonstrates sound and foley techniques in film.

On the side of pure escapist entertainment guests can enjoy the thrills of Star Tours as they tour through the skies in a shuttle and face the Imperial forces. A great white knuckle ride for Star Wars fans, but not for the faint hearted.

Outside Superstar Television guests will find an outdoor gallery featuring busts of honourees of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Housed in one of the largest theatres on Disney property with some 2000 seats this amphitheatre is the home to thrills, spills and dramatic effects created by a films second unit. Indiana Jones films are the theme to the show and it starts in spectacular form with a loose recreation of the opening scene from Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark with Indiana Jones retrieving the statuette and then running away from the rolling rock.

After this opening guests have the opportunity to get an insight on some of what happens "behind the scenes". The first set is dismantled and guests can gain an appreciation of how many sets are light and maneuverable. As the sets are moved the director and various other key crew explain their roles and the function of the second unit in film production (the second unit adds all the effects and stunts to movies).

Next with the help of selected guests from the audience a Cairo street scene is demonstrated, showing fighting, jumping, swordsmanship and other such physical stunts. Next up an escape and explosion in a jeep and climaxing with the scene from Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark in the desert with the plane and leaking petrol. Explosions, fighting, shooting and other exciting effects highlight the drama. With some interesting background information on the second unit and how seemingly dangerous stunts are performed safely along with high drama and excitement make this a must see show.

This is a popular show and it pays to arrive early, at least 20 minutes before the performance, in order to get a good seat. Duration: 30 minutes.

The Radio Studio is as it's name suggests a studio and live radio broadcasts regularly take place along with recording of pre-recorded radio material. The following five network shows are broadcast each week:

Don McDonald Show (financial talk) -- Monday through Friday from 12 noon to 3pm and 10pm to 1am, and Saturdays from 2pm to 5pm on the SMI Business Radio Network.

SuperGold with Mike Harvey (oldies) -- Saturdays from 7pm to 12 midnight on the Westwood One Radio Network.

Better Lawns and Gardens with Tom MacCubbin - Saturdays from 7am to 9am on the Florida Radio Network.

On Location at Walt Disney World with Wanda Rowland (entertainment talk) - Saturdays from 9am to 10am on Florida Radio Network.

Guests should check with the Production Information Window for details of any changes or additional performances occurring during their visit. As always performances are subject to change without notice.

Located at the exit to The Monster Sound Show, SoundWorks offers guests the opportunity to experiment with sounds effects. Guests can do voices for movie clips, experiment with how sound effects are made and even find out how sound can make you feel like something is real with the "3-D Soundstations". Presented by SONY.

This attraction is based on the Star Wars trilogy created by George Lucas, and the original version of it can be found in Disneyland in California. The attraction is a collaboration between Lucas Film and Disney and features some superb footage from the Star Wars world.

Visitors enter and the attraction via the hangar area which services the Star Tours fleet of shuttles and have a chance to see a selection of robots services shuttles including C3PO and R2D", the well known robot pair from Star Wars. As a passenger on a shuttle trip to the forest moon of Endor you have unfortunately ended up with a rookie pilot, who, well lets say is somewhat of a disaster looking for a place to happen. The 40 passenger shuttle has a disastrous takeoff, followed by a close encounter with a huge ice crystal and then straying into the middle of a Rebel - Empire war zone.

The ride offers some very sophisticated technology to achieve the effects with the ride vehicle being based on the flight simulators which are used to train pilots, both military and commercial. It is worth noting that the technology is also effectively used in another Walt Disney World attraction, Body Wars in Epcot Center. Guests with back problems, heart conditions, prone to motion sickness or with other physical problems are advised not to ride. Pregnant women and children under 3 are not permitted to ride. Guests are asked to wear seatbelts during the ride, and this is strongly advised as the ride gets very rough and not wearing the seatbelt is dangerous. Presented by Energizer. Duration: 6 minutes

This is a chance to be a star, even if it is for just a few minutes. A selection of guests are invited to take part in this demonstration where guests are shown how colour screens allow the merging of pre-recorded film and live action. Would-be stars are selected from the audience (usually from the front of the waiting crowd, though some can be selected from the back) before being lead off for costuming, makeup and meeting the directors. The remaining guests move into the theatre in preparation for the show. Although guests near the front will have a good view of the stage, their are no bad seats in the theatre as most of the action is viewed on the eight six-foot-wide screens scattered through the auditorium.

The stage comprises a selection of sets and "blue screens" that directors can mix with classic film clips. "Stars" take part in scenes from a selection of TV greats including I Love Lucy, Cheers, Gilligan's Island and Home Improvement. Other clips include sports, news and talk show clips. The show is lighthearted and fun and each new set of cast members give a different feel to the show. Presented by SONY. Duration: 30 minutes.

David Letterman stars in the preshow which is a short and very funny introduction to the show which is about to be seen. The show itself is not scary as the name may imply, but rather an introduction to Foley techniques used in films. Foley incidentally is the name of the sound effects system used in Hollywood which was named after it's creator Jack Foley. At this point a few "Foley artists" are selected from the audience, just before the main show takes place in the 270-seater sound stage theatre.

The show begins with an introduction to the sound effects and how they are created, followed by a short, comedy-horror film starring Martin Short and Chevy Chase which makes use of the aforementioned sound effects. Next the film is replayed and this time the newest recruits get to do the sound effects which are recorded and merged with the film. Lastly the film is replayed with the new sound effects, usually with hilarious results. Expect doors to creaks as the chandelier crashed down or thunder claps as the door slams.

Many of the gadgets used for sound in this production were created by the master of sound at Disney Studios, Jimmy MacDonald. He created more than 20,000 sound items during his 45 years at the Disney Company in California. He was also incidentally the voice of Mickey Mouse during the 1940s. After the show take a moment to enjoy Sound Works, the post-show area which offers guests the opportunity to dub sound onto a short piece of film, see items used to create specific sounds and even appreciate "3-D Audio" which demonstrates how sound gives a "you are there" feel. Presented by SONY. Duration: 15 minutes.

New York Street is part of the Studio Back Lot and features the façades of buildings in a street of Manhattan. The façades are just that, simply fronts of buildings which look real for the purposes of filming. The whole area gives a distinctive feel of a working studio with some bits obviously being those that will be filmed and other being very much "behind the scenes". It is a slightly peculiar feeling expecting a camera and crew to pop out at any moment.