Birt Family Focus

Disney MGM Studios - Sounds Dangerous and Star Tours -- 03/17/03

Howdy Folks-

Since I missed last week's installment, and this week's is due tomorrow, I will do a double today and finish up the attractions around Echo Lake in MGM.

The first one you see after leaving Indiana Jones is Sounds Dangerous featuring Drew Carey. It is all about foley artists and how sound effects are made in the movies. Now I have to be honest here. This little movie featured here with Drew Carey as a bumbling undercover agent is cute, but having seen this program in it's original concept, I'm afraid it's not as good. Still, if you never saw the original, you will like this a bunch, and you won't hate it even if you did see the old show. A large portion of this is in pitch dark and littles are often scared, so consider carefully bringing in kids under about age 3. I have yet to see this show without a screaming child in the backround that eventually has to be taken out of the theatre. You have to wear a headset to experience this and early in the 12 minute film, Drew Carey's character breaks his hidden camera and you experience the sounds of what he is doing in the dark. It's interesting, but not a don't miss attraction, save it for later in the day or your second trip. The coolest part of this is the post-show in the Sound Works area, where you can add sound effects to a battle scene from Star Wars, or do voice overs of various characters in some Disney and MGM movie scenes. You can be Mickey as the Little Tailor, The Evil Queen selling apples to Snow White, or even Carol Lombard playing floozy to Clark Gable. There is another area where you sit in a sound booth and hear noises of lunch and a haircut as you are treated as a new executive at Disney Studios. That part is pretty fun, too. We spend a good 30 minutes or so playing here and you can enter without watching the Sounds Dangerous show if you like, so if you don't do anything else, play here a while. It's pretty neat.

The last area to explore around Echo Lake is the attraction based on the first Star Wars Movie- Star Tours! This is similar technology to the Body Wars attraction in Epcot, so those of weak stomach should think twice about riding. Presented by Energizer Batteries, you are seated in a Starspeeder flight to the Moon of Endor with a few detours along the way. The queue here is pretty neat. I reccomend you go the long way on this ride. You wind through an Ewok village and can even hear the little boogers chanting at night. An ATAT guards the entrance- very detailed and nifty looking. Inside you will see droids on the conveyer and other Starwarsish critters- the preshow and queue are entertaining enough to be their own attraction. The trip to Endor is piloted by a droid on his first flight and he makes a few mistakes, sending you and your fellow passengers straight into the middle of a battle between the Death Star and the Rebel forces. You survive, barely, and land bumpily back home. It's quite a rush and we love it. Don't go right after a meal, though, you get shaken about quite a bit and may lose that expensive meal! Oh yes- watch the Ewoks for a cute hidden mickey.

That's it for today AND wraps up the attractions to be seen at DisneyMGM Studios. Next week I will present a piece about the other entertainment here- streetmosphere and such. So stay tuned- see you next week-

Sla`inte~