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

[cavepig]

Kinda makes you wonder if the building will stay the Chinese Theater or if they'll Mickey Ear it or something.

I see it staying, as the more I think about it, sounds like we are entering the theater to watch the Mickey Movie and then we all of sudden end up in it. So, then they just have to add a "Now showing Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway" banner/marque outside of it.

 

[rteetz]

I watched the video of the announcement. I'm not digging the style of animation at all. I think it looks cheap and underdeveloped. Mickey doesn't look anything like the classic Mickey. The ears are shaped wrong, and the mouth is weird. The animation is what used to be called limited animation. I think Walt would have hated it.

This is the new version of Mickey used in the new Mickey shorts.

 

[rteetz]

Wow, just next month Great Movie Ride closes, I just don't get that with already half the park closed off & other areas like sounds dangerous basically a nothing. Not a fan of that style of Mickey, they just look & act off. I hope it's not just a bunch of video screens, I can see that being motion sickness worthy if you're just zooming past videos. Oh well, I'm sure it will be neat, just not warmed up to the idea yet. All those poor GMR animatronics, it's sad. Were the rights to use those movies running out and that's a reason too?

Rights to the movies weren't running out but the TCM sponsorship was ended. They want a lot of this park done between 2019-2020. Waiting until after Toy Story or Star Wars would push this back and that's not something they want for the 50th.

 

[rteetz]

I'd think they would need to keep the building facade as the Chinese Theater to maintain theming with Hollywood Blvd (turnstiles, crossroads of the world, shops, etc). Either that, or there would have to be some large visual barrier at the "hub" end of Hollywood Blvd. Perhaps a huge sorcerer hat?

Chinese Theater will remain as is.

 

[DJJimmy9]

Maybe it's just a delay in updating the system, but you can still book FP+ for GMR beyond Aug 13th. I looked everyday from Aug 14th though the last day of our trip, Aug 25th, and they are still available. Keeping fingers crossed that Aug 13th isn't etched in stone.

Well there goes that theory. I checked MDE this morning and you can no longer book FP+ for GMR after 8/13. My DS7 is excited about the new Mickey ride, but sad that he won't get to properly say goodbye to GMR.

We have an 8-night trip coming up in the 2nd half of August. Our time planned for HS was already very limited. Now we will barely spend a half-day there.

 

[oswald1]

This makes complete sense with how Martin has been saying the e ticket coming would be controversial. Ripping out GMR a DHS opening day attraction is huge. That means Indiana jones is the last opening day attraction in DHS...

Very sad for me because I love the history of Disney and the GMR. Boo

 

[Jafar30]

GMR was fine for its time but it's time to move forward. And the new Mickey shorts are great

 

[heazer]

I know there are folks that will miss GMR as it was, and folks that will hate the animation style of the M&M they intend to use....but my 10yr is thrilled! His favorite thing every night while on property is watching those dang Disney shorts on the resort tv before he falls asleep. I would bet a lot of kids that are familiar with them will enjoy the change over.

 

[ThistleMae]

Seeing is believing! It's just going to be an entirely new ride...I was voting for an update to the old. Oh well....it's going to happen...nothing we can do but say goodbye!

 

[Mickey's Best Girl]

Chinese Theater will remain as is.

I guess that's something.

I was really hoping for a Mickey through the years type attraction but I'm sure this Runaway Train will blow our minds. Disney rarely disappoints (I'm looking at you improved Figment sans Dreamfinder and Tiki Room).

 

[1momof3boys3]

I watched the video of the announcement. I'm not digging the style of animation at all. I think it looks cheap and underdeveloped. Mickey doesn't look anything like the classic Mickey. The ears are shaped wrong, and the mouth is weird. The animation is what used to be called limited animation. I think Walt would have hated it.

I do not like the new animation at all! I was really excited about a new Mickey & Minnie ride.... until I saw it was the new design. Now I'm really disappointed! I really can't see that Walt would have been happy about this.

 

[cavepig]

Rights to the movies weren't running out but the TCM sponsorship was ended. They want a lot of this park done between 2019-2020. Waiting until after Toy Story or Star Wars would push this back and that's not something they want for the 50th.

Yes I know that Disney ended it with TCM. Why not have just closed it 2 years ago and not bothered with the deal at all as the addition of TCM to the ride didn't add anything in my opinion, unless Disney really wanted that money to help finance the new ride. Still seems like there was some poor planning on having it close at the same time as so much else in my opinion.

 

[rteetz]

Yes I know that Disney ended it with TCM. Why not have just closed it 2 years ago and not bothered with the deal at all as the addition of TCM to the ride didn't add anything in my opinion, unless Disney really wanted that money to help finance the new ride. Still seems like there was some poor planning on having it close at the same time as so much else in my opinion.

This ride wasn't talked about 2 years ago. Other things like a full blown Pixar land were talked about two years ago. It always gets worse before it gets better.

 

[Mouse of Mystery]

I was really hoping for a Mickey through the years type attraction but I'm sure this Runaway Train will blow our minds.

I assumed it would lean heavily on the classic Mickey stuff, or maybe a through-the-years thing like you said. Maybe it would be weird seeing an ever-morphing Mickey and they decided to just stick to one era.

I do love the new stuff, but I'm sad I won't see things like Lonesome Ghosts or Fire Brigade -- that would have been big for all ages, I think. Nevertheless, I know I'll like the new ride as the old GMR was getting a tad crusty for the young folks.

 

[cavepig]

This ride wasn't talked about 2 years ago. Other things like a full blown Pixar land were talked about two years ago. It always gets worse before it gets better.

Yeah not at D23, but that doesn't mean they haven't been talking about it.

 

[rteetz]

Yeah not at D23, but that doesn't mean they haven't been talking about it.

Talking and having the green light to go ahead are two different things within Disney. That's just how it works.

 

[gillep]

Mickey Mouse deserves a ride, I just hope that they do him justice. I am not a fan of this animation style, but I am still hopeful that they can pull this off.

 

[PolyRob]

I was hoping the inside would be revamped similar to the original, just focusing on all Disney movies and acquired companies like Pixar, Lucasfilms, etc. I will still be excited for this new attraction.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

I do not like the new animation at all! I was really excited about a new Mickey & Minnie ride.... until I saw it was the new design. Now I'm really disappointed! I really can't see that Walt would have been happy about this.

I don't know. Mickey's look has changed over the years. Walt wasn't anti-change.

While I'm not much of a fan of that new look, my kids love it and watch the shorts a lot.

 

[Dfan79]

It's weird.

I'm not a fan of the style of animation, but I think the ride looks amazing. It's like nothing I've ever seen before. 2 1/2 D!!! How do you like that Universal?

Any word on what they are doing with "The Great Movie Ride" stuff. The witch from "Wizard of Oz" would make a great coat hanger and the Lost Ark would be a nice coffee table.