Walt Disney World Detail (with Aerial Images) *Updated page 20, post #297*

[SunKat]

Thank you for posting all these great photos! With each of your posts, I'm learning something new about the World! Looking forward to the next picture!

 

[punkin413]

what a great idea for a thread! thanks!

 

[stalkingmickey]

I love this thread

aawwwhhh, You make me miss Figment in all of his original glory with the dreamfinder. I have a picture of my oldest son (now 25 years old!) outside the attraction with Dreamfinder and Figment. He's gonna love these latest pics. Imagination was his favorite ride.

I have a picture of me whith figment and the dreamfinder from m polariod instant camara when i was 7 years old (i am 31 now) I love this picture.

 

[luvngoofy]

So informative, Thank you!

 

[Cory's Gal]

Still enjoying it!!! It's funny to see how far back the Soarin' building is!!

 

[cabanafrau]

Thanks so much for all the work to put this together, very interesting!

 

[TChris]

Thank you for the work you put into this. I look foreward to seeing what you will do next. Journey in Imagination was one of our favorites, I think it has lost something since they removed Dreamcatcher.

 

[bnf2]

Bump, Bump, Bump... and anxiously awaiting the next set of pics & info

 

[metsfan11]

This thread is GREAT!

 

[°O°Joe]

[the North arrow points down in the above photos]


The Great Movie Ride

At the end of Hollywood Boulevard, dead center, stands a magnificent reproduction of the famous Grauman's Chinese Theater, home to The Great Movie Ride. One of the Disney-MGM Studios' original attractions when it opened in May 1989, and presented by Coca-Cola, the Great Movie Ride is a 22-minute dark-ride journey into the history of the movies, with a cast of Audio-Animatronics characters re-creating memorable movie moments.

The facade was the symbol of the park until 2001 when a giant replica of Sorcerer Mickey's hat was built in front of the facade. Since then, the hat has served as the park's symbol. (It should be noted that the design of the theater is based on Grauman's Chinese Theatre. However, as the Walt Disney Company did not obtain permission to use the name 'Grauman' the proper name of the building is simply 'The Chinese Theatre'.)

The Queuing Area
Like so many of the great Disney Parks attractions that we all know and love, the queue of The Great Movie Ride could be considered an attraction in and of itself. The entry line winds through a Grauman's-styled lobby, with occasional display cases containing movie costumes, props, and set pieces. The queue then zig-zags through a small theater, where persons in line are shown a series of condensed trailers for various famous films. There the line ends, and riders walk into a 'studio' area to board waiting 'cars'.

Notable Props Currently Residing in the Queue
-Merry-go-round horse from Mary Poppins
-Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy's costumes from "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."
-A blue Elizabethan dress worn by Gwyneth Paltrow from "Shakespeare in Love."

Props that Formerly Resided in the Queue
-Blades and Monkey Heads from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
-The holo-chess board used on board the Millennium Falcon in the original Star Wars.
-The Ruby Slippers from The Wizard of Oz.
-The dip machine model and bullet case from Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
-Props from the movie Alien.
-Sam's piano from Casablanca.
-A dress worn by Maria in The Sound of Music.
-The title object from Cocoon.

Movie Trailers Shown in Queue
-Footlight Parade
-Casablanca
-Mary Poppins
-Raiders of the Lost Ark
-Singin' in the Rain
-Fantasia
-Alien
-The Searchers

The Dark-ride
Long tram cars take you on a slow but interesting journey through some of the world's most famous movie scenes. Just about every genre is represented: musicals, gangster movies, westerns, romances, action/adventures and horror flicks. More than 50 exceedingly realistic Audio-Animatronic figures bring it all to life, among them Gene Kelly, Julie Andrews, Dick Van ****, James Cagney, John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Sigourney Weaver, Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, and the Wicked Witch of the West herself, Margaret Hamilton. In addition to the wizardry of some of the best audio-animatronics in Walt Disney World, guests on this tour are treated to one of two scenarios that get the Cast Member hosting your tram in on the action -- one involves a gangster plot, the other a cowboy theme. For the finale, the cars line up in a large, dark theater where a compilation of famous movie scenes & lines is shown for about 2-3 minutes. Some of the movies represented in the dark-ride portion of the attraction are as follows:

-Footlight Parade
-Singin' in the Rain
-Mary Poppins
-The Public Enemy
-Alien
-Raiders of the Lost Ark
-Tarzan the Ape Man
-Casablanca
-Fantasia
-The Wizard of Oz

Interesting Facts
-Opening Date: May 1, 1989
- Vehicle capacity: 70
-Audio-animatronics: 59
-Alien appears in the Great Movie Ride though it was released by 20th Century Fox rather than MGM. Disney had acquired the rights to use Alien from Fox several years earlier for a planned ride at Disneyland that was based on the movie. While the ride was canceled, the overall concept later morphed into The ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter, though ultimately the creature from Alien was not used on the basis that it was "too scary".
-The Great Movie Ride directly inspired the creation of the Disney-MGM Studios. In an Imagineering book, it was revealed that the Great Movie Ride was actually going to be the main attraction in a show business themed pavilion at Epcot, but newly assigned Disney CEO Michael Eisner and WDI president Marty Sklar decided the idea was strong enough to lead an entire new theme park. The idea for the ride was expanded, and the Disney-MGM Studios went into official development.
- Many of the props in the lobby of the theater are authentic, such as the carousel horse from Mary Poppins.
-Gene Kelly inspected his AA likeness personally.
-Ingrid Bergman's daughter Isabella Rosselini has brought her children to this attraction to see their grandmother in the Casablanca scene.
-The entire Great Movie Ride attraction covers 95,000 square feet.
-This attraction is frequently the target of rumors saying that it will be replaced or significantly redesigned. As one of the original attractions in the Disney-MGM Studios, the ride can use some updating, but no official announcements regarding any changes have been made to date.
-Due to loud noises and several scary figures, small children are often frightened by this ride.
-Look for this "Hidden Mickey" - In the first part of Gangster Alley, Mickey Mouse's brown shoes (and his tail) poke out from under a James Cagney poster, "The Public Enemy," on the left side of the ride vehicle.

 

[dvcfamily41801]

Woohoo!!! My FAVORITE attraction at Disney MGM Studios (besides the first one in this thread, Fantasmic!)

Thank you so much!!!

 

[ReneeDisney]

Great photos and details!
Thanks for taking the time to share with us...

 

[naynay80]

Thank you so much for doing this - My kids love looking at everything you post!!!!

 

[holcomb-mania]

It's amazing how much is hidden by their trickeration!

 

[OKW Lover]

A couple of other HM's in the GMR;

Just after the one noted, as you approach to door out of the gangster scene, look back over your left shoulder and up. You'll see a HM in the windows.

After you pass the Raiders scene, as you leave the room with the jewel, look to your left. In the hyroglyphics you'll see Mickey & Donald seated at a table.

 

[cjunken]

On the picture the building next door is labeled Toy Story Mania. What info is know about this "future attraction"? How did you know what it was?

 

[SPJammer]

More than 50 exceedingly realistic Audio-Animatronic figures bring it all to life, among them Gene Kelly, Julie Andrews, Dick Van ****, James Cagney, John Wayne.....

Dickies last name name got censored.

 

[°O°Joe]

Dickies last name name got censored.

Yeah I saw that I didn't really know what to do (other than call him Bert)...

 

[°O°Joe]

On the picture the building next door is labeled Toy Story Mania. What info is know about this "future attraction"? How did you know what it was?

cjunken - it's been in the company news for some time now... here is what Wikipedia says about it:

Toy Story Mania! is an interactive theme park attraction under construction at Disney's California Adventure in California and the Disney-MGM Studios in Florida. Designed by Walt Disney Imagineering and inspired by the Disney/Pixar films Toy Story and Toy Story 2, the attraction is scheduled to open at both parks in 2008.

It was announced during a press conference at Walt Disney World Resort on January 26, 2007.

Concept
Park guests will wear 3-D glasses aboard spinning vehicles that travel through virtual environments based on classic carnival midway games. Ride vehicles will seat up to eight and will record each guest's score as points are acquired with toy cannons firing at virtual targets. Similar technology has been used in Disneyland Park's Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters and Tokyo Disneyland's Monsters, Inc.: Ride n' Go Seek interactive dark rides.

Toy Story characters including Woody, Hamm, Bo Peep, and Mr. Potato Head will appear during the attraction, according to Disney.

Locations
Disney's California Adventure: The space beneath the California Screamin' roller coaster in Paradise Pier.
Disney-MGM Studios: The former soundstages used for the park's Who Wants To Be A Millionaire - Play It! attraction on Mickey Avenue.

So yeah - it's going in where Who Wants to be a Millionaire: Play it - used to be and should be open sometime in 2008.

 

[DISNEYFAMILYOFFOUR]

Again, another great picture with an interesting summary. Thank you for all of your work in putting this thread together.