It doesn't know.
Management haven't known either since circa 2009 when they realised what a mess it was.
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News Disney Not Renewing Great Movie Ride Sponsorship Deal with TCM ; Attraction to Close
- Thread starter The Visionary Soul
- Start date
Management haven't known either since circa 2009 when they realised what a mess it was.
From Reddit (https://www.reddit.com/r/WaltDisneyWorld/comments/6gg8tc/meeting_of_the_mobsters/)
I was on The Great Movie Ride yesterday and the timing on the scenes was horribly screwed up. It took about 3 minutes to get past the Footlight Parade scene (which by then the music in Mary Poppins stopped) and we were stuck at the gangster scene for a good 6-7 minutes.
After about 2 minutes of Ride Mugsy vamping, Mugsi came out to see what was going on while in character. Beard Mugsy did the same thing but essentially just argued with everyone over what they were supposed to be doing (in character). Nap Mugsy came out since Mugsy, Mugsi, and Mugsy woke him up. They all acted completely in character the entire time and it was honestly pretty incredible. They talked about how weird our 'car' was, the fact that the gangsters in the car were probably still in the garage, and that Nap Mugsy was napping after drinking the 'product'.
Best line was been "I just stole a car with 70 people in it. You think I care if my mom knows I hate her meatloaf?"
Totally worth the wait. Everything shaped up after the Indiana Jones scene.
After about 2 minutes of Ride Mugsy vamping, Mugsi came out to see what was going on while in character. Beard Mugsy did the same thing but essentially just argued with everyone over what they were supposed to be doing (in character). Nap Mugsy came out since Mugsy, Mugsi, and Mugsy woke him up. They all acted completely in character the entire time and it was honestly pretty incredible. They talked about how weird our 'car' was, the fact that the gangsters in the car were probably still in the garage, and that Nap Mugsy was napping after drinking the 'product'.
Best line was been "I just stole a car with 70 people in it. You think I care if my mom knows I hate her meatloaf?"
Totally worth the wait. Everything shaped up after the Indiana Jones scene.
The magic came from being in the moment thank you for sharing.
geekza
Well-Known Member
Honestly, if the "Great Mickey Ride" is done right and has a variety of elaborate scenes from the entire history of Disney's output, it could be worthwhile. I just don't understand closing yet another attraction whilst more than half of the park, area-wise at least, is a construction zone. The recent aerial shots I've seen of the park really bring home just how much of the park is closed right now. I get that this is pretty much the most massive overhaul conducted on a single Disney park, but I question Disney's judgement at doing so much of it at once. No matter. It's well underway. They had just better blow people away with the final product if they want DHS (or whatever it ends up being called) is to survive.
rocketraccoon
Well-Known Member
Oh hey, that's me! Kind of didn't expect that to show up here.
Yeah it was a pretty great experience all around despite the wait. It does show off how out of whack the scenes can be even when it's operating normally, but it's still totally cool. Got an actually decent picture of the Footlight Parade scene because of the delays as well.
Would be great if the scene worked like it was supposed to ages ago. Oh well.
Phicinfan
Well-Known Member
I don't get why folks don't get it. Marni and others have stated the ride is in serious need of work, the cars are on their last legs, and some of the scenes are desperately in need of fixing. To the point it will be very, very expensive to fix, and it is already too expensive to maintain.
Now, could they do the fix of this to keep it AND then build elsewhere...maybe, but considering the already high expense they are putting in this park, they decided to go into a new direction. I am a HUGE fan of GMR, and will miss it more than most, it was my always ride in DHS and one reason I loved DHS. But I have come to the realization that Disney has finally realized they have waited too long in WDW for some things and are now making more choicefull decisions.
Biff215
Well-Known Member
Too expensive to maintain??? Then they should have never built it. But come on, Disney can afford better upkeep, they simply choose not to. It is not beyond repair or upgrade, not even close IMO. I get that they're making major investments in two new lands, which is why GMR may go, but I disagree not simply because GMR is a classic, but because the park will need the capacity as well.
ToTBellHop
Well-Known Member
Eh, I in no way accept the claim that they couldn't "afford" to fix and run GMR and build Mickey separately. They are choosing not to do so, but it's not because they can't afford to run GMR. DHS costs more to enter than ever and yet has fewer attractions now than it has had in 23 years. If GMR could run in 1994 when guests paid $35 or $40 to enter, it could run still with guests paying over $100 to enter.
MuteSuperstar
Well-Known Member
If one of the...what is it now, FIVE rides in this park is too expensive to maintain then I don't even know what to say.
Probably more like...more expensive to maintain than a cheapjack ride with mostly projections and almost no animatronics or practical sets. I hope Mickey isn't the latter, but we shall see.
Probably more like...more expensive to maintain than a cheapjack ride with mostly projections and almost no animatronics or practical sets. I hope Mickey isn't the latter, but we shall see.
Animaniac93-98
Well-Known Member
The ride has a dedicated sponsor that explicitly sells its product in the ride. Money and motivation shouldn't be an issue.
ToTBellHop
Well-Known Member
Mickey won't be just screens. I think it'll be wonderful. It would have my enthusiastic support with zero reservations if it were a new build. It would be the perfect centerpiece to Animation Courtyard flanked by two (new) shows.
But that's not reality.
MerlinTheGoat
Well-Known Member
I honestly can't help but become more concerned about Great Mickey Ride. I admit I don't like screens at all as a primary driver of show scenes. They're good when used in scene transitions, or in supplemental roles secondary to detailed set pieces and AA figures. Digital mapping has also produced some cool effects (Disneyland upgraded previously flat painted surfaces on several classic dark rides to be animated instead and the results are generally great). But most "E" tickets lately have been 90% screen based (physical elements only really used to help frame and camouflage screen borders). Disney and even Universal are both still clearly capable of outstanding robotics as well as great physical set design. I wish they would focus more on that.
Great Movie Ride, age and all, is still a fantastic attraction with awesome setpieces and a large population of animatronic figures. Even scenes people question the "relevancy" of (Tarzan) are still extremely detailed and well designed. It will be tragic to lose yet another one of these types of rides, losing so many EPCOT classics was bad enough. These kinds of rides are becoming rare.
I'd love a quality Mickey Mouse ride elsewhere in the park, but even as a new build i'd still hope for a more physical ride (a long one too). Imagine if they chose to adapt some of the classic animated shorts into the scenes from the ride. For instance imagine scenes from Mickey and the Beanstalk like these, recreated in a physical environment-
https://one1more2time3.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/comp-beanstalk-aaa.jpg
Or imagine a (proper and physical) Sorcerer's Apprentice scene with tons of enchanted Broom AA's walking around (which wouldn't even warrant expensive and maintenance heavy robotics), with a Sorcerer Mickey AA atop a cliff moving the seas and the heavens (this is where a mixture of screens with digitally mapped water would work wonders, mixed with traditional practical fiber optics for stars).
I don't mean to be armchair imagineering, I was just trying to make a couple of points as to the incredible opportunity Disney has here for such a ride if done properly. And the concerns that they may completely squander it.
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No Name
Well-Known Member
What does it matter how long it is from GMR's closing to Toy Story Land's opening?
It could be ten days or ten months... doesn't make a difference for anyone visiting during that time. If I am a normal guest visiting DHS on January 15th, 2018, how long GMR is closed or how long until TSL opens is completely irrelevant to me.
Yes. Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom had four or fewer rides when they opened. But of course that didn't result in great guest satisfaction. I hope DHS can choose to be a park that thrives, not one that barely reaches acceptable guest satisfaction.
yensidtlaw1969
Well-Known Member
I hate to say it, but we have moved beyond "becoming rare" into Rare. Endangered. To close The Great Movie Ride is to kick out one of the cornerstones of this genre. These sorts of rides used to be in abundance, and with good reason -- how many remain standing now across the world? And at any given Park?
It is almost uniformly true that the ones which remain do so because they are THAT good, and even some no longer with us held to that standard. They ascend to a level of themed experience most "screen-based" attractions cannot seriously aspire. Haunted Mansion, Pirates - Indelible. To think it is not acceptable that attractions like Spaceship Earth and The Great Movie Ride do not exist in that pantheon is to crack the foundation of the themed entertainment industry. What new experiences are there to offer that would surpass these? Such a question is not even part of the equation. Tremendous.
Even more egregious is that the recipe of the park calls for the very ingredient they intend to replace this one with. The table is already to empty for so many guests. DHS needs another dish, not a different one. Expand the menu.
Cesar R M
Well-Known Member
Stale shows leads to less space being used despite having the capacity. Therefore you wont have a show at full capacity or at full efficiency putting the strain in to other areas and thus causing uneven maintenance... Then a stale show wont get more people to come to your park. It makes (in the case of Disney World) to make them flee to another park (most probably Magic Kingdom) and make the strain even harder on a park by a person that didnt give you more money to enter this park(hopper).
Hows that for looking with Disney glasses? They are technically losing money and making them use more resources to move them between parks (more buses).
Cesar R M
Well-Known Member
I wonder, has he been in the parks yet?
Casper Gutman
Well-Known Member
Again, I want to emphasize what Merlin pointed out above: Marni has said in another thread that the GMR replacement will be a lot of screens and he's not sure there will be any AAs. Sounds like Rat 2: This Time its a Mouse.
As to being too expensive - nope. WDW makes money hand over fist. Disney is the only studio that has fully figured out the current era of movie-making and they are churning out hit after hit. They can afford to keep GMR - and they need to, because MGM NEEDS CAPACITY. Period. And they can't keep pretending shows that haven't changed in decades compensate for a lack of rides.
Just to reiterate, the big MGM-saving mega-makeover now consists of one awesome looking E-ticket, a potentially cool simulator, a short naked coaster, a flat ride, and the replacement of a classic AA ride with screeeeenzzzz. That's it. (Standard disclaimer: SWL looks cool)
Comparing Uni to MGM after the "revamp" is interesting - the make-up of rides is quite similar:
Indoor coaster (RnR/ Mummy)
Naked coaster (Slinky/ Rockit)
3D film (T2/ Muppets)
two simulators (ST, MF/ Simpsons, Fallon)
screens on a track (Mickey/ Transformers)
flat ride (Buzz/ Twirl n' Hurl)
E-Ticket headliner (ToT/ Gringotts)
Shooter (MM/ MiB)
On top of those, MGM will have the awesome SW Escape ride and Uni will have DM, ET, Shrek, F&F, and Hogwarts Express.
Some thoughts - I'm not making quality judgments above. What strikes me is that MGM is catching up to Uni in terms of screens - when the makeover is done, Uni will have more screens simply because they have more rides. In addition, if 50% of the leaked Nintendo plans are accurate, Uni will become a significantly more substantial park then the renovated MGM. That shouldn't be the case after a "full makeover." If 100% of the leaked Nintendo plans are true (which they aren't) Nintendo is a more meaningful makeover of Uni then MGM's makeover is of that park.
I want the two Orlando giants to compete tooth-and-claw, but it seems like even with all the construction WDW is still kind of coasting. The question remains open as to whether Pandora and the MGM changes mark a genuine change in WDW's direction.
Animation Academy was up and running in Epcot for free during the Festival of the Arts. The Festival is coming back next year, hopefully daily and not just on weekends.