Hooray for Hollywood!
The history of Disney World is littered with once-beloved attractions that have closed. Some remain beloved, while others become somewhat lost to the dustbin of history. However, The Great Movie Ride is unique even among them. Not only does this attraction remain beloved among many, but the facade it was housed in – – itself a recreation of a beloved Hollywood landmark – – still towers over the resort’s landscape… and houses one of its most popular modern attractions.
The original concept of what would become the Great Movie Ride began life as an idea for a new Hollywood Pavilion at EPCOT Center. However, Disney CEO Michael Eisner had other ideas. By the time the ride opened in 1989, it was the headlining attraction of the then-new Disney/MGM Studios theme park. The park was Disney’s attempt to open an operating film studio and theme park in Florida as part of a push to make Orlando the “Hollywood of the East” (and, depending on who you ask, get a jump on Universal Studios Florida, which would open the following year and which Disney CEO Michael Eisner allegedly had received inside information about years earlier) and the Great Movie Ride was dedicated to celebrating the so-called “magic of the movies.”
Located in a massive recreation of Hollywood’s famous Chinese Theater at the end of the park’s recreation of Hollywood Boulevard, the attraction was one of the most unique Disney has ever conceived. Utilizing the “moving theater” ride vehicles first used at EPCOT’s Universe of Energy, the attraction took guests through massive recreations of iconic film scenes, filled with over 100 animatronic recreations of some of Hollywood’s best known characters and actors including John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins, and Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones.
One of the most remarkable – – and unimaginable in the current entertainment climate – – parts of the ride was the fact that it was headlined by non-Disney intellectual property (IP). Massive set pieces from films like Casablanca (complete with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman animatronics and half an airplane) and Tarzan were highlights of the ride, leading to a massive finale that recreated Munchkinland from The Wizard of Oz. Said finale scene was arguably the ride’s biggest highlight, as it featured dozens of animatronics, including one of the Wicked Witch that was constantly upgraded to showcase the newest in Imagineering technology.
Interestingly, in a portent of things to come for Disney’s theme parks, two of the other iconic scenes in the ride – – a recreation of the Nostromo from Alien featuring an animatronic of Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley as well as numerous lunging Xenomorphs and a massive temple from Raiders of the Lost Arc featuring the aforementioned Indiana Jones animatronic – – also weren’t owned by Disney when the ride opened and for most of its lifespan. However, both are now owned by Disney thanks to the respective acquisitions of 20th Century Fox and LucasFilm.
In addition to the film sets and animatronics, the attraction is also fondly remembered for breaking the fourth wall. Guests vehicles were “driven” by a Cast Member playing a guide. At one point during the attraction (usually in the gangster-themed area, though it could also happen in the Western-themed area during busier seasons) another Cast Member (either portraying a gangster or western bandit) would “commandeer” the vehicle and take the guests hostage. After traveling through more of the attraction, they would attempt to steal treasure in the Indiana Jones only to “fall victim to their hubris” and once again be replaced by the original, triumphant tour guide.
As a final love letter to cinema, the ride would and with a massive montage of cinema history. This would be the only portion of the attraction to be upgraded relatively regularly over the course of its lifespan.
The Great Movie Ride was (literally and figuratively) the central attraction of the Studios park throughout the 1990s and 2000s, even as the park evolved far beyond its initial “working studio” premise, becoming a full-fledged “traditional” theme park by the mid-00s. However, as the 2010s dawned, the ride was showing its age. As mentioned above, only the ending montage and Wicked Witch animatronic were upgraded even relatively regularly. The rest of the attraction began to stagnate. In addition, the fact that it was majority non-Disney-owned IP led many to believe that its days were numbered.
The ride received a bit of a reprieve in 2014 when the Turner Classic Movies (TCM) television network sponsored the ride, and a new intro, outro, and onboard narration from film legend Robert Osborne were added. These additions gave some hope that the ride would survive for years to come, but it wasn’t to be.
In July of 2017, Disney announced that the attraction would be closing permanently the following month to be replaced by a new attraction: Mickey & Minnie’s Runway Railway. Despite an outcry from some fans, the closure went forward on August 13th, 2017 (Fun Fact: Your author, who counted the attraction as a childhood favorite and hadn’t ridden it since 2008 arrived in Florida for his first trip to Disney World in a decade that very night, missing the chance for a final ride by mere hours). The same day saw the closure of EPCOT’s Universe of Energy, which would be replaced by Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.
While many continue to mourn the loss of the Great Movie Ride, its replacement has been widely praised. Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway opened in March of 2020 to acclaim from both fans and theme park aficionados alike. The ride, which uses the same Chinese Theater facade that the Great Movie Ride used, has become one of Walt Disney World’s most popular attractions and proves that – – while it’s hard to achieve – – a new attraction can succeed in replacing an iconic ride.
Despite closing over 7-years-ago and being replaced by a popular new attraction, the Great Movie Ride remains a beloved classic amongst many Disney and theme park fans. Stay tuned to AllEars for further deep dives into Disney history.
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Do you miss the Great Movie Ride? Let us know in the comments below.
I was actually the first full-time operations person at the great movie ride. I gave tours of the half completed show to VIPs. One day I got a call to meet a VIP at the entrance. In those days, the vehicles were not ready yet so we walked through the great movie ride. Who showed up but Dick Van Dyke. When we got to the Mary Poppins set, which was functioning with the sound intact for the musical number on the rooftops. It was only me and the person from publicity who saw Mr. Van Dyke climb up on the set, put his arm around his animatronic self and sing along to Chim chiminey Chim, Chim, Chari, Chim, Charoo. My best day ever at Hollywood Studios or should I say Disney MGM Studios
What an amazing experience that must have been for you, David! That’s such a great memory to share!
One time we were doing the ride and a gangster took over. When he left to get the temple treasure someone in the car yelled out: Don’t do it mugsy! And the gangster yelled back: Shut up!
I preferred it when the cowboy used to take over the ride vehicle and whilst that was rare, it happened on our very first trip.