Is the Great Movie Ride next?

[PolynesianPrincess]

I personally love GMR and ride it several times each trip. When I first rode this, I had no clue about most of the older movies shown in the ride. GMR was the reason I watched Casablanca and Singin In The Rain. Had I never been on GMR, I probably would have never seen those two films. Also, my sister and I are currently on an active mission to watch ALL the films in the finale. Could GMR use an upgrade? Of course. But as someone else pointed out here on this thread, there are MANY rides at WDW that are older or almost as old as GMR and you don’t hear anyone crying about updating those. IASW? POTC? Splash? How come no one is screaming that those all need to be updated and changed? I feel like most people just focus on rides they don’t like and say “they need to be changed” just because they personally don’t enjoy the ride. I think GMR is perfect where it is. It just needs some things changed and some new things added.

I REALLY hope they don’t tear it down as part of Star Wars Land. Not everyone likes Star Wars. So to tear down a ride that caters to everyone to focus on ONE movie franchise, well, I wouldn’t like that at all. And I hope they also do NOT bring Carsland to DHS. Leave it in California. They need to keep some things on the west coast different.

 

[Stupido]

I'm confused, is there anyone out there that really doesn't like the Mans Chinese Theatre exterior of the ride? Or that it was and should be the icon for the park?

It is a fantastic recreation and perfect icon for a "studios" park and especially one that now claims "hollywood" in its name.

Me.

I don't know, it works just fine. But at the end of the day, it's just a recreation of an already famous landmark. When I think of Disney Park icons, I think of something I have never seen before. Cinderella's Castle, Spaceship Earth, the Tree of Life. Mans Chinese Theatre is beautiful and it fits the theme perfectly. but I can't help but think that something new could fit even better and be recognized as its own original landmark.

(This no way condones the hat. I hate that thing.)

 

[ABQ]

Me.

I don't know, it works just fine. But at the end of the day, it's just a recreation of an already famous landmark. When I think of Disney Park icons, I think of something I have never seen before. Cinderella's Castle, Spaceship Earth, the Tree of Life. Mans Chinese Theatre is beautiful and it fits the theme perfectly. but I can't help but think that something new could fit even better and be recognized as its own original landmark.

(This no way condones the hat. I hate that thing.)

Agreed.....however, heading to the real deal means having to put up with those that hang out there constantly. If you think Disney livestyler's are rough, these people have them beat.

 

[lebeau]

Star Wars is over 30 years old and changed cinema history forever

I hear there is a Star Wars presence coming to the DHS. No need to duplicate it in GMR. It's already in the clip reel at the end.

It's also not supposed to be the "Old Movie Ride", but that's what it has become.

It always was.

Adding recent movies will just date the attraction faster. The movies that are currently included are timeless. Almost every movie I have ever seen suggested for inclusion in GMR would be a mistake. The ones that aren't necessarily mistakes, Disney doesn't have the rights to.

If GMR had been built with recent movies the way forum fans keep clamoring for, the ride would include Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Three Men and a Baby and Beaches.

 

[DisUniversal]

I hear there is a Star Wars presence coming to the DHS. No need to duplicate it in GMR. It's already in the clip reel at the end.



It always was.

Adding recent movies will just date the attraction faster. The movies that are currently included are timeless. Almost every movie I have ever seen suggested for inclusion in GMR would be a mistake. The ones that aren't necessarily mistakes, Disney doesn't have the rights to.

If GMR had been built with recent movies the way forum fans keep clamoring for, the ride would include Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Three Men and a Baby and Beaches.

Some of the movies in GMR are timeless, however many are well past their time. There are plenty of somewhat modern movies that people can related to that would work better. For example, Public Enemy/James Cagney is a very dated example of the gangster genre where there are at least half a dozen choices that would be far better. The Footlight Parade scene is a joke. Replace it with Charlie Chaplin if you want an older starting point for the ride. The Fantasia room is pathetic and the whole room should be reworked. Tarzan...just about ANYTHING would be better there.

 

[Zac Skellington]

This rumor came from Jim Hill who said that something "cool" was going to replace it once they announced the DHS plans, but couldn't say more. I found it odd that he went into so much other detail and spoilers about all of the DHS changes but when it came to GMR he said he couldn't talk about it. Why could you tell us everything else except this one facet of the changes?

Protecting his source? If few people are involved, it doesn't take much work to find the leak.

 

[SportsGoofy]

So let's see how this works: If you were in charge of UPDATING GMR (not ripping it down), What 1 show scene would you remove and what would you replace it with? Example: remove Tarzan and replace it with a Star Wars scene...maybe the final scene from Jedi with the Ewoks, yoda and friends as 'ghosts', etc.

 

[lebeau]

Some of the movies in GMR are timeless, however many are well past their time. There are plenty of somewhat modern movies that people can related to that would work better. For example, Public Enemy/James Cagney is a very dated example of the gangster genre where there are at least half a dozen choices that would be far better. The Footlight Parade scene is a joke. Replace it with Charlie Chaplin if you want an older starting point for the ride. The Fantasia room is pathetic and the whole room should be reworked. Tarzan...just about ANYTHING would be better there.

Public Enemy - You are wrong. Sorry. You just are.

Footlight Parade - You're talking about execution more than anything. I wouldn't quibble about replacing it with something from the silent era. But that's hardly essential. The main problem is Disney turned off the effects that made that scene worth including.

Fantasia - As has been discussed, it was a cost cutting move. It's not so much a room as a set-up for Wizard of Oz that will never be properly utilized.

Tarzan - What is everyone's objection to Tarzan? The Tarzan movies were huge. They are practically a subgenre in and of themselves. When I was a kid, you could watch hours and hours of old Tarzan movies on TV on just about any Sunday afternoon. I don't consider Tarzan essential cinema. But I disagree that "just about anything would be better". Most of the suggestions I have seen would be decidedly worse.

Most of your complaints have more to do with Disney's execution than the movies themselves. That and apparently you have no idea about Public Enemy's place in movie history. The ride has problems which Disney should address. The movies showcased in the ride is not among those problems.

 

[iheartdisney91]

I agree Aladdin needs more.

The Lion King has adequate representation. A show in AK, movie in Epcot, meet and greets at AK, AoA suites...

Pocahontas, Hunchback and Hercules are the new Robin Hood, Aristocats, etc. They may as well not exist. While I wouldn't object to including them in the parks, I certainly wouldn't go out of my way to include them when there are so many other more relevant movies that scream out for representation.

But it just stinks. They are great movies. I mean Marie is a fur character.... Surely they can give Hunchback a little something. ..... Not gunna happen.

 

[lebeau]

But it just stinks. They are great movies. I mean Marie is a fur character.... Surely they can give Hunchback a little something. ..... Not gunna happen.

Marie is a fur character because they found a market for Marie merch.

Yeah, Hunchback never happened. At least as far as Disney is concerned. In fact, most of the animated features (non-Pxar of course) of the 90s never happened or are a faint memory. It is what it is.

Personally I think The Jungle Book needs more representation. But it ain't happenin' either. What are ya gonna do?

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Yeah, Hunchback never happened. At least as far as Disney is concerned. In fact, most of the animated features (non-Pxar of course) of the 90s never happened or are a faint memory. It is what it is.

Who would have guessed way back when that Nightmare Before Christmas would get more regular theme park exposure than Pocahontas, Hunchback, Hercules and Mulan combined.

 

[Launchpad McQuack]

Me.

I don't know, it works just fine. But at the end of the day, it's just a recreation of an already famous landmark. When I think of Disney Park icons, I think of something I have never seen before. Cinderella's Castle, Spaceship Earth, the Tree of Life. Mans Chinese Theatre is beautiful and it fits the theme perfectly. but I can't help but think that something new could fit even better and be recognized as its own original landmark.

(This no way condones the hat. I hate that thing.)

I have to agree that I never saw the Theatre exterior as the park icon, nor do I think it was meant to be in the beginning. I remember the Earfel Tower being the thing that was plastered on everything back in the day (and actually, we bought something last week that had the other park icons on it, and it had the Earfel Tower instead of the hat). I hope the Theatre exterior stays if the ride ever gets a refurb, but I never saw it as the "face" of the park.

 

[Launchpad McQuack]

I also need to disagree with the idea that all of the movies in the GMR were "old" at the time of the ride's debut. I have said this before, but Raiders of the Lost Ark and Alien were both relatively "new" films, especially compared to the others in the ride and newer than some of the movies people propose for a possible refurb. Not that I agree with certain movies people say, but a movie from the '90s or early 2000s is just as old or older than either of those movies were at the time.

 

[lebeau]

Who would have guessed way back when that Nightmare Before Christmas would get more regular theme park exposure than Pocahontas, Hunchback, Hercules and Mulan combined.

I will say this much. I am one of the few that saw NBC in theaters. I actually attended a pre-screening. And I thought it would be a box office smash which it wasn't. But I was sure the thing would play every holiday season from Oct-Dec for generations. So far, it looks like I was right in that respect.

I'm not all that surprised Pocahontas, Hunchback, Hercules and Mulan didn't age all that well. Of the bunch, I thought Mulan might have more legs than it did. While the movies were all well-reviewed box office successes, they were not beloved by audiences. You could sense that audiences were tiring of the Disney-as-Broadway formula at the time.

 

[lebeau]

I also need to disagree with the idea that all of the movies in the GMR were "old" at the time of the ride's debut. I have said this before, but Raiders of the Lost Ark and Alien were both relatively "new" films, especially compared to the others in the ride and newer than some of the movies people propose for a possible refurb. Not that I agree with certain movies people say, but a movie from the '90s or early 2000s is just as old or older than either of those movies were at the time.

I don't necessarily disagree. But I think Raiders and Alien still manage to represent the "modern era". Replacing an older film with one from the 21st century would throw off the ride's balance. If you wanted to update a scene with something new, you should probably replace Alien or Raiders.

But what are your candidates for modern movies?

Pirates of the Caribbean? Disney owns it which is a plus. But it's already based on a theme park attraction.
The Dark Knight? I feel like super hero movies are an under-represented genre in the ride. But I doubt Six Flags would let Disney use Batman for cheap and I doubt Disney wants to pay for the privilege of promoting a rival super hero
Avengers? Can't use Marvel
Guardians of the Galaxy? Not sure if they can be used. Might as well use Star Wars. How well will that hold up in 10 years? 20?
Star Wars? In theory, we're getting a whole Star Wars land in the same park. No need to shove it in here.
Lord of the Rings? Would probably cost a fortune. Tolkien specifically forbade Disney from ever touching his novels. I imagine his estate could be bought off, but it would cost a pretty penny. More likely Universal scoops up the rights than Disney.
Anything else? It's hard to tell which "modern" movies will be considered timeless. Disney rolled the dice on Alien and Raiders and they got lucky. Those movies have held up. But how many movies from the last ten-twenty years are likely to hold up as well? Then you have to pick an iconic scene that can be used for a crowd-pleasing display. You don't just want to have a couple of characters sitting or standing around reciting dialogue ala the Casablanca scene.

You want something dynamic. And something Disney can get the rights to for cheap. Something that will stand the test of time and not be redundant. And something that fits the Disney brand reasonably well (ie no Pulp Fiction unfortunately). Good luck finding something that meets those criteria!

 

[misterID]

I don't necessarily disagree. But I think Raiders and Alien still manage to represent the "modern era". Replacing an older film with one from the 21st century would throw off the ride's balance. If you wanted to update a scene with something new, you should probably replace Alien or Raiders.

But what are your candidates for modern movies?

Pirates of the Caribbean? Disney owns it which is a plus. But it's already based on a theme park attraction.
The Dark Knight? I feel like super hero movies are an under-represented genre in the ride. But I doubt Six Flags would let Disney use Batman for cheap and I doubt Disney wants to pay for the privilege of promoting a rival super hero
Avengers? Can't use Marvel
Guardians of the Galaxy? Not sure if they can be used. Might as well use Star Wars. How well will that hold up in 10 years? 20?
Star Wars? In theory, we're getting a whole Star Wars land in the same park. No need to shove it in here.
Lord of the Rings? Would probably cost a fortune. Tolkien specifically forbade Disney from ever touching his novels. I imagine his estate could be bought off, but it would cost a pretty penny. More likely Universal scoops up the rights than Disney.
Anything else? It's hard to tell which "modern" movies will be considered timeless. Disney rolled the dice on Alien and Raiders and they got lucky. Those movies have held up. But how many movies from the last ten-twenty years are likely to hold up as well? Then you have to pick an iconic scene that can be used for a crowd-pleasing display. You don't just want to have a couple of characters sitting or standing around reciting dialogue ala the Casablanca scene.

You want something dynamic. And something Disney can get the rights to for cheap. Something that will stand the test of time and not be redundant. And something that fits the Disney brand reasonably well (ie no Pulp Fiction unfortunately). Good luck finding something that meets those criteria!

They should build an exciting climax like Kong 360, or even like their old Mummy section, or F&F at UNI Hollywood. They have to get rid of the ride hosts. Maybe they could get the rights for Godzilla... Avatar, Pirates, Star Wars, an entire Pixar section... They have the IPs.

I still say put Steve Martin as the "host" and place all his films in-between the classics. Three Amigos in the Western scene... I mean come on, that would be awesome.

 

[yoda_5729]

I don't necessarily disagree. But I think Raiders and Alien still manage to represent the "modern era". Replacing an older film with one from the 21st century would throw off the ride's balance. If you wanted to update a scene with something new, you should probably replace Alien or Raiders.

But what are your candidates for modern movies?

Pirates of the Caribbean? Disney owns it which is a plus. But it's already based on a theme park attraction.
The Dark Knight? I feel like super hero movies are an under-represented genre in the ride. But I doubt Six Flags would let Disney use Batman for cheap and I doubt Disney wants to pay for the privilege of promoting a rival super hero
Avengers? Can't use Marvel
Guardians of the Galaxy? Not sure if they can be used. Might as well use Star Wars. How well will that hold up in 10 years? 20?
Star Wars? In theory, we're getting a whole Star Wars land in the same park. No need to shove it in here.
Lord of the Rings? Would probably cost a fortune. Tolkien specifically forbade Disney from ever touching his novels. I imagine his estate could be bought off, but it would cost a pretty penny. More likely Universal scoops up the rights than Disney.
Anything else? It's hard to tell which "modern" movies will be considered timeless. Disney rolled the dice on Alien and Raiders and they got lucky. Those movies have held up. But how many movies from the last ten-twenty years are likely to hold up as well? Then you have to pick an iconic scene that can be used for a crowd-pleasing display. You don't just want to have a couple of characters sitting or standing around reciting dialogue ala the Casablanca scene.

You want something dynamic. And something Disney can get the rights to for cheap. Something that will stand the test of time and not be redundant. And something that fits the Disney brand reasonably well (ie no Pulp Fiction unfortunately). Good luck finding something that meets those criteria!

I could actually name more movies that could meet the definition for great, but ultimately it is subjective. I completely understand what you mean though by it needing to have a dynamic, or at the very least iconic scene. Some Like it Hot and Godfather have issues with that. It could be argued Public Enemy doesn't even involve the most famous scene from that movie. I know it is incredibly vague on message boards the rights to the film, and difficult to deal with it's rights, as it has already been heavily hampered in Hollywood Studios, but one of the best examples of animated movies, actually might be Who Framed Roger Rabbit. If you added that, that might be the one movie that would garner the biggest difference, as there are tons of Disney fans who love that movie, at least one character is selling merchandise hand over fist, it'd have limitless possibilities for action, and was in it's own right a historic movie, involving some of the biggest characters in history. You could avoid some of them though and focus on Roger, Jessica, Baby Herman, and Judge Doom. It would also give back some of the original feel of then Studios, since Roger was supposed to be a mascot for the studios, as much of echo lake involved him, and even bits and pieces still do. If you tore out Tarzan (In all truth I don't hate it, but of the rooms it probably is the lead contender, it and Fantasia.) and put in Who Framed Roger Rabbit,I think that, plus upgrades on the AA and the movie screen, would help. Also, I think now that Disney distributes much of Dreamworks, tensions may have faded between Disney and Spielberg. In all truth they must own some rights of some kind for all the merchandise, and the ride in Disneyland.

 

[lebeau]

I could actually name more movies that could meet the definition for great, but ultimately it is subjective. I completely understand what you mean though by it needing to have a dynamic, or at the very least iconic scene. Some Like it Hot and Godfather have issues with that. It could be argued Public Enemy doesn't even involve the most famous scene from that movie. I know it is incredibly vague on message boards the rights to the film, and difficult to deal with it's rights, as it has already been heavily hampered in Hollywood Studios, but one of the best examples of animated movies, actually might be Who Framed Roger Rabbit. If you added that, that might be the one movie that would garner the biggest difference, as there are tons of Disney fans who love that movie, at least one character is selling merchandise hand over fist, it'd have limitless possibilities for action, and was in it's own right a historic movie, involving some of the biggest characters in history. You could avoid some of them though and focus on Roger, Jessica, Baby Herman, and Judge Doom. It would also give back some of the original feel of then Studios, since Roger was supposed to be a mascot for the studios, as much of echo lake involved him, and even bits and pieces still do. If you tore out Tarzan (In all truth I don't hate it, but of the rooms it probably is the lead contender, it and Fantasia.) and put in Who Framed Roger Rabbit,I think that, plus upgrades on the AA and the movie screen, would help. Also, I think now that Disney distributes much of Dreamworks, tensions may have faded between Disney and Spielberg. In all truth they must own some rights of some kind for all the merchandise, and the ride in Disneyland.

Obviously the rights are an issue. But also, WFRR is practically forgotten. In a time when live action and animation are blended in just about every movie, it feels extremely dated. I would like a RR ride, but I wouldn't want it in GMR. It has really left a stamp on cinema history like Alien or Raiders did.

 

[yoda_5729]

Obviously the rights are an issue. But also, WFRR is practically forgotten. In a time when live action and animation are blended in just about every movie, it feels extremely dated. I would like a RR ride, but I wouldn't want it in GMR. It has really left a stamp on cinema history like Alien or Raiders did.

That's debatable, and by no means fact.

 

[Launchpad McQuack]

I don't necessarily disagree. But I think Raiders and Alien still manage to represent the "modern era". Replacing an older film with one from the 21st century would throw off the ride's balance. If you wanted to update a scene with something new, you should probably replace Alien or Raiders.

But what are your candidates for modern movies?

Pirates of the Caribbean? Disney owns it which is a plus. But it's already based on a theme park attraction.
The Dark Knight? I feel like super hero movies are an under-represented genre in the ride. But I doubt Six Flags would let Disney use Batman for cheap and I doubt Disney wants to pay for the privilege of promoting a rival super hero
Avengers? Can't use Marvel
Guardians of the Galaxy? Not sure if they can be used. Might as well use Star Wars. How well will that hold up in 10 years? 20?
Star Wars? In theory, we're getting a whole Star Wars land in the same park. No need to shove it in here.
Lord of the Rings? Would probably cost a fortune. Tolkien specifically forbade Disney from ever touching his novels. I imagine his estate could be bought off, but it would cost a pretty penny. More likely Universal scoops up the rights than Disney.
Anything else? It's hard to tell which "modern" movies will be considered timeless. Disney rolled the dice on Alien and Raiders and they got lucky. Those movies have held up. But how many movies from the last ten-twenty years are likely to hold up as well? Then you have to pick an iconic scene that can be used for a crowd-pleasing display. You don't just want to have a couple of characters sitting or standing around reciting dialogue ala the Casablanca scene.

You want something dynamic. And something Disney can get the rights to for cheap. Something that will stand the test of time and not be redundant. And something that fits the Disney brand reasonably well (ie no Pulp Fiction unfortunately). Good luck finding something that meets those criteria!

I am in no way against Alien or Raiders being there, as I think both are classic/great movies. I just point out that they hadn't aged like the other films in the ride before being included. Both films worked out great, though. However, if there was a refurb, and either or both films stayed, I would hope for an update. I feel like they should have the tech to do a better action-based scene for Indiana Jones scene.

I'm honestly not sure which movies would be good additions/replacements for the ride. As commonly stated, Lord of the Rings would be the best option, but there is the BIG issue of rights. Also, if you get the rights to LOTR, it would be much better as it's own attraction/land.

For the horror scene, maybe something like Night of the Living Dead? Honestly, anything is better than the representation horror gets in there now.

Other than that, there are two movies from the 80s that I think could both offer fantastic scenes, but would never make it in there... The Goonies and The Princess Bride. I know those are both stretching it, and I would never expect either, but if this was my own personal GMR, those would be in there.