So, we'd enjoyed our guided tour of the main park so much on our last visit to DLP in June, that we decided we had to do the Walt Disney Studios version this time around. We did the tour on Monday 18th February, at 3pm. By coincidence we had the same tour guide this time around, Ann-Sophie
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The tour took just over one hour, and concentrated on movie-making. We had a lovely crisp sunny afternoon, a big improvement over the bucketing rain we had in June when we did the main park tour!
We started in the front lot Place Lumiere, named after the French brothers, pioneers of filmmaking (their film showing a workforce walking through gates is one of the first clips you see in Cinemagique, and they used their own staff to make the film). We talked about the big gates and architecture of the buildings here, reflecting the working studios in California in the 40s. The fountain is part of the appearance of grandness at the front of a working Studio of the time this is also why there is often a big black limousine in the front lot. We then went to the bottom of the Earful tower, and talked about why it was there (a water tower was part of every working studio, for fire-fighting purposes).
Then in Studio One, we talked about the numbers on the buildings, all of them all over the Studios are significant dates relating to Disney and its imagineers. We saw the facades (ie real-looking on the front, wood struts on the back) and the props in En Coulisse, again following what would appear in a real working studio. Studio One is completely sound-proofed, so it can be used as a real working studio.
Out into the main body of the park, we talked about the shape of the flower bed where the Partners statue is (its shaped like an old film cannister). We briefly went into Art of Animations first room, where we saw and talked a bit about the camera contraption which gave the first 3D effects (painted cells positioned on top of others) which were featured in the Old Mill cartoon for the first time, and also in the Snow White movie. Outside the building, we saw the small statues of some of the animations these were used before the filmmaking process began on each movie, to film the characters from every angle. We walked around the Toon studios area, and talked about why the rides and attractions (including Toy Story Playland) are situated together the idea being that in this area of the Studios, the toons have taken control and they are making the movies
. In Toy Story Playland, we talked about the 2 balls which are prominent here the coloured ball appears in every Disney Pixar movie somewhere, and the red ball is the one featured at the starting short of Pixar movies, where the desklights play with it. We also were shown (I had never noticed this before) the start/go switch on the side of RC racer ride it moves when the ride starts. I had also not noticed that Andy had signed his name on the toy airplane outside the Parachute Drop ride until today.
From TSPL we walked past Tower of Terror and onto Rue George Melies, stopping briefly outside the rotunda area of Restaurant des Stars, from where we could see the mural in the ceiling dome (again, Ive never noticed this before), showing the sequence, end-to-end, of a blockbuster movie being made. We also talked about why George Melies was honoured here in the Studios (he was one of the first filmmakers to use and create special effects in his movies).
In the Backlot we saw the big gates (which are kept open in WDS) in a working studio these would be closed when special effects/stunts were being done. The backlot is all about big props, special effects (including music making, which is why RnR rollercoaster is there) and stunts. Hence Armageddon, the Stunt show, and the Blockbuster Café (basically one big store-room of props). Inside the Blockbuster Café, we saw the display case in the HSM side where the costumes are, which are the authentic costumes from the movie. We walked around by Les Cascadeurs restaurant (which was unfortunately closed) and talked about how it was transported in its entirety from Germany, and its the oldest restaurant in all of the Disney parks (it was used as a diner by the American GIs in the 2nd world war).
We then walked around the back of the Tower of Terror building, seeing the vehicles which are at the end of the Tram Tour etc. I had never walked that way before - the Tower of Terror building is huge! We ended our tour outside the Tower of Terror, where we talked about the inspiration for the ride being an episode of the French version of Twilight Zone which never aired. We talked about the fastpass area for this ride looking like piles of discarded luggage etc, to tie in with the décor inside the Hotel foyer, ie everyone, guests and staff alike, ran away in haste after the 5 people in the lift disappeared into the Twilight Zone.
As Tower of Terror is my DDs favourite ride, Ann-Sophie suggested we come back and do the specific Tower of Terror tour, which is available early morning (before official park opening time) on Saturday and Wednesday mornings (but book in advance).
We had a very pleasant wander around the Studios, learning all about its inspiration and layout etc. At the end of the tour we each got a blue pin, similar to the pink one we had received when we did the guided tour of the main park.
I'm a real fan of the guided tours, you see so much that you've never noticed before, and get a great insight into the reasons why DLP is what it is
. Hopefully next time we are back in The Magic, we'll be able to do the Tower of Terror tour.
How did I not know all of these details before?! I love this!!!! 
Thank you!!!!! 
DBF will literally shred my credit card in front of me if he catches wind of this! 
I must investigate further and find a way around this 
