I went this week on the animation tour for the first time since the artists left. I can say it was very pathetic. You are left sort of suddenly to wander around or leave. The entire area where the artists worked is closed by blinds. It was such a waste. They should have a sign up informing people of the current situation. Most of the people in my group had not heard of the animators leaving and waited for a half hour to get in. They were very upset.
-
Welcome to the WDWMAGIC.COM Forums!
Please take a look around, and feel free to sign up and join the community.
MGM Animation Tour is very disappointing
- Thread starter civileng68
- Start date
Sir Hiss527
New Member
I also was very dissapointed when I did the tour, a while back. I knew that the animators weren't going to be there, but I still did it anyways..And a could have that done tour a long time ago, with all the animators still there. I regret the days.
CTXRover
Well-Known Member
They should have left it with the "old" tour videos than replace it with what they have now. I found it kind of disappointing back when the animators weren't even fired yet (nobody was working that day...but at least the tour guide could still say that is where the animators work). It seemed like the older tour with Walter Cronkite and Robin Williams did more to really get you to appreciate the art of animation and what it takes to bring an animated film together. Now the opening video is silly and provides little educational value, while what was the main focus of the new tour (the animators) are now gone....leaving nothing more than an area to draw Mickey. I don't think the loss of animators is what makes it as disappointing (its sad though)...I always loved the old tour and very rarely did I seem to take it when there were actually animators in there (just unlucky I guess). But now I find the new tour a waste,with or without animators.
I say take ALL that room with the closed studio and turn it into something like the animation building at DCA....that is very well done.
I say take ALL that room with the closed studio and turn it into something like the animation building at DCA....that is very well done.
bartman454
New Member
Well CTX i will agree with you that the loss of the original animation tour is a big loss ("Peter Pan First Blood") the one area i think they did improve on was the area where they can draw mickey along with other characters (mickey is the primary guy but they do others from time to time) A lot of kids have really liked it that they have been able to draw Mickey and the gang AND they get to keep the picture they made. The only problem i got from one of the artists in that area is that they are under kind of a time crunch and aren't really able to help kids out who are having trouble (myself included):hammer: Personally if I had been in charge of the tour I would have kept the Disney classics film in the beginning, the animation process explained during the tour with animators working, and keep the mickey thing last. But alas marty mcfly and doc brown arent here with their delorean...yet
Toy Trumpet
New Member
Old Tour Videos?
Does anyone out there have a copy of the old Robin/Walter film? I'd love to get a copy. I have a special place in my heart for the tour, and just wanted that piece of my history. Thanks!
Does anyone out there have a copy of the old Robin/Walter film? I'd love to get a copy. I have a special place in my heart for the tour, and just wanted that piece of my history. Thanks!
agdbeanie
New Member
Well, it's probably like it was before closing the department when you would go on a Sunday, except now the blinds are closed. They probably had to close the blinds b/c people have cleared their work areas. They should just make it "look" like people work there until they find an adequate replacement.
lol
LOL, yeah , funny idea, they should just offer people who are hot in the parks an opportunity to sit there for a little while and chill and get cool.....................only thing is, they have to act like they are drawing, and get a free drink for it.
LOL, yeah , funny idea, they should just offer people who are hot in the parks an opportunity to sit there for a little while and chill and get cool.....................only thing is, they have to act like they are drawing, and get a free drink for it.
Since1976
Well-Known Member
I visited MGM back when it first opened, and even then I thought that the Animation tour was lacking. From what I understand, it only got worse over the years, with the step-by-step look at the animation process being trimmed down to a quick walkthrough of the department.
hoppypooh
Member
The animation tour was one of the few disappointments of my WDW trip.
As a first-timer, I was really looking forward to a) some sort of history/retrospective of Disney animation and b) seeing real-live animators at work. While the film had a few comic moments, it was certainly not educational or uplifting (like One Man's Dream for example.) And while I loved Mulan as a movie, I wouldn't say Mushu is a highlight of Disney's animation.
Also, at the time, I wasn't aware of the studio's troubles (sorry I live under a rock!) and didn't know there were no animators there. The workspace was empty and dark - very depressing! The CM was also preoccupied and really bitter. I certainly understand the bad mood (apparently we were there just before the decision to close) but that doesn't excuse rudeness. He basically didn't take any questions because "people were losing their jobs!"
As a first-timer, I was really looking forward to a) some sort of history/retrospective of Disney animation and b) seeing real-live animators at work. While the film had a few comic moments, it was certainly not educational or uplifting (like One Man's Dream for example.) And while I loved Mulan as a movie, I wouldn't say Mushu is a highlight of Disney's animation.
Also, at the time, I wasn't aware of the studio's troubles (sorry I live under a rock!) and didn't know there were no animators there. The workspace was empty and dark - very depressing! The CM was also preoccupied and really bitter. I certainly understand the bad mood (apparently we were there just before the decision to close) but that doesn't excuse rudeness. He basically didn't take any questions because "people were losing their jobs!"
imagineersrock
New Member
just a question: Are there actual animators working at DCA, or is there no actual working animation department like there once was here in Orlando where you could watch them work?
what I'm saying is, is the attraction at DCA just an attraction where you learn about the animation process [and it's well done] without walking through any actual "working" animation studio? If this is the case, by all means- bring it to the studios pronto!
KevinPage
Well-Known Member
No, there are no animators window/studio to look into. Nor are there any Cast Members that tell you anything about animation. From what I remember,you enter the building where there are giant screens of movie clips playing continously. Then it's like a self guided walkthrough playground or fun zone more than anything as opposed to learning anything about the animation process
The first room has these gyroscope things you turn and make the characters move. Kinda hard to describe, but neat. Then there was another room whre you put your voice to a clip of a different animated movie and it plays it back.
There was other stuff too, but I forget.
It sounds unimpressive in the way I describe it, but the way it is presented it very impressive, with lush carpet, dim lighting and bright colors, great sounds, etc. Hopefuly someone will have a video clip of it and can post it.
ILOVEDISNEY
Active Member
Went on the tour last September. It was awesome. Got to hear a real Disney animator talk about Brother Bear. The animation room was empty of people when we went thru, but got to see many of the props they use(d) for inspiration.
Adding on to KevinPage's description of the DCA Animation building, there is a show that talks about the animation process using video screens and clips of animators at work...and I think it starred Mushu. When I went a while back, they were also showing the One Man's Dream movie there. I agree, the animation Building at DCA is defenetly a must-see!
yodathefrog
Member
I remember back in the day...someone please tell me if this is wrong, but I remember seeing them draw certain scenes from Aladdin down in the animators workspace. I don't mean after the movie was made, but it would've been the time frame that they would have been working on it originally. In my childhood memories I can see one of the animators putting sheets of drawings into a machine, and this machine showing on a screen the drawings at film speed. I don't know if Aladdin was worked on at all by the Florida team, but for some reason I remember that and it always made me excited to go in there. This past week I was in the park, used the bathroom right next to it, and kept going....sad, very sad.