Chapter 15 - Hollywood Studios - Echo Lake - Part 3 -
Theater District                                                                          posted Apr 2022

As our tour around Echo Lake has now reached the fourth side, which we can call the Theater side of Echo Lake.
First, we’ll visit the Hyperion Theater, which has changed names several times since it was a Park opener in 1989.
Hyperion Studio
Hyperion Studio - In 1926, Walt and Roy renamed their company “The Walt Disney Studios” and moved their office from a rented store at 4649 Kingswell Avenue (We covered this in Chapter 13 – Hollywood Studios – Part 1 – Echo Lake) to a new location here in the Silver Lake district of LA at 2719 Hyperion Avenue.
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Hyperion Studio
It was at the Hyperion Studio, after the loss of Oswald, that Walt had to come up with a new character, and that character was Mickey Mouse. With his chief animator, Ub Iwerks, Walt designed the famous mouse and gave him a personality that endeared him to all. Ub animated two Mickey Mouse cartoons, but Walt was unable to sell them because they were silent films, and sound was revolutionizing the movie industry. So, they made a third Mickey Mouse cartoon, this time with fully synchronized sound, and Steamboat Willie opened to rave reviews at the Colony Theater in New York November 18, 1928.
It was where Mickey Mouse was born and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) was produced. With the success of Snow White, the Disney needed more space to increase production. So, in 1940, they moved from Hyperion to a new location Burbank.
Research:
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Hyperion Theater
Because Hollywood Studios focused on the television and movie industry, the live show entertainment has changed a lot over the years. As new shows air and what’s popular evolves at home, the park refreshes their lineup to keep up. Superstar Theater, which has been a staple at Hollywood Studios from the beginning, has hosted many shows with very different concepts over the years.
Since opening day, the Theater has had many different shows, presentations, as well as, names:
  • SuperStar Television (May 1, 1989 – September 26, 1998) The theater’s name was SuperStar Television sponsored by SONY
  • Doug Live! (March 15, 1999 – May 12, 2001) The Theater’s new was ABC Sound Theater
  • Get Happy...With ABC! (July 1 – October 5, 2002) - Following the closure of Get Happy with ABC, the Theater remained mostly closed, except for occasional special event use. The Theater’s name remained ABC Sound Theater until The American Idol Experience. (2009)
  • The American Idol Experience (February 14, 2009 – August 30, 2014) - The American Idol Experience allowed guests to audition for, perform in and watch a live version of American Idol. The American Idol Experiences ceased operations on August 30, 2014. During this time the Theater was named The American Idol Experience.
  • For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration (June 17, 2015 – present) - “For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration”, a musical stage show based on the 2013 Disney film “Frozen”. Following the closing of The American Idol Experience in 2014, the rechristened the Hyperion Theater in 2015.
Superstar Television (1989 – 1998)
SuperStar Television was one of the opening day attractions at Disney’s MGM Studios. The Sony-sponsored show offered guests to reenact some of television's greatest moments, shows like Cheers, General Hospital, Gilligan’s Island, and more.
Before the show began, the emcee would select from the guests to be in the show. Once all of the “actors” had been selected, they were taken backstage for costumes and make-up.
In the early years of the attraction, the rest of the audience saw an introduction film hosted by Alan Alda on the overhead monitors and then entered the theater for the main show.
In the audience, guests could see what was going on “behind the scenes” as well as how everything would have appeared on television. While the scenes played out on stage, eight large projection screens displayed the TV perspective. Scenes that were reenacted during SuperStar Television included:
  • A morning newscast
  • The Howdy Doody Show theme song sing-along
  • The famous chocolate candy conveyor belt scene from I Love Lucy
  • Drama between Sonya and Donald in General Hospital
  • A commercial for Bonanza
  • The opening sequence of Gilligan’s Island
  • News footage from Apollo 11
  • A pie fight between a waiter and the Three Stooges
  • An ad for Sony Trinitron televisions
  • An episode of Cheers with audience members as bar guests
  • The “To Catch a Neighbor” episode of The Golden Girls
  • Howard Cosell’s Sports Break
  • A Tonight Show interview between Johnny Carson and an audience member
  • Some funny segments from The Late Show with David Letterman
The Main Show
 Eight six-foot wide projection screens made sure that everyone in the audience could see what was going on. Through the marvels of modern technology (a bluescreen), guests on the stage were shown appearing on SuperStar Television Channel One in the following shows:
 
  • The broadcast day begins at 7:59 A.M., July 18th, 1955 with the chimes to the tune of "When You Wish Upon a Star".  An episode of "Today" airs with a newscast given by an audience member that features a story on the opening of Disneyland.
  • "The Howdy Doody" show with a sing-a-long of the theme song featuring the SuperStar Television audience as the Peanut Gallery.
  • The "I Love Lucy" episode "Job Switching" (airing "Monday night at nine") which featured the famous chocolate candy conveyer belt.  An audience member played the role of Ethel Mertz.
 
The emcee then speaks about television transitioning to color in the 1960s and the following shows are then acted out:
  • A typical soap opera scenario featuring Sonya and Donald on "General Hospital" (at "12 o' clock noon").
  • "Sundays are great on Channel One" with a promo for "Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color" running at 7:00 while the promo for "The Ed Sullivan Show" at 8:00 features people in the audience and another group of participants as the "Vonzells" performing "Da Doo Ron Ron".
  • A promo for "Bonanza" at 9:00 is then shown, with a child from the audience as a cowboy.
  • The opening to "Gilligan's Island" featured audience members as the Skipper, Thurston Howell III, Ginger and the Professor.
  • News footage of the Apollo 11 moon landing was then shown featuring Walter Cronkite.  It is revealed that Neil Armstrong's famous speech came from cue cards held up by one of the audience participants.  
  • An audience member dressed as a waiter gets involved in a pie fight with the Three Stooges.  (Airing "Weekdays at 4:00".)
  • A Sony Trinitron television ad was then shown on the monitors with a succession of shots showing a baby progressing into an old man with a TV "designed to last".
  • An episode of "Cheers" airing at 9:00 in the evening featuring audience members as people in the bar.
  • "The Golden Girls" episode "To Catch a Neighbor" featuring audience members as their neighbors the McDowells and the police.
  • "Howard Cosell's Sports Break" with a child playing the part of the baseball player that wins the game.
  • "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson interviewing an audience member playing a movie star who talks about how bad they play the accordion.  
  • "The Late Show with David Letterman" with a segment on what the audience of SuperStar Television wants to see dropped off of a five story tower.  A member of the audience then asks Dave why he doesn't do something educational.  Cut to Dave dropping six packs of regular and light beer down to the ground to illustrate the forces of gravity.  Another member of the audience then asks to see something food related dropped so Dave drops a stocking full of lard.  Another guest asks Dave to do something with a turkey so he drops a frozen turkey from the tower onto a trampoline.  The rest of the audience is prompted to shout "More!" and Dave does a finale with various items such as bowling balls and watermelons.
  • The show was altered slightly through the years and later included clips from "Empty Nest" and "Home Improvement".  
The last SuperStar Television show was held on September 26, 1998 and was replaced by the Doug Live! show in the spring of 1999. The building was later used for The American Idol Experience. The building was later renamed The Hyperion Theater in 2015 when For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration opened.     
 
Sources:
Doug Live! (March 15, 1999 – May 12, 2001)
In the early 90’s, Doug was a popular cartoon series that aired on Nickelodeon. The show was acquired by Disney in 1996 and renamed Disney’s Doug. It then aired as part of ABC’s “One Saturday Morning” lineup. Because of the TV shows popularity, a Disney decided to release a film called Doug’s 1st Movie on March 26th, 1999. To tie into the film’s release, Disney decided to bring the show to life in the ABC TV Theater with a show called Doug Live!
In March 1999, Doug and his friends made their debut at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in a show called Doug: Live! at ABC-TV Theater (formerly called Superstar Theater).
The preshow featured an interview with Doug creator Jim Jinkins. A cast member would chooses some audience members to participate in the show
Disney’s Doug Live! was specifically created for Hollywood studios. The 30-minute musical stage show was a mix of live-action and animated entertainment.
The theme of the show was that Doug Funnie was on the quest to win the heart of Patti Mayonnaise. With the help of his best friend Skeeter Valentine, Doug won tickets to see his favorite band in concert and he’s planning on asking Patti to be his date. Unfortunately, class bully Roger Klotz gets in the way of his plan. Other characters that made appearances during the show included Quailman (Doug’s alter ego), his dog Porkchop, and Evil Dr. Rubbersuit. Audience participants got to play roles like members of “The Beets” and Quailkid.
The last performance of Disney’s Doug Live took place on May 12, 2001. It was replaced by Get Happy…With ABC! in 2002.
 
Research:
Get Happy…With ABC! (July 1 to October 5, 2002)
After Disney’s Doug Live ended, Get Happy…With ABC! premiered on July 1, 2002. The short lived Get Happy with ABC then opened on July 1, 2002. More or less a 25 minute advertisement for ABC’s 2003 Fall TV lineup, Get Happy with ABC closed October 5, 2002.
The interactive show was a 25-minute presentation featuring ABC stars like Ben Affleck, Jim Belushi, Jimmy Kimmel, George Lopez, and many more.
Get Happy offered an exclusive look at the newest reality programs, comedies, dramas, and other programming that would be joining ABC’s Fall lineup. Performances took place multiple times daily until it ended on October 5, 2002. The theater then remained vacant for several years until the American Idol Experience opened in 2009.

Stars to spot in "Get Happy...With ABC!"
Star
Ben Affleck
James Bulliard
Jim Belushi
Jennifer Garner
Charles Gibson
Bonnie Hunt
Jimmy Kimmel
George Lopez
John Madden
John Ritter
Diane Sawyer
Michael Vartan
ABC Show
Co-Creator & Executive Producer of "Push, Nevada"
Starring as Travis Glass on "That Was Then"
Starring as Jim on "According to Jim"
Starring as Agent Sydney Bristow on "Alias"
Co-anchor of ABC News programs
Starring as Bonnie Molloy on "Life With Bonnie"
Host of "The Jimmy Kimmel Show"
Starring as George Lopez on "George Lopez"
Expert NFL analyst on "ABC Monday Night Football"
Starring as Paul Hennessy on "8 Simple Rules..."
Co-anchor of ABC News programs
Starring as Agent Michael Vaughn on "Alias"
Reference:
The American Idol Experience (February 14, 2009 – August 30, 2014)
The American Idol Experience opened on February 14, 2009, was a talent show that was inspired by the popular television show. It opened in ABC Theater, which had no major attraction since Get Happy...With ABC! End in Oct 2002.
 
The American Idol Experience allowed guests to audition for, perform in and watch a live version of American Idol.

If guests thought they had singing chops, they could visit the exit of the theater and sign up for a time to audition in front of cast members trained to search for talented singers. Those who made it past the first round auditioned again in front of a “producer,” who would assign the more gifted individuals to a show time during the day.
 
The daytime shows of the day actually led to a nighttime finale. Guests who attended the preliminary shows would watch the carefully selected park guests sing. They then had the chance vote on who they thought was the best singer from that show, with the winner of each daytime show moving onto the finale show. (It actually functioned almost identically to how the television show functioned, starting with judges choosing who passed the auditions and moving onto audience voting at the bigger stages.)
Inside the main theater, the chosen performers took the stage in front of a live audience during one of five preliminary shows throughout the day.
Each act got their own introduction to the crowd and the audience was able to vote for their favorite performer using electric keypads at their seats. The winning acts from all five shows would return for the main show at the end of the day. After every act performed for the second time, the live audience would vote again for their favorite singer.
 
In addition to the votes from the live audience, there were three credible judges critiquing the performances during the show. The final winner at the end of each day received a “Dream Ticket” that could be used to skip the line at a regional audition for the real American Idol television show.
The original judges on the TV American Idol served as the inspirations for the judges in the American Idol Experience. Generally, a chill man (Randy Jackson), a bubbly woman (Paula Abdul), and a cranky British man (Simon Cowell) served as the judges for the attraction.
As with most attractions guests exit through the gift shop. After the show, browse the merchandise. Perhaps you need an American Idol Experience t-shirt.
 
The American Idol Experience eventually closed on August 30, 2014. For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration moved into the Superstar Theater in 2015.
Disney issued a Fact Sheet about the American Idol attraction:
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – In addition to being the first-of-its-kind attraction in the world to be based on the TV show “American Idol,” “The American Idol Experience” at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park offers a variety of fast facts.
Among them:
BORN TO BE WIRED: The high-tech theater is wired with more than 76 miles of cable and 25 miles of conduit.
LIGHT ON: Lighting gives TV’s “American Idol” logo and signage its iconic look. Without sacrificing dazzle, Disney’s lighting team gave “The American Idol Experience” set a low-voltage treatment, installing energy-efficient LED (light emitting diodes) fixtures.
SPACE JAM: The attraction has 25,000 square feet of indoor space, which includes the giant replica stage/set and 1,000 seats for audience members. ”The American Idol Experience” stage alone measures more than 3,000 square feet.
HERE COMES THE JUDGE: The judges in “The American Idol Experience” are all industry professionals who bring an expertise of music, showmanship and what it takes to have that “star quality.” Coast-to-coast auditions were held to find individuals who possess a deep knowledge of show business and can share that knowledge with attraction guests. Past showbiz experience among the team of judges includes: professional choreographers and dancers; actors and actresses from stage, screen and television projects; professional musicians; professional improvisation actors and actresses; television show hosts; and, even a former Rockette.
PICTURE PERFECT: The live show features a wide array of cameras including: one Steadicam operator shooting the action onstage and in the audience; a robotic camera mounted on the theater wall for audience shots; a camera at the back of the house for wide shots and one roaming, handheld camera.
GO WITH THE FLOW: Complementing the shots and angles captured live by the camera crews, a complete crew of video editors and producers works inside the HD production studio to make each show flow.
DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR?: There are 113 video screens and 105 audio speakers installed throughout the theater’s show and audition spaces.
THE WALL: ”The American Idol Experience” features the largest curved video wall at Walt Disney World Resort, measuring 35 feet wide and more than seven feet tall.
SEEING STARS: Fans will recognize many famous faces throughout “The American Idol Experience.” ”American Idol”-related stars making exclusive video appearances in the attraction include Ryan Seacrest, David Cook, David Archuleta, Jordin Sparks, Justin Guarini, Brooke White, Syesha Mercado and Jason Castro.
For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration (June 17, 2015 – present)
The theater now presents For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration. The show moved in on June 17, 2015, after a successful premiere the preceding year at the Premiere Theater in the Streets of America section (We’ll tour the Premiere Theater and The Street of America with its background in an upcoming Chapter).
 
But today guests will find Queen Elsa in the theater, which is now called the Hyperion Theater. The live sing-along show brings some of the movie’s most iconic scenes to life as Arendelle’s Royal Historians retell the epic story. The story’s characters belt out the most popular songs from the Frozen soundtrack and the audience is encouraged to sing along!
The characters, songs and the story line are based on Frozen. These are the extremely popular characters that have and likely will continue to remain popular for years to come.  The only characters in the show that aren’t from the movie are the historians that narrate the story and lead the audience in the songs.
Everyone is encouraged to sing along as loud as they possibly can, as the lyrics appear on the screen. 
 
One of the latest Hollywood Studios attractions is the new Celebrity (Meet & Greet) Spotlight with Olaf which is also located in Echo Lake!
 
And, of course, as guests exit the Theater they will exit through Frozen Fractal Gifts which has just about every type of Frozen souvenir you could image. We’re just surprised Echo Lake hasn’t frozen over with all of these Frozen opportunities!
 
The show opened in 2014, it was part of the Frozen Summer event (We will discuss later).  The show and the entire Frozen Summer were meant to just be for the summer.  The entire event ended up getting extended to last a little bit past summer.
Info:
Frozen Summer Fun 2014 Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Taking full advantage of the overwhelming appeal of all things Frozen, Walt Disney World has created Frozen Summer Fun days at Disney's Hollywood Studios! Operating daily from July 5 – September 1st; there are numerous opportunities to enjoy Frozen. The events and special Frozen Summer Fun were free for all guests.

As you enter the Studios guests picked up your own Take Along Olaf – he loves summer and wants to be part of your vacation. Guests could use it to take photos of themself and Olaf throughout the park.
Other activities:

PARK OPENING SHOW
As the turnstiles open guests headed down to the Sorcerer Stage for the brief Park Opening Show featuring Olaf! During Extra Magic Hours this show takes place once for resort guests and once for non-resort guests. Also, periodically during the day, a revised show is performed.
 
WANDERING OAKEN'S TRADING POST
Each day at park opening (even Extra Magic Hours) Oaken's Frozen Trading Post opened. This was the merchandise store for all things frozen. It was located in Sound Stage 1 (where Darth Mall was located during Star Wars weekends). There was a plethora of merchandise for sale including three Frozen Magic Bands, from Anna, Elsa or Olaf.
WANDERING OAKEN'S FROZEN FUNLAND
At park opening the Frozen Funland opened for all guests. It was located in Sound Stage 1 (where Darth Mall was located during Star Wars weekends). Inside guests would be able to Build a Snowman (10 minutes in real snow!) , take advantage of special photo ops, enjoying Ice Skating ($10 for $30 minutes), and purchase special Frozen summer treats.
 
ANNA AND ELSA'S ROYAL WELCOME
At 11:00am each day, Anna, Elsa, Kristoff and the citizens of Arendelle parade down Hollywood Blvd. They arrive at the Sorcerer Hat Stage and were officially welcomed to Disney's Hollywood Studios. The Royal Welcome Finale was a Let It Go Frozen Sing along!
 
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN FOREVER: A FROZEN SING-ALONG CELEBRATION SHOW
This fun, 20-minute show is held at the Premiere Theatre at 12:30pm, 1:30pm, 2:30pm, 3:30pm.
 
COOLEST SUMMER EVER DANCE PARTY
Each evening from 5:30 – 9:30pm a live band celebrated Frozen Summer Fun in front of the stage.
 
FROZEN FIREWORKS SPECTACULAR
 Fireworks displayed to the music of Frozen!
 
Source:
Frozen Summer Fun 2015 Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Frozen Summer Fun LIVE was at the Disney's Hollywood Studios starting June 17, 2015, and continued daily through September 7, 2015. The summer-long special event features a full day of "Frozen" fun:
 
  • --Frozen Royal Welcome — Twice each day, (10:30am and 1:30pm) Anna, Elsa and Kristoff take part in a festive cavalcade throughout Hollywood Studios, accompanied by the Royal Arendelle Flag Corps, skaters, skiers and ice cutters — along with the snowman Olaf. Parade goes down Hollywood Blvd and heads left to exit between Star Tours and the Backlot Express. There is no show at the stage during the welcome. The parade makes a couple stops along with way for song.
  • For the First Time in Forever: A "Frozen" Sing-Along Celebration — This popular retelling of the film moves into the Hyperion Theater (formerly Superstar Television Theater). The Royal Historians of Arendelle perform with all-new in-theater effects and special appearances by Anna, Elsa and Kristoff.
  • The animated short film "Frozen Fever", along with a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film, will be shown at the ABC Sound Studio from June 17 – September 7, during Frozen Summer Fun. "Frozen Fever," which debuted in theaters with Disney's live-action "Cinderella," (More about “Frozen Fever” to follow)
  • Olaf's Summer Cool Down — Several times each day, the Ambassador of Hollywoodland brings Olaf and some of his friends to the Event Stage. Olaf moves, talks, dances, eyes blink and he has a great time.
  • "Coolest Summer Ever" Dance Party — Once the sun went down, a dance party takes over the area around the Event Stage, with DJ Chill and Disney characters. Using a special event hashtag, you can share song requests and photos over social media, to be featured onscreen during the party.
  • "Frozen" Fireworks Spectacular — Anna, Elsa, Kristoff and Olaf appeared on the Event Stage to kick off an awe-inspiring fireworks display set to the music of "Frozen" and, of course, a flurry of snow! 9:30pm
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Frozen Fever (June 17 – September 7, 2015)
The animated short film "Frozen Fever", along with a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film, will be shown at the ABC Sound Studio from June 17 – September 7, during Frozen Summer Fun.
 
Frozen Fever is based on the 2013 feature film Frozen, and tells the story of Anna's birthday party given by Elsa with the help of Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf.
 
Plot
The storyline takes place one year after the events of Frozen, Queen Elsa is determined to give her younger sister, Anna, a perfect surprise birthday party and enlists the help of Anna’s boyfriend Kristoff, his reindeer Sven and the lovable snowman Olaf in order to make sure the party goes ahead without any problems.
Elsa suddenly starts developing symptoms of a cold, unknowingly producing a group of "Snowgies" with each sneeze, little snow-babies who begin to dismantle the birthday party's decorations
Several mishaps occur during the day until Elsa finally notices the little snow-people she has been inadvertently creating all day.
Olaf, Kristoff, and Sven save the day by escorting the Snowgies to Elsa's ice palace, where they stay with her snow-giant doorkeeper Marshmallow.
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame Plaza
 
The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame Plaza is located in the Echo Lake area next to the Hyperion Theater.
The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame Plaza is an outdoor exhibit that features 12 busts of television stars inducted into the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (ATAS) Hall of Fame. The plaza features a life-size Emmy Award statue at its center.
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The original Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame Plaza opened in 1991 in North Hollywood, California, adjacent to the offices of ATAS. The Disney's Hollywood Studios version opened in 1994 as its East Coast counterpart.
 
Each year the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences selects individuals to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. These industry leaders are recognized for their outstanding contributions to the arts, sciences, and management of television. The first awards were presented in 1984 and celebrated the careers of Lucille Ball, Milton Berle, Paddy Chayefsky, Norman Lear, Edward R. Murrow, William S. Paley, and David Sarnoff.
 
The centerpiece of this awards plaza is a statuette of the Emmy Award.
 
Disney has chosen to pay tribute to a number of the winners with bronze busts.
Honorees Displayed
  • Desi Arnaz
  • Bea Arthur
  • Lucille Ball
  • Diahann Carroll
  • Dick Clark
  • Walt Disney
  • Dick Van Dyke
  • Andy Griffith
  • Mary Tyler Moore
  • Bob Newhart
  • Barbara Walters
  • Betty White
  • Oprah Winfrey
Along the back wall of the plaza are plaques displaying a list of each year’s winners. Unfortunately, Hollywood Studios has not stayed current and only presents the first 13 of the 20 award ceremonies conducted.
Shops
Merchandising, Merchandising! As you exit the SuperStar Television Theater, now the rededicate Hyperion Theater, guests will go through the Shop which typically has the name of the Theater or Show, they’ve just been at. The merchandise offered by the Shops are usually related to the Show.
Golden Age Souvenirs
Golden Age Souvenirs- This store sold Disney MGM/Hollywood Studios merchandise as well as other Disney character souvenirs. Golden Age Souvenirs operated from 1989 until 2008.
At this shop guests could find select character souvenirs.
In 2009  the Golden Age souvenir stand is renamed to the Superstar Shop.
 
Guide:
Superstar Shop
Superstar Shop the merchandise was somewhat the same as the Golden Age Souvenir Shop.
 
 
 
More:
Frozen Fractal Gift
Frozen Fractal Gifts - Frozen-themed merchandise can be found throughout the parks, but the Frozen Fractal Gifts has just about every type of Frozen souvenir you could image. So if guests are looking for  specific items featuring Anna, Elsa, and the rest of the gang, They may want to head to the Frozen Fractal gift shop in Hollywood Studios.
More info:
ABC Sound Studio
Next lets move down to the ABC Sound Studios which has served host for  number of shows over the years.
The first Show when MGM/Disney Studios opened in 1989 was the
 
Monster Sound Show
The Monster Sound Show, was a movie about sound effects starring Chevy Chase and Martin Short. The Monster Sound Show introduced guests to the process of adding sound effects to television and film. Each show featured four guests that were selected to be Foley artists and help in adding sound effects to a short film. Foley, the art of creating the background noises in films.
The short film starring Chevy Chase and Martin Short where these two masters of comedy starred in a three-minute slapstick scene where a hotel worker (Short) attempts to murder a life insurance agent (Chase).
Sponsored by Sony and shown in the ABC Theater, this show was unique in how it gave the volunteering guests a hands-on experience to create the sound magic.
Guests would shown the movie once, and then members selected from the audience would get to try to add in the sound effects during the second showing of the movie, which was then played back a third time with those new effects. The end result was usually pretty funny, with sounds happening at odd times.
 
At the end, guests could go in a booth and put on headphones to hear a audio story that sounded like everything was right there in the room with you.
 
The One Saturday Morning Sound Show was the replacement show for the Monster Sound Show in 1997.
One Saturday Morning Sound Show    
In July of 1997 the format of the show was changed and the attraction renamed to “ABC Sound Studio”.
 
Like its predecessor, the Monster Sound Show attraction, One Saturday Morning Sound Show had guests add sound effects to a film. Instead of a murder-mystery however, the film now shown featured characters from the Disney One Saturday Morning Carton "101 Dalmatians: The Series”.
Seven guests add sound effects to the cartoon and then the audience watches the humorous results.
 
The One Saturday Morning Sound Show ran from July 2, 1997 until February 20, 1999.
 
The attraction was replaced by Sounds Dangerous Starring Drew Carey.
 
Follow-up:
https://d23.com/a-to-z/abc-sound-studio/
https://disneynews.us/disney-directory/one-saturday-morning-sound-show/
Sounds Dangerous Starring Drew Carey
The presentation took place inside the ABC soundstage. Guests were told that the show was an ABC pilot show called Undercover Live.
This audio show took place almost completely in the dark. Guests wore headphones and were in the dark for the majority of the show. As guests followed the adventures of undercover cop called Foster, played Drew Carey. The show strived to take advantage of the actor’s popularity while his show was at its peak.
The plot started out with a brief video detailing that we were watching Undercover Live, a show about a cop who was trying to bust a smuggling ring. We begin by seeing Carey with a camera on his tie, getting ready to infiltrate the snow globe manufacturing plant he is at. Then Foster, the bungling detective, would trip over his hidden camera and plunge the theater in darkness. Audio effects would then tell guests the rest of the story.
 
Sounds Dangerous ran from April 22, 1999, in early 2009 Sounds Dangerous began operating seasonally until May 18, 2012 when it closed officially, Disney renaming it as ABC Sound Studio.
 
Information:
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Over the next 8 years ABC Sound Studio had no permanent Show, but used for various activities, such as:

  • Was the temporary "Carbon Freeze Me" attraction for the park's annual Star Wars Weekends event.
Carbon Freeze Me was event during Star Wars Weekend. It was introduced at Disney Hollywood Studios' Star Wars Weekends in 2012, the Carbon Freeze Me service will make you an 8" figurine of yourself frozen.
 
Guests can relive the classic scene from Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back where Captain Solo is frozen in carbonite with the Carbon Freeze Me experience. Guests would entering the freezing chamber at Disney's Hollywood Studios to have their faces digitally captured from multiple angles and then magically transformed into 8” three-dimensional carbonite figurines.
 
                                                                                                            Photo Credit: Disney©

The experience was available during Star Wars Weekends in 2013, but only from Friday – Sunday from May 17 to June 9, 2013.

  • From 2012 to 2015 ABC Sound Studio was used for Jedi Training Academy Sign-Up. Then in 2015 registration was moved to the Indiana Jones Adventure Outpost, which is next to the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular and near 50’s Prime Time Café. (More about Jedi Academy in the next Chapter 16 – Hollywood Studios – Star Tours)
  • Starting April 18, 2014, the theater was used to present a sneak peek of Walt Disney Pictures' Maleficent.
  • Beginning July 4, 2014, the theater was used to present a sneak peek of Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy.
  • From June 17 to December 3, 2015, the theater was used to show the short film Frozen Fever, as part of the Frozen Summer Fun event at the park. (See section above)
  • From December 4, 2015, to May 14, 2018, the theater showed Star Wars: Path of the Jedi, as part of Season of the Force. (See section below)
  • On March 4, 2020, the theater was renamed the Mickey Shorts Theater and the seats were given a Mickey Mouse design. It currently shows the Vacation Fun Mickey Mouse short. It opened concurrently with Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway. (See section below)
 
Info:
Star Wars: Path of the Jedi (December 4, 2015 –May 14,2018)
From December 4, 2015, to May 14, 2018, the theater showed Star Wars: Path of the Jedi, as part of Season of the Force.
Star Wars: Path of the Jedi is located in the Echo Lake area of Disney’s Hollywood Studios in the ABC Sound Studio.  
Star Wars: Path of the Jedi is a 10-minute montage of memorable moments from all seven of the Star Wars movies. Rather than try to recap the plot of the first six films, Path of the Jedi takes iconic images and dialogue from the saga and stitches them together thematically instead of chronologically.
This film gathers excerpts of various Star Wars movie moments and recounts the story of the Jedi Order’s fall and return.
The classic footage concludes in the death of Darth Vader, which then transitions into the final theatrical trailer for The Force Awakens. The footage from the recent film includes glimpses of an aged Han Solo and Leia Organa, alongside the youthful new heroes.
Star Wars: Path of the Jedi is a retelling of this epic saga and also hints at what the future might bring as the Star Wars story continues with old friends, new heroes, and debuting villains.
 

Sources:
On March 4, 2020, the theater was renamed the Mickey Shorts Theater and the seats were given a Mickey Mouse design. It currently shows the Vacation Fun Mickey Mouse short. It opened concurrently with Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway.
 
Mickey Shorts Theater (2020-present)
Photo Credits: Disney©
As the Guests enter the theater to re-themed chairs that look like Mickey Mouse's pants. The whimsical Mickey Shorts music plays as the theater fills.
 
The show, Vacation Fun, celebrates Mickey and Minnie’s favorite vacation memories, with never-before-seen animation mixed with clips from favorites like Panda-monium, Couples Sweaters, Potatoland, Croissant de Triomphe, Entombed, Dumb Luck, Al Rojo Vivo, Yodelburg and Outback at Ya!.
After the short ends, the theater exits into a room filled with themed photo ops from Yodelburg, Potatoland, Entombed, and Panda-monium themed backdrops.
Finally, there is a small gift shop selling Mickey and Friends themed merchandise.

Resource:
Disney Radio Studios
 
To the left of Sounds Dangerous, tucked away in a quiet little corner, was the working Disney Radio Studios. In addition to allowing local stations to visit, the studio broadcasts the popular Radio Disney weekday show “Mickey and Minnie’s Tune Time” starring B. B. Good, as well as the nationally syndicated “Super Gold with Mike Harvey.”
Although the studios aren't open to the public at large, occasionally cast members come out to talk with passers-by, and sometimes even allow folks to peer inside for a quick look around.

In early 2021 Disney shut down Radio Disney as part of revamping the company. 

The company announced there layoffs at their television group and the shutdown of Radio Disney
 
During its prime, Radio Disney played a role in the careers of Miley Cyrus. Selena Gomez, Justin Beiber, and Ariana Grande by playing their earlier hits. It was launched in 1996 for Disney’s preteen and teen listeners and played songs from their most popular Disney Channel shows. Their other sector, Radio Disney Country will also shut down their operations.
 
Reactions:
Celebrity Spotlight Meet & Greet with Olaf the Snowman Echo Lake
Meet Olaf the snowman from Disney’s Frozen—who’s finally doing what frozen things do in summer.
Olaf now has his own meet and greet location in Hollywood Studios. This is the only place to regularly meet and give him a warm hug!

He’s located in the Echo Lake near the For the Mickey Shorts Theater.
 
Olaf is living his dream “In Summer,” chilling on the beach and ready to give warm hugs to all his new friends.

 Obtained:
Well we've just completed a tour of Echo Lake's Theater District and now you can understand why it's nick name is the Theater District of Echo Lake. But like every area in Walt Disney World, it is continuously changing.
As we move on to the next Chapter, we'll move on to the future, an in-depth view of Star Tours. The background and backstories of this attraction. Walt Disney was always interested in Space Travel and he would have loved this attraction.
So we'll see you in the next Chapter.
                                                                                                                                                                 WDWMousing

    We would definitely like to hear from you.
    Let us know what your thoughts, suggestions, ideas, and absolutely, if we've missed anything.
Afterword:
WDWMousing.com is designed to be a tour of Walt Disney World through photos. We have been to Walt Disney World countless times over the past 25 years and accumulated a magnitude of photos in that time. This website is an intention to combine two of our favorite pastimes, Walt Disney World and photography, and provide an insightful pictorial tour.
While doing so, we've done an extensive research of the internet and literary sources for background information on each area and attraction. The information is available, but most bits and pieces are scattered all over. WDWMousing doesn't intend to rewrite the stories, legends or data, but to try and collect it into one location with reference and links to the original articles and authors. And giving rightful credit. We've stumbled through quite a bit of mis-information, most of which came to life by fans because the origins were lost, forgotten or no one seems to remember. Over the past 25 years we've also lost most of the great Imagineers that helped develop, design and build the original concepts of Walt Disney World. So we believe it's extremely important to make sure that their efforts, intentions, details and creativity in making this Happiest Place on Earth isn't lost.
So we ask for feedback, insights, and suggestions.

Thank you
WDWMousing