Retro mgm studios!!!!

[EPCOT Explorer]

Anyone else love that John Ritter is the host of that grand opening video?

Yep!

He was a great actor!

 

[Wilt Dasney]

Anybody care to give us all (or me, at least) a history lesson, and explain why the much-touted working studio aspect of the park faded away over time?

How seriously was filming in the park taken inside the company (as opposed to in PR statements) in 1989? How successful were they at attracting projects over time? And at what point was it basically decided to abandon the working studio idea?

 

[DisneyPrincess5]

Thanks for the old school map!
Very cool to look at!

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

Anybody care to give us all (or me, at least) a history lesson, and explain why the much-touted working studio aspect of the park faded away over time?

How seriously was filming in the park taken inside the company (as opposed to in PR statements) in 1989? How successful were they at attracting projects over time? And at what point was it basically decided to abandon the working studio idea?

I'm guessing because they didn't push it as hard as they did when the park opened? Honestly, I have no idea.

 

[MyNameisStitch]

go to 6:00 in the video. look how uncluttered it looked

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dJJJaW-1Ug

OMG OMG OMG!! THANK YOU FOR POSTING THAT LINK!! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!!!

I've been looking for the Disney-MGM Studios Grand Opening Special for YEARS! WHOO HOO!!!

:sohappy::sohappy::sohappy::sohappy::sohappy: :lol:

OK, might have gotten a little excited. I just remember watching this video as a kid over and over. Studios was the park I wanted to visit most when I went my first time in 1995 and I always dreamed of working there. That dream came true Spring 2006

 

[Rob562]

Anybody care to give us all (or me, at least) a history lesson, and explain why the much-touted working studio aspect of the park faded away over time?

How seriously was filming in the park taken inside the company (as opposed to in PR statements) in 1989? How successful were they at attracting projects over time? And at what point was it basically decided to abandon the working studio idea?

The working studios part of the Florida park were state-of-the-art when they opened.
One of the major reasons why the studios portion failed was because they had great difficulty in luring production companies to relocate to Florida, when everything they were used to was already up and running in California (and to a lesser extent New York City).

Disney had *some* pull in shows they owned, like the Mickey Mouse Club, but for the most part, not that many productions (and their actors) wanted to abandon Hollywood. (Central Florida isn't exactly known for its' "see and be seen" celebrity social scene)

Even today, almost all feature films and TV shows that aren't filmed on-location are filmed in either the LA area or New York.
Here in Massachusetts we have the new Plymouth Rock Studios that should be breaking ground soon. It, too, claims that it will be a state-of-the-art working studio that can rival any Hollywood studio. A part of me is a little worried that it will face the same fate as the working-studio portion of Disney-MGM...
But at least financially the state is giving tax breaks to entice films to shoot in Massachusetts (at least for now). Plus, Boston is a much bigger urban area to lure actors into than Central Florida was. That may help bring new productions into the state and the new studio, but it may not. Time will tell.

-Rob

 

[Wilt Dasney]

Thanks for the insight, Rob. I assumed location was the major problem. It seems pretty clear in hindsight that just opening a new park and expecting Hollywood to flood in was a little myopic.

Maybe having two studios parks opening in the area around the same time convinced Disney that Orlando-as-movie mecca could be more than a pipe dream?

 

[007mickey]

Wait a minute, you mean Mickey's sorcerer hat hasn't always been there - gasp!

I know it's sad, but I really had forgotten what it looked like without the thing, please tell me again they are going to remove it. Love the video.

 

[mcjaco]

Not exactly; Superstar Television and Monster Sound Show were planned for day one. Indy was in extended testing; if I recall it was running properly later in the summer. Star Tours was under construction being a late addition. Magic of Disney Animation was also open as the Cronkite and Williams tour.

As said above, the actual tour was the best part of 2 hours.

We showed up about five to six months after opening. The stunt show was up and running by then, but most of your visit was the backlot tour. It really was awesome back then, Catastrophe Canyon was just a tiny portion of the tour. You got to walk around, check out the MMC set, etc. And Robin Williams and Walter "Croncat" was a great way to get the Animation tour started.

I remember thinking the place wasn't done yet and that it had been rushed to open early. That was the impression my 12-year old self had for the park. (Though the thought of the "new Hollywood" being so close to where I lived was very exciting.

Maybe Martin or Lee can correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe MGM was a bit rushed because of the opening of USF. A lot of the Imagineers from Disney left to work on that project.

Anybody care to give us all (or me, at least) a history lesson, and explain why the much-touted working studio aspect of the park faded away over time?

Rob's post covers most of this quite well, but even when the park opened and as a kid, I thought that there was no way the studio part was going to work. It just didn't make sense to have actors coming out from LA to film in Orlando.

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

The working studios part of the Florida park were state-of-the-art when they opened.
One of the major reasons why the studios portion failed was because they had great difficulty in luring production companies to relocate to Florida, when everything they were used to was already up and running in California (and to a lesser extent New York City).

Disney had *some* pull in shows they owned, like the Mickey Mouse Club, but for the most part, not that many productions (and their actors) wanted to abandon Hollywood. (Central Florida isn't exactly known for its' "see and be seen" celebrity social scene)

Even today, almost all feature films and TV shows that aren't filmed on-location are filmed in either the LA area or New York.
Here in Massachusetts we have the new Plymouth Rock Studios that should be breaking ground soon. It, too, claims that it will be a state-of-the-art working studio that can rival any Hollywood studio. A part of me is a little worried that it will face the same fate as the working-studio portion of Disney-MGM...
But at least financially the state is giving tax breaks to entice films to shoot in Massachusetts (at least for now). Plus, Boston is a much bigger urban area to lure actors into than Central Florida was. That may help bring new productions into the state and the new studio, but it may not. Time will tell.

-Rob

Interesting info...I didnt think of those reasons.:lol:


*plans to do research on MGM in addition to EPCOT now*:lookaroun

 

[Rob562]

One follow-up point to this discussion....

I wonder how things would have played out if Disney had purchased ABC 5 years earlier than they did. They could have force-moved some of their shows to the Florida studios... By the time they purchased ABC (1996 or so?), they'd already had 7 years of very few productions in Florida.

-Rob

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

One follow-up point to this discussion....

I wonder how things would have played out if Disney had purchased ABC 5 years earlier than they did. They could have force-moved some of their shows to the Florida studios... By the time they purchased ABC (1996 or so?), they'd already had 7 years of very few productions in Florida.

-Rob

I'm sure it's a factor...ABC could have used the stages more.