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Even the most dedicated Disney Parks fans might not know that one part of Disney’s Hollywood Studios hasn’t been updated in 25 years…
Dylan (@dylantpe on TikTok) recently shared this video about the history of Walt Disney World Resort’s third theme park.
The Disney Parks fan explained that when the Disney park originally opened as MGM Studios in 1989, it began inviting celebrities and Disney characters to leave handprints in the cement outside the Chinese Theatre. At the time, the replication of Los Angeles’ Grauman’s Chinese Theatre housed The Great Movie Ride.
@dylantpe Disney hasn’t put a new celebrity outside the Chinese Theatre in a long time #hollywoodstudios #disneyshollywoodstudios #disneyhollywoodstudios #disneyworld #waltdisneyworld #disney
When Walt Disney Imagineers reimagined the attraction inside the Chinese Theatre building to Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, they protected its iconic exterior–including the celebrity handprints on the ground. However, Walt Disney World Resort hasn’t invited anyone to add handprints since 1999.
“Throughout the first ten years of the park being opened, Disney would regularly have new celebrities put their handprints into this courtyard,” Dylan explained. “However, the last time that this happened was in 1999, and since then, Disney has not added a single celebrity or character’s handprints to the Chinese Theatre’s courtyard.”
Credit: Disney
Susan Sarandon, Michael J Fox, and Levar Burton were the last three celebrities to add their handprints to the Chinese Theatre at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
“It is unclear why Disney stopped having people add their handprints to the Chinese Theatre courtyard, which has now had a stagnant lineup for a quarter of a century,” Dylan concluded.
Credit: Disney
Though some Disney Parks fans suggested that the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre asked Walt Disney World Resort to stop adding celebrity handprints to its recreation of the building, that has never been proven.
Others suggested that Disney’s Hollywood Studios moved away from the tradition as it evolved into a theme park about movies instead of a theme park about making movies, with additions like Toy Story Land and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
What’s your favorite fun fact about Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, or Disney Springs? Disney Dining would love to hear it in the comments!
