MGM...not what it used to be!

[BwanaBob]

After visiting this last Sunday, I had to come to a very horrible decision...

I'm not going to spend time at that park if the constant erroding of basics continues!

Is it just me?

If you look at where the park is now vs. 10 years ago, too much has disappeared.

And the last thing they need is another show...let alone a stunt show that takes up 1/4 the park!

Maybe it's just me, but 2 E-ticket attractions?

I know! Maybe if we close the animation studios...Nah! Already did that.

MGM is soon becoming a acronym for WDW...

Missing
Gross
Margin!

 

[MrNonacho]

As sad as I am to see the studio close, I don't think it will have all that much of an effect on the average guest. Are they even closing the tour? Even if they did, I doubt that most guests would miss it.

As for the stunt show, give me that over crummy facades of old TV shows any day.

MGM needs some help, but I think the MGM of today is a better park than the MGM of 10 years ago. Heck, it didn't even have ToT 10 years ago (but that's being picky).

 

[JBSLJames]

Maybe all MGM needs is some movie themed rides/coasters...oh no, here it goes again.

 

[NashvilleMouse]

Originally posted by JBSLJames
Maybe all MGM needs is some movie themed rides/coasters...oh no, here it goes again.

I am with you on this one and always will be... more rides more rides more rides! For someone like me (who goes once every 1.5 years) I like to see a little variety. New things (and shows) influence my decision on when I book a trip.

MGM is great but, like AK, I just don't see it as a full day anymore. The only thing that keeps me there until night is Fantasmic, which I end up waiting an hour in line and 30 minutes in my chair waiting for it to start. :brick:

I liked the tours. What will happen to those buildings now?

 

[Jon_in_NC]

I've been to MGM twice in the past two years (with number 3 coming up Feb. 5-8) so I can't comment on its past glory. However, this past October I made my first trip to Universal Studios Orlando and Islands of Adventure. I have to say, I was very impressed with Universal Studios. As a strictly movie themed studio, I have to say that Universal wins over Disney-MGM. When you compare the list of attractions/shows between the two, Universal is ahead of the game. They added two great attractions last year with Jimmy Neutron and Shrek 4D. In my opinion Shrek 4D is the technically best, most entertaining 3D (or 4D) attraction in existence. Not to mention my favorite pre-show of all-time! Add to this Terminator 2: 3-D, Back to the Future, Men in Black: Alien Attack, Jaws, Twister, E.T., Earthquake, the Wild West stunt show, and the forthcoming Mummy coaster, and you have a park with thrill rides, dark rides, and shows. Without the recent additions of Rock n Rollercoaster and Tower of Terror at MGM, the Disney park would be even more behind than it is now I think. MGM is an entertaing park and has some attractions and shows I love, but I think they do need to do a little more to catch back up to Universal.

 

[KevinPage]

I for one think Universal as one of my least favorite parks in the country. Aside from ET (which is pretty good) and JAWS (which is very good, but short) nothing else there appeals to me at all.

Back to the Future is possibly one of the worst rides I've ever experienced along with Twister.

Universal fails miserably at making you feel detached from the real world. Every preshow it seems, has the actors talking about how they make the movie, showing clips of it. That totally KILLS any suspension of disbelief for me going in.

MGM, while far from being the perfect park, gives you that magical feeling of being away from it all, like all Disney parks. Yeah they need more rides and such, but to me it is light years ahead of Universal.

The sum of a park is always greater than it's individual parts, but with Tower of Terror, RnRC & Fantasmic by itself is better than anything Universal can offer.

The Mummy coaster can go either way, be amazing or a dud. It will probably fall somewhere in between, but who knows. Let's just hope they open it before July and my season pass expires

 

[Snapper Bean]

To me the people who oversee MGM have made several bad decisions. Let me preface this with the comment that I go every several years so I AM looking for new attractions. Were I making the decisions:

1. I would have kept the more interesting Hunchback show and booted the uninventive Beauty and the Beast show.

2. Never got rid of Superstar TV. Rather I would have kept updating the clips with newer shows. Heck, you could still have limited them to ABC shows if necessary.

3. Maybe its just me, assuming that you can sort out the rights issues with Lucasfilm, but wouldn't you think that you'd be able to re-task Star Tours for a new mission pretty easy. (On another subject, I would have thought they would have tried that with Body Wars, too)

4. Back to the drawing board on Drew Carey's sound show. That is a horrible concept....much worse than the prior offering with Chevy Chase and Martin Short.

5. As dumb as this sounds, MGM needs another non-thrill dark ride. Something like E.T at Universal or Spiderman at IOA.

6. Tram tour/Studio Tour. This thing used to be like a one and half hour full tour, now its like a 20 minute thing. If a tram tour isn't a viable idea then it kill it completely rather than make a 3 minute Pearl Harbor clip plus a single jaunt out to Catastrophe Canyon. That's alot of wasted space back there in the boneyard. I am pleased that it appears the Tram Tour will be incorporated in the stunt show somehow but I will reserve judgment until that is final.



MGM has 2 of the best themed thrill rides in the world and the Great Move Ride is a first class dark ride, but the rest of the park is pretty uninteresting.

 

[KevinPage]

Snapper,

Good points all around. I'm all for non thrill dark rides at every park. I like a mix and variety of everything when I go places.

I think that Lucas has control over what film they put on the ride and if they do plan on updating the ride once the prequels are finished, it wouldn't make sense for them to replace something as a stop-gag, just for a few years. Also, I'd rather them scrap Star Tours completely for an al new TYPE of ride. I HOPE & THINK that the age of those crappy simulators is done for. The Star Wars license is too good to be wasted on such nonsense.

Can you imagine what it would be like to have an Indy jeep ride & Star Wars new type ride (with AA) in the same park right near each other?

I wish they scrapped the whole Superstar TV/ Sound Dangerous whatever nonsense all together and just put in a nice ride there. Stick in a Monsters Inc. dark ride, even if it's only Fantasyland Pooh technology, it would be a big hit

 

[Empress Room]

Some observations...

MGM has lost its focus, for sure, but it still has potential. When conceived, MGM was supposed to be a "working" or "near working" movie production studio that guests could tour and experience. The rides and other attractions were secondary.

But over the years, MGM has extiguished that notion as follows:

1. No more Superstar Television, Monster Sound Stage, tram tour, backstage tour or (now)working animation tour.

2. Most of these attractions have either a) not been replaced at all or b) in the case of the tram tour, backstage tour and Monster Sound, replaced with a poor version of the original or c) replaced with "temporary" attractions (sets from the Haunted Mansion movie etc.)

Why? The attractions that were replaced or eliminated were very labor-intensive, human-dependent. Both Superstar and Monster, as well as the backstage/tram tours depended upon cameramen, technicians, emcees and other guides or hosts. That's a lot of payroll that Disney decided not to invest in.

MGM needs to reexamine itself and decide what it wants to be: a themed "working" studio which will allow guests to experience the making of movies or just another themed amusement park with some coasters and rides. It's a beautiful place which could be amazing once again.

 

[Little Mermaid]

MGM is my favorite of the WDW parks. ToT and RnRC are two amazing rides, and ToT is probably the best themed ride on the property. The GMR got me hooked on classic films...I started out trying to see every film in the ride, and now my collection is huge. Voyage of the Little Mermaid is a great stage show (obviously, I'm a fan ). On the other side, I loved the Hunchback show which is now gone. Star Tours is still always a must-ride, but it could use an update desperately. And I enjoyed the Backlot Tour...I loved the houses from the sitcoms I remembered watching as a child (Golden Girls, Empty Nest...).

MGM could probably use another ride or two, but the park is still a great place as it is. Definitely better than it was 10 years ago.

 

[figmentmom]

I like MGM, don't get me wrong, but it's never the first park I visit when I go to WDW. Actually, it's the last - because there isn't enough "new" stuff from year to year to warrant a breathless dash over there as soon as we get our suitcases unpacked. I find that MGM does have that Disney charm, and I enjoy it - just not as much as the other parks.

 

[WDWhumanmap]

i have to say the animation tour will be missed everyone goes to it i always see a packed house and besides its a wonderful way imho (future animator in the making) to spend an hour espically if your waiting for your fastpass time to start and its air conditioned in the heat its a great way to cool off and you learned some intresting facts of the trade it will be missed. but i have to disagree that place is full of rides i think that place needs another show like superstar television now those were the days of fun times.:sohappy:
but i have to say somethings are more or less boring and have to agree i can't make a whole day either but i have to for Fantasmic! which is the best thing there. i guess that is the reason why mgm pulled out and now its just the disney studios but oh course on will never know and i think we can all guess why....:snore:

 

[mandib]

Originally posted by NashvilleMouse
MGM is great but, like AK, I just don't see it as a full day anymore. The only thing that keeps me there until night is Fantasmic, which I end up waiting an hour in line and 30 minutes in my chair waiting for it to start. :brick:

Yup I totally agree! I come ride the RnRc and ToT. Maybe a show or 2 of millionaire walk around and leave. How many times can you sit through the same Indiana Jones show? I never make it to Fantasmic. We'll just come back 1 night to see it. Now that I think about it I don't think we've gone our last 2 trips. I really used to like that park but everytime I go the less I like it. Oh well...

 

[sniggle74]

It's funny how this topic just came up. I was recently discussing the exact same thing just the other day. Remember when I auditioned for the MMC (when the park just opened), I tend to remember a lot more aura and intrigue about the movies and television. Yes, there was the backlot tour (which was extremely longer than it is today), a REAL residental street (where is that now?), and just a feel that there were great things to come in this park.

Granted, there are things that have haulted that progress. Considering that there was going to be a "Maroon Cartoon" area featuring their star attaction Roger Rabbit. That didn't end up happening because of a little tiff with Speilberg and Company.
In that area we were to see more of the toon's side of the story. There was to be a wooden coaster and a few other surprises. Unfortunately, it never happened. The sad thing is - you saw the potential of this "land" happening. The building that now houses the HISTK playland was the Acme vault and you can still see some of the Acme boxes. There was also a Dip-mobile that sprayed onlookers (I have a pic with me underneath it a la Doom).

Then, there was a little movie called "________ Tracy" (one of my FAVS!!!) that was to inspire a whole gangster type area complete with a dark ride similar to Buzz (interactive shooter - very much ahead of it's time). The company considered the star-studded film a flob and only had a stage show (which didn't last long), thus ending the idea of having that "land" created.

Another franchise that had a small holding at the studio was the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Now, me being a HUGH fan (go Raph!) I have no idea what happened there. I remember seeing the Turtle van and some poorly created walking characters, but that's about it. I can only imagine what COULD have happened if they had stayed.

Now, don't get me wrong, I LOVE the newer area of the park. ToT and RnRC are great....but if this is the DISNEY/MGM Studio - where is the aspect of studio? The animation department is gone (bows head in rememberance), there is hardly anything being produced there, and the shows that do explain TV or the movies are greatly out of date.

There is a question that keeps raging through my mind - when will the studio lose the MGM portion of it? I mean, what holding does it have there any longer? Wouldn't it make more sense to be the Disney/Miramax Studios or the Disney/Touchstone Studios or even better The Disney Studios?

I'll get off my soap box for now (although, I do enjoy the view)

 

[tinkerelle]

My family was just there over the week of New Year's. My 8-yr old son said that he NEVER wanted to come back to the Studios simply because there weren't enough rides. He enjoyed Star Tours and the GMR, but the RnRc and ToT scare him. The shows were a little boring for him. The park definitely needs a few more ride-type attractions. Especially ones that are not too intense. My 4 yr-old daughter was a little afraid of the GMR.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Originally posted by Snapper Bean
3. Maybe its just me, assuming that you can sort out the rights issues with Lucasfilm, but wouldn't you think that you'd be able to re-task Star Tours for a new mission pretty easy. (On another subject, I would have thought they would have tried that with Body Wars, too)

While i agree with you, i thought that there was some sort of falling out between Lucas and Eisner.

 

[JBSLJames]

Originally posted by sniggle74
It's funny how this topic just came up. I was recently discussing the exact same thing just the other day. Remember when I auditioned for the MMC (when the park just opened), I tend to remember a lot more aura and intrigue about the movies and television. Yes, there was the backlot tour (which was extremely longer than it is today), a REAL residental street (where is that now?), and just a feel that there were great things to come in this park.

Granted, there are things that have haulted that progress. Considering that there was going to be a "Maroon Cartoon" area featuring their star attaction Roger Rabbit. That didn't end up happening because of a little tiff with Speilberg and Company.
In that area we were to see more of the toon's side of the story. There was to be a wooden coaster and a few other surprises. Unfortunately, it never happened. The sad thing is - you saw the potential of this "land" happening. The building that now houses the HISTK playland was the Acme vault and you can still see some of the Acme boxes. There was also a Dip-mobile that sprayed onlookers (I have a pic with me underneath it a la Doom).

Then, there was a little movie called "________ Tracy" (one of my FAVS!!!) that was to inspire a whole gangster type area complete with a dark ride similar to Buzz (interactive shooter - very much ahead of it's time). The company considered the star-studded film a flob and only had a stage show (which didn't last long), thus ending the idea of having that "land" created.

Another franchise that had a small holding at the studio was the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Now, me being a HUGH fan (go Raph!) I have no idea what happened there. I remember seeing the Turtle van and some poorly created walking characters, but that's about it. I can only imagine what COULD have happened if they had stayed.

Now, don't get me wrong, I LOVE the newer area of the park. ToT and RnRC are great....but if this is the DISNEY/MGM Studio - where is the aspect of studio? The animation department is gone (bows head in rememberance), there is hardly anything being produced there, and the shows that do explain TV or the movies are greatly out of date.

There is a question that keeps raging through my mind - when will the studio lose the MGM portion of it? I mean, what holding does it have there any longer? Wouldn't it make more sense to be the Disney/Miramax Studios or the Disney/Touchstone Studios or even better The Disney Studios?

I'll get off my soap box for now (although, I do enjoy the view)

How about Disney/New Line Studios. They could create some rides based on LOTR...Imagine, if you will, THE PATHS OF THE DEAD, The RIDE OF ROHAN, The SHIRE (for the kids), SHELOB's LAIR, the possibilities are endless?

 

[CTXRover]

I really like MGM, but I agree that its center focus has been lost in recent years. MGM started off as being a "real" working studio with a theme park around it, but recently it is obvious that the idea of it being an actual working studio is really just a show and that notion is starting to come across as being "fake".

However, its not entirely Disney's fault. Disney (along with Universal up the road) realized that those working in Hollywood were not keen to shooting things in Florida and the dream of making Orlando the "new" Hollywood slowly fizzled away. Now with the closure of the animation studio, MGM is strictly a theme park with a theme centered around showbizness. That isn't such a bad idea, but as most of the experiences and tours that were once centered around the making of movies and showing actual movie-making techniques in "real-time" have vanished, MGM hasn't been quite quick enough to replace them. The tram tour has become a joke even before the removal of residential street and as a result, it is becoming more and more apparent that the stuff you tour through isn't "real" anymore and is just part of the show, which takes away a lot of the meaning. The only thing left with the tram tour that is any good is Catastrophe Canyon. With residential street gone, I really think they should nix the whole tram tour. Maybe they could find a way to still ride through the canyon, but driving around empty parking lots, a backlot parking garage, a costume building used mostly for CM costumes and going around vacant soundstages and buildings is really pointless and bringing up how the soundstages were ONCE used is getting old. I know Disney Studios Paris has a Studio tour, but most find it lame for the same reasons that ours is now a little lame, the parks are not actual "studios".

I think MGM has a lot going for it and the shift from a working studio to a showbiz themed theme park is already progressing nicely. TOT is probably one of the best Disney rides ever, RnRC is a huge hit with guests, Star Tours is still fun (yea, a new video would be nice, but I still like this one and would be too worried that changing it could mean something less entertaining), Muppets is still one of the best 3D shows out there, Fantasmic is incredibly entertaining and a must-see for me on each trip and the new stunt show being added is, from what I heard, incredibly entertaining. A little update to GMR (keep the overall idea, just update some of the scenes to something past Indiana Jones ad Alien) and a tweaking or total replacement to the tram tour, a conversion of our animation tour to something similar to DCA's (afterall, the animation studio is now open for something to be put in there that guests can enjoy) and add one more E-ticket ride and MGM would be back on the top again.

 

[sniggle74]

Originally posted by JBSLJames
How about Disney/New Line Studios. They could create some rides based on LOTR...Imagine, if you will, THE PATHS OF THE DEAD, The RIDE OF ROHAN, The SHIRE (for the kids), SHELOB's LAIR, the possibilities are endless?

Ideas are great - However, I believe Universal already has the "ride-rights" (so to speak) for the LOTR. Just like Disney has the "ride-rights" for Harry Potter *gets giddy* :sohappy:

 

[TestTrack]

I am frustrated with the addition of rock n' roller coaster. I mean...fun ride...but what does it have to do with MOVIE making!? I mean tower of terror was at least themed to the twilight zone so it works....but RNR does not.