Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway confirmed

[ParksAndPixels]

Not going to win any likes with this take, but just speaking purely for myself, The Great Movie Ride didn't age well for me. First rode it in 1989 when the park opened, and over the years, it sort of turned into the Jungle Cruise, where the ride was elevated or hampered by the talent of the chap serving as your on-board performer. If they are going through the motions and not having fun, it saps the energy out of the whole affair, and more often than not, it felt like the host got the assignment as a punishment. Also, after a couple of decades, the show scenes had become stale, and sorely needed major updates to stay relevant. What was the most recent film included? Alien from 1979 and Raiders of the Lost Ark from 1981? Last time I rode it, it felt like a creaking museum piece. Again...for me.

I liked the ride (it did need updates), but I’m a movie guy! Classic movies are my thang... lol that said, I’ve had my share of boring CM on the ride over last few years (unlike most experiences I’ve had at JC). Not to mention the new narration killed a lot of energy as well. So as much I would have liked to seen an update and addition to DHS, I’m looking forward to the change. If anyone sees one of these vehicles on eBay let me know though! I wanna reverse engineer it! Haha

 

[PB Watermelon]

I'm as big a movie fan as they come...which might be part of the problem. I know rights issues, to say nothing of family audience sensibilities, likely prevented certain films from appearing on the ride. We weren't going to get a nod to Hitchcock's films for both reasons. But I wouldn't have minded to see certain sections swapped out for some iconic American films that could play to general audiences:

(okay, just kidding on the last one...beautiful shot, though)

 

[Surferboy567]

When does Disney plan on mentioning this attraction again...I'm hoping soon we are really starved for info.

 

[MisterPenguin]

When does Disney plan on mentioning this attraction again...I'm hoping soon we are really starved for info.

If Disney isn't talking about the attraction right now, then most certainly they're not talking about when they're going to talk about it!

 

[marni1971]

Out with the old, in with the new. I loved the GMR, and I will miss it. But I am excited for a new ride. We have to change with the times. Old stuff goes out, new stuff comes in...just like people.

We could have had both. That’s the rub.

 

[ZodIsGr8]

I try and stay on top of these forums but sometimes dates start running together. Has there been any timeline for the opening of MMRR? Sorry if it was already mentioned in this thread and thanks.

 

[iowamomof4]

I try and stay on top of these forums but sometimes dates start running together. Has there been any timeline for the opening of MMRR? Sorry if it was already mentioned in this thread and thanks.

Just sometime before the end of August (when Galaxy's Edge opens).

 

[MisterPenguin]

I try and stay on top of these forums but sometimes dates start running together. Has there been any timeline for the opening of MMRR? Sorry if it was already mentioned in this thread and thanks.

Late Summer, early Fall. Was definitely going to open before SWL. But with the SWL opening earlier, there's a question of that. Although, the date of Aug 29 might have been chosen precisely because they new they could get MMRR and the Skyliner open by then.

So... likely shortly before SWL.

 

[AugieMorosco]

I try and stay on top of these forums but sometimes dates start running together. Has there been any timeline for the opening of MMRR? Sorry if it was already mentioned in this thread and thanks.

From what I've seen, estimates are all over the place. Some saying well before SWGE (my hope, since I am going end of July), some saying right before SWGE, some saying well down the road after SWGE has been open awhile. I believe the only word from Disney thus far has been "Fall". I'd love to hear if some insider has anything on it!

 

[MisterPenguin]

From what I've seen, estimates are all over the place. Some saying well before SWGE (my hope, since I am going end of July), some saying right before SWGE, some saying well down the road after SWGE has been open awhile. I believe the only word from Disney thus far has been "Fall". I'd love to hear if some insider has anything on it!

Our Insider has said possibly Late Summer and before SWL is the goal.

 

[Tayoboy]

Our Insider has said possibly Late Summer and before SWL is the goal.

I feel like the first week of august would be a good time.

 

[Ismael Flores]

so are they just going to open this with little notice and promotion?

 

[NateD1226]

What if Disney does the unthinkable and opens it on August 29th!!!

 

[Scrooged]

What if Disney does the unthinkable and opens it on August 29th!!!

I think that Bob Iger would would physically implode. Or maybe not. If he did though, he may implode/explode cash.....

 

[Kman101]

There is always these invisible fans that come out of the woodwork when attractions are going away. Evidently Guest surveys were not very high for this ride so Disney got rid of it. Some say it was due to years of neglect but with the direction DHS is going it makes less and less sense to have kept it open just for some nostalgic reasons.

You know, an upgrade or two could have made all the difference ... and there are other politics and decisions at play sometimes that go into an attraction being replaced. The reality is they didn't want to invest in updating the ride. They could have and also put MMRR elsewhere. But that's neither here nor there now. It is what it is at this point. I LOVED the GMR. But despite this going in it's place, I'm not going to hate the ride because of it. It looks like it could be promising, and fun, and I don't hate the cartoon style. So I'm looking forward to it.

Some of us look at things differently. I'm sad the ride is gone and they wouldn't fix it or update it. The other reality is, this park in particular would benefit from more attractions. Replacements shouldn't have been on the table. This should have been a new build and they should have ponied up the money to update the attraction. But again, just my opinion. And I'm sure when you have an attachment to a ride and it goes away in the future you'll know how some of us feel. I know it's annoying to hear people talk about "old rides" but they left an impression on us, and mattered.

 

[EPCOTCenterLover]

My bet is that the construction time table was also a factor besides cost. Overall, neglecting the parks for so long has now created problems such as high crowds for SWL:GE in a park with few attractions and tired shows. Was no one paying attention all along?

 

[eliza61nyc]

We could have had both. That’s the rub.

Naw, I don't think so marni, this is one ride that I do think in order to make it anywhere near enjoyable would have been extremely costly and I agree with the poster who said the cast members were corny and literally painful to watch. It was time to put a knife in it and call it done.

Every thing has a "worth" factor, should you keep sinking money into an old car or get new? is it worth the money it would take to update the great movie ride?

I thought the ride was old and lame, lol I only rode it to get out of the hot August sun. I hated the cast members who played the gangsters with a passion, they were ungodly bad, probably would have been more entertaining if they actually got burnt to a crisp. I don't know if M&M could have been placed some where else but TGMR was beyond saving. lol, the best line in our car was at the end when another guest said "Well that's 6 minutes of my life I can't get back" and 50 other people agreed.

 

[yensidtlaw1969]

"Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world."
“Disneyland is not a museum.”

Which more closely means "The park isn't set in stone, we can make changes to keep it getting better and better" instead of "Quick, close things people like or they'll think we're boring!"

Walt Disney lamented the way a movie is "done" once the film is in the reel - you don't get to keep playing with it after it's been released, even if you have a new, better idea. Whereas Disneyland was "like a lump of clay" that could be resculpted as many times as was interesting. Then Walt bought massive amounts of land in Florida to offer "the blessing of size" to the projects being built for Walt Disney World that wasn't afforded to Disneyland and limited his ability to grow and improve the park.

The Great Movie Ride could have used an update - which would constitute reworking the lump of clay that is the park. But what's more - The Great Movie Ride could have THRIVED with an update. It's not like the ride was a bad idea that couldn't have its execution improved on, but in its almost 30 years they never gave it that attention. Most major attractions don't go that long without at least some plussing. That's part of how you keep things fresh, or from feeling like a "museum". But even museums know that it's better to keep exhibits people like and make sure to brush the cobwebs off them than it is to replace them simply for the sake of change. Spruce up the things that need it and then outright replace the things that no longer have potential - The Great Movie Ride still had plenty of potential.

 

[TJJohn12]

...The Great Movie Ride still had plenty of potential.

I think you’re right - the idea of a ride through great movies had potential. I think the chief problem was the ride system and the impact it had on the pacing of the storytelling. There was a mismatch between pairing such large ride vehicles that moved at a glacial pace with static scenes depicting minuscule moments from cinema, a highly motile medium.

For an experience like UoE, where the show scenes are novel and ask the audience to deeply investigate details, the pace of the moving auditorium vehicles makes perfect sense. But for consuming a wax figure of Edward G. Robinson knocking on a door? You don’t need the 15-20 seconds that scene took to pass in order to consume and enjoy it. GMR was a glorified wax museum where the audience was given no agency; in a real wax museum you are given the choice to pay deep attention to scenes you want to explore, and walk away from those that don’t catch your fancy.

So GMR likely could have been a great ride for a modern era, but the ride system itself - some of the most expensive infrastructure investment in this case - would have had to been rethought. Faster, smaller ride vehicles would have opened so many more options for a modern audience. It would allow for an increase in pacing and frequency of story beats to hold audience attention. But GMR was also really missing a storyline... much like a tradition wax museum is too.

 

[eliza61nyc]

Which more closely means "The park isn't set in stone, we can make changes to keep it getting better and better" instead of "Quick, close things people like or they'll think we're boring!"

Walt Disney lamented the way a movie is "done" once the film is in the reel - you don't get to keep playing with it after it's been released, even if you have a new, better idea. Whereas Disneyland was "like a lump of clay" that could be resculpted as many times as was interesting. Then Walt bought massive amounts of land in Florida to offer "the blessing of size" to the projects being built for Walt Disney World that wasn't afforded to Disneyland and limited his ability to grow and improve the park.

The Great Movie Ride could have used an update - which would constitute reworking the lump of clay that is the park. But what's more - The Great Movie Ride could have THRIVED with an update. It's not like the ride was a bad idea that couldn't have its execution improved on, but in its almost 30 years they never gave it that attention. Most major attractions don't go that long without at least some plussing. That's part of how you keep things fresh, or from feeling like a "museum". But even museums know that it's better to keep exhibits people like and make sure to brush the cobwebs off them than it is to replace them simply for the sake of change. Spruce up the things that need it and then outright replace the things that no longer have potential - The Great Movie Ride still had plenty of potential.

lol Every thing has a lot of "potential". Not sure about your museums part, museums close exhibits all the time. all the time. outside of the classics (Mona lisa, Monet etc etc) how would you get return visitors. even at museums people return because there are new exhibits to see.

I 1000% agree with the bolded but unfortunately there is not going back and correcting that. heck, the entire premise of most of the parks downfall is that they were not maintained properly.. So the question comes back around, you have this out of date, boring, stale ride (very subjective I know, but I think pretty accurate for a large portion of guest) that is going to be expensive to update, what do you do.

how could they have updated the ride? from what I heard many of the owners of the scenes where asking huge amounts of money to use their clips (wizard of oz), heck the guy who own "ricks cafe" sued Warner bros for money he feels he was due from Casablanca. So that pretty much leaves Disney with using their own stuff. lol, can you image the heck that would have broken out if the updated the ride with just Disney material??