Fun with Graphics


Hollywood Pictures Backlot is a spirited tribute to all things Hollywood. Much of the fun of visiting this section of the park lies in taking your time and appreciating it on every level. One of my favorite aspects is the graphic design, excellent examples of which can be found at the Disney Animation building. The sweeping exterior images and the ever-changing panorama of art in the Courtyard Gallery are incredible to behold, but I also love the simple graphic quality of these posters used to highlight the various elements of the attraction.


With graphic design in Hollywood Pictures Backlot frequently comes some very clever examples of word play in the form of fictional businesses created to dress the facades of this elaborate set.

The Souvenir Itch references the 1955 Marilyn Monroe film The Seven Year Itch. Next door is Gone with the Chin, an obvious allusion to 1939's Gone with the Wind, but here it's meant to be Dr. Nipantuck's cosmetic surgery practice.


There's also pet store Leash! Camera! Action!, Stella's Sweet Shop Named Desire, Award Wieners, Philip A. Couch Casting Agency, La Brea Carpets, Floral Canyon flower shop, the Dial M for Muscle gym, and the epic barber shop and salon, Ben Hair.


The special effects facilities at Muppet Labs are another great spot for fun graphics and word play. Many of the gags here are repeated from the Florida version of the attraction, but there are some great originals, too, like this poster for Pigs in Space: The Movie. The poster includes a not-so-subtle jab at competitor Dreamworks S.K.G. (the film is produced in association with Swineworks P.I.G.), along with the promise you'll "see Starship Swinetrek soar across the sky." Unfortunately, this production has been cancelled for technical difficulties... obvious, considering the state of the Swinetrek crashed into the pavement nearby!

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