Villains Unleashed – Full Report and Pictures From Event at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

On the evening of Saturday, Aug. 23, 2014, the Disney Villains took over Disney’s Hollywood Studios in an event simply known as Villains Unleashed. While there have been a lot of complaints and a good bit of criticism about the event already, here is my full report on my attendance there along with a lot of pictures.

Let me first say that I’ve read the complaints and problems, mostly on Twitter, about how the event was too crowded, disorganized, and a waste of money. Even as a member of the media, I paid my own way and got no front-of-the-line treatment and did everything as any other guest would. Personally, I found it to be a fantastic event that was much more organized than last year’s free “Unleash the Villains” event, and thought it was great.

My apologies to anyone that didn’t enjoy it, but from my experience…it was excellent. Here is a quick breakdown of how each part of the event went.

Click any images below for a bigger look.

~ There were 17 locations where characters were set up and they were spread between the Streets of America, Sunset Blvd, Star Tours area, and New York Street. Yes, there were lines for the characters, but they moved rather fast. Characters were not signing autographs and it made lines go rather quickly.

Maleficent and Barbossa had two of the longest lines of the night, and they did go in at 11:30. Constantine also had an incredibly long line.

I did not wait to see any of the three but went to others and saw Bowler Hat Guy, the Witch, the Queen, Jafar, Cruella de Vil, Dr. Facilier, Boba Fett, Darth Vader, Storm Troopers, Captain Gantu, Dr. Hamsterviel, Darth Maul, Shenzi, Banzai, Ed, Br’er Fox, and Br’er Bear.

~ For Villains Unleashed, characters were walking around all over the park. Some have said they couldn’t or wouldn’t stop for pictures, but they always did when I saw them. The Cast Members with them would advise guests to “Simply ask them for a picture, and they will stop.” And they did.

With that being said, I got to see and take pictures of Frollo, Stromboli, Honest John, Gideon, more Storm Troopers, Asajj Ventress, Drizella, Anastasia, Greedo, Jawas, Gaston, and the Big Bad Wolf.

~ The stage at Villains Unleashed was Hades Hangout and there were a lot of characters in front dancing and having a great time.

~ The Guardians of the Galaxy dance party over in the Animation Courtyard was very fun. Star-Lord and Gamora made the rounds while in there and visited with just about every single guest. They took pictures, spoke on the mic, and interacted with guests.

~ Oogie Boogie’s Freaky Funhouse Show was much more than expected. Yes, Oogie was in there, but he was the only character. The rest included a sword swallower, a couple that played with fire, and a couple with crossbows. It was a very cool show.

Again, there was a big line, but there were four shows. We got in line for the 10:30 p.m. show at 10:20 p.m., and were in the theatre within 5 minutes.

~ The line for Villains Unleashed merchandise at the Prop Shop in the back of the park was overly long early in the night, but around 9:30/10:00, it went down to virtually no-one. It picked up again later, but there were times when it lowered. Many have complained about them running out of merchandise, but at 11:45, we were still able to get in line and pick up some items.

~ Attractions had next to no lines during the event. Tower of Terror was at 10 minutes or less when passing by it on four different occasions. Toy Story Mania was at 35 minutes and it was also shown at 45 minutes. Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster was seen at 15 and 25 minutes. Star Tours was a walk-on every time I walked past it.

I’ve gotten reports from some Doctor Disney readers that characters such as Cruella de Vil and others rode the attractions with them.

~ The longest lines were honestly for alcoholic drinks. At the four or five locations around the park for Villains Unleashed, the lines for alcohol were very long. Some have said that they had to deal with a bunch of drunk people screaming and yelling. I hate that, but personally, didn’t see any people like that.

~ Upon leaving, we were handed an autograph card with all the names of the Disney Villains on it. We were also given a small goody bag with a couple of buttons, a free movie on DisneyMoviesAnywhere, and more autograph cards for “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Star Wars.”

——————————————————————–

For those that didn’t enjoy Villains Unleashed, my sincerest apologies, but I loved it. The event was a lot of fun, well-organized, and just plain awesome. No, I’m not just taking up for Disney and if someone had complaints, they likely have their reasons for them, but I personally didn’t find any with Villains Unleashed.

Looking forward to it next year.