We'll have to agree to disagree, then. I did the backlot tour in 2002 and did not think it compared favorably to USH, which admittedly was based on a kid's perspective in the late 70's.
I'm surprised that the DHS version wouldn't be considering putting a restaurant in -- if they're going to expand the park over time to add a real "
Pixar Place", then they could certainly use another TS at least. Strictly from a "theme" standpoint, I can also see a CS where they sell all of Skinner's mass-market "Gusteau" creations.
Well there you go if the first time you road was in 2002 you didn' rude the original that closed in 2001. Here is what it included from Wikipedia
The first incarnation of the Backlot Tour had its entrance where the current entrance to The Magic of Disney Animation currently is. The original tour was far longer and more elaborate than the current version. The former tour drove through New York Street/Streets of America. Due to the surprise popularity of the park, NY Street was removed from the tour and made into public walking space within the first few years of operation. After driving through NY Street, the tram drove to Catastrophe Canyon, just like the tour today.
After visiting the canyon, guests disembarked at the current exit area. The area where the current Studio Catering Co. restaurant & adjacent shop are, was originally a break area for guest before embarking on the second half of the Backlot tour. This break area was expanded to include an area for kids to play, called Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: Movie Set Adventure. The second half of the tour was a walking tour. It encompassed the current water special effects tank, an effects shop, and the existing soundstages along Mickey Avenue & the soundstages that currently house Journey Into Narnia: Creating the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Walt Disney: One Man's Dream, and Voyage of the Little Mermaid. Guests viewed the soundstages using overhead walkways. Portions of the walkway can still be seen in the park. Most noticeably by the current Backlot Tour entrance and by Journey Into Narnia: Creating the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe there are walkway bridges. Just like NY Street, due to the overwhelming popularity of Disney's Hollywood Studios, former Backlot areas were opened up (present day Mickey Avenue & southern Animation Courtyard).
Much of the former walking portion of the Backlot Tour became its own attraction, Backstage Pass, separate from the original tour. This greatly reduced the overall Tour time. Around this same time, the entrance to the Backlot Tour was moved to the end of Mickey Avenue, with a new entrance ramp built to the water effects tank, a prop warehouse building constructed for additional queue, and a new loading area for the trams.
In 2001, Backstage Pass was closed. In April 2001, Soundstage 3 opened to the public to house Who Wants To Be A Millionaire - Play It! and was closed in 2006. In 2008, Soundstage 3 and the adjacent Soundstage 2 were converted into the Toy Story Midway Mania! attraction. Soundstage 1 sits empty waiting for a future attraction.
The adjacent building, an unnamed enclosed area and theater, housed for many years an attraction called "The Making of ______" (the blank filled in with the name of the next upcoming blockbuster from Disney or Touchstone). When the walking tour was removed from the Backlot Tour, this became a separate attraction, the previously mentioned Backstage Pass attraction. In 2001, the space was converted into Walt Disney: One Man's Dream. Originally the display area of the building emptied into the theater currently occupied by Voyage of The Little Mermaid. Within months of the park's opening, the theater became a separate venue from the walking tour portion of the Backlot Tour. The first show in the new separate theater was Here Come the Muppets. When the original theater was separated, a new slightly smaller theater was built right behind it for "The Making of" attraction. This is the current theater guests enter in Walt Disney: One Man's Dream.
Refurbishment
In 2003, Residential Street was walled off from the tour and demolished. The land is currently used for The Lights, Motors, Action Stunt Show. The addition of the stunt show caused the Backlot Tour to be re-routed mainly to go around the large stadium. Small portions of the former residential street were turned into areas for the tour's relocated and downsized boneyard and for the tram roadways. The addition of the stunt show also caused NY Street to lose its arch, as the area was needed for the tour tram to turn around to arrive at the exit station. Overall, the tram portion of the tour was obviously greatly reduced due to the new show.
In 2008, Imagineering announced to cast members that an automated narration spiel was in development to replace all the live tour guides on the shuttles portion of the tour. The Special Effects Water Tank continues to have a live cast due to the nature of volunteer guests. The entire attraction went down for two months' refurbishment on 4 January 2008.[1] The ride briefly closed down in February 2010, along with the adjacent Studio Catering Company and Honey I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure. It has since reopened.
