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At the same time that the new Epcot pavilions were being designed, Disney decided that it needed a new production studio. The studio was needed due to the fact that the Disney production schedule had increased dramatically in the 1980's. Instead of spending a lot of money on land, it was decided that the studio would be built on the property they already owned in Florida. The need for a new production studio was one of the driving forces behind the inclusion of a studio tour in the new Disney theme park.
Another factor that played a crucial role in the creation of the Disney-MGM Studios, was that Universal Studios was planning on building an East Coast theme park. In 1982 Universal began to plan its new park which would also be located in Orlando. Universal was looking for a partner in the venture and , so they approached Paramount Studios CEO Michael Eisner who was then about joining them in the head of Paramount Studiosproject. Eisner declined the Universal's proposal and the plans for a Universal East theme park were eventually tabled. When Eisner was named CEO of Disneyin 1984 however, he knew about Universal's plan theme park plans and wanted to beat them to the punch. Eisner decided to build a movie theme park of his own, and had Imageneers Imagineers start working on the concept. The idea of a Disney movie theme park was kept on the back burner until Universal announced it's plans in 1985. After the announcement, Michael Eisner announced that the Disney was already working on a movie based theme park which would be the third gate in Walt Disney World.
Before the new park was even announced Disney had already been working behind the scenes to acquire the rights to the name and logo of Metro-Golden-Mayer Inc. Disney and MGM agreed on a contract in 1985, that allowed Disney to use the MGM name, logo and certain film clips. The new theme park would eventually be named Disney-MGM Studios, and would feature the classic MGM logo Leo the Lion.
