7 Must See Rides and Shows at Disney's Hollywood Studios

Disney's Hollywood Studios had its world premier in 1989 as The Disney-MGM Studios with a star studded television special. Twenty years on (and with a new name), Disney's Hollywood Studios has brought millions of visitors into the world of film and television magic.

Like all of the Walt Disney World theme parks, Disney's Hollywood Studios continues to grow and change. In fact, over the past 20 years, Disney's Hollywood Studios has added, what many visitors consider to be, some of the best rides and shows at Walt Disney World. With all that growth over the past 20 years, there's so much to see and do. However, you'll not want to miss these seven "must see and do" things on your next visit to Disney's Hollywood Studios.

The Great Movie Ride - The only original opening day attraction to make my list, the Great Movie Ride is a classic Disney attraction at its best. Designed as the Studio's premiere attraction, the Great Movie Ride is housed in an exact replica of Mann's Chinese Theater (complete with movie star hand prints in the courtyard!) The rides showcases scenes from some of Hollywood's greatest movies such as Casablanca, The Wizard of Oz, and Fantasia. And like all good movies, this ride has a surprise that shows "anything can happen in the movies."

Toy Story Mania - The newest attraction at Disney's Hollywood Studios, Toy Story Mania invites guests into the wacky and wonderful world of Toy Story. In this interactive ride, riders wear 3D glasses and their ride vehicle is equipped with guns so riders can play carnival style games as they progress through the ride. Games such as Woody's Rootin' Tootin' Shootin' Gallery and Pie Throw Practice Booth allow riders to accumulate points throughout the ride.

Fantasmic! - Disney's Hollywood Studios' nighttime spectacular Fantasmic! is unlike anything you've ever seen before. Mickey Mouse's dreams quickly turn in to a nightmare as the forces of good and evil battle for control in Mickey's dreams in the spectacular show. Presented in the Hollywood Hills Theater, Fantasmic! features all of your Disney friends (and villains, too), fireworks, music, floating stages, and giant water screens on which clips from classic Disney movies are shown.

Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show - A relatively new addition to the Studios, this action-packed stunt show was imported from the Disney Studios at the Disneyland Paris resort. The outdoor spectacular shows many of the tricks used to create chase scenes from your favorite movies. This is a fantastic addition to Disney's Hollywood Studios (although they had to raze the "residential street" which used to be part of the backstage tram tour and included such gems as the Golden Girls house to make room for this attraction.

Star Tours - Star Tours opened about a year after the Studio's opening in 1989 and is the first of several "thrill ride" added to the park. With the moons of Endor as your destination, you'll climb aboard a star speeder and blast off into space on an intergalactic adventure. The problem is the pilot of the star speeder is a newbie and it turns into a rocky ride for you and your fellow riders (so be sure your seat belt is fastened!) Star Tours is the mildest of Disney's Hollywood Studios thrill rides, but if rides that can get a little bumpy aren't your thing you can still enjoy the wonderful preshow area showing C3PO and R2-D2 as they prepare for the voyage and wait for your party at the end without riding.

Twilight Zone Tower of Terror - Set at the end of Sunset Boulevard, the dilapidated Hollywood Hotel sits empty and foreboding. Visitors brave enough to enter the hotel proceed to the basement to take a service elevator and journey up, thirteen stories up, to the top of the hotel. From there it's a nightmarish ride as the elevator malfunctions and sends rides into a 13 story plunge to the bottom. This ride is not for the faint of heart!

Rock 'N' Roller Coaster - Aerosmith invite riders to be VIP's at their concert. The only problem is that the show beings in just a few minutes. With no time to waste, riders get into a stretch limo and it shoots off from 0 - 57 miles per hour in 2.8 seconds. From there, it's a super-fast journey through the freeways of LA to get to the show on time. Along with plenty of ups, downs, and even loops (the only looping roller coaster at Walt Disney World), riders rock out to an awesome speaker system in each "limo" playing some of Aerosmith's greatest hits.