Backlot Tour

[3IdAlienKid]

Recently I got hold of a 1989 map of Disney-MGM Studios. I noticed that the Backstage Pass soundstages that are today a separate attraction actually used to be a part of the Backlot Tour. So I'm assuming that back then once you got off the tram, you were lead directly into the Backstage Pass soundstages. I also noticed the New York Street used to be a part of the tram, so I'm assuming it was not accessible by foot back then.

As a result of them opening up these areas that were once accessible only if you took the Tour, the park today is difficult for the first-time visitor to navigate. The original vision for the Tour seems to make more sense to me.

1. Does anyone know why they separated the tram and soundstages into two separate attractions?

2. Why did they take the New York Street off the tram tour and make it accessible by foot?

 

[Bagheera]

Two reasons. One is so that people can get a break, as it used to be well over an hour to go through the whole thing. The other is so that they could list more attractions. Now, New York Street (soon to be Big City Street) is a guest area where they can give people more space to walk in.

The original tour left, IIRC, from the back of the Animation Courtyard (behind where the bathrooms are). The trams went all the way around, dropping you at the area with little shops by what's now the seating area by the "Honey, I Shrunk..." playground. You'd follow the Roger Rabbit footsteps around to the water tank show. From there, you'd walk through right into the soundstage area, starting with a "Honey, I Shrunk..." special effects show, featuring a couple of kids getting to ride on a fake bee in front of a bluescreen. Next, you'd walk into a soundstage with a bunch of mini-sets and props and see a short film made with much of that called "The Lottery," starring Bette Midler. Next, you'd walk through the catwalk above the other soundstages to see shows in production. You'd also see people working on sound editing. You'd finish off back around where the One Man's Dream theater is now. It took quite a long while to do it, but it was fun. Of course, it was about half the time you'd spend in the park overall.

 

[JLW11Hi]

Exactly

The tour itself was MGM back then. Disney had entirely different ideas for the aprk back then, so I guess they wern't really thinking ahead of time about all the problems with the park layout. The shortening of the tram tour and the opening of New York Street also let them put in new attractions and stuff, like Star Tours, and Muppets.

I guess they thought that they could just keep updating the tram tour for the park, and that woudl always be the main attraction..

Of course, since no one films there anymore, the tour is almost obsolete!

 

[3IdAlienKid]

Thanks Bagheera & JWL11Hi!