A Daydream of Hollywood Studios

Entering Hollywood Studios, you are greeted by red flags flying and palm trees blowing in the breeze, seemingly dancing to the swingy, upbeat instrumental big-band music (a la "In the Mood") being piped through the megaphone speakers. Mickey looms above, standing on top of a silver spinning globe, above the Streamline Moderne, 50s-esque aqua blue and white structure that serves as the park gates. Like a swooping, wide-angle opening of a movie, it certainly sets the scene and gets you in the mood, like the song says!

Carnation-pink, salmon, and sea-green art deco buildings line the streets, along with more palm trees and vintage forest-green lampposts, with some benches and neon signage along the way. A pristine replica of Grauman's Chinese Theater sits ahead at the end of the long strip, almost like an uncanny mirage. It's sunny and hot. Because it feels like LA, it also feels like a beach or an ocean should be nearby. We're grateful for the breeze. 

An old, weird looking creepy angular pink tower lurking out of the sky over to the right beckons you down Sunset Boulevard. The black and white marquees and vertical neon signs draw you into an era of cinema, community, and pop culture. The palm trees sway, and a mountain of balloons float down the boulevard, enticing the tiniest of spying eyes. 

The Hollywood Tower Hotel

Although the pink tower beckons, we resist the pull and make our first move towards the theater, for a ride on Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway. It's the perfect early morning ride—probably the best first-ride in all of the WDW parks. It sets you up for the day by hooking you deep into a story. As you join Mickey & Minnie in packing up their picnic basket for a day out in the countryside, you begin to feel just like you would feel on the morning of a big adventure. We emerge from the attraction smiling, and ready for a snack and some more story immersion.  

We place a mobile order for Totchos and a Chocolate-Hazelnut Lunchbox Tart at Woody's Lunchbox, and make our way into Toy Story Land. We ride Toy Story Mania first, getting immersed in the land of Andy's toys, and then head over to pick up our food, which we nibble on while watching the green army guys do a choreographed march through Andy's backyard. At this point, we decide the Slinky Dog Dash rollercoaster is worth the wait, so we get on line. It goes faster than we expected, and about 1 hour later, we are waiting for Alien Swirling Saucers. 

Now the morning is in its last hour, and we exit Toy Story Land and transport ourselves into Galaxy's Edge. My 7-year-old daughter is dressed like Rey, and I flashback to the moment when we first watched The Force Awakens and my then-5-year-old became entranced by the young Jedi heroine. My fellow podcaster Danica said it best in our discussion of the new additions to the Star Wars franchise—there was no better feeling for a feminist Star Wars and Disney fan watching The Force Awakens for the first time and realizing that the force was awakening in none other than a young woman. Goosebumps for a moment that marked a huge new era in cinema pop culture!

Galaxy's Edge around 11 am feels like a bustling, extraterrestrial semi-cosmopolitan outpost, with intergalactic shoppers, diners, swindlers, messengers, dealers, artisans, mechanics, collectors, builders, mothers, daughters, sons, fathers, travelers, and leisureists, all under the blazing sun. Some are seeking out adventure for the day; others are seeking peace, relaxation, entertainment; others seek an object or a treasure, or perhaps knowledge from an ancient teacher. The immersion into the story is immediate and engulfing. Suddenly our appointment at the Droid Depot seems delightfully like a mission rather than a vacation itinerary item; our reservation at Oga's Cantina feels more like a long-awaited rendezvous with space friends at our old hangout rather than a bucket-list ADR. We also drop into Docking Bay 7 Food & Cargo for a delicious late lunch, feasting on Smoked Kaadu Pork Ribs and Fried Endorian Chicken Tip Yip, with sides of Moof Juice. Finally, it's our turn to help out the forces of light and resist the darkness, and as we enter into the acclaimed attraction the Rise of the Resistance, we are transported into a cinematic thrill like no other. 

Making "Purple BB8" at The Droid Depot.

Meeting her hero, Rey, from a distance.

A view of the stunning Millennium Falcon.

Oga's Cantina. Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name.

Out of this world dessert at Docking Bay 7.

We've spent most of the day in Toy Story Land and Galaxy's Edge, but there's still more to do! Emerging from Galaxy's Edge, we can't help but stop into the Baseline Tap House, where we order a cheese & charcuterie plate, a tasting flight of craft beer, and strawberry lemonade for the young Jedi. After our snack, we time it perfectly to catch Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, which brings back all the nostalgia of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Temple of Doom. On our way out, we stop for a picture of Gertie on Echo Lake.

Swinging around Echo Lake, we cross Hollywood Boulevard and make our way towards Sunset, heading towards the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster. We hop on line and wait to experience this classic thrill ride. While we're there, we get into one of the last showings of the Lightning McQueen's Racing Academy show, which immerses us into Lightning McQueen's race to become a champion and brings back great memories of when this movie first sped into our hearts. 

It's now starting to get dark, so it's the perfect time to head to the Tower of Terror. From the moment you enter the hotel, the storytelling begins. There's just nothing like this classic ride. The entire experience is pure fun, with an added element of paranormal and spookiness! We wish we could do it a hundred times!

Our last area of the night includes a must-do stop for our family—the Muppet Vision 3D show! 

While there, we stop into PizzeRizzo's for a late dinner, and get pizza and beers and happily look out over the courtyard in which Miss Piggy's Lady Liberty fountain stands gracefully and unironically in the center.

After our pizzas, the park is approaching closing time, so we steal a few more vistas of the lands all lit up for the evening, and make our way out of the park gates. There's definitely a few things we missed this time, but we know we'll be back for another wonderful day at this great park! 

Be sure to listen to our serial podcast, Symposia Disney, for more on why we love Disney! Find our first episode here, and then indulge in the rest of Season 1! :)