I'm probably not the best one to judge the future "classic-hood" of modern movies, especially as I haven't seen some of the ones you listed.
Lord of the Rings might work, though, as it's already based on classic literature.
Citizen Kane and
Godfather would certainly qualify as classics - the question is how would you present them in ride format? The reason I like
Gone with the Wind and
Ten Commandments is because they lend themselves to theme-park-style spectacle and thrill, rather than simply scene recreation. Even
Casablanca, which is perhaps my favorite old movie, doesn't really lend itself to anything other than scene recreation. (I assure you everyone's heard of
Gone with the Wind 
) Not saying that you
couldn't stage those two movies effectively - it's just not clear to me how you would off the top of my head.
Speaking of Norman Bates, now that Hitchcock is gone from Universal, I would love it if Disney could get those rights and do
The Birds or
Psycho properly! That could be really creepy and effective in a horror-themed section of the Great Movie Ride.
Comedies aren't really explored enough in the current attraction either. You could have a lot of fun with Marx Brothers movies, or Mel Brooks, or Charlie Chaplin, or, heck, Monty Python (provided it's not isolated from other comedies). A recreation of a musical number from
Men in Tights or
Monty Python and the Holy Grail could be awesome...
As for the spiel, I gotta tell you, anything that requires regular, non-actor cast members to act is gonna drive me crazy. I don't mind them delivering narrations, or making up jokes like the Jungle Cruise, but please Disney - don't make your CMs act! It's frequently quite painful.
I would stage
Citizen Kane and
The Godfather thusly. For
Citizen Kane, I'd have the vehicles enter Charles' mansion. His lonely figure (using forced-perspective) stands near a distant window (the entire scene in black and white), looking out upon his empire. Echoing throughout the hollow and empty mansion resonates Kane's haunting final word:
"Rosebud..."
For
The Godfather, I'd have it replace the relatively-unknown
The Public Enemy. The scene I'd set up would be the iconic scene between Don Corleone and Sonny, where the Don assures his godson that he will make sure his director treats him well, claiming that he'll "make him an offer he can't refuse".
I honestly think a Charlie Chaplin thing could replace
Footlight Parade, to serve as the beginning of American film history, since Chaplin was a star of both silent films and talkies. And if we decide to get rid of the hijack scenes, maybe we could turn the hijack area in the Western scene (right after we pass by John Wayne and Clint Eastwood) into Rock Ridge from
Blazing Saddles, and stage the film's epic fight scene, complete with all those sight gags Mel Brooks is known for.
I'm not entirely sure about Hitchcock, given that Universal Hollywood still features
Psycho as part of their tram tour. But I think it could work, if possible.
However, my plans for a horror segment would work a little differently. You see, I think that the 2012 thriller
The Cabin in the Woods could work within the horror context. It's a great horror film and it has A LOT of potential. If you don't know anything about the movie, it tells the usual slasher story of teenagers getting trapped in a mysterious cabin in the woods. As it turns out, an evil corporation is controlling the events of the serial killing spree; the cabin has a basement filled with antiques that act as triggers to awaken various monsters to come inside and kill the teens. The corporation watches the events of the "horror film" in real time, betting on what monster will be summoned to kill the teams, and so on so forth.
Perhaps the most memorable scene is when the two survivors discover an elevator leading down to the corporation's headquarters. The elevator had been used by the zombie slashers sent to the cabin to kill them, eventually taking the survivors into a huge chamber filled with other elevators containing almost every kind of monster imaginable, including a werewolf, a unicorn, a merman, a giant, Bigfoot, scarecrows, a Pinhead-lookalike, and a child ballerina with a razor-sharp face...literally. Take a look at this scene.
Here's how we could set it up...
Leaving the Wild West behind, we find ourselves in a room that's totally pitch-black. Suddenly, the tram begins to halt, emitting electric sparks and slamming the brakes off-and-on, off-and-on. This can't be good.
Before us is an inky, seemingly endless tunnel filled with nothing but utter darkness. That unsettling cavernous ambiance fills the air, setting a grim tone for the world of horror, the next stop on our journey. Without warning, a fearsome werewolf leaps from the darkness, just barely missing the tram. Luckily, a sheet of glass is between us and the beast. The werewolf's howl echoes out in perfect pitch, lighting up a series of other glass walls. As it turns out, we have pulled right into the elevator sequence from
The Cabin in the Woods. Countless monsters from both film, literature, folklore, and the imagination of the filmmakers appear from within glass elevators of all shapes and sizes, each creepy creature trying to break free and make us their lunch. A skull-faced spirit pounds away at its containment while a neighboring giant glares at us from its far-too-small elevator. Other monsters include a collection of zombies trying to break free, an angry tree-monster, a Pinhead-type character with buzz-saws protruding from his face, the Sugar Plum Fairy (a.k.a. a little girl in a tutu with a face composed of circular rows of endless shark teeth), a family wearing baby-faced masks and suits, suspicious doctors, a unicorn (oddly enough), a couple of living scarecrows, and worst of all - a clown.
The giggling of the clown gives way to new sight - familiar to those fans of the original Great Movie Ride - the spaceship
Nostromo from
Alien. A PA announcement rings out as we enter the spaceship through a near-destroyed corridor filled with flashing lights and broken television monitors.
"WARNING! REMAIN IN YOUR VEHICLE! THE AREA YOU ARE ENTERING IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. PROCEED WITH CAUTION." The old (albeit updated) animatronic of Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley remains, hiding from the title creature of the film which springs from the nearest wall in a blast of steam and strobes. The tram quickly jolts forward, leaving Nostromo behind and a vast jungle.
Now, here's another idea. I know you don't like the whole "acting" bit (by the way, would you get rid of the whole hijacking thing?), but I think a few scenes could benefit from a few live actors playing the characters. Take, for example, this updated take on the ride's
Raiders of the Lost Ark scene.
Our guide (or Robert, depending on if we can either the live guide or Robert) speaks:
"The world of Raiders of the Lost Ark is adventurous and magical, yet filled to the brim with pure danger. Terrifying villains and greedy grave robbers lurk around every corner in addition to ancient curses, countless booby traps, vile spirits and...snakes...why did it have to be snakes?" Sure enough, a cluster of various jungle snakes swarm around the jungle floor. Amazonian natives peer out from the bushes as our tram takes us into the mouth of an ancient river-side temple, but not before nearly being bitten by a surprise snake attack from above.
Mysterious music from the film plays, putting our tram to a stop. Indiana Jones himself appears at the top of a nearby shrine, ready to grab a small, golden idol. He turns to see us. "Is that a - is that a tram? What are you doing here? You must leave at once, the gods of this temple will be angered by our presence. You must..." But before he can stop us, the temple begins to shake. "Now you've done it." The idol sinks down into its pedestal. Indy darts down the stairs towards us, grabbing a hold of the tram. "Get out! I've seen this happen too many times before!" But the trolley won't start. It's sinking in quicksand. "Quicksand? Quicksand?!" But that's not all. A huge boulder has appeared on the other side of the trolley. "Uh-oh. I have a very bad feeling about this," Indy strangely says (isn't that a
Star Wars gag?). Indy darts around the side of the tram and approaches a series of floor-switches. "These booby traps outta do the trick." He slams his foot on a switch, causing a giant spike to come flying down from the vine-entangled ceiling. Just before the boulder crushes both ourselves and Indy, the spike stabs into the boulder, thus saving the day. "Well, that was a close one. Next time - leave the adventuring to the professional - me." And with that, our tram departs from the temple, but not before passing through the usual chamber filled with eerie mummies and priceless treasure.
What do you think? Would that work well?
But, I've been thinking and I have a concern: I still think that we should represent animation somewhere in the ride, as it is a beloved film genre. But, given the size and scope and what I'd honestly do, I don't know where to put it. See, if I were to refurbish the ride, here's what I'd do.
--Charlie Chaplin/Dawn of American Film History
--Singin' in the Rain
--Mary Poppins
--Citizen Kane
--The Godfather
--Gangster Hijack (or scene from another gangster film)
--Western Scene
--Occasional Cowboy Hijack (or Blazing Saddles)
--The Cabin in the Woods
--Alien
--Raiders of the Lost Ark
--The Ten Commandments
--Gone with the Wind
--Casablanca
--Titanic
--The Wizard of Oz
--Finale
With that, where could be a good place to put an animated film. Maybe it could replace one of the hijack areas, provided whether or not we decide to get rid of them.
