Earlier this week, the Disney folk released what is soon to be the new logo for their Studio themed park. In early 2008, the studios will finally and officially drop the “MGM” from its moniker. When the park opened in May, 1989, The MGM Studios were aboard as partners, allowing Disney to use MGM content in the park as well as the name and Leo the Lion.

The partnership proved to be built on shaky ground early on when MGM took Disney to court claiming the studios could not put only the Disney name on films created at the then operational movie studio on property. Disney countersued awhile later when MGM opened a ‘theme park’ of its own at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. There was no clear cut winner. Since then, the rumors of a studio name change have been running rampant.

Finally, in 2008, will now be known as “Disney’s Hollywood Studios”.

So let’s look at the new logo. It is a much simpler logo. Much ‘cleaner’. And while I don’t think it speaks of the grandeur of an entire movie themed park, it does accomplish a couple of things: It successfully excises the “MGM” and more importantly seems familiar. It almost suggests that this new logo has been the logo since 1989. At least that is what it says to me whose marketing genius ended probably 8 minutes after I was born.

I am curious to see what other changes are in store for Disney’s Hollywood Studio.