Educational Attractions in Disney World"s Hollywood Studios
Educational Attractions in Disney World's Hollywood Studios
A trip to Disney's Hollywood Studios can not only be one of the most memorable trips you take as a family, but it can also be a learning vacation. While some of the attractions are just plain fun, others are fun and open up teachable moments and opportunities for learning outside of the classroom.
You can use the map above, to get a sense of where each attraction is in the Hollywood Studios park.
From learning how Walt Disney built an empire to seeing how animation really works, here are some of the top educational attractions in Hollywood Studios.
Hollywood Studios Educational Attraction: Studio Backlot Tour
On the Hollywood Studios Educational Map: #16
Time Needed (not including wait time): 35 minutes
Overview: The Studio Backlot Tour is designed to provide you and your children with a sense of what goes on behind the scenes of making a movie. It’s divided into four different components--an introduction in the line area, a walking tour, a tram tour and a post-ride museum experience.
From watching film clips in which a movie director talks about how the special effects for a particular movie were created to walking through a warehouse of famous movie props to taking an action filled tram ride through “Catastrophe Canyon,” your child will get to experience the complexity that goes into making a movie seem so realistic.
Why It’s Educational:
Many kids watch movies without ever thinking about how the effects in the movie were created. The Studio Backlot Tour gives your child the opportunity to see firsthand how much work goes into making special effects in movies seem real.
Your child will see how underwater explosions, fireballs, flash floods and earthquakes are created. After experiencing a rickety tram ride through the Canyon, your child has the chance to see how all of that action is synced to the video and sound of a movie.
How to Set the Educational Stage for the Attraction:
Talk to your child about some of his favorite movies, pointing out scenes that use special effects. Younger children may need you to explain the difference between “real” and “make believe.” A good way to do is this is to talk about a simple weather phenomena, such as a rainstorm. Ask your child if it’s possible to make it rain whenever you want to and then ask him how he thinks movie directors make it rain in the movies when they need it.
Explain that the attraction you are going to see will show him how people who make movies are able to make things like rainstorms look as though they are happening. Be sure to emphasize that what you will be seeing is make-believe and the people are actors who are not really going to be in a flood.
Following Up After the Attraction:
Ask your child to tell you what special effects he experienced during the ride. Ask:
Can you explain how they made it look as though there was a fight going on in the water? What did they have to do to make it look as though there was a flood in the canyon? Do you think it’s easy or difficult to create special effects? What happens when the effect goes wrong? Is it easy to start over again?
Hollywood Studios Educational Attraction: The Great Movie Ride
On the Hollywood Studios Educational Map: #18
Time Needed (not including wait time): 20 minutes
Overview:
The Great Movie Ride is a 20-minute ride through classic film history in which you will literally ride into scenes of classic movies. It starts in a reproduction of Hollywood’s famous Chinese Theater in which there are a number of props from famous movies displayed in showcases.
As you and your child wait on line you can watch movie clips to prepare yourself to a part of the show. Movies you will experience on the ride include: Alien, Casablanca, Fantasia, Mary Poppins, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Singin' in the Rain, Tarzan the Ape Man, The Public Enemy and The Wizard of Oz.
Note: This ride is dark and may be scary for young children.
Why It’s Educational:
Although some of the movies included in the ride may not be ones your child has seen or heard of, the scenes the ride takes you through are often parodied or copied in pop culture. Seeing the original musical number from Singin’ in the Rain, scene of the wicked witch from The Wizard of Oz and an animatronic Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan can help your child put some of those parodies and remakes into perspective. The ride also gives your child a chance to compare the look and pace of classic films to the movies he goes to see.
How to Set the Educational Stage for the Attraction:
Look up the history of Grauman’s Chinese Theater and talk about why there might be a replica of it in Hollywood Studios.
(Hint: Hollywood Studios is set up to be a mini-Hollywood!) Talk to your child about the films that are represented in the Great Movie Ride, talking about ones he may have seen or ones of which he may have seen remakes or parodies. Ask him to keep in mind as he’s on the ride that these movies are all classics.
Following Up After the Attraction:
Follow-up with your child to see if he recognized any of the movies you rode through and why he thinks those movies are considered classics. Ask:
What movies did you recognize? Did you recognize any of the words or scenes, but not from the movie? Where had you heard them before? What do you think it means to be a “classic movie?” What do you think makes some movies classic and others not classic?
On the Hollywood Studios Educational Map: #24
Time Needed (not including wait time): 25 minutes
Overview:
Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream is a combination self-guided tour of memorabilia and film presentation that chronicles the life of Walt Disney. The walk-through museum component of the attraction has some amazing artifacts, including Disney’s desk set up as it was in his office.
The Oscar he won for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and the multiplane camera used to make The Old Mill are also on display.
The film presentation includes interview clips and footage showing Disneyland and Disney World being built.
Why It’s Educational:
A trip to Disney World can be educational in its own right, but it’s possible your children don’t even know that Walt Disney was a real person. Learning about who Disney was and what shaped his desire to create what has become an empire beyond his imagination can teach your child much about thinking outside the box and being a self-directed learner.
How to Set the Educational Stage for the Attraction:
Talk to your child about what he knows about the word “Disney,” and what he thinks about when he hears the word. Explain to them that it’s actually the last name of the man who created Mickey Mouse and all of Disney World. Ask him to draw a picture of what he thinks Walt Disney looked like or to write a character description of the man behind all the magic.
Following Up After the Attraction:
Ask your child to think about the picture he drew or the character description he wrote and compare it to what he learned about the real Walt Disney.
Follow-up with him about how Disney built his empire and what other things he did in his life. This is a good opening to talk about how animatronics paved the way for using robotics in other ways. Ask:
Was Walt Disney always successful? Why did he dream of a magical place? Do you remember what the film said about why he built Disney World after he’d already built Disneyland? What contributions did he make to society other than just Mickey Mouse and Disney World?
Read more about Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream
A trip to Disney's Hollywood Studios can not only be one of the most memorable trips you take as a family, but it can also be a learning vacation. While some of the attractions are just plain fun, others are fun and open up teachable moments and opportunities for learning outside of the classroom.
You can use the map above, to get a sense of where each attraction is in the Hollywood Studios park.
From learning how Walt Disney built an empire to seeing how animation really works, here are some of the top educational attractions in Hollywood Studios.
Hollywood Studios Educational Attraction: Studio Backlot Tour
On the Hollywood Studios Educational Map: #16
Time Needed (not including wait time): 35 minutes
Overview: The Studio Backlot Tour is designed to provide you and your children with a sense of what goes on behind the scenes of making a movie. It’s divided into four different components--an introduction in the line area, a walking tour, a tram tour and a post-ride museum experience.
From watching film clips in which a movie director talks about how the special effects for a particular movie were created to walking through a warehouse of famous movie props to taking an action filled tram ride through “Catastrophe Canyon,” your child will get to experience the complexity that goes into making a movie seem so realistic.
Why It’s Educational:
Many kids watch movies without ever thinking about how the effects in the movie were created. The Studio Backlot Tour gives your child the opportunity to see firsthand how much work goes into making special effects in movies seem real.
Your child will see how underwater explosions, fireballs, flash floods and earthquakes are created. After experiencing a rickety tram ride through the Canyon, your child has the chance to see how all of that action is synced to the video and sound of a movie.
How to Set the Educational Stage for the Attraction:
Talk to your child about some of his favorite movies, pointing out scenes that use special effects. Younger children may need you to explain the difference between “real” and “make believe.” A good way to do is this is to talk about a simple weather phenomena, such as a rainstorm. Ask your child if it’s possible to make it rain whenever you want to and then ask him how he thinks movie directors make it rain in the movies when they need it.
Explain that the attraction you are going to see will show him how people who make movies are able to make things like rainstorms look as though they are happening. Be sure to emphasize that what you will be seeing is make-believe and the people are actors who are not really going to be in a flood.
Following Up After the Attraction:
Ask your child to tell you what special effects he experienced during the ride. Ask:
Can you explain how they made it look as though there was a fight going on in the water? What did they have to do to make it look as though there was a flood in the canyon? Do you think it’s easy or difficult to create special effects? What happens when the effect goes wrong? Is it easy to start over again?
Hollywood Studios Educational Attraction: The Great Movie Ride
On the Hollywood Studios Educational Map: #18
Time Needed (not including wait time): 20 minutes
Overview:
The Great Movie Ride is a 20-minute ride through classic film history in which you will literally ride into scenes of classic movies. It starts in a reproduction of Hollywood’s famous Chinese Theater in which there are a number of props from famous movies displayed in showcases.
As you and your child wait on line you can watch movie clips to prepare yourself to a part of the show. Movies you will experience on the ride include: Alien, Casablanca, Fantasia, Mary Poppins, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Singin' in the Rain, Tarzan the Ape Man, The Public Enemy and The Wizard of Oz.
Note: This ride is dark and may be scary for young children.
Why It’s Educational:
Although some of the movies included in the ride may not be ones your child has seen or heard of, the scenes the ride takes you through are often parodied or copied in pop culture. Seeing the original musical number from Singin’ in the Rain, scene of the wicked witch from The Wizard of Oz and an animatronic Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan can help your child put some of those parodies and remakes into perspective. The ride also gives your child a chance to compare the look and pace of classic films to the movies he goes to see.
How to Set the Educational Stage for the Attraction:
Look up the history of Grauman’s Chinese Theater and talk about why there might be a replica of it in Hollywood Studios.
(Hint: Hollywood Studios is set up to be a mini-Hollywood!) Talk to your child about the films that are represented in the Great Movie Ride, talking about ones he may have seen or ones of which he may have seen remakes or parodies. Ask him to keep in mind as he’s on the ride that these movies are all classics.
Following Up After the Attraction:
Follow-up with your child to see if he recognized any of the movies you rode through and why he thinks those movies are considered classics. Ask:
What movies did you recognize? Did you recognize any of the words or scenes, but not from the movie? Where had you heard them before? What do you think it means to be a “classic movie?” What do you think makes some movies classic and others not classic?
On the Hollywood Studios Educational Map: #24
Time Needed (not including wait time): 25 minutes
Overview:
Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream is a combination self-guided tour of memorabilia and film presentation that chronicles the life of Walt Disney. The walk-through museum component of the attraction has some amazing artifacts, including Disney’s desk set up as it was in his office.
The Oscar he won for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and the multiplane camera used to make The Old Mill are also on display.
The film presentation includes interview clips and footage showing Disneyland and Disney World being built.
Why It’s Educational:
A trip to Disney World can be educational in its own right, but it’s possible your children don’t even know that Walt Disney was a real person. Learning about who Disney was and what shaped his desire to create what has become an empire beyond his imagination can teach your child much about thinking outside the box and being a self-directed learner.
How to Set the Educational Stage for the Attraction:
Talk to your child about what he knows about the word “Disney,” and what he thinks about when he hears the word. Explain to them that it’s actually the last name of the man who created Mickey Mouse and all of Disney World. Ask him to draw a picture of what he thinks Walt Disney looked like or to write a character description of the man behind all the magic.
Following Up After the Attraction:
Ask your child to think about the picture he drew or the character description he wrote and compare it to what he learned about the real Walt Disney.
Follow-up with him about how Disney built his empire and what other things he did in his life. This is a good opening to talk about how animatronics paved the way for using robotics in other ways. Ask:
Was Walt Disney always successful? Why did he dream of a magical place? Do you remember what the film said about why he built Disney World after he’d already built Disneyland? What contributions did he make to society other than just Mickey Mouse and Disney World?
Read more about Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream
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