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The Public is Invited May 3 – 5 to Listen to and Meet the Minds Behind the Magic of the Hollywood-Themed Park and its Classic Disney Attractions

Orlando, FL — Lights! Camera! Action! When the curtain rose on the Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park at Walt Disney World Resort in 1989, it was the first Disney theme park ever to be developed without the contribution of Walt Disney.

The glamorous new park, complete with its “Earffel Tower” icon, represented the family entertainment conglomerate’s third at the world’s #1 destination entertainment resort and an opportunity for the second generation of Imagineers to spread their wings and invent a whole new Disney theme park experience after cutting their teeth on EPCOT Center and Tokyo Disneyland.

What originated as Disney CEO Michael Eisner’s concept for a new EPCOT pavilion about filmmaking evolved into a half-day standalone theme park experience. Its instant and overwhelming success resulted in multiple expansions over the decades, ultimately establishing the park as a home to some of the company’s most beloved attractions and an enduring vacation spot for families around the globe.

From opening year adventures like the groundbreaking The Great Movie Ride, The Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, Star Tours, and The Backlot Tour (featuring Catastrophe Canyon) to later additions like Rock’n’Roller Coaster, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Fantasmic!, and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, the Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park (renamed Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 2008 following the expiration of the MGM license), now sees nearly 11-million guests annually, all thanks to a group of talented, innovative, and young Imagineers who were given the chance to prove themselves over three decades ago.

From May 3 – 5, 2024, those Imagineers, many of whom haven’t seen each other in years, will reunite for the first time in decades in Celebration, Florida to reminisce, share untold tales from the trenches, and celebrate the 35^th anniversary of their epic achievement.

WDWNT.com is hosting Stage 89, an unofficial fan event that promises to be the biggest-ever in-person gathering of former and current Disney Imagineers responsible for Walt Disney World’s movie theme park ever staged!

Taking place a stone’s throw from the park in Celebration, Florida, the weekend portion of the event will include captivating in-person presentations, lively panel discussions, a meet & greet with some of Disney’s most celebrated and accomplished Imagineers, and a rare autograph session with the authors and auteurs of the classic rides, shows, and attractions that continue to excite and delight movie lovers of all ages.

Former Walt Disney Imagineering president and the park’s chief designer, Bob Weis, along with former Imagineer and the park’s project director, Randy Printz, will open the event with an hour-long keynote presentation documenting the park’s evolution from EPCOT pavilion to what it is today. This eye-opening in-person talk will set the stage for two days of deep dives into the creation of the park’s iconic rides and shows from 1989 to present.

“It’s so great for Randy and me to appear together again, and with so many members of our team reuniting!” said Bob Weis. “And with the added plus that WDWNT is using this event to benefit Give Kids the World Village, which is such a worthy foundation!” added Randy Printz.

Additional presentations and discussions recounting the proverbial blood, sweat, and tears Imagineers poured into conceiving, designing, producing, and building such timeless experiences include:

Current and former Disney Imagineers planning to participate include:

Famed Disney artist Eric Robison has been commissioned to paint an original piece for the event that celebrates the park’s icons, yesterday and today. Frameable lithographs of the new rendering will be available to attendees for the meet & greet and autograph session, along with lithographs of Eric’s earliest concept art for The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.

Tickets to attend this once-in-a-lifetime event in person are on sale now at stage89.com. Tickets to stream the event online and enjoy it on-demand for 30 days are also available on the same website.

Members of the WDWNT Inner Globe Society (patreon.com/WDWNT) are eligible for a discount on in-person registration, as well as exclusive admission to a special sit-down interview with Bob Weis regarding his incredible 40+ year Imagineering career.

Guests can find the updated list of participants, event schedule, and more at stage89.com.

About Stage 89 & Give Kids The World Village

Named after the year the Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park opened, Stage 89 is a non-profit established to educate and inspire the world’s most passionate Disney theme park fans. All proceeds from the May 2024 event benefit Give Kids The World Village, an 89-acre, nonprofit resort in Central Florida that provides critically ill children and their families from around the world with magical week-long wish vacations at no cost.

For more information about Give Kids The World Village, visit gktw.org.

People visiting Hollywood, Florida often bypass the city’s downtown and head right to the award-winning beach and historic Broadwalk. However, a new wave of development activity is attracting both residents and businesses back to the core of the city.

Downtown Hollywood has a growing pipeline of residential mixed-use projects that are energizing what has long been an underutilized area of the city. More than 3,500 new residential units are either under construction or approved in Downtown Hollywood and along the major corridors within walking distance of the downtown core.

“The current volume and quality of both public and private investment in the City of Hollywood is the highest it’s ever been,” says Assistant City Manager Raelin Storey. “As the city approaches its 100^th anniversary in 2025, this will ensure the city continues to live up to its original vision of being a vibrant, resilient and welcoming city-by-the sea in Florida.”

Sitting between Miami and Fort Lauderdale, the City of Hollywood was founded by Joseph Young in the 1920s. His vision was to create a “dream city” and urban village. What started out as a charming downtown two miles west of the beach, shifted with the expansion of U.S. Highway 1 that ran directly through the central business district.

“There really wasn’t any semblance of a pedestrian-oriented downtown,” says Jorge Camejo, Executive Director of the Hollywood Community Redevelopment Agency.

Over the past two decades, the city has worked to bring Young’s original vision back to life. The city has made key changes and investments that are now paying off with redevelopment activity concentrated in the downtown that is gaining traction along with a surge of demand from South Florida’s growing population. Some of the steps that have paved the way for that revitalization include a revised zoning code that supports smart, targeted redevelopment along with investments in infrastructure and beautification.

“The bottom line is that Hollywood really has the bone structure that makes it a very unique and special place,” says Camejo. The city and the CRA have been working together to build on Hollywood’s existing attributes, which include its beachfront and investment in amenities such as its Broadwalk and Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort. Investment in the beach is the economic engine of Hollywood, and downtown also is reaping the benefits of that as well, he adds.

The city and CRA have put a solid foundation in place to transform its historic downtown which is now producing results. They embraced a Complete Streets approach to create an environment that can accommodate vehicles and pedestrians. Vehicular access is now balanced with walkable sidewalks, electric shuttles and other methods of transportation along with better aesthetics. The city and CRA also have worked to support a vibrant dining and cultural scene featuring over 30 iconic outdoor murals and a wide array of sidewalk cafés with outdoor gathering spaces, including the ArtsPark at Young Circle that offers year-round, free special events and concerts.

The CRA is investing about $14 million in redoing the entire streetscape from 21st Avenue all the way to Young Circle on Hollywood Boulevard. In addition, the CRA has put in more lighting and is planning to redo many of the avenues to link the neighborhoods on the north side to the downtown. “The game plan is to create these pedestrian environments, and to make sure that these investments are creating quality projects that will be attractive to future patrons for this area,” says Camejo.

The city is now seeing a surge in residential development downtown that is creating a growing downtown population. Looking ahead, there is an opportunity to build on that core with additional residential units and commercial space for businesses that want to serve the growing population.

“There is certainly a lot to be excited about in Downtown Hollywood. The new streetscape on Hollywood Boulevard is underway and includes expanded sidewalks for additional outdoor dining, energy-efficient, historically inspired vintage lighting, and new landscaping that includes magnificent Medjool palms that are not only beautiful but also provide a canopy of shade and coolness,” says Hollywood Mayor Josh Levy. “These new public improvements and developments have clearly put Downtown Hollywood on the radar of investors, developers, and those seeking a South Florida tropical urban lifestyle,” adds Levy.

Some of the key projects reshaping Downtown Hollywood include:

1818 Park: This mixed-use development is located on the southwest quadrant of Young Circle. The development includes 269 upscale residential units with approximately 30,000 square feet of retail space, and it features a replication of the façade of the historic Great Southern Hotel.

Icon Office Building: Downtown Hollywood’s newest Class A building is four stories high and approximately 50,000 sq. ft. With large common areas, the building is designed with a modern minimal industrial feel. The building’s entrances feature cool tones and marble finishes. City National Bank is prominent on the ground level with two drive-through lanes.

Soleste Hollywood Village: The Estate Companies is developing a 503-unit luxury Class A apartment project on Van Buren Street adjacent to Young Circle. The developer also is planning Soleste Hollywood Boulevard, an eight-story, luxury Class A apartment project that will be located adjacent to North Dixie Highway and Hollywood Boulevard.

The Bread Building: BTI Partners is developing a mixed-use project located on the southeast quadrant of Young Circle at the site of the former Hollywood Bread Building. The development includes 361 multi-family units and 17,000 square feet of retail space.

B57 North and South: The planned redevelopment of the commercial parcel on the east side of Young Circle includes the reconfiguration of Hollywood Boulevard to connect directly with Young Circle, dividing the site into two development parcels. The proposed redevelopment includes north and south towers featuring 802 residential units and approximately 180,000 square feet of commercial/office space.

The investment in the area around Young Circle has served as an important catalyst to redevelopment activity.

“When developers see development occurring and cranes moving, that means that there is investment activity taking place,” says Camejo. “What we now see throughout the neighborhoods of the downtown is additional investment because we have created confidence that this is an area worth investing in. Frankly, we have more residential projects coming in then than we could have ever expected,” he says.

The City of Hollywood is helping to pave the way for developers through incentives and by streamlining its processes.

The revitalization occurring downtown is benefiting the entire City of Hollywood. “A successful downtown is an economic driver for any city. The addition of new luxury high and mid-rise apartment buildings not only provides quality housing options for those who seek an urban, walkable lifestyle, but the redevelopment of underutilized and outdated properties helps to support the city’s overall tax base,” says Storey. As more people move into the city they spend money in the businesses within the city, which in turn supports the creation of jobs and helps bolster economic resiliency across the city, she adds.

HOLLYWOOD, FLA. (WSVN) - Officials and residents are already preparing both physically and mentally for the potential effects of heavy rainfall.

It was more than a little breezy on Hollywood Beach on Tuesday night there’s a slight chill in the air, but the forecast has some South Floridians’ minds frozen on images they just can’t shake from April 13 and Nov. 16.

A 7News viewer shared images from Fort Lauderdale’s Edgewood neighborhood just north of Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport.

“I try to get it in between the door and close it,” said Terry Large, who has lived there since 2013 and had to learn the hard way how to prepare. “We certainly don’t want to have damage to the house again because we just got through this we had the house redone essentially we had it down to the studs.”

Water has fallen faster than many homes and businesses could manage. Windy and rainy conditions are back in the forecast with four to eight inches of rain possible from Broward, Miami-Dade to Monroe Counties through the end of the week.

The City of Hollywood set up “tiger dams” on the Broardwalk; They stretch about a half-mile near the Johnson Street Bandshell.

The temporary dams are a way to prevent sand from being washed onto the Broadwalk with rough surf and higher-than-normal high tides.

Trevor Austin, a chef at Rocco’s Pizza said he’s happy to see the city preparing.

“We had tons of sand, water everywhere, it was kind of crazy,” said Austin. “We’ve got five days of rain coming til Sunday, I think it’s a good idea they did it.”

With all that potential precipitation on the way, it’s clear why some people are feeling a sense of dreadful deja vu.

“It really impacts you,” said Large. “People don’t realize how much a flood impacts you, psychologically and financially, the stress is just unbelievable when it’s happening to you.”

This is the third time heavy rainfall has been predicted to land in South Florida in the last seven months.

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HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — Officials in Hollywood on Friday asked a segment of its customers to reduce their water use following the rupture Friday morning of a 48-inch pipe at a wastewater treatment facility.

Customers of the Southern Regional Wastewater Plant in Hollywood, Pembroke Pines, Dania Beach, Hallandale Beach, Miramar, Pembroke Park and southern Broward County were being asked to limit water consumption as much as possible to help reduce backups and pressure on the system, officials said in a written statement.

On Saturday afternoon, Hollywood officials said customers may return to normal water usage and released a list of which areas have been cleaned and decontaminated:

The failure of the pipe at the wastewater treatment plant, located at 1621 N. 14th Ave. and west of the Intracoastal, is operated by the city of Hollywood and serves six cities and portions of Broward County.

The Department of Public Utilities has begun repair work and has notified the appropriate regulatory agencies, including Florida State Warning Point, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and Broward County, officials said in a written statement.

City officials said the drinking water supply and those with onsite septic systems were unaffected.

The city also, as a precautionary measure, urged people to avoid swimming, fishing or using the waters in the immediate area of the Wastewater Treatment Plant, including West Lake, the Eco Golf Course, surrounding canals, and the Intracoastal Waterway until further notice.

The pipe was temporarily fixed at around 5 p.m., but clean-up crews will be around into next week. As of 1 p.m. Saturday, officials from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection stated that they have crews sampling the affected bodies of water for infectious bacteria and will continue to do so until the indicator bacteria count is at safe levels. Officials said the cleanup is still ongoing and will continue through the week.

It was the second time this week that residents in Hollywood were grappling with water woes.

Earlier in the week, a watermain broke on State Road A1A with some residents of Hollywood waking up to find water flooding the streets south of Sheridan. A boil water order was put in place but it was rescinded Friday morning, officials said.

King tides and the high tide made it more difficult for crews who had to clear water from underneath the street to get to the broken main.

A former religious group event facility in Hollywood could be redeveloped into the city’s first major padel court facility.

The city’s Technical Advisory Committee will consider plans for Padel Hollywood on the 2-acre site at 600 Knights Road – just west of Interstate 95 – on Jan. 22. Miami-based Bluevis LLC, managed by tennis player Salomon Arce Lema, acquired the property for $4.6 million in November from the Father M.F. Monahan Home Association, formerly called the Knights of Columbus Council, a Catholic fraternal service organization.

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The property currently has a 7,828-square-foot event hall built by the Knights of Columbus in 1968.

Under the proposal, the site would be redeveloped with seven outdoor padel courts, three covered padel courts, and a remodeled with a dining room, kitchen, lounge, pro shop and game tables. It would have 56 parking spaces.

View Slideshow 4 photos

Covered courts at Padel Hollywood.

Ismael Fernandez of Weston-based Padel Essentials, which is helping the property owner establish the padel club, said the project would be done in two phases. First, the developer would complete the padel courts and bathrooms. Then, the developer would finish renovating the building with the supporting features.

It was designed by Miami-based 3 Design Architecture.

Fernandez said there’s strong demand for padel in Broward County as it’s one of the fastest growing sports in the world.

Read more: Private equity firm buys Miami-Dade warehouse portfolio for $30M

Padel was created in Mexico in 1969 and it has grown in popularity, especially in Latin America, Spain and Portugal. More for-profit padel clubs have opened in the Miami area in recent years as more people play the sport, but Broward County hasn’t seen as much padel.

There’s a Padel Life & Soccer indoor facility in Hallandale Beach, but it only has three courts. Unlike with pickleball, there are few free public padel courts in South Florida.

This follows a trend of developers building pay to play sports facilities throughout South Florida.

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