Remember the Backstage Studio Tour and/or Studio Backlot Tour in 1994-1998?

[wishicouldgomoreofte]

https://www.yesterland.com/backstage.html.
It had a water tank special effects stage and showed a clip of a movie. I remember it as being a Pearl Harbor move with airplanes firing at the water-filled area in the movie.. The water would fly up, like when the pirate fire at you in Pirates of the Carribbean. I also remember another scenario with a guest dressed in a slicker gets drenched, they film it and show it. That was the later version, when it was changed from Backstage Studio Tour to Studio Backlot Tour. 2 different versions. Does anyone else remember the Pearl Harbor scenario version? What movie was that clip from?
The above article does not describe what went on in the water tank special effects show part of the tour.

 

[wishicouldgomoreofte]

I know there are some other people on these boards who can remember DHS as it was circa 1994-1998.

 

[_19disnA]

Yes, we enjoyed doing that tour in the past. I can also recall where you walk through the area where you could look down at animators doing scenes from future movies. Don't remember if that was something separate or part of the tour. Liked how it was setup and they could handle large numbers of people so you weren't just waiting in lines or watching 'pre-shows' that just seemed to waste time before the actual experience.

Apparently they have eliminated all of that in place of new/different rides?

 

[SueM in MN]

@wishicouldgomoreofte
I remember the Pearl Harbor one - it was to publicize the movie titled Pearl Harbor that came out in 2001. They displayed some of the models used in the movie in the waiting area for the show.
Later on, it was changed from ‘Pearl Harbor Attack’ to ‘Harbor Attack’.
They Pearl Harbor one had Hawaiian mountain backdrops, the volunteers were dressed in blue rain suits with Navy insignia and the ships were grey with American flags flying.
When they changed it to Harbor Attack, the ships got more generic looking and the volunteers wore yellow rain suits and hats

 

[wishicouldgomoreofte]

@wishicouldgomoreofte
I remember the Pearl Harbor one - it was to publicize the movie titled Pearl Harbor that came out in 2001. They displayed some of the models used in the movie in the waiting area for the show.
Later on, it was changed from ‘Pearl Harbor Attack’ to ‘Harbor Attack’.
They Pearl Harbor one had Hawaiian mountain backdrops, the volunteers were dressed in blue rain suits with Navy insignia and the ships were grey with American flags flying.
When they changed it to Harbor Attack, the ships got more generic looking and the volunteers wore yellow rain suits and hats

Thank you for remembering it. It bothers me because it seems longer ago, for a 2001 release movie.

Edit-I wonder if it was held before releasing? It just seems longer ago than that. You have a good memory.

 

[SueM in MN]

Yes, we enjoyed doing that tour in the past. I can also recall where you walk through the area where you could look down at animators doing scenes from future movies. Don't remember if that was something separate or part of the tour. Liked how it was setup and they could handle large numbers of people so you weren't just waiting in lines or watching 'pre-shows' that just seemed to waste time before the actual experience.

Apparently they have eliminated all of that in place of new/different rides?

You are remembering parts of 2 different tours.
The beginning part of the movie backstage one was the water tank special effects show. There was also a walking tour that showed different things different years - special effects, props, and it went through an elevated glassed in area where you could look down to the audience area and sets from shows filming there.
My DH and I attended a filming of a Spanish language show once. We didn’t speak Spanish, but people facing the audience held up signs in Spanish and English instructing the audience exactly what to do.
There was also the Backstage Tour tram ride with Catastrophe Canyon; when you got off, you could walk thru the city streets. The Backstage Tram ride was the last part to be torn down, but it had been cut a lot by then. The only part that still exists is a tiny part of the New York Streets near Muppets 3D and the entrance to Black Spire Outpost. It doesn’t really look much like it did.

The place where you could look down to watch animators at work was the Animation Tour. It showed all the parts of traditional animation. A good part of The Little Mermaid movie was animated there.
That building still exist - it’s still in an area called the Animation Courtyard, but is called the Star Wars Launch Bay

 

[_19disnA]

Yes, could be we never went to Disney more then every 4-5 years or so since the rides/shows never changed that much. We didn't find doing the same rides over and over each time to be worth going to Disney so we tended to spread out our visits and go other places on vacation as well.

One of the issues they have is doing rides/shows that are themed to a movie. Eventually that movie is no longer current and they have to redo it to some other theme. I liked the old Norway ride @ Epcot since it talked about the history of their country. Now it is themed to a recent movie and really has less to do with Norway. I would assume that every 5 yrs or so Disney will have to keep redoing those rides to more a recent movie.

 

[kanerf]

Yes, I remember these. These were large capacity tours, so lots of people could go.

 

[kanerf]

Yes, could be we never went to Disney more then every 4-5 years or so since the rides/shows never changed that much. We didn't find doing the same rides over and over each time to be worth going to Disney so we tended to spread out our visits and go other places on vacation as well.

One of the issues they have is doing rides/shows that are themed to a movie. Eventually that movie is no longer current and they have to redo it to some other theme. I liked the old Norway ride @ Epcot since it talked about the history of their country. Now it is themed to a recent movie and really has less to do with Norway. I would assume that every 5 yrs or so Disney will have to keep redoing those rides to more a recent movie.

They should at least bring back the Norway movie and show it somewhere close to the ride.

 

[SueM in MN]

Thank you for remembering it. It bothers me because it seems longer ago, for a 2001 release movie.

Edit-I wonder if it was held before releasing? It just seems longer ago than that. You have a good memory.

We saw it many, many times.
The movie was in production a long time before it came out - lots of special effects.

 

[loves to dive]

I remember the first and second backstage tour. On the first one you went down the street where Golden Girls house was and you went through a section where costumers were working. The 2nd one was with the yellow rain slickers and had been cut down alot. My son and his girlfriend got selected to do the yellow slicker scene, so cute. After you got off the tram you walked through a movie museum. I gotta say, I miss old MGM studios, I liked the fact that it was a working studio. I also remember the tour where you walked through where the animators were working, so cool. I know things have to change but I really liked the park before they changed it, I know there weren't a lot of rides but they had the old car stunt show, the backlot tour, the animation tour, Indie. I can't remember if ToT was there back then and if BaTB was there, I do know Fantasmic was and GMR (RiP).

 

[wishicouldgomoreofte]

I remember the first and second backstage tour. On the first one you went down the street where Golden Girls house was and you went through a section where costumers were working. The 2nd one was with the yellow rain slickers and had been cut down alot. My son and his girlfriend got selected to do the yellow slicker scene, so cute. After you got off the tram you walked through a movie museum. I gotta say, I miss old MGM studios, I liked the fact that it was a working studio. I also remember the tour where you walked through where the animators were working, so cool. I know things have to change but I really liked the park before they changed it, I know there weren't a lot of rides but they had the old car stunt show, the backlot tour, the animation tour, Indie. I can't remember if ToT was there back then and if BaTB was there, I do know Fantasmic was and GMR (RiP).

I feel the same. It felt like there was more to do, with less rides.
I also thought the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids playground was so fun for the kids. It seems so many people just focus on running to rides now, and not noticing anything else, and that was before having to bury your face in your phone.

 

[loves to dive]

I feel the same. It felt like there was more to do, with less rides.
I also thought the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids playground was so fun for the kids. It seems so many people just focus on running to rides now, and not noticing anything else, and that was before having to bury your face in your phone.

I used to look at all the windows up and down the Streets of American, get a tea from the Book Stop and sit on a bench and just take it all in. I loved making the umbrella rain.

 

[wishicouldgomoreofte]

I used to look at all the windows up and down the Streets of American, get a tea from the Book Stop and sit on a bench and just take it all in. I loved making the umbrella rain.

Happy memories.

 

[_19disnA]

Do they still make any movies or TV shows there? I thought in the past it was actually a working studio and it was fun to see various shows in production so it was always different. I agree with the comment about how it used to be about more then just rides. The old setup seemed to allow for larger crowds and provided more variety.