Cranking up the music for Hollywood Studios’ birthday
Walt Disney World President Josh D’Amaro shared another visit to another empty theme park Friday, this time to mark the birthday of Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
His video post on social media addressed a recurring question, “Is the music still playing at the parks?” The answer, D’Amaro demonstrated while standing in front of the Chinese Theater, is no.
“It sounds beautiful in here. You can hear birds chirping, and you hear a cast member talking every once in a while. But it does feel very different in here,” D’Amaro says.
As a birthday gift of sorts, the president had the music flipped on for a bit by the resort’s engineering service department, which may or may not have involved some Disney magic. Viewers could then hear a big-band version of “A-Tisket, A-Tasket” playing. The video also ran through a handful of Hollywood Studios scenes, including the Brown Derby restaurant, the archway leading to Animation Courtyard, the Walt Disney Presents attraction and Gertie the dinosaur.
It ends with D’Amaro standing near the entrance to Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway
Railway (neon lights on), a ride that debuted about 10 days before Walt Disney World shut down in response to the spread of coronavirus in mid-March.
“I’ve got to tell you, I’m looking forward to the time when I can enjoy this music with all of you,” he said. Previous online outings with D’Amaro have included stops at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Animal Kingdom Lodge, Epcot’s World Showcase and Magic Kingdom. (His Instagram account is @joshdamaro.)
Disney’s Hollywood Studios opened to the public on May 1, 1989, as Disney-MGM Studios. There has been a lot of churn and overturn in the past 31 years, including a name change and the recent addition of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Toy Story Land. The Great Movie Ride, which closed in 2017, was the final opening-day attraction to be in operation, although restaurants such as Brown Derby and the ’50s Prime Time Cafe are still available.
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