Sweet Spells at Disney's Hollywood Studios permanently closing later this month

Andy_0410Nov 01, 2018

Been in the store yesterday and is a nice new addition though agree in wrong place Miss the frozen drinks from here though anyone know where they might be now?

The Empress LillyApr 16, 2018

'Declining by degrees' - Kevin Yee. ;) Hollywood Boulevard now starts with Donald (Sid's) and ends with Mickey (GMR) Sunset now starts with Woody (Villains / Spells) and Star Wars (Everything for the film Star Wars fan) and ends with Belle (Carthay) East -West corridor now starts with Star Wars (Star Tours), followed by Frozen (Olaf), then Star Wars (Path of the Jedi), then Frozen (Sing-a-long), then Star Wars (stage show), then ends in the former animation in Star Wars (Launch Bay). Incidentally, this past Christmas Echo Lake was perfect. :)

Marc Davis FanApr 15, 2018

I really hope Mr. Penguin is right that this is fairly insignificant. But unfortunately I’m not sure, because: A candy store is something that could exist in old Hollywood. A store with “Pixar” or “Toy Story” on the marquee is not. Adding signage with specific IPs irrelevant to the theme of the environment they’re in will prima facie make that environment less immersive. Disney parks generally follow the rule that the design of the entrance (e.g., Main Street, Hollywood Blvd, south half of Discovery Island) can be self-referential even when doing so is “non-diagetic” (e.g., signage that says “Disney” or “Mickey”) because it serves as an introduction / “opening sequence,” but move away from that once further into the park (except when it fits the area’s theme, e.g., a movie studio, a show playing in a theater, etc). DHS was designed for Hollywood Boulevard to include non-diagetic Disney-referential material, but not so much Sunset Boulevard, because it’s past the “opening sequence.” This was a careful design choice, to maintain the immersion, and adding Star Wars and Toy Story/ Pixar contradicts that overarching design. Most importantly, every little non-immersive aspect can appear trivial by itself, but collectively can destroy the aesthetic and emotional power of a carefully-crafted environment. This is a version of what the imagineer Eddie Sotto called “declining by degrees.” (Edit: Apparently "declining by degrees" is Kevin Yee; thanks, @TheEmpressLilly)

MisterPenguinApr 15, 2018

They kept the Chinese Theater. They created a modern L.A. area that 'never was and always will be' in Grand Ave. They made Starbucks employees were old timey cable car uniforms They doubled down on the 50's Hollywood feel of Echo Lake in the past Christmas make-over They created a projection show dedicated to live action movies (albeit, Disney live action movies) But, according the usual suspects, the current powers that be are completely destroying the Hollywood theming because of a removal of a mannequin and because one of the shops will be selling Pixar merch instead of candy. Because, you know, we all associate candy with old timey Hollywood. 🙄 Get a grip, people.

Cmdr_CrimsonApr 15, 2018

Which is a shame as it makes the dedication plaque irrelevant...

ford91exploderApr 15, 2018

Yes it is, The front half of DHS used to be an amazing place that took you back in time to the glamour of Hollywood as it was imagined to be. It's things like this that brought me years of enjoyment with spaces that for the most part were timeless. Now its all about the latest IP fad but with the fad years out of date. No desire to visit DHS again.

The Empress LillyApr 15, 2018

Me too. I have a few areas that I am madly in love with and the boulevards and Echo are very high up on that list. Magical indeed. :inlove: One of the finest areas of any Disney park, anywhere. For all the praise lavished on them in recent years, to me there is nothing in UNI or DAK that comes close to the Studios front half. It manages to mold the monumental bombast of Art Deco into classic Disney reassurance architecture. The area is warm and embracing, while being the most stylish part of any park anywhere. *swoon, sigh* But the Studios has joined EPCOT, and to a large extent the MK too, as vintage WDW now largely lost. :'( The loss of the Back Lot is well understood. It is simply not there anymore. But more slowly, more stealthily, the Front Lot, too, has been redone into something new. Just less noticeable because the area still sorta looks like classic Studios. Sunset now starts with Woody Shop and ends with Belle Shop. This is what we mean with infantilisation, toddlerfication, idiotfication, IP-fication or MK-ification:

ParentsOf4Apr 15, 2018

I still haven't gotten over the closing of Starring Rolls. My family considers Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards to be one of our favorite spots in all of WDW. It is disheartening to watch its direction in recent years.

The Empress LillyApr 15, 2018

Like Main Street, the magical boulevards area (one of the most perfect areas of any Disney park) is now turned into a utilitarian Disney Springs zone. The boulevards crossroads will now feature a Starbucks, a Disney Store Star Wars department, and a Disney Store Toy Story department. And this is on top of the removal of the Hollywood movies theme, from Sid Cahuenga at the start to the GMR at the end. And the slightly less immediately noticeable slow erosion of the 30s/40s/50s theme, such as replacing an Art Deco mannequin with Belle merchandise. It is beyond depressing.

Animaniac93-98Apr 15, 2018

I can't wait for the 4-page Disney Parks Blog post that gives a detailed backstory about how Andy always wanted to go to Hollywood. How his Mom took him there, and that he got his photo in front of the Chinese Theater because that's where his Dad saw A New Hope and now he wants to sell t-shirts and keychains to tourists there after college...

Marc Davis FanApr 14, 2018

I really hope any facade changes and the new signage are in keeping with the beautiful, magical (a word I rarely use, considering its overuse, but it applies here) theming of the Hollywood Boulevard / Sunset Boulevard area. As John Hench said, “the Disney show” is “fragile,” and a single out-of-place design feature can break it. Let’s hope the facade and signage (presumably it will say “Pixar” and/or “Toy Story” on the new sign?) maintain what I think is one of Disney's best themed environments.

Cmdr_CrimsonApr 14, 2018

Yes it was..

HockityPockityApr 14, 2018

I grew up NEVER missing Disney’s Halloween Treat special, every Halloween. Dug the villains even as a kid, while everyone else was into Winnie or the princesses. I thought I was kinda weird for it! So it was a weirdly warm, vindicating feeling to witness this spot appear, you know? I CAN’T be the only one, LOOK! An ENTIRE space devoted to them! I can buy my own POISONED APPLE! So, yeah, I’ll miss this place dearly.

HockityPockityApr 14, 2018

Chernabog! Yes! See, folks, where will the villain groupies get their kicks?! Same reason I’m bummed out the Disney Springs giganto store did away with the themed rooms, LOVED the villain room there, too! What was it, the jewelry/collectibles room?