How to save the Streets of America
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Matt Hochberg
When New York Street was remade following the addition of Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show in 2004-05 to become the Streets of America, Disney missed out on a big opportunity to capitalize on the theme. It looks like perhaps Disney is trying to rectify that now with the recent announcement that a New York Style pizza window will start operation on the Streets of America sometime soon. This news opens up a very interesting possibility: what if Disney took the World Showcase idea and applied it to the Studios’ Streets of America?
The Streets of America started out as a prop version of New York to show how Hollywood will construct these sets that look like you’re actually filming on location when you’re really not. With the addition of San Francisco (and eventually Chicago will find a home as well), imagine if the Streets of America took the idea one step further. Rather than faux facades of buildings, why not embellish the buildings more and make those facades into real restaurants or shops? Along with the pizza window, add a New York style delicatessen or a San Francisco coffee shop (or maybe something else more San Francisco-ish since I’m not sure what makes something San Francisco-ish other than hilly streets or Giants merchandise). The Studios is in need of some good restaurants and as Epcot has demonstrated, there’s no such thing as too much dining.
For those who prefer to spend their money on material goods rather than food, shopping in New York and San Francisco can be blended into the backlot. Add in a Madison Avenue shop from a designer brand. Or setup a Disneyfied Chinatown shopping bazaar. Take out Youse Guys Moichandise and replace it with one of those touristy shops you find in New York selling the ubiquitous “I love NY” shirts, among other items. And to complete the overhaul, re-open the Backlot Theater (the theater that used to serve as the home to the Hunchback of Notre Dame show) and give it a little Broadway glitz.
When I was thinking of these ideas I also thought to myself that by adding these ideas to Streets of America, doesn’t it take away from the sense that Streets of America is supposed to show how forced perspective and modeling can make “movie magic” by pretending to be somewhere you’re not? Wouldn’t these ideas go against the Studios mantra of showing how Hollywood does its thing? I thought about those sort of questions and came to the conclusion making these changes wouldn’t sacrifice anything because the reality is the Studios hasn’t been about real production and real education for years. Since the Animators left, the park has lost its legitimate animation roots. As much as I’d like to see those roots put back, the reality is it likely won’t happen. What’s worse, is the Studios is languishing with lack of direction and this element could really revitalize the Studios and, like Epcot, work in an education angle while trying to generally entertain.
Even modest changes like one restaurant and a shop could really revitalize what is really just a glorified walkway between Muppets and Lights, Motors, Action. Park guests would fall in love with the idea and clearly this sort of a theming works as World Showcase is immensely popular.
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