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Experience a recording of the most coveted awards ceremony of the year: The Golden Mickey’s right here at Disney's MGM Studios! Have a fancy meal while witnessing the award ceremony of the century. This attraction doubles as a show and restaurant, making for a truly magical experience.
To create this special attraction, Disney will be removing the Great Movie Ride, much to the dismay of fans, but they quickly realized that expansions since 2001 had made the old ride irrelevant. Instead, the large chunk of space could be used for an all-new land in the Studios!
The Golden Mickeys will be Phase I of a larger expansion. More details on this land are to follow after the show's opening.
With all of the changes to Disney's MGM Studios up until 2001, the one constant that remained was the Chinese Theater and the Great Movie Ride. An integral part of the park as both a binding narrative and its physical placement in the park since inception, this began to fade in the years of expansion up to 2001 and the years that followed. Closing the attraction was no small decision, but doing so allowed a good bit of its footprint and surrounding buildings to create a new land expansion for the park. By keeping the iconic façade and replacing the interior with a restaurant themed to the movies and the movie-making experience, a balance and theme for the park could be maintained while also enhancing guest offerings.
Opened in the summer of 2019, The Golden Mickeys Award Show & Dining Experience sought to keep the spirit of the attraction that it replaced and bring a new immersive dining experience in line with the original studio theme of the park. Set to an awards night gala, The Golden Mickeys will be taking place inside, and those guests lucky enough to snag an invite or a nomination will be there for a great meal, and to be a part of the show.
This is not an ordinary award show though, as you'll all be extras in the filming of the extravaganza. From the red carpet to the delectable desserts, guests will not only get the full gala experience but be a part of a live movie set running throughout the day that has staged the even for a new big budget film. All of it will make for a meal and experience they'll never forget.
From the outside, not much will have changed to the façade itself. Gone will be the attraction signage, replaced with an equally Hollywoodesque premier sign for the restaurant. In keeping with the theme, a vintage limo will be parked out front with a few lucky patrons throughout the day being chosen to film pulling up to and walking into the theater.
The current entrance to the attraction will be maintained for the restaurant entrance itself. Upon entering, guests will notice that all of the memorabilia has been moved along with all of the queue Stanton and replaced with a free-flowing walkway complete with red carpet, award show backdrops, a cheering crowd, and background audio of all the "who are you wearing" questions you could want.
After checking in with directors for your reservation, guests will have ample opportunity to mingle down the red carpet and take photos with a few rotating wax celebrities on loan from Madame Tussaud's. Utilizing some of the transitioned cast from the Great Movie Ride, you'll also encounter a camera crew or two looking to interview you for the broadcast.
Once your red carpet duties are complete, you'll have made your way further inside the theater and away from all the hubbub of your arrival. Here you can gather yourself and have some time to freshen up or peruse some of the relocated items from the old attraction. Once your table is ready, a cast director/host/hostess will greet you giving you a few pointers on the awards show, the opportunities that might come up to possibly be a part of the filming if you so desire and take you into the grand ballroom.
Inside, you'll notice nothing but pure Hollywood elegance. All variety of tiered seating arranged throughout the room to accommodate numerous size parties and spread before the stage with not a bad view in the place. Beautiful rich tones are used for the set décor around you. Tables and linens all neatly pressed and awaiting their guests. Adorning either side of the stage are large statuesque Golden Mickeys, replicas of the awards being handed out. A large video screen center stage provides and various monitors around the room provide ample viewing to catch the dailies that run every 40-45 minutes in between filming and the show.
Even though you are working on set and celebs are never supposed to eat, a fine menu awaits you once you've gathered yourself at your table.
On with the Show
While enjoying your delectable meal, guests will enjoy an incredible show that celebrates the glitz and glamour of Hollywood (well, the Disney side of it at least). There are four different versions of the show. 2 different host characters and each host character has 2 different sets of award categories. Each show is roughly a half hour long with a half hour in between shows meaning that most diners will only see one performance while dining. For the sake of brevity, this write-up will only focus on one specific host with one set of award categories.
The host for this evening is Danielle Spink (Daughter of
former Citizen of Hollywood character, Danni Spink,and granddaughter to one of the Dapper Dans. Entertainment runs in her blood). Danielle has a very goofy sense of humor. She would almost feel out of place in the glitz and glamour of Hollywood if she didn't carry herself with such confidence.
She opens the show with a short musical number about the Golden Mickey's awards. It is full of in-jokes about the film industries, Disney movies, pop culture of the last year, and more. This song is updated twice a year to feel fresh but is one of the few constants across all four versions of the show with every version starting with the same song.
This is followed up by the first award category! Best Pratfall by an Animated Actor or Actress (A personal favorite of Danielle's). The video seen below plays on the big screen.
Danielle comes back on stage to reveal that the Golden Mickey goes to Goofy for Hawaiin Holiday! Goofy (a character costume with an articulated mouth) comes up to give an acceptance speech. He is sure to thank his little Maxy and That Sir Fig Newton guy for discovering gravity which helps a lot with falling. Goofy then leaves the stage and loud crashing is heard implying he fell again the second he was out of view.
Other categories include: Best use of Cartoon Physics, Best Villainous Laugh, Best Slapstick by a Non-Animated Actor or Actress, Best Acting by a Stormtrooper (In helmets of course), Most Handsome Disney Prince (this category was written and rigged by Flynn Rider. He was all the nominations and brags about rigging it. He still loses to Kuzco who is not even a "prince"), Best Acting by an Animated Princess, Best Singing in a Non-Musical Film, and Best Disney Movie of 20XX (the current year).
On top of these awards (Each with a small introduction to the topic by Danielle and an acceptance speech by the winner), there are joke segments between Danielle with different audience members similar to the ones from Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor. She retells the story of two different films during the show: one is Inside Out and the other is Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Random audience members are chosen to fill the different roles. When it is time for their character to do something, the camera will shine on them and they'll be seen on the big screen. Danielle will then prompt then person the person to do something to represent the character (Make an upset face if you're picked as "Grumpy" or make a happy face for "Joy"). Hilarity ensues as you get people of various excitement/commitment levels playing along to a fast paced, high energy retelling of the classic Disney movies! Each person who was picked will receive a button saying who they played (After the first year of operation, the buttons are replaced by stickers). Guests can also purchase their own personalized Golden Mickeys saying they are winners of Best Supporting Actor/Actress for their role as whatever character they played.
Similar to the Laugh Floor, one Diner is chosen as "That Guy" who becomes a running gag of the camera going back to him at various times to be a bit of the butt of the joke. At the end of the show, the final award category is best supporting actor/actress. Whoever was "That Guy" wins beating out Pumba, Mike Wazowski, and more. They then get the Golden Mickey statue for free (After the first year, the free statue is replaced by a free button).
NOTE: These audience gags may seem slightly derivative of Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor, but that is ok. A little known fact about the SAU is that Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor Never Existed. Jar Jar Binks Tonight, a parody of late night talk shows hosted by Jar Jar Binks, has been "delighting" guests instead all this time.
A Sampling from the Menu
Lawrence of Arabia Kebabs
- 1/16 Cup of Vegetable Oil
- 1/12 Cup of Honey
- 1/12 Cup of Soy Sauce
- 1/16 Teaspoon of Ground Black Pepper
- 2-3 Skinless, Boneless Chicken Breast Halves- cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 Cloves Garlic
- 2 Small Onions, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 Red Bell Pepper, cut into 2-inch pieces
- Skewers
Additional updates to the Disney MGM Studios from 2001 - Present Day
2002-2003
-No changes due to completion of 2001 expansions, beyond refurbishments.
-In 2003, a new sub-land for Sunset Boulevard, Streets of Symphony, is announced to be built behind the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.
2004
-The Streets of Symphony open, celebrating the emergence of radio in America, featuring a rollercoaster called Sound!, exploring the history of radio with an emphasis on Orson Welles' War of the Worlds radio play; and the Sunset Showcase Theatre hosting
Newsies.
2005
-The Muppet Mobile Lab debuts in Muppet City.
2006
-The Magic of the Movies Parade debuts, based on classic Disney shorts.
2007
-Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple debuts in Star Wars Land.
-Animagic fireworks end, replaced with the Hooray For Hollywood fireworks.
2008
-The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow, reimagined as a stunt show, replaces Cinderella in the Lillian Bounds Theatre.
-The Great Movie Ride undergoes a mass refurbishment, containing new scenes.
2009
-Toy Story Playland is announced to open in 2010 to tie in with
Toy Story 3. The land is built in the area behind the Warehouse of Wonder, featuring Midway Mania (in a new spot), the Slinky spinner, RC Racer, and the Green Army Men Parachutes.
-A new version of Fantasmic - Fantasmic: Ocean Dreams - debuts, inspired by Tokyo DisneySea's version.
2010
-Toy Story Playland debuts.
-Star Tour: The Adventure Continues replaces the original Star Tours.
-Parade of Smiles debuts, a toy-themed daytime parade recycling old floats from the 1999 Toy Story parade.
2011
-
Newsies closes, fans riot! It is replaced by the playful Winnie the Pooh and Friends show, set in 1926, and wins back some fans with its charm.
2012
-Animation Courtyard and Toontown are refurbished.
-Muppet*Vision closes, replaced with The Muppet Show Spectacular, an elaborate animatronic show.
2013
-Goofy For Hollywood ends, replaced by Max's Powerline Hour.
-Wishes and Wonders fireworks debuts.
2014
-Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow closes, replaced by Frozen: An Enchanted Musical.
2015
-Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge and mass changes to Toy Story Playland are announced. SW:GE will not be a copy of Disneyland's version, but instead set on an original ice planet with the Podracers coasters reimagined as a mountain expedition into Wampa territory. Toy Story Playland will lose most of its attractions, though MM remains, gaining the Slinky coaster, A.S.S., and a Pizza Planet restaurant.
2016
-Toy Story Playland construction begins.
-
Newsies returns!
-Disney's Flights of Fancy Parade debuts, based on flight/aircraft.
2017
-Star Wars Land closes to undergo its transformation into Galaxy's Edge.
-TGMR is to close in 2018, replaced by the brand new Golden Mickeys Restaurant.
2018
-Toy Story Playland re-opens with new attractions.
-A brand new version of the Hooray For Hollywood fireworks show debuts.
2019
-Galaxy's Edge opens.
-The Golden Mickey Restaurant opens.
Oh, and M.J. also recorded the Sorcerer’s Apprentice Season 5 theme song (“Thriller”) just for us! With a vocal cameo from Vincent Prince, the voice of Ratigan! What serendipity!
