TCM teams up with Disney to refresh Great Movie Ride

DC0703

Well-Known Member
If all they are changing are the movies, would they need to shut down the ride at all? I'd imagine the last scene might need a minor shutdown just to make sure the film syncs up right, but other than that, I'd think this could be done fairly seamlessly.

I was wondering too if this would be going down for a refurb. The question is - are they just replacing the movies or are they changing up the queue to be more interactive (which seems to be a current trend with Disney rides). GMR's queue was always kind of boring, with the endless turnstyles and the movie trailers looping on the screen.

With all of the other rides going down in conjunction with whatever they are doing with the park, I would assume they would want to keep down time on this ride to a minimum. But it would be nice to see it get a little refreshing across the board, even if it's just a coat of paint here or there and a few fixed animatronics.
 

sshindel

The Epcot Manifesto
My favorite part of the article:

According to TCM executives, the agreement began with an administrative assistant, Amanda Tymeson, who returned from a visit to Disney World and suggested “that TCM and Disney would be great partners” in revamping the Great Movie Ride, Ms. Dorian said. Ms. Tymeson has since been promoted.

See, all our armchair imagineering can pay off. We just have to work for an exec at a company with enough influence to make something happen.
 

SJN1279

Well-Known Member
Is there anyway they can speed up those ride vehicles? The ride feels every bit of those 22 minutes, and not in a good way.
 

DC0703

Well-Known Member
They should get the Turner guy to narrate the ride, and get rid of the lame ride hosts that were a big thing in 90's.

To be honest, I'd be okay with this too. The actor/host thing is more of a throwback to the old studio concept of the park. I'd be okay with making this ride more like Spaceship Earth in terms of the narration.
 

tl77

Well-Known Member
TCM's Classic Cruise was on the Disney Magic this year as well, I'm glad to see this partnership between TCM and Disney there is such a similar sensibility between the tow I think this is long overdue, only wish I could get TCM in HD
 

TheGhostWithTheMost

Well-Known Member
The thing with getting motivated Cast Members is that the heavy speilers in GMR & Jungle Cruise are paid the same as those who work It's a Small World or Toy Story Midway Mania where all they have to do is usher people onto rides (I know there is more to all roles if there is an evac etc). Unless they pay these roles that involve "acting" at least a little more you'll struggle to get great motivation.
Bingo. Disney wants quality? Disney should pay for quality. Disney wants a $9 per/hr effort? Disney gets a $9 per/hr effort. There was a big controversy about if GMR host were "acting" when Disney switched over to equity. Now GMR host are told not to act. They are told to be flat. They are given discussions when they are acting too much or putting too much into it. So, once again, blame Disney.
 

rael ramone

Well-Known Member
Great sponsor, but I find the ride to be a complete snoozefest.

I like classic movies but, for me at least, the ones they've included are too obscure and the implementation is cheesy and cheap.

I'd love to see them, at the very least, add large screens in the background showing clips of the movies themselves and up the animatronic quality. Swapping out some of the more obscure scenes for something more relevant (doesn't mean current) is a necessity IMO. A

nd no, unless you were going Disney the whole way, I wouldn't add any Disney or Marvel to it (although Lone Ranger, Tron and Mary Poppins would make some great scenes!).

And, while I love the movie, the Alien scene has got to go or be changed to be not as scary for little ones. A cool battle scene between Ripley and the aliens from Aliens 2 (Aliens) would be a great replacement.

TDO's minions will read this post and focus on one word, and one word only..... Screens :eek: (to be fair UNI if they keep up what they are doing may need to rebrand USF 'Universal Screens Florida'.

The 'vault' on TCM makes that part a win (based on what I've seen on the 'Walt Disney Treasures' series, there's gold in that vault), but I have a concern about the 'park experience'. And that part is the 'preshow'.

Right now the preshow is the best preshow on property. Both for entertainment value, and especially for the fact that it acts as a 'preshow on a loop'. You don't have to wait outside the 'preshow room' for the next preshow. As you go through the line, once you approach the theatre, there's no fixed start to the show, you enjoy it as you proceed in the line. I'm afraid, in order to 'satisfy the sponsor', this aspect could die (and could create a much slower line). Have Robert Osborne introduce the finale. While some of the trailers could be swapped out, keep it a 'trailer preshow loop'!!!!

The ride itself (though it doesn't seem to be part of it since that costs $$$): Tarzan is definitely the weak link. And there's an important genre that isn't really represented in the ride portion: Comedy. (though to be fair - Singing in the Rain is a comedy - and a very good one - but it's musical aspects are what's put forward). A good comedy (that get's airplay on TCM): A Shot in the Dark (I'm thinking of Dreyfuss chewing on Clouseau's leg while he's trying to karate chop him off). The 'bomb delivery' in Dr Strangelove could be a good scene as well...

Finale: could definitely be refreshed. And while James Bond is a mandatory inclusion: it needs to be a EON Bond film (not that horrible never say never again). And it needs LESS, not more '$DIS owned IP'. Some of those Touchtone comedies have been forgotten, and rightly so...

As far as some rumors that the ride had a potential 'expiration date' in the minds of the sharp pencil boys:

My guess is some did in fact want it repurposed - for ambitious reasons (imagine having the 'new park icon' on your resume) as well as it's footprint. And/or it's 'fake' leaks meant to extinguish sources...
 

Marc Gil

Well-Known Member
If they can integrate screens or holograms with AA's, they should scrap Footlight Parade and replace it with the ballet scene from An American in Paris or the "Born in a Trunk" scene from A Star is Born.
 

Kman101

Well-Known Member
But this deal could change that. This could have just recently happened. Of course Disney would have plans on the shelf for this ride. Doesn't mean they implement them. They could also see if this works for them and TCM. I think we all know how fluid things are with Disney, and especially TDO. But re-doing the entire ride takes $$$ so why not stick with this for a while. I wouldn't be shocked to see something change but let's enjoy this and not worry about 2017.
 

GrumpyFan

Well-Known Member
But this deal could change that. This could have just recently happened. Of course Disney would have plans on the shelf for this ride. Doesn't mean they implement them. They could also see if this works for them and TCM. I think we all know how fluid things are with Disney, and especially TDO. But re-doing the entire ride takes $$$ so why not stick with this for a while. I wouldn't be shocked to see something change but let's enjoy this and not worry about 2017.

Agree. Even with things they've announced, they change or even cancel plans sometimes. Such as one of the most recent, Hyperion Wharf, which was scrapped and now Disney Springs.

However, the 2017 chopping block rumor makes me wonder if they have bigger plans. Pure speculation on my part, but it's entirely possible that TCM signed on for more than just 2 years, and maybe they're working with Disney on a bigger project to replace GMR. Considering all of the changes happening at DHS, I could see this as a very real possibility.
 
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RSoxNo1

Well-Known Member
I'm intrigued by the pre-show update because for the most part that film montage highlights movies that are included in the ride. What I'm most hopeful for though are upgrades to the video quality in both the pre-show and finale montage. The article made no mention of actual attraction upgrades, but I'd obviously love to see that as well.
 

RSoxNo1

Well-Known Member
Turner owns The Wizard Of Oz rights... with this partnership could they actually delete the minor Fantasia room and put in the missing Tornado sequence that was originally designed for the space?...That would help that little bit of narrative...
That would be cool. I would consider the Fantasia scene, Tarzan, and Footlight parade to be the weakest areas. Anything can go in Tarzan, but not a lot could go in the other two areas.
 

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