Studio Backlot Tour to close for a near two month refurbishment in early 2014

[Goofnut1980]

Yeah... it used to be a tour of a real backlot... now it's essentially an attraction showing you what backlot tours are like... sort of. But oh how wonderful it was when it WAS a backlot. Man I loved it.

I remember as a kid doing the backlot walking tour and you went over top inside the sound stages and could see what was going down below.. That was really cool. Then you did that monster of a backlot with the Golden Girls house... oh, those were the days!

 

[MichWolv]

Anybody want to put money on the possibility that the Backlot Tour will never reopen? It has absolutely no relevance anymore no matter how much paint they put on things. It's toast. It's done. If you get the chance to ride it before closure, do it. Just like 20K that went down for refab, never to return again. Sorry to be negative like this, but I've seen it before and this has all the markings of a wake.

Could happen, but I don't think so...not yet. It eats a lot of people, for a lot of time. And that park needs people eaters.

And if they just get rid of the "backlot" part of the name, and call it what it is...a short course in movie magic...then it wouldn't be misnamed. Water effects, then props in the warehouse, then props in the boneyard, a view into a costuming department and a set construction space, roll through two big outdoor sets (LMA and Cat Canyon), big outdoor disaster effects, and then to view props from award winners in the AFI showcase. It's stale in parts, but it's a good little window into a movie-making, and works thematically for the park.

My guess is that it comes back, with a little sprucing up (but not much), so that it can continue to eat people for another 3-4 years until the space is needed for construction. I wouldn't be shocked if it stayed closed, but while the WoL and 20K closures always seemed to be more or less permanent from the beginning, this one doesn't strike me as such.

 

[ExtinctJenn]

I remember as a kid doing the backlot walking tour and you went over top inside the sound stages and could see what was going down below.. That was really cool. Then you did that monster of a backlot with the Golden Girls house... oh, those were the days!

Exactly! I have pictures I took (while up on those catwalks) of them doing a taping of a show on Disney Channel at the time (it was a classroom scene but that's all I remember). And Residential Street was just so dang cool. Looking back at the trips I took before the actual studio shutdown, I took more photos on the backlot than anywhere else in the park.

 

[Bairstow]

Lights Motors Action is still drawing pretty big crowds, isn't it?
I wonder how long they plan on keeping that show around.

 

[ExtinctJenn]

Lights Motors Action is still drawing pretty big crowds, isn't it?
I wonder how long they plan on keeping that show around.

I've wondered that for awhile now as it was brought in as something that SOUNDED temporary (part of that year's theme/celebration) but with the amount of work they did and money they spent to get it there, I can definitely see why, especially given the crowds it sees, it stuck around.

 

[ABQ]

I've wondered that for awhile now as it was brought in as something that SOUNDED temporary (part of that year's theme/celebration) but with the amount of work they did and money they spent to get it there, I can definitely see why, especially given the crowds it sees, it stuck around.

Does is still draw though? I saw it the first year it was around. Maybe I'm becoming an old geezer but once was enough. I love the action, love cars and motorcycles et al, but as much as I light the sound of an engine, that show was too loud for me to enjoy again. Part of my problem with the studios on the whole is how they seem to believe everything must be cranked to 11. i.e. any show they torture me with on that ugly stage in front of the BAH. Before that is was the two loud mouthed annoying faux radio hosts of the old parade they used to run. Better positioned PA systems can enable enjoyment for all without hearing loss levels of decibels.

 

[Bairstow]

I've wondered that for awhile now as it was brought in as something that SOUNDED temporary (part of that year's theme/celebration) but with the amount of work they did and money they spent to get it there, I can definitely see why, especially given the crowds it sees, it stuck around.

It does take up a positively gargantuan amount of real estate, though, even before you factor in the car rehearsal lot behind Pixar Place.
Other than the safari at Animal Kingdom, I can't think of another attraction that eats up so much land.

 

[doctornick]

It does take up a positively gargantuan amount of real estate, though, even before you factor in the car rehearsal lot behind Pixar Place.
Other than the safari at Animal Kingdom, I can't think of another attraction that eats up so much land.

And it only runs twice a day. So, while it services a lot of people each show, I can't imagine that the total daily numbers are all that imprssive, especially compared to the amount of real estate it takes up.

Also, I think that the costs for running it are pretty high, not only for the vehicles but also paying the CMs in the show. I thought there was talk about how the insurance premiums are extremely high for the staff.

I don't doubt that TDO is eager to replace LMA, the issue is that the location emans that it will likely need to be done together with replacing the Backlot Tour, which means you need a large project given the space. You also need to take into account having enough attraction capacity in the park ratehr than closing too much stuff. I thinkthe end result is LMA/Backlot staying open until at least part of Star Wars opens (or unless they open up attractions in otherwise unused space, which is limited, but possible (Soundstage 1 at least)).

 

[doctornick]

And if they just get rid of the "backlot" part of the name, and call it what it is...a short course in movie magic...then it wouldn't be misnamed. Water effects, then props in the warehouse, then props in the boneyard, a view into a costuming department and a set construction space, roll through two big outdoor sets (LMA and Cat Canyon), big outdoor disaster effects, and then to view props from award winners in the AFI showcase. It's stale in parts, but it's a good little window into a movie-making, and works thematically for the park.

That's actually not a bad thought. A different presentation for the attraction would make it fit better and seem less forced.

 

[Bairstow]

And it only runs twice a day. So, while it services a lot of people each show, I can't imagine that the total daily numbers are all that imprssive, especially compared to the amount of real estate it takes up.

Also, I think that the costs for running it are pretty high, not only for the vehicles but also paying the CMs in the show. I thought there was talk about how the insurance premiums are extremely high for the staff.

I don't doubt that TDO is eager to replace LMA, the issue is that the location emans that it will likely need to be done together with replacing the Backlot Tour, which means you need a large project given the space. You also need to take into account having enough attraction capacity in the park ratehr than closing too much stuff. I thinkthe end result is LMA/Backlot staying open until at least part of Star Wars opens (or unless they open up attractions in otherwise unused space, which is limited, but possible (Soundstage 1 at least)).

If they had broken ground for Carsland last year like they should have this wouldn't be an issue.
Once it was completed they could immediately start work on the east side of the park for the supposed Star Wars installation.

 

[ToTBellHop]

If they had broken ground for Carsland last year like they should have this wouldn't be an issue.
Once it was completed they could immediately start work on the east side of the park for the supposed Star Wars installation.

But, the choice was:

A. Carsland
B. Food trucks

They went with B.

 

[WDWVolFan]

Does anyone have pictures of the old Residential Street?
I went there the first time in 94 and don't remember much...I'd love to see the pictures and if people remember which "famous" houses or buildings were back there.

 

[doctornick]

If they had broken ground for Carsland last year like they should have this wouldn't be an issue.
Once it was completed they could immediately start work on the east side of the park for the supposed Star Wars installation.

Oh, I absolutely agree. There should have been construction in DHS being started by summer 2012. The fact that it is fall 2013 and there still is not construction walls up is absolutely shameful.

 

[ExtinctJenn]

Does is still draw though? I saw it the first year it was around.

Last time we did it we were in the nose bleeds and it was a "slow" day at DHS so I can only say yes based on personal experience.

It does take up a positively gargantuan amount of real estate, though, even before you factor in the car rehearsal lot behind Pixar Place.
Other than the safari at Animal Kingdom, I can't think of another attraction that eats up so much land.

Exactly yeah so taking it out would give them a lot of room to play with but the sheer cost of putting it in would almost seem to make that hard to justify too. Curious to see where it stands in 10 more years.

Does anyone have pictures of the old Residential Street?
I went there the first time in 94 and don't remember much...I'd love to see the pictures and if people remember which "famous" houses or buildings were back there.

http://extinctdisney.com/DHS/backlot.htm
Click the link at the bottom for a huge gallery!

 

[ToTBellHop]

Exactly yeah so taking it out would give them a lot of room to play with but the sheer cost of putting it in would almost seem to make that hard to justify too. Curious to see where it stands in 10 more years.

Imagine all of the themed toilets and Dyson Airblades they could fit in that space. Maybe even a Cars-themed DVC wing.

 

[ExtinctJenn]

Imagine all of the themed toilets and Dyson Airblades they could fit in that space. Maybe even a Cars-themed DVC wing.

I did that laugh where you end up with a sore throat from the sheer force behind the single "BAH!" that comes out. Thanks for that.

 

[Magenta Panther]

Man, I missed all the cool stuff about Backlot Tour. I wonder if TDO is just spiffing it up, or is it adding something new?

 

[ExtinctJenn]

Man, I missed all the cool stuff about Backlot Tour. I wonder if TDO is just spiffing it up, or is it adding something new?

Well... my theory is the tour itself is getting a pressure wash and the prop house getting dusted but the 2 months is because they are pulling out/completely redoing the preshow. When I mentioned this to my husband just a moment ago he said his theory is I'm right and specifically the preshow is being redone into pirates (a franchise they can't seem to let go of or stop putting new things in from). He's got a good theory there. My reason for thinking it is because Pearl Harbor has grown stale. Pirates could work there and to his point, they do have the pirate props in the queue and it is a water effects tank... bring in a ship, have the "green screen" thing added in (i.e. the planes and bombs today) be the Kraken and the folks on the ship have to pretend to be scared of it... etc. I guess we shall see!

 

[WDWVolFan]

Last time we did it we were in the nose bleeds and it was a "slow" day at DHS so I can only say yes based on personal experience.

Exactly yeah so taking it out would give them a lot of room to play with but the sheer cost of putting it in would almost seem to make that hard to justify too. Curious to see where it stands in 10 more years.

http://extinctdisney.com/DHS/backlot.htm
Click the link at the bottom for a huge gallery!

Thanks! I wish I knew which house belonged to which show...that is so cool. I do remember the NY arch.

 

[ExtinctJenn]

Thanks! I wish I knew which house belonged to which show...that is so cool. I do remember the NY arch.

Some of them were used in multiple shows/films. If I remember right, if you click the link on that page that refers to Studio Central (near the end of the descriptive stuff before the gallery) they have a list of what each one was. It's been awhile since I visited their site though. I should probably edit the mouseover copyright information on the gallery to include what house is what... maybe that can be a project for a slow day in the future for me. HAH!