As I mentioned in Part I, this second group of studios isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t necessarily open to the general public. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve listed them in order of difficulty to visit, starting with the easiest. But only relatively speaking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Walt Disney Company<\/strong> This is my favorite studio lot, largely for sentimental reasons. It looks like a college campus. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s pretty small (but never lost any acreage), and has lots of character. Pun intended. At the corner of Mickey Avenue and Dopey Drive is the Animation Building, which was also Walt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s domain (third floor corner). The Animators were kicked out years ago (to the new Animation Building across the street), as was Walt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s office after he passed away. The latter has returned, however, having been lovingly re-created after Saving Mr. Banks<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fun Fact: <\/strong>In the film, when P.L. Travers is picked up at Stage A and taken on a harrowing golf cart ride across the lot to meet Walt, she actually ends up right across the street from where she started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The other buildings are also named for the various animation departments (Ink & Paint, In-Between, Special Effects). The old (and tiny) back lot was torn down in the 80s for the Team Disney (Michael Eisner) Building (with the Seven Dwarfs holding up the roof) and the Frank Wells Building (Studio Archives).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because they don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have regular tours for the general public, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s tricky to get on the lot. But it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not that impossible. My first time was a guided tour via Adventures by Disney<\/a>, which is awesome, but very<\/em> pricey. My second time was a special screening of Saving Mr. Banks<\/em>. Disney also hosts tours via their D23 fan club. You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll have to do your homework on this one. Fortunately, these days I happen to know somebody (not to brag), but it still excites me to visit every chance I get.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Jim Henson Company (formerly Charlie Chaplin Studios)<\/strong> Even though this isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t one of the majors, I still have to include it. The Jim Henson lot is my other favorite studio (a very close second), also for sentimental reasons. Because I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m a huge fan of both Henson (see my author bio) and Charlie Chaplin, who built it in 1919. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a statue of Kermit the Frog dressed as the Little Tramp over the studio entrance. And the Tramp is painted on an outside doorway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I stopped by and peered longingly through the gate on my very first trip to Hollywood. And multiple trips afterwards. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s smaller (but like the other studios, used to be bigger) than the Disney lot and is also full of history. Chaplin shot many of his shorts and features there. After he sold the studio in 1953, it was used for television production (The Adventures of Superman<\/em>, Perry Mason<\/em>) before becoming A&M Records from the 60s through the 90s. The Jim Henson Company purchased it in 2000 and lovingly restored and upgraded it to a studio once again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The best part is the Creature Shop (of course), which is like a cross between Frankenstein\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s laboratory and Willy Wonka\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s chocolate factory. There are amazing puppets and parts of puppets everywhere. Thankfully, Brian Henson is a firm believer in displaying their work, so there are multiple creations on display throughout. My favorite was an original Skeksis we saw in the lobby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
https:\/\/d23.com\/d23-event\/studio-tours-2020\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
https:\/\/www.henson.com\/index.php<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n