Disney World Closed The Great Movie Ride 7 Years Ago…and We Still Have ONE Major Problem With Its Replacement

It’s always exciting when a new ride comes to Disney World.

But, more often than not, that means having to say goodbye to an iconic attraction we’ve come to know and love over the years. Take The Great Movie Ride at Hollywood Studios, for example — a classic, loved by many, but replaced with a ride we still have one major gripe with…

The Great Movie Ride featured scenes from twelve classic films from MGM’s catalog. Because Disney felt they didn’t have enough classic non-animated films of their own at the time, they struck a deal with MGM to include some of their iconic movies, hence the partnership and name of the park (Hollywood Studios was once called MGM Studios!)

The ride was like no other in the way it combined Audio-Animatronics figures, projections, live actors, and special effects. It became an instant classic, drawing large and enthusiastic crowds for many years. But, eventually, it was replaced with Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway — the first-ever attraction to feature Mickey Mouse.

The new attraction features international icon Mickey Mouse and his pals in the first Mickey-themed ride-though attraction at a Disney park. The ride officially opened in Hollywood Studios on March 4th, 2020, and while it is a fun, cute ride with an original storyline (essentially what fans have been asking of Disney for a long time) it isn’t without its faults.

If you ask us, the major problem with Runaway Railway is just how often it breaks down. We know, we know — Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is prone to being unexpectedly closed pretty frequently, but that’s a story for another day.

We keep track of Disney World wait times every single minute of every single day. And, so far in 2024, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway has been unexpectedly closed a whopping 166 times. In fact, the ride has gone down on 107 days so far this year — and we’re only 170 days into 2024. Yep, you read that correctly. Runaway Railway has spent more days with a closure than without.

So, what gives? Well, if you’ve been on this ride, you may have noticed that it operates with a similar trackless system to Rise of the Resistance — another attraction that seems to have its fair share of problems. Each ride’s trackless system runs on wireless technology, and technology is a fickle beast, as they say.

Of course, Disney doesn’t exactly advertise why their rides go down, so while we don’t have confirmation, it stands to reason that has something to do with how these attractions operate.

Ultimately, though, we do think Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is a fun addition to Hollywood Studios — even if it means we had to say goodbye to our long-loved Great Movie Ride.

If you’re looking for a travel agent to help with your vacation, we recommend our friends at Mouse Fan Travel. They’re experts in the field with over 20 years of vacation planning experience, and they can help take a bunch of the stress out of the entire booking process for you!

Don’t forget to stay tuned to AllEars for the latest news from Disney World and more.

Why Disney World Got Rid of The Great Movie Ride

What do you think of this ride change? Tell us in the comments.

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