Disney-MGM Studios Photo Phlashback

[Tannerman]

I was recently going through old photo albums looking for photos of lighthouses that I had shot over the years. (It's part of a wall decor project that Amy & I are working on for our condo.)

Karen, Steve, and Dad at Disney-MGM Studios
(Mom is taking the photo, apparently - August 1990)

For some reason, these photos from a 1990 family vacation caught my eye, probably because the theme park featured is no longer called the Disney-MGM Studios... it was renamed to Disney's Hollywood Studios in January 2008, complete with a lame-looking logo.

Dad has no problem wearing pink!
(August 1990)

At the time of these photos, MGM had only been opened 1 year and didn't have any of the thrill attractions in place like the Tower of Terror or the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster. Frankly, it was a pretty boring park... but at least it didn't have that ugly blue hat!

The Muppet Studios never happened
(August 1990)

Of interest, however, was this photo I shot from the tram on the Backstage Tour proclaiming the future arrival of the Muppet Studios in Spring 1991. At the time, the Walt Disney Company was attempting to purchase the Jim Henson Company and many attractions were in the planning stages. In fact, a TV special was shot called The Muppets at Walt Disney World that attempted to introduce the fact that the Muppets were joining the Disney family, complete with lots of visuals of the new MGM-Studios park. You can watch this special via YouTube in the TannerWorld Junction discussion forums.

Unfortunately, just a few months before this photo was taken, Jim Henson passed away... and so did the Disney's attempt to buy the company... and the Muppet Studios. Disney author Jim Hill wrote an article in 2001 describing what the Muppet Studios would have been like.

This point in time was very bitter between Disney and The Jim Henson Company, namely because of CEO Michael Ei$ner's attitude towards the property after Henson's death. (The whole soap opera is well-documented in James Stewart's excellent 2006 book, DisneyWar). Of course, by 2004 Disney finally did get their hands on Muppets... so go figure!