Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida has been in the midst of several changes over the last couple of years and it looks like that trend isn’t going to be ending any time soon. Most, but not all, of the changes have been taking place at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, including the tear town of the large and iconic Micky Mouse Sorcerer’s Hat, closure of “The American Idol Experience” and the end of the Studio Backlot Tour. People have been left wondering if there is even a reason to buy a ticket to the park with so many attractions disappearing.
Well, it’s not an issue that is going to go away anytime soon. Disney Parks Blog announced Friday, January 15, that a new slew of attractions are going to be closed to make room for Star Wars Land and Toy Story Land– new areas being constructed around two of the most popular Disney movie franchises. It is good news for people that have been waiting for Disney to add something new to a park that hasn’t seen any new major attractions for years.
A couple of the sacrifices this go round were the Lights, Motor, Action! Extreme Stunt Show and the Honey I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure, opening up a large piece of real estate toward the back of the Disney’s Hollywood Studios property. Many of these deleted rides and attractions have aged quite a bit (Lights, Motor, Action! debuted in 2005) and have never seemed quite as popular with the public as two other attractions (that are also getting a bit long in the tooth) but still very beloved: Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (debut 2006) and Aerosmith’s Rock ‘N Roller Coaster (debut 1999).
So, although it may be fairly upsetting for some visitors to have so many attractions out of commission for so long, it should be really nice to see some new blood pumped into an amusement park that has needed a transfusion for quite some time.
The Lights, Motor, Action! Extreme Stunt Show is expected to close its doors forever on April 2, 2016. Permits show that the estimated finish of the Star Wars Land/Toy Story project is October 2018.