I Can’t Be the Only Disney Adult Who Thinks About This Abandoned Restaurant in the Middle of the Night

During the early days of the then Disney-MGM Studios, the theme park was defined by experiences that brought guests into Hollywood productions.

This included the restaurants. While opening day eateries like the ’50s Prime Time Cafe, the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater, and the Hollywood Brown Derby still serve diners to this day, one of the park’s largest opening day restaurants — and its incredibly unique attached lounge — disappeared three decades ago.

Located in the current Animation Courtyard Area, the Soundstage restaurant was an early favorite of many guests at the park now known as Hollywood Studios.

Located where the Disney Jr. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Live show is now, the restaurant was a buffet-style eatery that served breakfast and lunch. The restaurant was themed as a movie’s wrap party (complete with Cast Members in catering uniforms) taking place on a massive soundstage, dressed as a fully functioning production complete with a set, props, and technical equipment arranged to look like filming had just finished.

In fact, the restaurant used the real sets of the 1988 film Big Business as well as a scattered assortment of other recognizable Disney movie props and posters. However, the Soundstage Restaurant was only one of two dining spots in this location.

High above the “set” sat The Catwalk Bar. As the name implies, this lounge was located in the catwalks that ringed the ceiling. In a real film, these areas would be used by cameramen and lighting technicians, but as a lounge, they allowed guests to peek into the restaurant below. The Catwalk Bar offered appetizers, light foods, and cocktails.

The lounge featured a themed entrance inside the restaurant up a massive staircase, as well as a dedicated, separate entrance near the Hollywood Brown Derby, which shared a physical structure with the Soundstage Restaurant.

While the restaurant and lounge were favorites amongst guests, they never quite reached the heights of popularity as others in the park. The Soundstage Restaurant closed in 1998 to make way for the Bear and the Big Blue House stage show, which took over the space, ironically turning the faux set into a real show-space. Initially, the Catwalk Bar remained open, but only operated AFTER the final Bear and the Big Blue House show each day. However, this scenario proved untenable, and the Catwalk Bar closed.

Ironically, given the proliferation of themed lounges tucked into unique spaces at Disney World these days — think Magic Kingdom’s Beak and Barrel or EPCOT’s GEO-82 — the Catwalk Bar would likely be MASSIVELY popular if it still existed.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios used to be home to a uniquely movie-themed restaurant and lounge during its earliest years. Stay tuned to AllEars for more deep dives into forgotten portions of Disney history.

The Dark Truth of Hollywood Studios’ Lost Decade

Did you ever eat at the Soundstage Restaurant or Catwalk Bar? Let us know in the comments below.

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