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Disney-MGM Studios opened at Walt Disney World on May 1, 1989.
Compared to Disney’s other two Florida theme parks—the rich-with-rides Magic Kingdom Park and the immense, grandiose EPCOT Center—it was a simple park.
Disney-MGM Studios consisted of two parts:
- Backstage Studio Tour: A two-hour guided tour, with a tram portion and an hour-long walking portion that included a chance to observe actual soundstages for television and motion picture production.
- Theme Park: A nicely designed guest area, but modest in scope, with several shops, restaurants, and shows.
And exactly one ride (apart from the tram tour), The Great Movie Ride.
The map at the top of this article is scanned from the Guide Book that guests received upon entering the park in 1989.
Here are some things you might notice:
- There’s no Sunset Boulevard, no Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, no Rock’n’Roller Coaster, and no Fantasmic!
- There’s no Star Tours, no Muppet-Vision 3-D, and no Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show.
- There’s not even a Mickey Avenue behind the Chinese Theatre, because that street was part of the Production Center, off limits to park guests.
- The tram tour began where The Magic of Disney Animation now begins. In fact, it’s the same queue area.
- The New York street (now part of the Streets of America) was part of the tram tour, not an area that guests could enter on foot.
- The show building for Star Tours is already on the map, but it’s not yet colored in. Star Tours opened before the end of 1989.
- If you look at the map upside down, there’s an enormous Hidden Mickey in front of the Chinese Theatre.
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