Backlot Tour May Go Bye Bye

[prberk]

I have mixed feelings about the ride, especially since the houses were removed.

BUT I do still wonder why more childrens shows like the Mickey Mouse Club are not filmed there daily. There are guaranteed audiences, and a daily ad for Walt Disney World.

Especially childrens shows like that can be done in Florida, just like MMC was in the nineties. Doesn't need to be in the middle of Hollywood.

I also wish they still had WDW Inside Out on the Disney Channel. (Perhaps in place of the sixth daily showing of "That's So Raven," but that is a discussion for another day!)

Paul

 

[Tigger1988]

I also wish they still had WDW Inside Out on the Disney Channel. (Perhaps in place of the sixth daily showing of "That's So Raven," but that is a discussion for another day!)

Paul

Just the other day I was talking about Inside Out and how much I wish they still aired it, that was really a great show. Never got what George Foreman had to do with WDW though :lol:

 

[wannab@dis]

I really don't understand the notion that the removal of the few false houses killed the Backlot Tour. It was just a minor piece of the tour and there was really nothing to be seen that you can't see looking at the NY / San Fran / etc skylines. False fronts... not a big deal.

I would agree that the tour was lacking from the very beginning. I personally never thought the Backlot Tour was that great even WITH the houses. It would have been better with more sets, better positioned props, etc.

 

[imagineer boy]

Like I said, they need MGM to be a working studio again. Offer low rental fees for useage of soundstages from films to film in. With this, they could also add more Catastrophe Canyon type of encounters similar to how the USH tour has different encounters. They could also use more props from newer movies like the ship facade exteriors from the POTC movies and many other things. There's so much potential for this ride! It would be a shame to lose it completely.

 

[HinunterZuNich]

Does anyone remember when the OLD Backlot Tour use to begin and end (I think?) right near where the Little Mermaid is? Instead of turning left into the queue for The Little Mermaid, you kept walking straight and there was The Backlot Tour. I can't quite remember the tour minus the obvious CC and street with all the houses ....it was much longer though. Does anyone have pictures from back then?

 

[AEfx]

I really don't understand the notion that the removal of the few false houses killed the Backlot Tour. It was just a minor piece of the tour and there was really nothing to be seen that you can't see looking at the NY / San Fran / etc skylines. False fronts... not a big deal.

Perhaps it wasn't a big deal for you, but as you can see it was for many. That's about what "killed" the tour in my eyes, at least.

The "few false houses" happened to be replicas of some of the most iconic television residences there are. A few were actually used in production (I know for a fact that the Golden Girls house was used in the last couple of seasons as an insert in the show), and it was just really fun to see them. It was the highlight of the backlot tour for many.

The backlot tour had been dying long before they removed the facades, but that just really nailed in the coffin. At that point, they really were the last "fun" part of the tour. Now the tram is pretty much a trip to Catastrophy Canyon and back and nothing really more. The boneyard vehicles are nice, for the same reason the facades were; showing us something we were used to seeing on television/movies and getting to glimpse it in reality.

I was told not that long ago by a CM at Guest Relations at MGM that of the feedback they get for the Backlot Tour, the vast majority of it at this point is complaining about the loss of the facades. It really was a highlight for many people.

AEfx

 

[Spaced Out Dude]

Does anyone remember when the OLD Backlot Tour use to begin and end (I think?) right near where the Little Mermaid is? Instead of turning left into the queue for The Little Mermaid, you kept walking straight and there was The Backlot Tour. I can't quite remember the tour minus the obvious CC and street with all the houses ....it was much longer though. Does anyone have pictures from back then?

All I know is the entrance is where Animations entrance is now. The entrance to Animation was a bit further to the right. :king:

 

[AEfx]

Like I said, they need MGM to be a working studio again. Offer low rental fees for useage of soundstages from films to film in.

It's just not practical, as I outlined on a previous page. The rental fees are besides the point, it's about the production costs associated with what would essentially be a "location" shoot just to use some not-so-impressive-really soundstages.

It wouldn't be worth the cost for an actual production to feed, house, and transport their entire crew (100's of people) just for the novelty of filming in a theme park. It can be done much more efficently and cheaply where the crews already are (LA, New York, Toronto), with "rent" fees being the absolute last cost decider. Besides, even if there was filming in the soundstages, because of the delicate nature of filmmaking only a tiny portion could ever actually be seen by the audience as having a tour group walk through a live set is just not practical. The only people that have been able to get down there in many years are the film schools that advertise in magazines that can use the space and the WDW facilities for tuition-paying students.

Now, I am surprised Disney has not exploited the Disney channel shows a bit more, and done one at least from WDW. My guess is it's just too expensive for even them to deal with, for the very little novelty that it would actually bring. People aren't going to spend their time at WDW watching a four-hour taping of a sitcom, and the whole thing just gets so messy.

MGM will never be a working studio again, because it just doesn't make sense for any of the parties involved.

AEfx

 

[imagineer boy]

It's just not practical, as I outlined on a previous page. The rental fees are besides the point, it's about the production costs associated with what would essentially be a "location" shoot just to use some not-so-impressive-really soundstages.

Well, why not build bigger soundstages? Just a thought. In fact, expand the studio lot, build a new residential street and a town courtyard set. The tour could go through there when they aren't filming. Pluse, it could go in between the stages. I went on the Warner Brothers tour, and we got to see the interior of a ( HUGE ) empty soundstage, and got to see many extras and actors walking around during a lunch break.

 

[JimboJones123]

It's just not practical, as I outlined on a previous page. The rental fees are besides the point, it's about the production costs associated with what would essentially be a "location" shoot just to use some not-so-impressive-really soundstages.

It wouldn't be worth the cost for an actual production to feed, house, and transport their entire crew (100's of people) just for the novelty of filming in a theme park. It can be done much more efficently and cheaply where the crews already are (LA, New York, Toronto), with "rent" fees being the absolute last cost decider. Besides, even if there was filming in the soundstages, because of the delicate nature of filmmaking only a tiny portion could ever actually be seen by the audience as having a tour group walk through a live set is just not practical. The only people that have been able to get down there in many years are the film schools that advertise in magazines that can use the space and the WDW facilities for tuition-paying students.

Now, I am surprised Disney has not exploited the Disney channel shows a bit more, and done one at least from WDW. My guess is it's just too expensive for even them to deal with, for the very little novelty that it would actually bring. People aren't going to spend their time at WDW watching a four-hour taping of a sitcom, and the whole thing just gets so messy.

MGM will never be a working studio again, because it just doesn't make sense for any of the parties involved.

AEfx

Poor MMC

 

[AEfx]

Well, why not build bigger soundstages? Just a thought. In fact, expand the studio lot, build a new residential street and a town courtyard set. The tour could go through there when they aren't filming. Pluse, it could go in between the stages. I went on the Warner Brothers tour, and we got to see the interior of a ( HUGE ) empty soundstage, and got to see many extras and actors walking around during a lunch break.

Why not build rides instead? It is a theme park, not a movie studio.

I guess you just aren't getting what I'm trying to get across. Yes, they could spend billions trying to make it attractive to film productions, but it just makes no sense for any party involved.

Disney has no incentive to do so - it would only cost them money really. Attendance at WDW isn't exactly falling off the charts.

Movie productions have much better options elsewhere. No matter how big a soundstage they build - you do know that there are 100's of empty aircraft hangers throughout the world that do the same thing? They'd just be building something for the sake of having it in a theme park, which just makes no sense at all.

You simply cannot compare Hollywood attractions in any way, shape, and form to WDW. What works there doesn't work in the middle of the Florida swamp. I think you really underestimate how much it would cost to house, feed, and supply a film crew of 100's of people for not reason at all to the middle of Florida just to say "we did it in a theme park". Orlando is not Hollywood. It didn't work when they tried it, and for good reason. Movie studios just aren't into throwing away money based on what is surrounding the soundstage.

I know it sounds "exciting" to you, but that doesn't mean most people would find it all that thrilling. Just the logistics of making it happen if they wanted to is pretty next to impossible. The soundstages you are talking about would take up a lot more space that I think you realize, for the novelty of...saying, "Hey guys, in that building they are filming..."

Wouldn't you rather WDW put the money into rides and attractions anyway? It's just a nice thought that never would be more than a novelty.

AEfx

 

[AEfx]

Poor MMC

Ah, what a great show. I used to love it.

I bet they learned their lesson there, though. Just keeping the cast around cost them enough, let alone the families, entourages, etc., and not to mention the massive crew a television show requires.

I have often wondered why they didn't do "That's So Raven" at the studios, or even a Disney channel movie - and I think it comes down to simple economics. They can do it cheaper elsewhere (even Disney), and a theme park should be about rides and attractions.

AEfx

 

[Musiker110]

Agreed! I'm sure the land will be used for new attractions as time goes on. (I'm not concerned with guessing or suggesting what the land would be used for, because that is a whole different thread in itself).

However, I have mentioned before....I would like to see the Backlot Tour minimized to create a decent walking tour. Similar in tone to the way the animation tour was back in the day.

As far as Walt's plane... I think this should be used in a far more respectable manner. I could see it roadside (along Word Drive) on a mound or platform. Otherwise they should put it outside of the Disney MGM Studios entrance (on the north/right side when walking to the gate) with a promotion for One Man's Dream attraction.

Defanitely...Walt's plane needs to be front and center somewhere (bring back dream flight and incorporate it into that!! ) Also, when I was here last May the plane was all rusted...it looked like it needed some help. MGM certainly needs a boost....

 

[potatoheadman]

the original backlot tour

Do any of you remember the ORIGINAL backlot tour? After the ride, you got to take a walking tour along glass hallways looking down into the soundstages while in production, TV production rooms etc. Then you got to see all the props up close for the Bette Midler moviette.
Does anyone remember when they removed that part of the tour?

I agree with the majority that the backstage tour is useless, since there isn't really any more "backstage" to see.

 

[Clark Griswold]

I definitely hope that this goes through; the Backlot Tour used to be a great ride, but has taken some negative hits recently...Lights, Motors, Action didn't help. It just isn't exciting anymore and I believe that it is a waste of time. What is this Midway Mania idea though?

"Please Stand Clear of the Doors, por favor mantenganse alejado de las puertas."

 

[Spaced Out Dude]

What is this Midway Mania idea though?

It is a crossover between Buzz Lightyears Space Ranger Spin & Universal's Spiderman. It will feature Toy Story & Toy Story 2 characters. :sohappy:

 

[AEfx]

Do any of you remember the ORIGINAL backlot tour?...Does anyone remember when they removed that part of the tour?

LOL, actually yes. There are a couple of pages in this very thread of people discussing just that.

AEfx

 

[prberk]

Ah, what a great show. I used to love it.

I bet they learned their lesson there, though. Just keeping the cast around cost them enough, let alone the families, entourages, etc., and not to mention the massive crew a television show requires.

I have often wondered why they didn't do "That's So Raven" at the studios, or even a Disney channel movie - and I think it comes down to simple economics. They can do it cheaper elsewhere (even Disney), and a theme park should be about rides and attractions.

AEfx

Actually, MMC is a perfect fit for WDW. Not all actors and studio techs are in Los Angeles. The MMC would involve a NEW set of faces, anyhow, who could (like Justin and some of the others) very easily come from Florida or anywhere else. The techs could definitely come from Florida. The only people who would need to be housed temporarily would be the guests, and WDW is perfectly suited to host them with its own hotels. Cheaper even than guests going onto ANY other show on television, since the networks do not own the hotels in any other city...

Anyhow, I think bringing out a NEW MMC at WDW would be a great idea, and a perfect daily ad for the resort to boot! And new talent is always cheaper.

Paul

 

[NemoRocks78]

If there was a demand for filming in Orlando, I'm sure USF would be getting a lot of business (because of their many soundstages) but they aren't....only thing filmed often is TNA iMPACT! and other than that it's just the once-in-a-blue-moon television show or commercials (which they actually get quite a few of).

 

[socalkdg]

Too bad you couldn't have the trams drive though the car stunt show, with or without any cars going by you(better with). You could just divert the tram when an actual show was taking place(or imagine actually incorporating the tram into the show.