A team of [[Walt Disney Imagineering|Walt Disney Imagineers]] led by [[Marty Sklar]] and Randy Bright had been given an assignment to create two new pavilions for [[Epcot]]'s Future World section. The brainstorming sessions led to [[Wonders of Life]] and [[The Great Movie Ride|Great Movie Ride]] pavilions. The latter was to look like a soundstage backdrop, with a movie theater-style entrance in the middle and would have sat between [[The Land (Disney)|the Land]] and [[Imagination! (Epcot pavilion)|Journey Into Imagination]] pavilions. When newly appointed CEO [[Michael Eisner]] saw the plans for the pavilion, he requested that, instead of placing the ride in an already existing park, it should be the anchor for a new park themed with Hollywood, entertainment, and show business.
In 1985, Disney and [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] (MGM) entered into a licensing contract that gave Disney worldwide rights to use the MGM brand and logo for what would become Disney-MGMDisney–MGM Studios, which included working production facilities for films and television shows, a [[backlot]], and a satellite animation studio for [[Walt Disney Animation Studios|Walt Disney Feature Animation]], which began operation prior to the park's debut.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rafferty |first1=Kevin P. |title=Magic Journey: My Fantastical Walt Disney Imagineering Career |date=2019 |publisher=Disney Books Group |isbn=9781368045148 |chapter=The Disney-MGM Studios Expansion}}</ref> In 1988, [[MGM|MGM/UA]] responded by filing a lawsuit that claimed Disney violated the agreement by operating a working movie and television studio at the resort. On May 1, 1989, the theme park opened adjacent to the production facilities, with MGM's only affiliation being the original licensing agreement that allowed Disney to use MGM's name and [[Leo the Lion (MGM)|lion logo]] in marketing, and separate contracts that allowed specific MGM content to be used in the Great Movie Ride. On opening day, the only two operating attractions were the [[Studio Backlot Tour]] and the Great Movie Ride. Several months after park opening, the "Streetmosphere" improvisational troupe was added to the park. The Streetmosphere performers, now named the Citizens of Hollywood, are the longest-running attraction at the park.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://themouselets.com/the-citizens-of-hollywood|title=Everything you Need to Know About the Citizens of Hollywood|date=2018-07-31|website=The Mouselets|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-28}}</ref>
[[File:Sombrero MGM.JPG|thumb|upright|The [[Sorcerer's Hat]] stood at the park's hub between 2001 and 2015.]]
