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

[rteetz]

Definitely the hot topic of the week, it seems! Your thread made today's DIS Daily Fix!

Yes I saw that Jackie! It will likely be a hot topic for some time now.

 

[Mouse of Mystery]

I loved the GMR when it opened -- not as much anymore. But I LOVE Mickey a whole lot more, so I'm thrilled that he is being featured in a premiere ride. Mickey has a lot of classic stuff that will fit right in to the Chinese Theater. I never expected they'd do something this big.

So... when are they putting back up THE HAT?

 

[mikepizzo]

Yet another nail in the coffin of WDW!
New attractions are fine but they need to maintain some of the classics and GMR is certainly one of those. It's basically the ride that gives The Studios it's theme! And the decline continues...

Since the theme of the park is going to change, doesn't it make sense to get rid of a ride that supports the (to be) old theme?

I love The Great Movie Ride, but that doesn't make it a good attraction. It hasn't been a good attraction for a while. Things stopped working after the first year (Footlight Parade), and to my knowledge the only other modification besides the Footlight Parade segment was the Wicked Witch Audio Animatronic. All the other Animatronics in the ride are stiff and outdated (Tarzan, poor...poor Sigourney).

It's time for a change, and I think it's the right move to get rid of the ride.

If they were to update it, one of the problems they would run into would be what movies to use. The history of film began in the 1890's. The Great Movie Ride opened in 1989. That's nearly 100 years worth of cinema to find movies that left a lasting impression on people as a whole...on the culture. Quite an amount of film to work with, on top of the fact that they would be able to pick from "ground breaking" movies.

1989 to 2016 is only 27 years. The ground has already been broken in regards to film. Has there really been any other "Casablanca"'s or "Wizard of Oz"'s in the last 25+ years? And if there has, what are the chances that they would be willing to pay for the royalties to use them, or that they would be appropriate for a family theme park?

I don't want to "play Walt", but a.) do you really think Walt would let an attraction get that stale and b.) do you really think Walt would keep that ride knowing what the new direction of the park is going to be? No way.

I don't see this as a decline, I see it as a transition. One may not like the direction that the company is taking Hollywood Studios, but that's not going to stop them. I'm not a fan of Star Wars, but I'm excited to check out the new land. I'm not a fan of a Toy Story exclusive land (I personally think it should have been Pixar Place, where all the Pixar properties come together), but that's what we are going to get. Don't get me wrong, I don't think they should close all the attractions in the park at the same time and expect people to still pay a full price ticket.

We should be excited that they are at least doing something. We should be excited that Universal is growing. It's forcing Disney to do something they haven't done in a long time...build.

 

[GaryDis]

1989 to 2016 is only 27 years. The ground has already been broken in regards to film. Has there really been any other "Casablanca"'s or "Wizard of Oz"'s in the last 25+ years? And if there has, what are the chances that they would be willing to pay for the royalties to use them, or that they would be appropriate for a family theme park?

Going through the AFI top 100 list, looking at films from 1990 on, all I see is Titanic, Toy Story, and possibly Schindler's List. Maybe Dances With Wolves. But others are movies like Goodfellas, Unforgiven, Pulp Fiction - not good choices for Disney. There are probably reasonable choices that didn't make this list, but not many. Since they're already working with Cameron, Titanic might be realistic, but I don't know which studio owns it.

But limiting it the last 25 years seems too narrow, and makes me feel really old. Or did you just mean using some for an update, and keeping some older classics as well?

 

[mikepizzo]

Going through the AFI top 100 list, looking at films from 1990 on, all I see is Titanic, Toy Story, and possibly Schindler's List. Maybe Dances With Wolves. But others are movies like Goodfellas, Unforgiven, Pulp Fiction - not good choices for Disney. There are probably reasonable choices that didn't make this list, but not many. Since they're already working with Cameron, Titanic might be realistic, but I don't know which studio owns it.

But limiting it the last 25 years seems too narrow, and makes me feel really old. Or did you just mean using some for an update, and keeping some older classics as well?

Exactly my point in regards to the film choices.

For your second piece, I meant a little of both. There would have to be movies post 1989, but they would also have to keep some older movies. In regards to the pre-1989 films, do you keep the movies you have now, or try to find different movies from around that same time period and work out an agreement with those actors?

Change Footlight Parade to Gone with the Wind? Change Public Enemies to Double Indemnity?

Let's pretend we keep the majority of the pre-1989 films. How do you make these (now even older) films fresh again? Better Audio Animatronics? The Casablanca scene in and of itself is quite boring. It's a classic scene, but it's boring. Two people talking as they stand next to half an airplane. How do you plus that? Even with better Audio Animatronics it would just be two people talking next to half a plane. Is that a scene you get rid of? But how could you, it's Casablanca. What do you put in it's place?

In my opinion, there's just a lot of hard questions that come into play when you talk about updating an attraction like The Great Movie Ride.

 

[L&Lfan]

I think Gone With The Wind would have the same issues as Song of the South. Disney probably doesn't want the headaches.

 

[Whatsthegoodword]

Ironic: Disney took out THE HAT to properly showcase the Theatre once again (nothing says "Hollywood" like the Chinese Theatre), then they decided to gut the movie ride and replace it with Mickey Mouse. I'm so confused.

 

[rteetz]

Ironic: Disney took out THE HAT to properly showcase the Theatre once again (nothing says "Hollywood" like the Chinese Theatre), then they decided to gut the movie ride and replace it with Mickey Mouse. I'm so confused.

 

[Whatsthegoodword]

View attachment 186264

...and? When most people see the Chinese Theatre, they don't think Mickey Mouse. They think Hollywood, handprints in cement, etc.

 

[rteetz]

...and? When most people see the Chinese Theatre, they don't think Mickey Mouse. They think Hollywood, handprints in cement, etc.

I know I was just pointing out that it appeared in one of the cartoons. The theater is iconic for the park. When they were first conceptions the Mickey ride the facade was going to go away but then it was decided to stay. It's also worth noting Bob Weis the Imagineering president was one of the lead designers of DHS when it was built.

 

[jpwest]

...and? When most people see the Chinese Theatre, they don't think Mickey Mouse. They think Hollywood, handprints in cement, etc.

Some of us think "that thing is blocking my path to TSMM." One way or another, I hope it becomes a true "weenie."

 

[tlmadden73]

This makes it official .. The "movie" theme is all but dead at DHS and it will basically become a Magic Kingdom "part 2" with immersive themed areas instead of "generic" themed areas like MK.

To me this says that Indiana Jones Stunt show is going to be gone too. Why have a "stunt" show in a park that is no longer about the making of movies. Heck I would say that the ONLY attraction safe at DHS right now is the Tower of Terror just because it fits into the "Hollywoodland" theme of the front part of the park.

I still wonder what the grand plan for DHS is beyond just Star Wars Land and Toy Story Land .. at this point it just seems they will keep the old attractions limping along to keep the park open while construction is going on. But eventually the park will become totally new .. almost redone from the ground up.

 

[Budshark]

Disney Florida Adventure. Under that guise Indy can stay. All the other changes align. Does Florida Adventure tell you anything about the park? Not anymore than California Adventure, but I bet there's more than a 50% chance that is the name and direction.

 

[skier_pete]

I love The Great Movie Ride, but that doesn't make it a good attraction.

I just wanted to see I really appreciate comments like this. To many folks are shortsighted and only look at it as if "My opinion is the only one that counts". Nice to see someone admit though they love it, it's not that great.

 

[Dfan79]

I like Wizard of Oz, Casablanca and John Wayne, but its time for them to go. People aren't lining up the way they used to go on Great Movie Ride. Plus most kids don't know a majority of the characters being portrayed. So Disney has to put in a ride that will put buns on the seats.

This way it's more of a tough choice in the morning.

 

[PuppyJonathan]

View attachment 186264

Ah Mickey's Gala Premiere, that's a good one!

 

[tlmadden73]

I love The Great Movie Ride, but that doesn't make it a good attraction.

It was a good attraction for what MGM Studios opened as --> a working "living Hollywood" movie studio that celebrated the MAKING of movies. But as that theme began to wear away, and as time moved on, its relevance begain to wain. That theme has been LONG gone (even before Star Wars and Toy Story Land was announced) and so it makes sense to just ditch a dark ride that won't fit in the park.

For me personally, it has a special place in my nostalgic heart. But if I could erase those memories and go "for the first time" today? Would I be awed by the GMR? Would I feel it is magical? Probably not. I would probably feel like I felt when I went to Universal 5+ years ago and rode on rides like "ET", "Twister", "Jaws" .. They felt exactly like they were .. a cheesy, old attraction from a movie that was decades old. Underwhelming. Universal (since that time) has torn down two of those attractions and are replacing them with something a lot more current.

Like it or not .. if the theme of FutureWorld in Epcot starts to change, SpaceShip Earth may have to be gutted and filled with an entire different attraction too.

 

[circus4u]

I also noticed that everything in the Disney Store relating to Rock n Roller Coaster is preceded by Mickey Mouse; there is also a lot more merchandise with Mickey Mouse Rock n Roller Coaster than ever with Aerosmith, mugs, shirts, hats, etc. etc. I definitely think there is a big change coming to that attraction. Beginning to think that the Great Movie Ride rumor is not quite what everyone is making it out to be

 

[rteetz]

I also noticed that everything in the Disney Store relating to Rock n Roller Coaster is preceded by Mickey Mouse; there is also a lot more merchandise with Mickey Mouse Rock n Roller Coaster than ever with Aerosmith, mugs, shirts, hats, etc. etc. I definitely think there is a big change coming to that attraction. Beginning to think that the Great Movie Ride rumor is not quite what everyone is making it out to be

The GMR rumor is much stronger than any RnRc rumor. I think the merchandise has Mickey on it because it's easy to sell. They still have Aerosmith merch as well.

 

[circus4u]

The GMR rumor is much stronger than any RnRc rumor. I think the merchandise has Mickey on it because it's easy to sell. They still have Aerosmith merch as well.

Check out the Disney Store collections section for Rockin Roller Coaster at https://www.disneystore.com/rock-n-roller-coaster-collection/mn/1004201/ Don't see anything listed with Aerosmith. Coincidence?