TCM teams up with Disney to refresh Great Movie Ride

[marni1971]

Okay, right! So how is it broken?

It doesn't turn. And has no water.

 

[Mike S]

It doesn't turn. And has no water.

When exactly did it break? Because I'm having a hard time remembering if I ever saw the full effect.

 

[Victor Kelly]

As a videographer and photographer I think the new finale is very well done, new, fresh and has a bit of nostalgia not only for the older movies, but it includes many clips that have been in the finale for decades. I come away from viewing it, wanting to see those movies featured.

 

[marni1971]

When exactly did it break? Because I'm having a hard time remembering if I ever saw the full effect.

A long time ago. It was an effect that never worked as intended. Unfortunatly the figures are just manaquins as opposed to AAs so having them sat static looks a bit poor. Hence the camouflage added over the years.

 

[Rob562]

Can someone tell me where that lovely sweeping music is from near the end, when there are two people lying on the beach and a wave crashes over them? I'm really glad they left that in but I want to listen to it's entirety but I'm not sure what film it's from. Bit bummed that they shortened it though.

I believe that would be Tara's Theme from Gone with the Wind you're thinking of...

Hopefully now the animatronics will get an upgrade. Maybe they can even fix the Footlight Parade - I don't get why the lights go off right as the cars go passed? Is that to hide the fact that they've gone mouldy or something from the lack of water?

If you're referring to what I think your'e referring to, it's just the loop of lighting cues that the scene runs through. It starts out with no lights, then the scrim projections, then the lights up behind the scrim, then back to no lights.

-Rob

 

[Mike S]

A long time ago. It was an effect that never worked as intended. Unfortunatly the figures are just manaquins as opposed to AAs so having them sat static looks a bit poor. Hence the camouflage added over the years.

Never worked as intended huh? Hopefully, like ol' Hatty at Disneyland, this is something that can be done today with some kind of new method. Of course the way isn't enough, they also need the will.

 

[Darth Sidious]

Notice, he said "Welcome to Disney's Hollywood Studios" at the beginning of the montage film. Either Disney plans NOT to rename it or this is a temporary fix until something more permanent replaces it. I'd go with the first one because Disney is too cheap to spend money to redo this after they just spent money to redo this.

Disney confirmed they are renaming it, I'm sure if they know what that name is already they had Robert record a version stating the new name. If not they can just rerecord that part when the time comes.

Still probably a few years away from being renamed anyway.

 

[MagicHappens1971]

Notice, he said "Welcome to Disney's Hollywood Studios" at the beginning of the montage film. Either Disney plans NOT to rename it or this is a temporary fix until something more permanent replaces it. I'd go with the first one because Disney is too cheap to spend money to redo this after they just spent money to redo this.

I noticed that too.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

There have been investigations into removing the GMR interior and repurposing the building. Hopefully like Time Racers they'll come to their senses and it will never happen.

I heard one pitch involving a Chinese Theater premier of GotG2 and the Rat ride system. Something about being sucked into the movie.

Is this creative fanboi wishful thinking, or have you heard something similar?

 

[Disneyhead'71]

Footlight Parade was a Busby Berkley movie. Represented in the ride by the now static dancing girls circular stage. First scene of the ride.

In 1989 each level rotated opposite to the one below and several dozen water jets shot outwards as water cascaded from level to level.

Bubbles, scrims and lighting now tries to hide the fact it looks rather boring static.

No bubbles as of last Tues. Just swirling light spots like a bad disco ball.

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

It seems somewhat ridiculous that the Footlight Parade scene doesn't work as intended, or that it had such trouble even when new. A rotating display with a fountain and bubble machine does not sound difficult to get working whatsoever, particularly so given that the showgirls were never even animatronics but just static mannequins. Seems like in concept it should be one of the simpler and least problematic scenes in the ride to have function consistently...

Even Carousel of Progress manages rotating sets on the sides of the main show scenes, and those sets have real animatronics as well. Just some basic turntables can't be that hard to manage unless they REALLY messed the construction process up.

 

[Disney Analyst]

Anyone have footage of the old scene working?

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

Anyone have footage of the old scene working?

That was a video from its apparent grand opening in 1989. I also found a video from the ride in 1990 and the scene was already broken in it, so apparently this was a scene that literally only a very few amount of guests ever even saw at all. I doubt even I saw the scene fully functional during my early 90's visits.

 

[wdrive]

Funny to think that some of those Footlight Parade mannequins have just been facing a blank wall for decades.

 

[Admiral01]

Great job, Steve, at reporting it!

I just watched the video... I approve!

That's what this ride needed!

Now they got to give UoE the same treatment...

Did Great Movie Ride even close for this update? Or was it all done overnight?

This shows how seemingly straight forward a UoE update would be.

 

[Progress.City]

Question: Are the new films digital?

 

[Admiral01]

Overnight. It helped that it was able to be worked on during SWW, so things could happen inside beginning around 8 last weekend.

Got it. Good work for them getting this done without a closure.

 

[FigmentJedi]

A long time ago. It was an effect that never worked as intended. Unfortunatly the figures are just manaquins as opposed to AAs so having them sat static looks a bit poor. Hence the camouflage added over the years.

You'd think they'd at least update the slides on the scrim with some projection mapping thing.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Disney confirmed they are renaming it, I'm sure if they know what that name is already they had Robert record a version stating the new name. If not they can just rerecord that part when the time comes.

Still probably a few years away from being renamed anyway.

Disney has confirmed a boatload of things that they never actually did. Business as usual pretty much since before WDW even opened up. Those folks change their minds more often then most people change underwear.

 

[marni1971]

I heard one pitch involving a Chinese Theater premier of GotG2 and the Rat ride system. Something about being sucked into the movie.

Is this creative fanboi wishful thinking, or have you heard something similar?

Something similar. Screens and LPS.

What's worrying - apart from a single IP as the parks headliner, and an IP that may be forgotten in years to come - is it would not use the entire building.

Of course there's no reason this and the GMR couldn't both exist. If they wanted to build a new show building.