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Backlot Tour May Go Bye Bye
- Thread starter Spaced Out Dude
- Start date
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Bob Iger and Studio chief D. Cook have actually scaled back the live action movies the Studios is doing out of Burbank, and they've gone on record as saying that is their plan for at least the rest of the decade. There's work for Burbank, but certainly not enough to farm any of it out anywhere.
For me, the Backlot Tram Tour at MGM has never worked, not even back in the 90's when it had more meat on its bones. My point of reference for a Studio Tram Tour is Universal Studios Hollywood here in SoCal. I'm not much of a movie fan, but that 75 minute long tram tour is really very impressive and entertaining. And you are actually traveling through a sprawling working studio with active soundstages and massive outdoor sets all over the place, in addition to the "theme park" stuff like the King Kong, Earthquake, Jaws, Parting Of The Red Sea, etc., etc. shmaltz.
Last time I drove up to Universal Studios Hollywood with out of town friends we saw the giant 747 crashed into the neighborhood set for War Of The Worlds and were shushed by our tour guide as we quietly crept by the Wisteria Lane set as the Housewives were out on the front lawn filming a scene. Also saw Tom Hanks climbing into a big Bentley too, and he was kind enough to give a wave to the tram full of mouths-wide-open tourists. I gotta tell you, that's what a Studio Tram Tour should be like. And Universal does a great job with it in Hollywood.
If the MGM version has been nipped and tucked and downsized over the last 15 years, then maybe it's time to pack it in and give up. Quite frankly, it was too short and too faux to begin with.
Oh yes, MGM's is much too short & Universal's is practically brilliant! :goodnevil
DisneyRoxMySox
Well-Known Member
Oh I wish!!! That would be wonderful!
DocMcHulk
Well-Known Member
I totally agree. When i was there last year I had no idea it was shortened. It was kind of cool to see all the old homes of famous TV shows and the canyon thing was just lame. Now it's basically a few radom props, a ride through clothing design and the canyon. I'll never ride it again.Oh yer, it's much worse since Lights, Motors, Action! came. It was really shortened. Now it's just not worth the wait.
hammysammy59
New Member
Wow... that description of Universal's Studio Tour makes the Disney-MGM one seem even lamer. It's by far the most disappointing attraction in MGM. I'd rather have them spruce it up (spruce the ever-lovin' crap out of it, really) then destroy it, but they have to do SOMETHING about it.
As for there not being any Studios at Disney-MGM Studios... why don't they shoot some of their Disney Channel shows at the Studios? Seems like an easy-enough fix to me. Not as cool as visiting the sets of network shows like Golden Girls, but still, it's better than nothing.
As for there not being any Studios at Disney-MGM Studios... why don't they shoot some of their Disney Channel shows at the Studios? Seems like an easy-enough fix to me. Not as cool as visiting the sets of network shows like Golden Girls, but still, it's better than nothing.
CaptainMichael
Well-Known Member
the-reason14
Well-Known Member
I think that they either need to improve or remove. The tour is boring and pointless now, like someone else said, I usually just do it because its there, and I either wondered over to that side of the park by mistake or am waiting for my fp time for ToT or something.
I wasnt there when it was first introduced, but I was there when they had all the fake houses before LMAX, and even though it was boring then, it was better than what it is today. If the studio tour in Universal is 75 minutes long and actually has the working studio aspect to it, than thats the whole point of the thing, what is the point of the backlot tour in MGM? Just to see a few props and costumes, but thats always there. At least at the Universal one, it changes from time to time depending on whats in production.
I say Improve or remove.
I wasnt there when it was first introduced, but I was there when they had all the fake houses before LMAX, and even though it was boring then, it was better than what it is today. If the studio tour in Universal is 75 minutes long and actually has the working studio aspect to it, than thats the whole point of the thing, what is the point of the backlot tour in MGM? Just to see a few props and costumes, but thats always there. At least at the Universal one, it changes from time to time depending on whats in production.
I say Improve or remove.
CaptainMichael
Well-Known Member
Agreed!
Scar Junior
Active Member
I seem to recall (from my childhood) a part of the tour where some kids got to emulate the 'bees' part of Honey I Shrunk the Kids in front of a blue screen. Does anybody have any facts about this? When it was put in or taken out? What tour stop was it before or after?
There is no amount of improving that can fix the Backlot Tour. First, the decade old Pearl harbor spiel has to go, and I wouldn't mind if that was demolished as opposed to updated or replaced with something similar. My reason for this is that after most people have seen it once, they no longer care to see other people get splashed with water or anything of that like, and with the way Disney refuses to update things, no one wants to see people get splashed so many times that they actually know the entire script for the bit. If this was something more interactive, it might be salvageable, but the fact is that the audience participation is so limited in scope that you can't even hope that the people on the stage do something funny or by accident, as their movements are severely restricted by someone who is later going to try to push their acting on you as real film footage, along with some severely outdated and awful looking computer graphics and some really hasty editing. After that, everyone is quickly wisked through a warehouse with real film props, the type of stuff that Universal would spread out over a tour and describe one by one, as the stuff is actually interesting. Everyone is pushed along so that they can board a tram that talks more about the car stunt show that took up a good chunk of its route than about actual movies, which by this point everyone is starting to wonder what type of tour they are going on. Catastrophe Canyon is exactly that, a catastrophe, though in an age where almost all special effects are now donw digitally, it stands as a testament to doing stunts live with real explosions and everything else, yet it still pales in comparison to the special effects sets on Universal's tour, not to mention that they have 6 or 7 to this Backlot Tour's one. There is not one facet of this tour that does not need fixing, and at some point alternative uses for the land will have to be looked into.
Even with the outdatedness and failures of the tour, there is one overwhelming reason that the tour doesn't work, and it is the props and sets on the tour. Universal shows sets from Psycho, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, War of the Worlds, Jaws, and Desperate Housewives to name a few. These are movies and shows that are easily recognizable in almost any household. Universal also has attractions on the tour set up to put the tram itself into movies like King Kong, Jaws, The Mummy, The Fast and the Furious, Earthquake and The Ten Commandments. Even if some of these are outdated, people still enjoy them because they are linked to movies they have seen, movies that were blockbusters. Universal also has a plain Southwestern-looking set that then gets flooded and has some chaos unfold much like MGM's Catastrophe Canyon, but instead of having to say "sets like this one are used in major motion pictures" like the MGM tour guide has to do with Catastrophe Canyon, the Universal tour guide can name quickly 5 or 6 major motion pictures that have actually used that very stage. Even the props Disney does have are all from lame or little seen movies. The movie prop with the greatest name recognition on the entire tour is probably the car from Herbie Fuly Loaded, and that is only there because it gets used in the LMAX stunt show that now runs the Backlot Tour area. The fact is that no one raelly cares to see the little submarine from The Life Aquatic with Steve Zassou, especially since most people don't even remember it, and it was only out a year or two ago. Without the quality movies, especially blockbusters, the sets and props on the Backlot Tour can't be impressive, forget the fact that there aren't sets in the first place. The best Disney could do was find a way to use Pearl Harbor, which was a blockbuster even though it was widely panned by critics. Disney just doesn't have a history of great live-action movies the way Universal does, and so it's Backlot Tour will never compare. The best thing for Disney is that Universal Orlando doesn't have a Backlot Tour, as that would really show how sad and pathetic MGM's is, especially to those who haven't had a chance to see the California version. Maybe that's actually a negative for Disney, as maybe if Universal had one in Orlando it would prompt Disney to just get rid of theirs. It's obvious that MGM no longer is, if it ever was, a true movie studio, so right now the focus should be on making sure MGM remains a true amusement park, and with that the Backlot Tour just needs to go.
Even with the outdatedness and failures of the tour, there is one overwhelming reason that the tour doesn't work, and it is the props and sets on the tour. Universal shows sets from Psycho, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, War of the Worlds, Jaws, and Desperate Housewives to name a few. These are movies and shows that are easily recognizable in almost any household. Universal also has attractions on the tour set up to put the tram itself into movies like King Kong, Jaws, The Mummy, The Fast and the Furious, Earthquake and The Ten Commandments. Even if some of these are outdated, people still enjoy them because they are linked to movies they have seen, movies that were blockbusters. Universal also has a plain Southwestern-looking set that then gets flooded and has some chaos unfold much like MGM's Catastrophe Canyon, but instead of having to say "sets like this one are used in major motion pictures" like the MGM tour guide has to do with Catastrophe Canyon, the Universal tour guide can name quickly 5 or 6 major motion pictures that have actually used that very stage. Even the props Disney does have are all from lame or little seen movies. The movie prop with the greatest name recognition on the entire tour is probably the car from Herbie Fuly Loaded, and that is only there because it gets used in the LMAX stunt show that now runs the Backlot Tour area. The fact is that no one raelly cares to see the little submarine from The Life Aquatic with Steve Zassou, especially since most people don't even remember it, and it was only out a year or two ago. Without the quality movies, especially blockbusters, the sets and props on the Backlot Tour can't be impressive, forget the fact that there aren't sets in the first place. The best Disney could do was find a way to use Pearl Harbor, which was a blockbuster even though it was widely panned by critics. Disney just doesn't have a history of great live-action movies the way Universal does, and so it's Backlot Tour will never compare. The best thing for Disney is that Universal Orlando doesn't have a Backlot Tour, as that would really show how sad and pathetic MGM's is, especially to those who haven't had a chance to see the California version. Maybe that's actually a negative for Disney, as maybe if Universal had one in Orlando it would prompt Disney to just get rid of theirs. It's obvious that MGM no longer is, if it ever was, a true movie studio, so right now the focus should be on making sure MGM remains a true amusement park, and with that the Backlot Tour just needs to go.
imagineer boy
Well-Known Member
TP2000 said:
Why not offer movies from other studios to film at MGM? Offer low prices for the use of the sound stages. Studios often choose distant sound stages for movies to work at, like the Star Wars prequals were filmed in a studio in Australia.
mikeymouse
Well-Known Member
One of the main highlights of the Disney-MGM Studios when it opened was the fact that you get to see movies actually being made. Now they may be taking that away? Doesn't make sense to me.
Tinkerbella16
Well-Known Member
They basically took out the BEST part of the Backlot Tour....the street with all the houses, i still cant get over that! On my last trip there, i had no idea that they took it out and i was so upset that it wasnt there anymore 
The ride is just too short now.
The ride is just too short now.
the-reason14
Well-Known Member
Too bad Ten Commandments is gone and the Mummy and Fast & the Furious are a 10 on the lame scale. Throw in a very outdated Back to the Future Ride, a scaled back Mummy Ride(that replaced the only good family ride, ET), a marginal Jurassic Park ride needing lots of love you end up with a few good shows like Shrek and T3 and not much else.
DMGM should get rid of the tram ride(or major updating).
I'd call the new ride Movie Mania and just keep the studios name as Disney Studios. Trust me there are many other Studios out there that aren't making movies either(or at least quality ones
)Too bad Ten Commandments is gone and the Mummy and Fast & the Furious are a 10 on the lame scale. Throw in a very outdated Back to the Future Ride, a scaled back Mummy Ride(that replaced the only good family ride, ET), a marginal Jurassic Park ride needing lots of love you end up with a few good shows like Shrek and T3 and not much else.
DMGM should get rid of the tram ride(or major updating).
I'd call the new ride Movie Mania and just keep the studios name as Disney Studios. Trust me there are many other Studios out there that aren't making movies either(or at least quality ones
I agree, the section for The Mummy was pretty lame, but I'm assuming that it will be the next section to be replaced since Revenge of the Mummy opened, but I haven't gotten the chance to see the section for The Fast and the Furious. The fact is though that their tram is very enjoyable, even with a couple of lame elements, whereas now that Catastrophe Canyon and the Pearl Harbor thing have become lame and outdated, the MGM tram has nothing left, as opposed to 5 other attraction sections and another 5 or 6 very recognizable movie sets. As for the rest of the stuff you mentioned, no one has claimed that USH doesn't also need work, just that it has a far superior tram tour. BTTF in USO is being replaced though, so USH's will probably be replaced soon, and the Jurassic Park in USO needs lots more love than its USH counterpart. As for the two different Revenge of the Mummy rides, I thought USH's was better because it has a much longer section of track where the car goes backwards, though USO's did have much better air time.
I think the Movie Mania title for the new dark ride would be great, especially if it really utilized the different Pixar characters and became sort of a child's version of the GMR, especially with the rumored interactive element.
And I know that there are studios that make crappy movies besides Disney, but I don't know of any of those that have a studio tour, at least not one as publicized as Disney's. The tour guides at MGM remind me of a comedy sketch I heard not too long ago by Nick Swardson on Comedy Central, where he talks about working in a Planet Hollywood when he was younger, but that Planet Hollywood was in Wisconsin, so it got the lamest movie props that none of the other Planet Hollywood's wanted. Nonetheless, everyday he had to go to work and talk to customers about the props and say things like, "Yes, that really is the car they drove in Critters...I know you are amazed, I can't believe it either." This is exactly how the tour guides on the Backlot Tour have to act as part of their job, just that they wish they could have something as interesting as the car from Critters.
CThaddeus
New Member
It was in the Backstage Pass portion if I recall correctly. It started off outside with a video of the Bette Midler short "Lottery Ticket" (as well as a making of portion, showing you how everything was done there at the Studios), then you went inside to a room filled with tons of props from Disney films (Hooter from "Captain EO" hung from the rafters at one point) where they discussed at one time the effects from "________ Tracy" and then later the effects from the live action "101 Dalmatians." The next room I think is where the bee scene from "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" was, and at another time was an interactive Tool Time sequence. From there you moved into a working soundstage and, depending on whether or not something was shooting, you might get to walk through it. I recall walking through the now-forgotten "Tarzan" TV show. Finally, I believe there was once more walk-through through another set, usually from a movie that was already out, like Cruella's mansion in "101 Dalmatians."
I also recall for a time that the whole thing actually began with the water tank show, then filtered over to "The Lottery Ticket," and so on.
Too bad the tour isn't still around. I thought this was one of the more educational and entertaining parts of the Studios. Ah, the good old days...
SGT623
Member
Originally, the Bette Medler video was one of the last things you saw, then you went to see the props from it. It was later changed to a scaled back start if the backstage tour. The original walking tour "without the tram" Is something I miss very much. It lasted about an hour too.