Is the Great Movie Ride lost on today's youth?

[WDWFigment]

I agree with your sentiments, but I think the ride should focus on American films, not out of patriotism, but because the theme of the park and the attraction is definitely Hollywood.

I think there might be a spot somewhere in the park to celebrate world cinema, but not in the central attraction.

Of course having said that, the iconic American cowboy represented by Clint Eastwood was originated in a series of Italian films. The lines do get blurry.

On a different note I think there is a difference between an iconic movie and an iconic scene. For example while Titanic was a huge hit at the time, it hasn't aged well and won't be the kind of movie art houses will be bringing back for it's 50th anniversary, but the image of Leo and Kate on the bow of that ship is iconic and something people will remember for a long time. So the montage has to strike that balance between great movies and great moments.

I fully agree with this, which is why I would not want GMR to attempt to include those films that are generally held by film scholars as the world's greatest. Even though I might like it more, the appeal would be much more limited, and the attraction would probably close within weeks. Disney has to walk a fine line between entertaining and educating. There are plenty of more mainstream films that are great that can be included in the attraction that will make it appealing to the American public. Plus, like you say, it's Hollywood Studios, not Independent or Foreign Studios.

Still, I think there are plenty of Hitchcock films mainstream enough to work in GMR. C'mon, Disney, buy those attraction rights!!!

 

[lisak09]

My girls are aged 14 & 7 and although they wouldn't know all the films they both enjoy GMR. Obviously they'd know some of them, wizard of oz, mary poppins, tarzan etc. but i don't think children need to know all of the films to be able to enjoy this ride

 

[dhoywdw20x]

I have always loved the great movie ride ... as a kid, I always looked forward to riding it and would have loved to continue to ride it.

As a kid I didn't know all the movies in the ride or in the finale, but as I have grown, I have on my own watched those movies and grown to appreciate them for being "Great".

I believe that the Great Movie Ride without any prior knowledge of ANY of the movies is an entertaining experience. With your tram being hijacked and going through ALIEN and Raiders of the Lost Ark, it is an exciting ride for anyone ... especially children.

I have read this thread and it is a majority opinion it seems that most children/kids enjoy GMR and look forward to it on their trips.

 

[unkadug]

The ending should be a celebration of the art of movie making.

Both movies that are considered timeless classics and movies that are (fairly) currently in the public 's viewfinder should be included.

After all...we are looking at a couple of second's of time (at the most)...some even less than a second per picture.

Some movies that are currently in the montage could definitely be swapped out with some more current fare.

Would you really miss .3 seconds of Whoopi Goldberg in Sister Act for .3 seconds of perhaps ...Transformers ?

 

[Master Gracey 5]

The ending should be a celebration of the art of movie making.

Both movies that are considered timeless classics and movies that are (fairly) currently in the public 's viewfinder should be included.

After all...we are looking at a couple of second's of time (at the most)...some even less than a second per picture.

Some movies that are currently in the montage could definitely be swapped out with some more current fare.

Would you really miss .3 seconds of Whoopi Goldberg in Sister Act for .3 seconds of perhaps ...Transformers ?

That's probably the most reasonable way any one has put it so far. Obviously great films like Star Wars, Gone with the Wind, Citizen Kane and 2001 would always have a place, but some of these 80s films really aren't relevant and could be swapped without much complaint. New films could easily be considered in a montage titled "A Celebration of the Art of Movie Making".

 

[ttalovebug]

You've got a ride dedicated to the "Great" movies in history. It's got 11 show scenes and an additional 120ish films in the finale montage. High School Musical doesn't belong on a list of 150 great all-time films.

Sorry. End of story.

It probably doesn't belong on a list of the top 50 "Disney" films. I like Grease 2 and The Beastmaster, but I'm not about to sit here and debate its merits for entry in the Great Movie Ride.

Didn't you read my post? I specifically said I would never want it in the GMR. Said it twice. I was simply bringing up a point about the movie.

 

[Krack]

Didn't you read my post? I specifically said I would never want it in the GMR. Said it twice. I was simply bringing up a point about the movie.

Then why is it being discussed in this thread?

 

[joanna71985]

I would agree with you. I would actually like to see something like that. It would also be a good idea with the recorded scripts playing. Not sure how much this matters, or if it's even correct, but at other attractions, the cm's do every role in the building, greeter, load, unload etc. If it's the same at GMR, then there may be some of the people that just aren't cut out for doing the spiel, but are great at other aspects of the attractions.

It is. The CMs at GMR do all the roles (including tour guide).

I personally would love to see it updated with an omnimover system, this would have the benefit of allowing some additional room on some scenes, continuous loading, and getting rid of the idiotic CMs who attempt to perform a skit but simply ruin the ride.

I'm sorry you feel that way

 

[bluewings]

Great Movie Ride has been one of my favorites since the first time I went to Disney when I was 4. It's one of the few things I can still remember vividly from that first trip. I hope today's youth can find a way to appreciate it.

On one of our trips, the day we went to Hollywood Studios (MGM at the time) GRM wasn't running for some reason so we made a trip back the next day. Gotta love Park Hopper.

 

[_Scar]

Well there's a few reasons kids don't like it....

•The GMR doesn't go over 40 MPH.

•They don't know a good movie when they see it.

•They have the attention span of a squirrel.


The kids I go to WDW with have it listed on their "must-do" list and look forward to seeing this each trip.

I beg to differ.


I wish they had another scene to represent Mary Poppins. Like maybe the Jolly Holiday scene with the penguins.

 

[StingraySam]

The ending should be a celebration of the art of movie making.

Both movies that are considered timeless classics and movies that are (fairly) currently in the public 's viewfinder should be included.

After all...we are looking at a couple of second's of time (at the most)...some even less than a second per picture.

Some movies that are currently in the montage could definitely be swapped out with some more current fare.

Would you really miss .3 seconds of Whoopi Goldberg in Sister Act for .3 seconds of perhaps ...Transformers ?

I couldn't agree with you more. Additionally it was discussed in another thread about the quality of the film display at the ending. I think it would be unique to see some of clips with their grainy age showing through and others with the vivid quality of today.

 

[StingraySam]

Well after just visiting this past weekend I can assure you that some kids are still interested in riding. It was just after 9:00 pm on Saturday evening we were deciding on what would be our last ride and our 14 year old son insisted that it be the Great Movie Ride. Now I'm not sure if it was that he was tired and just wanted to sit down for awhile, but he had requested several times earlier to ride this. Him and his sister have been riding this for many years and though they do not know many of the movies they have over the years been slowly getting aquainted with them and immediately related them to the next time on the GMR.

To address those who would like to eliminate the CM interaction and replace it with a pre-recorded speil. I can agree with what some of you are saying about the lack of enthusiasm by some CM's but some can really make this ride much more enjoyable. Our experience this weekend was just that of mixed quality. Our initial CM, Megan, was probably the best I have ever had, she really seemed to be enjoying herself. I can't say as much for the CM playing role of the gangster. He seemed like he had a really long day and he was just trying to get though the last hour. I couldn't even hear half of what he was saying. I couldn't wait for the Indy scene to get Megan back. And as for the pre-recorded speil, no way! We had rode the Back Lot Tour earlier and they have replaced that with a pre-recording and it was so dry. It took alot away from the tour. In my opinion these types of rides need the interaction of a real live personal narrator.

Overall I do think the ride could use some updating. And I am not suggesting everything be replaced, one of the older scenes, such as Tarzan or Footlight Parade with something newer or more popular to keep things interesting. The biggest thing I think needs to be updated is the movie loop shown in the theater queing. I have said this before, if you are there on a full day you will see that loop up to 3-4 times and I think that is just to much. I would like to see it lengthed by at least twice its current length.

Lets face it many people that are intimate with this ride will return to riding with just a hint that something has been changed weather or not it was for the good or not.

 

[RiversideBunny]

.........
. The biggest thing I think needs to be updated is the movie loop shown in the theater queing. I have said this before, if you are there on a full day you will see that loop up to 3-4 times and I think that is just to much. I would like to see it lengthed by at least twice its current length.
.......

Yes, please.

 

[Bamboo7ster]

Growing up, I had only ever seen maybe half of the films in the GMR and I still enjoyed it. Even without seeing all of them, it was still (and still is) one of my favorite rides in all of WDW. It wasn't until a few years ago that I decided to take the challenge the GMR was giving me and see all of the films in the pre-show area and the ride itself and I can say that I am better off because of it. Every one of those films deserves its place in the ride because they all are great examples of their specific genre, especially Footlight Parade, which turned out to be my favorite. It is the pinnacle of the extravagant musicals of the 1930's.

Because of the GMR, I've been turned on to a whole new genre of films which I might not have seen otherwise. Footlight Parade is now one of my all time favorite films and I'm fascinated with the entire Gangster genre.

For those of you who recommend to others that they stop whining and go watch some of these films and then proceed to complain about the Footlight Parade sequence because you haven't seen it and think it's not well known enough, get off your butt and rent it! I'm seriously appalled at the lack of love for that movie on this board.

Although, that isn't to say I didn't see those of you that praised it. I'm with you guys. :wave:

 

[Slipknot]

I think the whole idea behind GMR is to get guests to want to see the movies presented in the rides. I was 8 years old my first time on GMR and I remember really wanting to see Alien. As of today, the only movies I haven't seen that are in GMR (finale included) are Footlight Parade and Tarzan.

 

[RiversideBunny]

The purpose of the Great Movie Ride is to celebrate the making of movies and the overall history of movies.

 

[AlishaMisha]

Growing up, I had only ever seen maybe half of the films in the GMR and I still enjoyed it. Even without seeing all of them, it was still (and still is) one of my favorite rides in all of WDW. It wasn't until a few years ago that I decided to take the challenge the GMR was giving me and see all of the films in the pre-show area and the ride itself and I can say that I am better off because of it. Every one of those films deserves its place in the ride because they all are great examples of their specific genre, especially Footlight Parade, which turned out to be my favorite. It is the pinnacle of the extravagant musicals of the 1930's.

Because of the GMR, I've been turned on to a whole new genre of films which I might not have seen otherwise. Footlight Parade is now one of my all time favorite films and I'm fascinated with the entire Gangster genre.

For those of you who recommend to others that they stop whining and go watch some of these films and then proceed to complain about the Footlight Parade sequence because you haven't seen it and think it's not well known enough, get off your butt and rent it! I'm seriously appalled at the lack of love for that movie on this board.

Although, that isn't to say I didn't see those of you that praised it. I'm with you guys. :wave:

Yay! FLP Groupies!!!!! :sohappy: :sohappy: :sohappy:

It's true that others should watch it instead of creating an opinion with no knowledge behind it. I can't say that it is anyone's fault that they still haven't seen it though, it is a little hard to find. Besides getting it on Netflix or getting that Busby Berkeley 3pack(which is expensive and hard to find), you can only get it from one source from what I have found...http://www.moviesunlimited.com/musite/product.asp?sku=D51610

Ahhhhh James Cagney. What an amazing actor :kiss:

 

[Bamboo7ster]

True, it is harder to find than the others, but it's one of Cagney's more easily obtainable films. I got my copy for $3 at Big Lots in a bin full of Footlight Parades.

So glad to see there are others who appreciate the awesomeness of a dancing James Cagney!

 

[matt_taylor1985]

True, it is harder to find than the others, but it's one of Cagney's more easily obtainable films. I got my copy for $3 at Big Lots in a bin full of Footlight Parades.

So glad to see there are others who appreciate the awesomeness of a dancing James Cagney!

I really want to get White Heat and Public Enemy but they're next to impossible to get here.