Great Movie Ride closes for Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway

[skier_pete]

Anyone still think this is really happening based on one rumor from 6 months ago? I am still in the boat of "Ain't happening before Star Wars land opens."

 

[tlmadden73]

Anyone still think this is really happening based on one rumor from 6 months ago? I am still in the boat of "Ain't happening before Star Wars land opens."

Agree ..

While I think that GMR and Indiana Jones will eventually be gone as they really don't fit the theme of DHS anymore (the "making of movies" theme is dead). I don't see them closing anything else at DHS until either land is open.
(Especially since you figure that TSMM will need some sort of time close to incorporate it into the new land).
There just isn't enough in the park to get people in the door if something else closes.

The main question that hasn't been answered yet about DHS .. is what is happening to the "Old Hollywood" that encompasses most of Echo Lake and the center of the park. Is it remaining?

You would think there would be other major changes coming to DHS more than just adding in Star wars and Toy story lands. (just not until those are done).

 

[rteetz]

Anyone still think this is really happening based on one rumor from 6 months ago? I am still in the boat of "Ain't happening before Star Wars land opens."

Sources as recently as a week or so ago said yes it's still happening. We will just have to wait and see.

 

[skier_pete]

The main question that hasn't been answered yet about DHS .. is what is happening to the "Old Hollywood" that encompasses most of Echo Lake and the center of the park. Is it remaining?

You would think there would be other major changes coming to DHS more than just adding in Star wars and Toy story lands. (just not until those are done).

It seems so far the plan is to keep the front of the park the same. I do agree Indiana Jones could eventually go though...

 

[rteetz]

It seems so far the plan is to keep the front of the park the same. I do agree Indiana Jones could eventually go though...

Yep. I think they want you to walk into Hollywood but then branch off into different realms of film. Star Wars and toy story being two of those.

 

[adisneyaunt]

Like the ride as a secondary one... but that park is seriously in need of the Overhaul. I can't wait for changes and some new rides. We ll return when that's ready.. we usually spend 2-3 hours there and ditch.

 

[Pascal3]

Although it'd be an interesting building and location for Monsters door coaster. (And yes I'm baiting people!)

That would be amazing!

 

[Pascal3]

Hmmm this is very interesting. I'd be fine seeing it go - especially to get a cool new E-ticket. The park is no longer pushing the movie studio thing so it's not as important IMO. The theater facade is more awesome and iconic than the attraction itself. They should put like Mystic Manor or something like that in there. I feel like they could tweak the theming or make it work. Now THAT would gag everyone. I keep thinking that DHS is kind of becoming the DCA of the east - that's the kind of direction it's going in, what they turned DCA into.

I personally love the new DCA and wouldn't mind that at all.

 

[Pascal3]

Hey - I'm happy to have people stay out of a new land. The lines will be long enough as it is. I wish more people would decide that new attractions are worthless sight unseen. Here's hoping you don't like Star Wars either.

My thoughts exactly as I read those comments. I was like 'well more for me'!

 

[Travis B]

I personally love the new DCA and wouldn't mind that at all.

I'm right there with you.

 

[Matthew Caito]

id love to see GMR turn into something new, although i love the original. Branching off into other realms and eras of film would be a great idea and would attract guest of all ages. Seeing what they are and have done with Pandora is opening up a world of possibilities for star wars land. a part of me feels like disney needs to incorporate more of its original films into the parks along with what they have "acquired" over the years. its great to have star wars and marvel in the park but that is just owned by disney, not created by.

 

[skier_pete]

So this is only a bit off topic - but we went to see the TCM airing of "Singing in the Rain" this weekend. Anytime I see a movie that's featured in the Great Movie Ride, I'm always amazed how poorly the movie is protrayed into the ride. Singing In The Rain is such a dynamic movie - and it's so tight. A lot of movie musicals drag on forever, even the good ones. (Did the Sound of Music really need to be 3 hours long?) Singing in the Rain runs a lean hour and forty minutes, tells a concise story using the songs, and has very little fat in it. (Though I admit the "Broadway Melody" number at the end does sag a bit.) Yet in the ride - it's Gene Kelly standing still hanging on a lamp-post. It gives you almost no feel for the actual movie, or even the actual scene.

Seeing the movie spurs me to want them to change this ride so much. Not to a Mickey Mouse attraction but to a dynamic movie ride. Everyone complains about Universals over-reliance on screens, but I completely want to see them manage to incorporate ACTUAL SCENES from movies into a ride, while at the same time using a trackless ride system (watch a video from Mystic Manor for an example of what this entails). Then you watch Gene Kelly actually dance around...while you move around in your car. How great would that be!

This is why the ONLY scene that works for me in the GMR is the Wizard of Oz scene - the only one that makes you feel like you are part of a movie, as opposed to being in a wax museum.

 

[Matthew Caito]

So this is only a bit off topic - but we went to see the TCM airing of "Singing in the Rain" this weekend. Anytime I see a movie that's featured in the Great Movie Ride, I'm always amazed how poorly the movie is protrayed into the ride. Singing In The Rain is such a dynamic movie - and it's so tight. A lot of movie musicals drag on forever, even the good ones. (Did the Sound of Music really need to be 3 hours long?) Singing in the Rain runs a lean hour and forty minutes, tells a concise story using the songs, and has very little fat in it. (Though I admit the "Broadway Melody" number at the end does sag a bit.) Yet in the ride - it's Gene Kelly standing still hanging on a lamp-post. It gives you almost no feel for the actual movie, or even the actual scene.

Seeing the movie spurs me to want them to change this ride so much. Not to a Mickey Mouse attraction but to a dynamic movie ride. Everyone complains about Universals over-reliance on screens, but I completely want to see them manage to incorporate ACTUAL SCENES from movies into a ride, while at the same time using a trackless ride system (watch a video from Mystic Manor for an example of what this entails). Then you watch Gene Kelly actually dance around...while you move around in your car. How great would that be!

This is why the ONLY scene that works for me in the GMR is the Wizard of Oz scene - the only one that makes you feel like you are part of a movie, as opposed to being in a wax museum.

I absolutely agree.....

 

[PuppyJonathan]

Lucky you got to go see it. Wasn't at my closest theater and didn't want to drag anyone for a ride

 

[Metaleeka]

I hate to admit it, but I don't really enjoy this ride anymore. I would prefer an update and upgrade, but I guess that's probably not going to happen.

 

[Leelo]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Classic Movies and TCM but this ride is not that good. It has a few highlights but it isn't a must see on every trip for me.

 

[DisneyDetective]

I would welcome the Great Movie Ride getting a complete gut out however I'd really prefer it to still be associated with films of the past and present with a new type Ride vehicle and state of the art animatronics like from Voyage of the Little Mermaid and some of the attractions from Disneyland Shanghai.

 

[YawningDodo]

Kind of a bummer if it's true; I've always been a fan of the GMR (no regrets about making it a last morning ride on my last visit even though we'd already done it a day or two before). Even as someone who's always gotten a kick out of it, though, I think it's needed to be freshened up for years -- even just letting cast members deviate from script would have helped; I get why they standardize but there's only so many times you can hear the exact same spiel about the movies featured in the ride before I stop caring and stop wanting to re-ride.

 

[RealBlast3]

I love this ride but one change they did make it to it that downgraded the experience, when I went in January 2016, significantly, is they replaced much of the spiel that our human movie guide used to say, with Turner Classics Movie host Robert Osbourne doing it in a taped version. I'm sorry but it's the Disney cast member's live hosting that makes this ride and hearing a taped recording of chunks of it now just makes the ride feel very dated, very canned. Like, I don't know how anyone could think a taped anything could beat a real person's genuine's enthusiasm whose right in front of you. Imagine if they did that for say, this ride's cousin, over in Magic Kingdom, with Jungle Cruise?

 

[Sweettears]

I love this ride but one change they did make it to it that downgraded the experience, when I went in January 2016, significantly, is they replaced much of the spiel that our human movie guide used to say, with Turner Classics Movie host Robert Osbourne doing it in a taped version. I'm sorry but it's the Disney cast member's live hosting that makes this ride and hearing a taped recording of chunks of it now just makes the ride feel very dated, very canned. Like, I don't know how anyone could think a taped anything could beat a real person's genuine's enthusiasm whose right in front of you. Imagine if they did that for say, this ride's cousin, over in Magic Kingdom, with Jungle Cruise?

Lesson the experience, create demand for change and come to the rescue.