 Hollywood Boulevard, the main thoroughfare in the themed land. Photographed in 2009, before the addition of the tracks for theRed Car Trolley (2012–2025). | |
| Theme | 1930s Hollywood |
|---|---|
| Attractions | |
| Total | 4 |
| Other rides | 1 |
| Shows | 3 |
| Disney California Adventure | |
| Opened | February 8, 2001 |
Hollywood Land is a themed land atDisney California Adventure park at theDisneyland Resort inAnaheim,California. The area is inspired by the1930s Golden Age period ofHollywood and hosts attractions themed to this concept, including abacklot of a typical Hollywoodstudio. The land opened asHollywood Pictures Backlot with the park in 2001.
The land's entrance once had towering studio gates that featured intricately carved elephants atop massive columns. The gateway was a tribute to the spectacular epics made throughout Hollywood history, especially pioneering directorD. W. Griffith's 1916 silent filmIntolerance. After the park's re-design, the archway sign, elephants and columns were removed, whereas the repainted pedestals remained.
Attractions include theHyperion Theater, which opened with the park in 2001 and has hosted five productions, the 3D filmMickey's PhilharMagic,Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue!, based onPixar's 2001 filmMonsters, Inc., which opened in 2006, and theAnimation Academy. Former attractions includeMuppet*Vision 3D,Disney Junior – Live on Stage! (formerly known as Playhouse Disney – Live on Stage!),The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror,Superstar Limo, andGuardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout! (which is now part of the adjacentAvengers Campus).
Hollywood Land is a portion of theDisney California Adventure park meant to emulate abacklot set in the 1930sGolden Age of Hollywood, similar to the largerDisney's Hollywood Studios theme park in Florida that opened in 1989. Unlike Hollywood Studios andUniversal Studios Hollywood, Hollywood Land was never intended to serve as a functional backlot, only a mock one. Instead, it primarily hosts a set of theaters and stages presenting varying formats, such astraditional theatre,4D film, and live music.
Hollywood Land is located in the northeast corner of California Adventure. It is connected toBuena Vista Street, the park entrance themed to 1920s Los Angeles, giving the two lands a close relation in geography and era. The main thoroughfare in the land is Hollywood Boulevard, an avenue loosely modeled afterthe real street but also incorporating architectural elements from elsewhere in Los Angeles. The street leads up to theHyperion Theater, a 1,984-seat venue that presentsBroadway-style musicals. Several fauxsound stages, including one housing aMonsters, Inc. dark ride and another housing theMickey's PhilharMagic show, are adjacent to Hollywood Boulevard.[1][2][3]
In 1990, Disney announced plans for a Hollywood-themed land in the originalDisneyland park with a scheduled opening date in 1999, as part of a series of planned changes dubbed the "Disney decade" byMichael Eisner. The proposal called for the addition to be adjacent toTomorrowland and included a replica of theHollywood Sign, a duplicate ofThe Great Movie Ride fromDisney's Hollywood Studios in Florida, and two new rides based onBaby Herman fromWho Framed Roger Rabbit and comic book characterDick Tracy. However, Disney shelved the idea in 1991 because the company believed that its construction at the same time as the proposedWestCOT theme park would hamper the park experience for visitors; plans for WestCOT were ultimately canceled in 1995.[4][5]
In 1995, Disney executives devised an idea for a California-themed park as a replacement for WestCOT, believing that it would deter tourists from going to see other attractions in the state and thus spending more time on the property. As such, the shelved Hollywood land concept was revisited as a facet of the new proposal. In June 1996, theLos Angeles Times reported details of the planned park, mentioning the inclusion of aGolden Age Hollywood backlot-themed section.[6] The construction of California Adventure began on January 22, 1998.[1] Information about Hollywood Land was included in four different park preview centers and online Disney promotions promised "glitzy cafés and shops, famous theaters and a real studio backlot." The original name for the land, Hollywood Pictures Backlot, was revealed in 2000.[7] The backlot, along with all of California Adventure, opened on February 8, 2001.
The original rendition of Hollywood Pictures Backlot featured an entrance gate with replicas of the elephant statues from the 1916D. W. Griffith filmIntolerance that were incorporated into theHollywood and Highland center. The land had four inaugural attractions: TheDisney Animation complex, a musical calledSteps in Time at the 1,984-seatHyperion Theater, the 3D filmMuppet*Vision 3D, and a Hollywood-themeddark ride calledSuperstar Limo. The backlot opened with three restaurants: the ABC Soap Opera Bistro, themed to the sets of four differentABC daytimesoap operas; the Award Wienershot dog stand; and Hollywood & Dine, a food court based on four famous restaurants from Hollywood.[8][9]
Upon its opening in 2001, the initial reception of California Adventure, including Hollywood Pictures Backlot and some of its attractions, was poor. The backlot, like the rest of the park, drew criticism for alleged cost-cutting.[10] Before the end of the park's first year in existence,Steps in Time was scrapped due to poor ratings and Hollywood & Dine was closed due to a lack of customers.[9][11] In September 2001,Who Wants to Be a Millionaire – Play It! was introduced as agame show attraction. In 2002, Superstar Limo became the first California Adventure attraction to permanently close due to its poor reception and the Soap Opera Bistro was closed as well.[1][12] The Hyperion Theater was furnished with a version of the Broadway musicalBlast! in November 2001 and was replaced with anAladdin show in January 2003 as a long-term feature.[13]
In 2004, theE ticket attractionThe Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, an altered version of the attraction atDisney's Hollywood Studios, was opened as a new anchor for the backlot. In 2005, the area was renovated to remove some of the movie set props while introducing a new paint color scheme for the soundstages and new planter boxes.[14] In 2006,Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! was opened in the former Superstar Limo building.[2]
In 2010, Disney introducedElecTRONica, a nighttimeconcert event situated in the backlot that was based on theTron franchise.[15] The event was replaced by theMad T Party in 2012, a similar attraction based onTim Burton's 2010 remake filmAlice in Wonderland.[16] The Mad T Party's first stint ended in 2014 but received a second run from 2015 to 2016.[17]
In 2012, Hollywood Pictures Backlot was reopened as Hollywood Land as part of a parkwide renovation. The sign and elephant statues were removed from the land entrance and theRed Car Trolley, a trolley part of the newBuena Vista Street, was introduced.
In 2014,Muppet*Vision 3D was closed and its theater was subsequently used for movie previews and other temporary showings. In 2016, the final showing ofAladdin took place at the Hyperion Theater. It was replaced byFrozen – Live at the Hyperion, a musical based onthe 2013 feature film. In 2017, the Tower of Terror was closed to be rethemed asGuardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout!, the first Disney attraction in the United States based on theMarvel Cinematic Universe. In March 2020, the Hyperion hosted its last showing ofFrozen before the Disneyland Resort was closed in response to theCOVID-19 pandemic – the musical did not return when the park reopened in 2021. That same year, Mission: Breakout! was reclassified as part ofAvengers Campus. In 2023, the Hyperion was briefly reopened with a limited run ofRogers: The Musical. In June 2025, it was announced that Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! will close in early 2026 to make way for anAvatar–themed land.[18]
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