MGM Magic of Animation

[disneynay]

Last year when we were at MGM, they were renovating the Magic of Animation. Just wondering what changes were made. Is it worth the time now that all of the animators have left WDW?

 

[lajones81]

Honestly, the whole attraction took about 10 minutes tops. I was so sad to see that nothing was really left.

 

[WaltD4Me]

Yea, 10 minutes is about right. I was very sad too.
I always loved seeing the animators. It's really a shame that they did away with that whole part of MGM.

When I was there in 1998 we took an animation tour and it was so cool and interesting. We even got to go into the animation building and got to color a cell (which is alot of work!) It was one of the best tours I ever took and one of my very favorite Disney experiences.

 

[joyjoy]

This makes me sad. I loved the Animation Tour. What, do you walk past a bunch of empty desks now? I've only been there once when the people were actually working because of the times we went through. But at least we could see their desks and everything. What happens now? Do you go through and see emptiness? What about the animation instruction at the end, does that make up for it? Do they still have the film?

 

[The Fallen Angel]

All there is now is this interactive area at the end of it, and it isn't that great to begin with.

I miss the show with Walter Cronkite and Robin Williams. It was the best!

 

[mitros]

The tour was totally destroyed. No longer worth the effort, without the artists, there is nothing of any interest, IMHO.

 

[sanibelover]

Isn't this the one where you get to draw a Disney character at the end if you choose to? I loved that! We drew Bambi last November. I think it was probably one of my favorite things. I was amazed at how well our drwings turned out. They had an Incredibles Meet and Greet there too.

 

[meeko_33785]

I think it's disappointing that the animation studio is gone, but the rehab isn't that bad. There's a new show about animation staring Mushu from Mulan, a place where you can learn how to draw Disney characters, some interactive exhibits where you can learn who your Disney personality match is, a place where you can dub your voice into a Disney movie scene, a meet-and-greet area for Chicken Little, and various other exhibits. It's pretty cool if you take the time to look around a bit.

 

[mitros]

To the last two posters, you DID do the original tour, right?

 

[meeko_33785]

To the last two posters, you DID do the original tour, right?

Yes, I saw the original tour many times. While I do think the original tour was better, I don't see why I can't still enjoy the new version. I thought many of the things they have now are cute and still entertaining.

 

[The Fallen Angel]

There are elements of both tours that I liked, at the same time, elements I didn't like.

Of what I liked...

The Old show: well, the montage of movie clips and the Crokite/Williams movie.

The New show: The entire interactive area. I like the idea they want you to be hands-on with what animation and making an animated movie is all about.

 

[MonkeyPants]

I loved the original, havent seen the new one yet, but will this fall.

 

[sodaseller]

The original was better because you saw a real animation studio. That's no longer possible, unfortunately. But we love Mushu and the humor in the new one

 

[QuickGold]

I agree that the original tour(s) were much better and informative than the current edition. Sadly, they've gone for a watered down version that caters to the very young.

 

[lonegungirl]

Although I would agree that the original concept of the tour--seeing the actual animators at work--was superior in my viewpoint, I find that I really enjoy the cartoon drawing lesson. I've done it several times, and it's fun and yields surprisingly good results. I do find, however, that it depends on the animator teaching the class, as some go through more details and explain more for a better-looking picture.

The annoying part is that it only runs every half-hour or so, and there's no way to know what character they're going to do, so you can often wait a considerable amount of time to find yourself drawing the same thing again...

 

[mitros]

I just wonder if the CMs doing the drawing lessons are left over animators from the original tour? {*you may stay on as an art teacher for a smaller salary}


* a slightly skewed version of a line from "A Christmas Carol", 1951, with Allister Simms