The gateway was a tribute to the spectacular epics made throughout Hollywood history, especially pioneering director D. W. Griffith's 1916 silent film Intolerance.

Instead, it primarily hosts a set of theaters and stages presenting varying formats, such as traditional theatre, 4D film, and live music.

It is connected to Buena Vista Street, the park entrance themed to 1920s Los Angeles, giving the two lands a close relation in geography and era.

The main thoroughfare in the land is Hollywood Boulevard, an avenue loosely modeled after the real street but also incorporating architectural elements from elsewhere in Los Angeles.

[4][5] In 1995, Disney executives devised an idea for a California-themed park as a replacement for WestCOT, believing that it would deter tourists from going to see other attractions in the state and thus spending more time on the property.

In June 1996, the Los Angeles Times reported details of the planned park, mentioning the inclusion of a Golden Age Hollywood backlot-themed section.

[1] Information about Hollywood Land was included in four different park preview centers and online Disney promotions promised "glitzy cafés and shops, famous theaters and a real studio backlot."

In 2005, the area was renovated to remove some of the movie set props while introducing a new paint color scheme for the soundstages and new planter boxes.

[15] The event was replaced by the Mad T Party in 2012, a similar attraction based on Tim Burton's 2010 remake film Alice in Wonderland.

In 2017, the Tower of Terror was closed to be rethemed as Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout!, the first Disney attraction in the United States based on the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

In March 2020, the Hyperion hosted its last showing of Frozen before the Disneyland Resort was abruptly shuttered in response to the COVID-19 pandemic – the musical did not return when the park reopened in 2021.