By Wishes Diva
We are currently gearing up to take our kids to Walt Disney World again. For my older kiddo, it’s his second trip, but for my little girl, it’s her first! For my son’s first trip there are some characters and movies he was familiar with, but definitely a lot he hasn’t been exposed to. So before this trip, my husband and I made a list of movies we wanted to be sure the kids watched at least once before heading to the parks.
The list below are my family’s suggestion for movies to watch before taking your first trip to Hollywood Studios.
- Mickey short cartoons-
Chinese Theater
These cartoons can be found on the Disney apps Disney Now and Disney+. They are also played occasionally on Disney XD if you can catch them. They are the most recent reinvention of Mickey and the gang and their crazy fun adventures. This year near Mickey’s birthday, Disney released a new “season” of these cartoons under the title “The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse” on Disney+. These cartoons will be helpful if you and your family plan to ride the new Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway at Hollywood Studios. The attraction takes you on a journey that basically puts you inside one of these cartoons! However, whether you are familiar with them or not, you will enjoy the ride!
- Star Wars (PG & PG-13)- One of the newest additions to Hollywood Studios is Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. I think the name alone explains why being at least vaguely familiar with the world of Star Wars will be helpful for this whole area of the park. Again, you can definitely still enjoy it without the background knowledge, however, you will have a greater appreciation and in my opinion a greater immersive experience if you have the knowledge of the universe. For me personally, the original trilogy (Episodes 4, 5 and 6) are my favorite because I grew up watching them. But honestly there is so much Star Wars content from movies to shorts and live action to cartoon, that you can’t go wrong with whichever you choose!
Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge
- Muppets (PG)- In Hollywood Studios there is a great tucked away space devoted to everyone’s favorite puppets! The Muppet Courtyard area sits right outside the theater for the Muppet*Vision 3D show. From the old to new, movies and shows, any Muppet content will help give your family that little bit of content for this show. The show features all of your favorite characters, including some lesser known faces as well, so be sure to watch a bit of everything before the trip. This show is a must see for our family on every trip.
- Cars (G)- One of the newer attractions at this park is the Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy show! In order to fully enjoy this show, being familiar with the movie franchise will be extremely helpful! The show is unlike anything else on property and puts you right in the middle of the movies!
- Toy Story 1-4 (G)-
Slinky Dog Dash
This movie franchise is a no-brainer for the “watchlist” before heading to Hollywood Studios, considering there is now an entire Land dedicated to the movies! Any and all of these movies should be watched prior to your trip to make the most of your visit to Toy Story Land!
Well, there you have it! My comprehensive list of movies to watch before visiting Hollywood Studios. Set aside some time for these, and your travel companions are more likely to become fully immersed in your visit!
