{"id":57324,"date":"2017-10-05T08:00:29","date_gmt":"2017-10-05T12:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/?p=57324"},"modified":"2022-04-09T00:29:43","modified_gmt":"2022-04-09T04:29:43","slug":"saying-goodbye-the-great-movie-ride","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/saying-goodbye-the-great-movie-ride\/","title":{"rendered":"Saying Goodbye to a Hollywood Studios Classic: The Great Movie Ride"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

August 12th\u00a0was a day of goodbyes\u00a0for me. After\u00a0spending the morning at\u00a0Epcot to bid farewell to Ellen\u2019s Energy Adventure, we hopped on a bus to head to Hollywood\u00a0Studios<\/a>\u00a0for one last visit to\u00a0the Great Movie Ride.\u00a0This was a bit sad for me because I have been riding\u00a0the Great\u00a0Movie Ride<\/a> on nearly every visit since the year that it opened.<\/p>\n

Since its opening in 1989, the Great Movie Ride served as the signature attraction of Disney-MGM Studios.\u00a0 In 2008,\u00a0the name of the park was changed to Disney\u2019s Hollywood Studios.\u00a0The new\u00a0name didn\u2019t change much for the Great Movie Ride. It still remained, front and center,\u00a0housed in the replica of the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. Well, at least until the giant Sorcerer Mickey\u00a0hat\u00a0was placed in front of it. Though\u00a0somewhat hidden\u00a0by the hat,\u00a0guests still found their way to\u00a0the\u00a0popular attraction.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Hooray for Hollywood!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I was fortunate enough to grab a\u00a0FastPass<\/a>\u00a0for the Great Movie Ride\u00a0shortly\u00a0after the closing was announced. As we waited in line, I got a short glimpse of the memorabilia on display and the\u00a0movie clips that\u00a0roll in the final room of the queue.\u00a0\u00a0Though we moved quickly on this particular day,\u00a0I remember standing in long lines in the\u00a0movie clip\u00a0area\u00a0when I was a kid (before\u00a0FastPass\u00a0was even a thing).\u00a0When we reached the end of the queue, a Cast Member directed us to our ride vehicle and we were off for our last ride through the movies.<\/p>\n

A Few of My Favorite Scenes from The Great Movie Ride<\/h2>\n
\"\"
Mary Poppins and Bert sing above the rooftops<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I enjoyed seeing all of the scenes one last time.\u00a0 Gene Kelly singing in the rain. Mary Poppins floating\u00a0above\u00a0the rooftops with her umbrella. The alien that used to scare me as a child.\u00a0Tarzan\u00a0swinging\u00a0through the trees.\u00a0Indiana Jones.<\/p>\n

\"\"
John Wayne is ready to ride off into the sunset<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There\u00a0were a few aspects of the Great Movie Ride\u00a0that made the\u00a0attraction truly unique.\u00a0\u00a0One was having an actual Cast Member interacting with guests on the ride. Attractions like this have always been a rarity and there\u00a0are\u00a0few left. The Land boat ride once featured a Cast Member tour guide, but that went away when Listen to the Land was refurbished and became Living with the Land<\/a>.\u00a0The Jungle Cruise<\/a> is the only one that comes to mind\u00a0that currently has a live Cast Member guide.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Our ride vehicle is about to be hijacked!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Another unique feature\u00a0was that during your tour, your ride vehicle\u00a0was hijacked! Where this happened, however, was not always the same. Sometimes your vehicle was taken over by a surly gangster.\u00a0 Sometimes, your vehicle would roll through the\u00a0gangster\u00a0scene and stop in the cowboy scene. The cowboy scene seemed to be a\u00a0rare\u00a0occurrence\u00a0for me in recent years and I made sure to request it on my final ride. I was not disappointed. I got to\u00a0experience\u00a0the shoot out and watch the buildings catch on fire one last time.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Fire!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Another favorite scene was the Wizard of Oz. As a kid, I remember thinking that the Wicked Witch was still pretty creepy, but thought that it was amazing that she appeared out of nowhere. Singing along with Follow the Yellow Brick Road always gave me that feeling of nostalgia. This movie was seemingly timeless, so even the younger generation\u00a0could appreciate the tribute. It was the perfect ending to the main part of the ride.<\/p>\n

\"\"
There’s no place like home!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After leaving Oz behind, we traveled into the final room and watched clips from classic movies. I was fortunate enough to have parents who appreciated classic movies.\u00a0I\u00a0also\u00a0took\u00a0a film class in high school, so I have seen many of the movies\u00a0that were\u00a0featured in the finale.\u00a0When the compilation of movie clips came to an end,\u00a0our ride vehicle brought us back to\u00a0where we\u00a0started. I can honestly say that I was sad to leave.<\/p>\n\n

Time to Say Goodbye to a Classic Attraction<\/h2>\n

The Great Movie ride got some minor upgrades not that long ago, so the announcement of the closure took me by surprise. I understand it though. The attraction was in desperate need of a\u00a0major\u00a0update.\u00a0The small changes made just weren’t enough.\u00a0Some of the\u00a0animatronics\u00a0and features of the ride had been in a state of disrepair\u00a0for years. Some for so long, that I questioned my memory of whether they actually worked in the first place.\u00a0 It’s disappointing that this occurred to the signature attraction of Hollywood Studios. The Great Movie Ride was the attraction that inspired MGM\/Hollywood Studios and ultimately the reason the park was created in the first place. It deserved better.<\/p>\n

\"\"
This scene from Footlight Parade used to move, but hasn’t worked for many years.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I also think that the interest in some of the movies featured\u00a0just isn’t there like it once was.\u00a0I love classic movies, but it seems that\u00a0some\u00a0younger guests find them\u00a0irrelevant.\u00a0As a result, the Great Movie Ride lost some of its appeal over the years.<\/p>\n

What comes next?<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s no secret that\u00a0Hollywood Studios\u00a0is about to\u00a0change significantly.\u00a0The Great Movie Ride was the only opening day attraction that remained in the park.\u00a0Most of the behind the scenes type attractions have disappeared and the working studio elements of the park\u00a0have\u00a0ceased to exist. Now that the Great Movie Ride has closed, most of the old Hollywood feel is gone as well.\u00a0So\u00a0what comes next in the Chinese Theatre?<\/p>\n

\"The
Mickey will soon have a new home in the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Well,\u00a0Mickey Mouse will finally have his own attraction at Walt Disney World!\u00a0It seems crazy to me that he doesn’t already, but soon that will change. Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway<\/a> will find its place at the end of Hollywood Boulevard. We’ve been promised an exciting ride that will delight hidden Mickey fans. I’m not sure what to expect, but I am happy for Mickey.\u00a0 He certainly deserves his own attraction after all of these years!<\/p>\n

The Great Movie Ride was truly an attraction that I will never forget. Saying farewell can be hard, but sometimes it is necessary. I am hopeful that the new attraction will bring me just as much joy as this one did.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

If you miss the attraction, make sure to take a ride along with us!
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