EPCOT Entertainment cuts

lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
The average person going to DHS probably hasn't taken a course in "The History of Motion Pictures". Given the limited number of attractions in the park, it should have wider appeal than to just those studying old motion pictures. Wouldn't have hurt them to update/refresh the attraction once or twice over the past 25 years.
No, the people visiting the park today just have more access to information and entertainment than in any other time in human history. Not to mention cultural trends that celebrate the past.
 

DelGriffith

New Member
No....TGM is a bad ride because it's a bad ride. Period.
Nope.

Nobody mentioned those films.
You mentioned horror films of the 30s and 40s. Universal produced most of the horror movies from that era which are remembered today. You unfavorably compared them to modern horror movies. "Saw" and "Friday the 13th" are representative of modern horror movies.



GMR was never about the films of the "golden age", in fact when it opened, it did a somewhat decent job of touching on all eras up until that time. What Disney-MGM was originally "themed" after, has nothing to do with an antiquated, outdated attraction that hasn't been updated in the 25 years since the park originally opened. It's a theme park, not a museum.
Of course the theming originally emphasized Old Hollywood. The most recent films portrayed in TGM were about a decade old and one of them, Indiana Jones, was a sendup of the old movie serials of the 30s. The vast majority of scenes were based upon 30s and 40s movies. Whether or not MGM is a "theme park or a museum" does not change the fact that TGM is nearly perfect as it is: a tribute to the golden age of American film. There is plenty of room in the park for attractions based upon newer franchises.
 

DisUniversal

Well-Known Member
The vast majority of scenes were based upon 30s and 40s movies.
Singing in the Rain - 1952
The Searchers - 1956
Mary Poppins - 1964
The Good the Bad and the Ugly - 1966
Alien - 1979
Indiana Jones - 1981

So...looks like about a 50/50 split, not exactly a "VAST majority".
TGM is nearly perfect as it is
This statement is about as accurate as the previous...it's at best half perfect.
 

DelGriffith

New Member
Singing in the Rain - 1952
The Searchers - 1956
Mary Poppins - 1964
The Good the Bad and the Ugly - 1966
Alien - 1979
Indiana Jones - 1981
The comment you are replying to was rather careless, I should have said 30s through 50s since the 1950s is considered a part of Hollywood's Golden Age. And although we are more far removed from those films in 2014 than in 1989, all of those films aside from the last two were "old" at the time the ride opened. One of the two "modern" movies itself consciously recalls the Golden Age of Hollywood.
 

xdan0920

Think for yourselfer
GMR was never about the films of the "golden age", in fact when it opened, it did a somewhat decent job of touching on all eras up until that time. What Disney-MGM was originally "themed" after, has nothing to do with an antiquated, outdated attraction that hasn't been updated in the 25 years since the park originally opened. It's a theme park, not a museum. Some of those "outdated" films may be among the greatest, but that's no excuse for neglecting an attraction and letting it become stale.

I think most of us would actually agree with just this aspect of your points.

The ride should be receiving regular updates, and adding new classics to the experience.

But there is essentially no chance today's TDO is interested in making that type of ongoing cost commitment.
 

CDavid

Well-Known Member
No....TGM is a bad ride because it's a bad ride. Period.

Unless you have something to back that up, that's just a matter of personal opinion, and means nothing more than someone else who holds that Stitch or the current Journey into Imagination are the greatest things Disney has ever created. Your opinion is perfectly valid, but only for yourself.

It's a theme park, not a museum. Some of those "outdated" films may be among the greatest, but that's no excuse for neglecting an attraction and letting it become stale.

Wouldn't have hurt them to update/refresh the attraction once or twice over the past 25 years.

That's a different argument. I doubt anybody here is going to argue that practically all attractions - and certainly The Great Movie Ride (GMR) - don't need periodic updates. That doesn't mean there is anything wrong with what's there, but rather that it hasn't been touched in so long. Of course, we all know Disney's recent track record with refurbishments; It is too often a code for "dumbed down", and the current GMR is superior to a compromised version.

yup.......respect is earned not given.

Totally off-topic, but some people are deserving of respect by virtue of their position or status - your parents, your superiors at work, teachers, your pastor at church, etc. But that also doesn't mean we are free to treat other posters, or really anyone, with disrespect. Not saying that's what you or anyone did, of course.
 

DisUniversal

Well-Known Member
Totally off-topic, but some people are deserving of respect by virtue of their position or status - your parents, your superiors at work, teachers, your pastor at church, etc. But that also doesn't mean we are free to treat other posters, or really anyone, with disrespect. Not saying that's what you or anyone did, of course.
Agree...you should treat everyone with respect until they manage to lose that respect regardless of their position. Starting a post off with "I don't care if this gets me banned or not" shows disrespect for the forum someone is a guest of and following that up with calling a poster "ignorant" really leaves one in no place to bring up the subject of disrespect.
 

The Empress Lilly

Well-Known Member
Truly classic movies are never outdated. They may look badly out of style and be dated chronologically, but they remain more than worthwhile.
Yes, and even if they are outdated, they maintain their place in Hollywood's history. They have fullfiled a role in bringing movies to where they are now. GMR tells the story of Hollywood movies, it is not a random collection of old stuff.

Weismuller's Tarzan may be unwatchable, but that is the good thing about the GMR: you don't have to watch those old movies! You're still brought up to speed on their history. All you have to do is sit through a fifteen second 3D segment of them. Disney's GMR already is Hollywood Movie History for Dummies. And the brilliance of it is that it works also on the level of a more informed audience, for whom the sight of a classic scene from Casablanca is a delight precisely because of the recognition. The GMR feels like a classic EPCOT pavilion. :)
 

righttrack

Well-Known Member
When I heard they were adding Celtic music to the UK I wondered about Off Kilter. The added a lumberjack show. Why not just have the lumberjack show when Off Kilter is off? I wonder what it means for the current UK band long-term.

I know they need to change things and mix it up, but always there is a nostalgia factor too. Canada is so set back that it needs a good "front door" to what's inside and more inside too. Hopefully they get it. Music is important though. Music also helps them sell drinks, beer and snacks too. I would like to see them re-orient that apron onto WS and lead you into the pavillion more so.
 

DisUniversal

Well-Known Member
Yes, and even if they are outdated, they maintain their place in Hollywood's history. They have fullfiled a role in bringing movies to where they are now. GMR tells the story of Hollywood movies, it is not a random collection of old stuff.

Weismuller's Tarzan may be unwatchable, but that is the good thing about the GMR: you don't have to watch those old movies! You're still brought up to speed on their history. All you have to do is sit through a fifteen second 3D segment of them. Disney's GMR already is Hollywood Movie History for Dummies. And the brilliance of it is that it works also on the level of a more informed audience, for whom the sight of a classic scene from Casablanca is a delight precisely because of the recognition. The GMR feels like a classic EPCOT pavilion. :)
Good point...after seeing what they did with JII, Horizons, World of Motion, Wonders of Life...and what is soon to become of Maelstrom and Off Kilter, perhaps we should leave well enough alone. WDW doesn't exactly have a good track record of taking old attractions and replacing them with something better.
 

doctornick

Well-Known Member
Honestly, the big thing that bothers me with GMR is the terrible acting by the CMs. If you get quality performance CMs in the guide/gangster roles, then the ride seems perfectly fine as is. I mean, it should be refurbed and you could change a scene or two to keep things fresh, but there's nothing intrinsically wrong with the ride IMHO. The the poor acting of the CMs makes it tough to sit through repeatedly.
 

Suspirian

Well-Known Member
You claim to know some young people who don't know who John Wayne is therefore TGM is a bad ride?

Plenty of people...how many people with taste would argue that garbage like "Friday the 13th" or "Saw" are better than the classic Universal horror films?


You say "outdated" like it's a bad thing. Disney-MGM studios was originally themed after the Golden Age of Hollywood, the 1930s and 40s. That era is called the golden age for a reason...Do you think it a good idea that Disney should pander to the tastes of the attention deficient teenagers and children Hollywood markets its endless superhero rehashes and live-action versions of 80s cartoons to today?
I'm sorry to go off topic, but in what world is Friday the 13th garbage?
 

PlutoHasFleas

Active Member
Yes, and even if they are outdated, they maintain their place in Hollywood's history. They have fullfiled a role in bringing movies to where they are now. GMR tells the story of Hollywood movies, it is not a random collection of old stuff.

Weismuller's Tarzan may be unwatchable, but that is the good thing about the GMR: you don't have to watch those old movies! You're still brought up to speed on their history. All you have to do is sit through a fifteen second 3D segment of them. Disney's GMR already is Hollywood Movie History for Dummies. And the brilliance of it is that it works also on the level of a more informed audience, for whom the sight of a classic scene from Casablanca is a delight precisely because of the recognition. The GMR feels like a classic EPCOT pavilion. :)
Great point, like Spaceship Earth, but for film history. Really cool way of thinking about it!
 

MichWolv

Born Modest. Wore Off.
Premium Member
Yes, and even if they are outdated, they maintain their place in Hollywood's history. They have fullfiled a role in bringing movies to where they are now. GMR tells the story of Hollywood movies, it is not a random collection of old stuff.

Weismuller's Tarzan may be unwatchable, but that is the good thing about the GMR: you don't have to watch those old movies! You're still brought up to speed on their history. All you have to do is sit through a fifteen second 3D segment of them. Disney's GMR already is Hollywood Movie History for Dummies. And the brilliance of it is that it works also on the level of a more informed audience, for whom the sight of a classic scene from Casablanca is a delight precisely because of the recognition. The GMR feels like a classic EPCOT pavilion. :)
Indeed. I'd love to see GMR updated, but not gutted. Plus the scenes that are there (especially Fantasia...that one has nothing), and swap out a couple for some more recent classics (Titanic would make a great scene, as I always envision Luke and Leia swinging across the Death Star instead of Tarzan swinging across the jungle), but keep it with the same reverent tone. But I could do without the gangsters taking over the car stuff.
 

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