Tag Archives: Disney’s MGM Studios

If The Great Movie Ride Has to Go

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Nearly three years ago I wrote this article about the rumored demise of the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular, which so far has remained unscathed.  The newest Studios scuttlebutt predicts the replacement of The Great Movie Ride with something completely different.  I’ve got mixed feelings about this one.  Let’s discuss!

If The Great Movie Ride Has to GoThe Great Movie Ride

Like much of Disney’s Hollywood Studios in recent years, The Great Movie Ride hasn’t received a whole lot of love.  New intro, change in narration, and nothing else.  The scenes are stale, some of the animatronics don’t work, and the scripts on the two versions are exactly the same…every. single. time. The Great Movie Ride

The premise of this attraction makes it perpetually ready for awesome updates and theme/action changes at regular intervals.  So much Hollywood greatness to be showcased, incredible potential for an infinite number of scene changes and movie genres to explore.  None of that has happened and I still ride it on nearly every visit.  Why?  Nostalgia mostly.  I have a love/hate relationship with many of the scenes.  I love the Casablanca scene, hate Tarzan, love John Wayne and Mary Poppins, hate The Public Enemy.  The Wizard of Oz is my absolute favorite and so well done!  If other fans are like me, nostalgia alone probably isn’t enough to keep this ride alive.

If the Rumors are True…

According to speculation from August, 2016, The Great Movie Ride may be replaced by The Great Mickey Ride.  Think about the possibilities!  Trackless vehicles moving guests through the history of Mickey in all his lovable forms.  He’s recognized world-wide and has yet to have his very own attraction!  The original spirit of the Studios would live on and new generations of Mickey fans would learn the story of the world’s most famous Mouse.  Makes sense as Mickey will celebrate his 100th birthday in 2028.  With so much to showcase, this could easily be one of those attractions guests would ride again and again to see what they might have missed on previous visits.The Great Movie Ride

With money and resources currently allocated for Star Wars and Toy Story lands, it seems doubtful that anything will happen in the near future.  Goodness knows, the Studios can’t handle anymore closures without new attractions to fill in the gaping holes.  I can see how the long-term survival of The Great Movie Ride in its current form is unlikely though, and I’m prepared for it to go away.  In the meantime, I intend to ride it a few more times and enjoy one of the last vestiges of what Disney’s MGM Studios originally used to be.

How about you?  Are you a fan of The Great Movie Ride?  Are you ready to see it replaced?

 

Guide Maps for Walt Disney World Circa1994

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Once again, Nick brings us a blast-from-the-past for this week’s Saturday article.  How old were you in 1994?  I turned 30 that year and our daughter, Megan, was still an only child.  I was rockin’ enormous shoulder-pads with every outfit and didn’t have a single gray hair (yet).  What do you remember most about that time?

Guide Maps for Walt Disney World Circa1994

Guide maps are like a snapshot of a moment in time. A time machine if you will. These Walt Disney World Guide maps show a wide range of attractions that I dearly miss. I truly believe the Epcot of today doesn’t hold a candle to 1994’s version.

And don’t even get me started on Disney’s Hollywood Studios’, (then Disney-MGM Studios) current incarnations of the Backstage Studio Tour and the Magic of Disney Animation.

Don’t get me wrong, I still love Walt Disney World, but believe many of the best attractions were around in the early to mid 90’s.

The Magic Kingdom is better than the 1994 version due to the New Fantasyland expansion.

Epcot ’94.
My favorite ride, perhaps of all time, was Horizons. Test Track was a great ride, but I dislike the new version, and it makes me miss World of Motion. Then there was Journey Into Imagination, with Dreamfinder and Figment. I like today’s version, but only because of Figment, and nostalgia. It is a shadow of it’s former self.

Speaking of shadows, if you were fortunate to have gone to Walt Disney World during the new Golden Age of Disney Animation, you may have actually been able to see actual animated movies being produced at The  Magic of Disney Animation at Disney-MGM Studios.

Of course, one major thing Walt Disney World didn’t have in 1994, was Disney’s Animal Kingdom, which is an amazing park. Sometimes nostalgia gets the best of us. What was your favorite period of Walt Disney World’s history?