The Disneyland Book of Secrets 2014: One Local's Unauthorized, Rapturous and Indispensable Guide to the Happiest Places on Earth (176 page)

Hollywood
Land Gear and Grub

Gear:

Gone Hollywood

[
FastView:
 
Jewelry, accessories, and high-end
Disney
and surf fashions.
]

Most structures along
DCA
’s
Hollywood Boulevard
reference landmark Hollywood buildings, and
Gone Hollywood
is no exception.  This shop on the northwest corner of
DCA
’s
Hollywood Boulevard
is encased in a faithful, if scaled-down, replica of the Bullocks Wilshire department store at 3050 Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles.

The strong perpendicular lines, tawny blocks of stone, small-paned windows
, and
verdigris
-coated panels of the real Art Deco Bullocks building are all faithfully if fancifully reproduced at
DCA
.  Bullocks, with its impeccable service, luxury goods, and fancy tea room, was
the
department store for Hollywood stars and L.A.’s well-to-do in the golden age of the early 20
th
century.  As always,
Disney
isn’t seeking to copy reality in its parks, but rather to present Guests with a hyperreal avatar of the original place and the sensations it evokes.

Gone Hollywood
’s pretty interior showcases
Disney
knick-knacks, jewelry, and accessories at all price points, though, in keeping with the Bullocks theme, many of the goods are on the pricey side. 
Gone Hollywood
once specialized
Disney
-themed costumes. 
Disney Princess
gowns were a constant, but there was also a frequently changing selection of costumes tied to the latest
Disney
hits and stars, from
High School Musical
to
Camp Rock
,
Hannah Montana
to the
Jonas Brothers
.

Gone Hollywood
’s merchandise seems to rotate seasonally, and it’s a must-stop/must-shop during holidays.  In autumn of 2009, for example,
Gone Hollywood
served as costume central for
DCA
’s
Halloween
festivities, featuring novelties like purple-and-orange
Minnie
witch outfits, and matching plush dolls.

More recently,
Gone Hollywood
welcomed the high-quality Quiksilver and Billabong surfer shirts and hoodies that were evicted from
Treasures in Paradise
. 
Gone Hollywood
also offers a wealth of classy, subtly
Disney
-themed scarves.

When
ElecTRONica
ruled
Hollywood Land
’s precincts at night,
Gone Hollywood
was
ElecTRONica
merchandise central, selling black jackets and T-shirts with neon-blue,
TRON
-inspired designs, as well as
TRON
hats, action figures, and the popular glowing
TRON
throwing discs that Cast Members and Guests tossed back and forth in the streets of
ElecTRONica
.

Then, in summer 2012, the
Mad T Party
overtook
Hollywood Land
’s nocturnal landscape, and
Gone Hollywood
’s offerings changed from neon-inscribed dark colors to the wonderfully garish bright hues and psychedelic patterns of
Mad T Party
merch.
Mad T Party
snacks–candies and popcorn–in rainbow colors!  Designs like spirals!  Chess board squares!  Hearts!  Spades! 
Chesire Cat
grins–and
Chesire Cat
eyes! 
Mad Hatter
hats sporting hot pink cravats–or shattered hearts!  Not to mention
Mad T Party
pins and jewelry–plenty of choices for the
Mad T Party
fan to show their enthusiasm for
Hollywood Land
’s hottest-ever nighttime show.

Would Bullocks have ever stocked such outlandish attire?  Not on your life–but though Bullocks-inspired,
Gone Hollywood
is its own entity, and has its own tradition of offering costumes from the dignified (princess dresses) to the demented (
Mad T Party
clothing).  All the best people used to go to Bullocks, but to paraphrase the famous
Wonderland
observation, now “all the best people are mad”–and you’ll find them dancing in the backlot at
Hollywood Land
, wearing
Gone Hollywood
attire. 
Did You Know?
  “Gone Hollywood” is a phrase that means someone has sold out after achieving a measure of Hollywood success, that they’ve become to some degree phony and affected. 
Walt
and
Roy
were extremely successful, and visible, but they never really “went Hollywood”.  Their solid, hard-working Midwestern upbringing ran too deep. 
Did You Also Know?
  Did
Walt
frequent Bullocks Wilshire?  You bet–and he was in good company with other celebrities from from Clark Gable to Marlene Dietrich.  Like many department stores, Bullocks Wilshire’s fortunes declined during the 1970’s, ‘80’s, and 90’s, and damage sustained due to looters and arson during the 1992 L.A. Riot was a final straw.  In 1994, a law school took over the premises; happily, the school eventually restored the landmark property to its former glory. 
Turkey Vision:
 
Disneyland
’s famous
Turkey Legs
are sold at a cart just outside and to the east of
Gone Hollywood
.

Off the Page

[
FastView:
  Disney
art, clothing, books, and music.  Knowledgeable Cast Members.
]

West of
Disney Junior
and east of the
Disney Animation
attraction,
Off the Page
is housed in one of the most striking buildings on
DCA
’s
Hollywood Boulevard
. The exterior of
Off the Page
is modeled on a portion of Chapman Market at 3465 West 6
th
Street in L.A., and the resemblance is uncanny.

Imagineers
did an outstanding job of replicating the elaborate
faux
stonework, intricate carvings, and peaked tower that put one in mind of a baroque Spanish castle.  The architectural design of both Chapman Market and
Off the Page
is in fact Spanish revival, and includes highly detailed, ornamental Churrigueresque sculpted elements.

Chapman Market was built in 1929, a mere six years after
Walt
arrived in Hollywood and the same year that Bullocks opened.  It was in the 1920’s and 1930’s that much of Hollywood’s eclectic buildings were erected, during the era when the town was really taking off.

Hollywood’s doers and dreamers all had different, often exotic tastes, and Los Angeles was the antithesis of east coast enclaves of conformity and highbrow
aesthetics.  If you wanted to build an elaborate structure of
any
architectural period or pedigree, even a mish-mash of styles, and you could afford it, Hollywood said “Have at it!”

DCA
’s
Hollywood Boulevard
pays homage to Hollywood’s eccentric, widely varying but always dazzling architectural landscape. 
Off the Page
is one of the most impressive tributes in
Hollywood Land
, as is the stamped-concrete, Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired complex between
Off the Page
and
Disney Junior
.

Off the Page
’s façade detail is stunning, but it’s a double-edged sword.  Some critics of
DCA
are annoyed at such attention to detail in non-
Disney
-related features.  But Hollywood architecture of the 1920’s and 1930’s
is
tremendously relevant to
Walt
.  It was during these decades that
Walt
and his animators were living and working in Hollywood and Los Angeles, walking and driving its streets, eating at its restaurants, shopping at its stores and, incidentally, revolutionizing animation and contributing to the entertainment juggernaut that Hollywood would become.  This was
Walt
’s world, and the transformation of
Hollywood Pictures Backlot
into
Hollywood Land
made this connection even clearer and more engaging for Guests.

Off the Page
is a wonderland for
Disney
fans, a store that sells
Disney
CDs, DVDs, books, sculptures, paintings, and prints, with a focus on
Disney
characters and
Disney
animation.  Whether you want to buy your child the latest
Selena Gomez
release, a
Disney Princess
picture book, or that
Phineas and Ferb
DVD, this is a likely place to find it.  There are also books and DVDs about the history of
Disney
animation and the parks, and about
Walt
himself.

Artists and art lovers will particularly enjoy this store, as there are many lovely, albeit often pricey
Disney
figurines, frames, sculptures, and paintings for sale.  There are computer touch screens where Guests can peruse an online gallery of
Disney
art for sale.  You can select and order prints for yourself or friends and family right from the computer terminal.

Another plus for artists and art lovers: 
Off the Page
feeds directly into the
Courtyard Gallery
of the adjacent
Disney Animation
attraction.

As one expects in a higher-end
Disney
shop, Cast Members at
Off the Page
are particularly attentive and knowledgeable, and service is pleasant and leisurely.  This is not a place Guests can dash in and rush through their purchase.  Cast Members are often engaged in answering other Guests’ questions, and register transactions are conducted at the civilized, glacial pace of most high-end venues. 
Did You Know?
  The phrase “off the page” refers to
Disney
’s hope that Guests entering this shop will feel the
magic
of
Disney
and its characters literally leaping off the pages of the books and art here.  And you really do. 
Did You Also Know?
 
Off the Page
often sells special merchandise for special events–for example, when
DCA
was rededicated on June 15, 2012,
Off the Page
was the place to find high-end souvenirs–statuettes, leather jackets, even a replica of
Walt
’s fedora–to commemorate your attendance.

Studio Store

[
FastView:
 
Budget-priced knick knacks, especially
Muppets
and
Monsters
merchandise.
]

Studio Store
is a rather grand name for what is essentially a small, rectangular kiosk just west of
Muppet*Vision 3D
.  But what this shop lacks in size is balanced by its plenitude of fun merchandise and reasonable prices.

Given its proximity to both
Muppet*Vision 3D
and
Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue!
the
Studio Store
naturally stocks many
Muppet
and
Monsters, Inc.
toys, making this a must-shop location for
Muppet
and
Monster
fans.  But other
Disney
characters are represented in the wealth of little
tchtochkes
, the pens, keychains, dolls and what-nots, and this is one of the shops in
DCA
where you can pick up novelties like translucent, glowing drumsticks.