Victory with vegetables

Inspiration can come from a variety of places, but when you are creating the Hollywood that always will be you head for the source. Throughout Disney’s Hollywood Studios the feel of old Hollywood is created by the buildings that run up the boulevards and down the lanes. These structures have been influence by real world buildings and architecture styles found throughout California.Near the end of Sunset Blvd rests a cornucopia of dining options set in farmer market style stalls that are collectively known as the Sunset Ranch Market. While farmers markets can be found throughout the country, the market at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is a stark comparison to the Los Angeles Farmers Market at the corner of Third and Fairfax.Billed as the original farmers market, the story goes that in July of 1934 farmers pulled their trucks into a vacant lot, their truck beds filled with their produce. Passersby began pulling into the dirt lot, which had been covered with chalk markings for parking, and making their way through the seasonal selections. In 1941 the Farmers Market took on its more recognizable face of white slat boards and green rooftops as part of an expansion and refurbishment process that include the construction of the now famous clock tower.The above photograph from LA Wad/flickr

Meanwhile, back at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the Sunset Ranch Market was assembled with the same open air feel of the original Farmers Market, given steeples that bear a remarkable resemblance to the turrets and clock tower of the market, and a carbon copy paint scheme. One of the more unnoticeable details is the script used for the Sunset Market Ranch’s name. Comparing it to the photograph above, while the manner in which the name is presented may be slightly different, the form shares many of the same characteristics.The wealth of architectural styles from old Hollywood offered the Imagineers an immense toy box in which to play and work as they created the look and feel of Disney-MGM Studios/Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The use of these recognizable structures not only assists in the complete immersion in the Hollywood feel, but also pays respect to the time, place, and hard work put created by so many individuals in the early and mid sections of the last century creating a location that always will be.