Commissary Lane

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Commissary Lane
Comissary.jpg
A look down Commissary Lane
Disney's Hollywood Studios
Opening date 1990 (first appeared on maps in 1997)
Number of Attractions Zero

Commissary Lane is a walkway in Disney's Hollywood Studios.

History

The section of Disney's Hollywood Studios that would eventually be known as Commissary Lane, was not accessible to guests on the park's opening day in 1989. At this time, New York Street was a part of the Studio Backlot Tour, and thus inaccessible to guests on foot. At this time, the area that would become Commissary Lane featured a divider that separated New York Street from the rest of the park [1].

By the end of 1990, it became clear to Disney that the Disney-MGM Studios needed more "park space" for guests to walk. With this in mind, New York Street was removed from the Studio Backlot Tour and incorporated into the rest of this park [2]. At this time, the barrier that had blocked guests from walking on to New York Street was removed [3]. With new space now available for development, the Disney-MGM Studios Commissary Restaurant opened on December 16, 1990 [4]. This new dining location would be joined on by the Costume Shop on April 1, 1991 [5] and the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant April 20, 1991 [6]. Following the addition of these two restaurants, the walkway that they sat on would be referred to as "Commissary Lane", taking its name from the Disney-MGM Studios Commissary Restaurant. The name "Commissary Lane" would not appear on maps until 1997 [7].

The first major change to Commissary Lane came in 1996, when the Costume Shop was closed to make way for the Buy the Book shop [5]. Buy the Book was based on the book store that Ellen DeGeneres worked at on her sitcom Ellen [8]. Over the course of the shop's life, it would also be known as Ellen's Buy the Book and Disney's Buy the book. Following the end of Ellen's TV series on in 1998, the name of the shop was changed to The Writer's Shop [8].

On July 1, 1997, the Disney-MGM Studios Commissary was given an ABC theming and rechristened the ABC Commissary [4].

Following the rebranding of the Commissary restaurant, Commissary Lane did not see any major changes until May 8, 2016, when Mickey and Minnie Starring in Red Carpet Dreams opened to guests [9]. Housed in the former location of the American Idol Experience's audition room, this new meet and greet allows guests to meet Sorcerer Mickey and Minnie dressed in her Hollywood best. Subsequently, on September 25, 2015, the Writer's Stop was closed to facilitate the construction of the Baseline Tap House [10].

Attractions

Mickey and Minnie Starring in Red Carpet Dreams- This meet and greet location allows guests to meet Sorcerer Mickey and Minnie wearing her Hollywood best!

Dining

Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant- This table service restaurant takes guests back in time to a 1950's California drive in theater, where they can enjoy B-movie trailers while they dine on classic American cuisine.

ABC Commissary- This art-deco themed counter service restaurant serves American cuisine. The restaurant features props from various ABC television shows and also plays various ABC clips on the TVs throughout the dining room.

Fun Facts and Trivia

  • Commissary Lane is the smallest "land" in all of Walt Disney World.

References

  1. This can be seen on the park's opening map https://www.wdwmagic.com/other/maps/gallery/01jul1989-disney-mgm-studios-guide-book-1989.htm
  2. https://www.yesterland.com/streets.html
  3. This can be seen on the maps of the time
  4. 4.0 4.1 https://d23.com/a-to-z/abc-commissary/
  5. 5.0 5.1 https://d23.com/a-to-z/costume-shop-the/
  6. https://d23.com/a-to-z/sci-fi-dine-in-theater-restaurant/
  7. It can be seen here http://www.florida-project.com/images/guidemaps/ds/disney-mgm-studios-guidemap-1997-august-05.jpg
  8. 8.0 8.1 https://d23.com/a-to-z/buy-the-book/
  9. https://wdwnt.com/2016/05/first-look-new-mickey-and-minnie-mouse-meet-and-greet-opening-may-8th-at-hollywood-studios/
  10. https://wdwnt.com/2016/09/breaking-writers-stop-disneys-hollywood-studios-close-permanently/