Let's Look...At The Crossroads

I adore Disney's Hollywood Studios - it's a fantastic park, although I am still getting used to the name change. And one of my favourite sights when I enter the park is the Crossroads of the World.

I recently purchased the book "The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World" and in it they mention this particular location:

The crossroads is a replica of the original Crossroads of the World in Hollywood, California, with the addition of Mickey Mouse standing proudly on top. Not only doe the kiosk serve the functional purpose of providing park maps and various neccessities to guests, it also serves a less obvious purpose. Mickey has one ear higher than the other and his right hand is outstretched. What is he doing up there? His copper ear is grounded and acts as a lightning rod! [p128]

How clever! Although, I am sure I have seen this structure before, but in a smaller scale...

That's right - in Studio 1, in Walt Disney Studios, Paris, the building has been 'copied' and holds part of the large shopping store in the Studios. It is interestingly titled differently - "The Gossip Column".

We've Come A Long Way...

Today, as many of you may know, is Disney's Hollywood Studios' 20th birthday. Yup, on this day, 20 years ago, Walt Disney World opened it's 3rd park in the Florida resort. Disney-MGM Studios officially opened.



It's one of my favourite parks, and I felt that we should take a break from our tour of Tokyo Disneyland to celebrate this monumental occasion! DisneyWorldTrivia.com's Page-A-Day calendar has a nice piece about the opening of the Studios, including how it would also be a working Animation Studio too. I remember being able to go on the Backlot tour and actually see animated films being worked on. How cool was that?

In honour of this occasion, let's have a look at the dedication plaque that now stands in the epicenter of Disney's Hollywood Studios:

The World you have entered was created by The Walt Disney Company and is dedicated to Hollywood - not a place on the map, but a state of mind that exists wherever people dream and wonder and imagine...a Hollywood that never was - and always will be

Happy Birthday, Disney-MGM-Hollywood Studios! Here's to another 20 - and 20 more! And all of you at the Studio 20 event today - enjoy!

"The Son of Skywalker Must Not Become a Jedi"

As it is the final weekend of Star Wars Weekends at Disney's Hollywood Studios, I wanted to share with you some of the last meet and greets that we experienced when we visited back in 2005.

One of the best parts of the Star Wars' Weekends is the Streetmosphere - you just walk around the area and you can be truly amazed at the characters that you meet. You can also enjoy special events at the Weekend, such as the parade featuring Star Wars' characters and the special Jedi Training Academy. Of course, I think the Jedi Academy is now a permanent event in the Studios, but back in the day it was a one-off thing!

Possibly the most exciting part of our weekend was when we got to meet Anakin Skywalker. I don't know if you can tell in the picture, but myself and my friend Katie were pretty star struck meeting him... You can probably see the excitement mixed with fear in our eyes!

"You're My Only Hope"

Continuing with the Star Wars themed posts for the weekends in June, today's post shares with you Jedi Mickey, whom you could meet at the various weekends. These were taken in 2005.

And we were also lucky enough to meet Princess Leia, too. It's great when I get to meet another Princess - especially one from a galaxy far, far away! And you can even see in this picture that she is keeping an eyeout for any clones that may be after us...

"I Find Your Lack Of Faith Disturbing"

The Star Wars Weekends at the Disney's Hollywood Studios are always funfilled and action packed - a must for any fan of Star Wars, and especially those of us who love Star Wars AND Disney! I was lucky enough to attend one of the weekends in May 2005, and it's an experience I'll never forget. If you'd like to hear a bit more about the weekends, there's a great discussion on the last WDW Radio Show Podcast (June 1st 2008 show) between Master Lou and Jedis George (Imaginerding) and Glenn (Passamaquoddy). One of the highlights for me was getting to meet Mr Potato Head himself - or Darth Tater, as he called himself at the time. I mean, it's not everyday that you get to meet such a famous, and handsome, tater!

Of course, one of the main excitements of the weekend is how characters from Star Wars intermingle with the guests. Especially the Storm Troopers. I seem to remember how difficult it was to get this picture with the Storm Trooper - I had to promise to never utter Darth Vader's name in vain. Luckily I had my fingers crossed at the time...

I just hope they don't read this blog...uh-oh!