The Great Movie Ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park is an attraction for all ages that celebrates Hollywood and the history of film. The thrill begins when you enter the full-scale reproduction of Hollywood's historic Grauman's Chinese Theatre. As you wander through the lobby of the theater, check out the rotating exhibit of costumes, props and set pieces on display, which may include a pair of Dorothy's ruby slippers from the classic The Wizard of Oz. Then you're ushered onto The Great Movie Ride for a journey that'll put you in the middle of the action from gritty gangster flicks of the 1930s to the adventure of contemporary classics such as Raiders of the Lost Ark-and provide a few surprises along the way, too!
The ride is located inside a recreation of the famous Hollywood landmark Grauman's Chinese Theatre. However, because The Walt Disney Company was denied permission to use the name "Grauman," the proper name of the building is simply "The Chinese Theatre." (Also, at the time the attraction was opened, the actual Grauman's Theater was officially known as "Mann's Chinese Theater" as it was owned by the Mann film theater group.) The facade was almost completely blocked from view in 2001 when a giant replica of The Sorcerer's Hat was built directly in front of the facade. Since then, the hat has served as the park's symbol.
The Queuing Area
The queue winds through a recreation of the Chinese Theatre lobby past glass display cases containing actual costumes, props, and set pieces from various films. The queue then takes guests into a small pre-show theatre where guests view a series of condensed film trailers for the various films that are featured on the ride. The queue line ends at a pair of automatic doors at the front of the theatre that lead into a 1930s era Hollywood soundstage where guests are loaded onto waiting ride vehicles.
The Ride
As guests reach the end of the queue, they enter a 1930s-era Hollywood sound stage where they are loaded by cast members into one of two sets of open, theatre-style seating ride vehicles. The vehicles utilize a "traveling theatre"-style ride system similar to the Universe of Energy attraction at Epcot. However, here the ride vehicles are much smaller in size, are grouped together in pairs of two, and feature an open cab in the first row of the front vehicle for a live tour guide to stand, provide narration, and operate the ride vehicle. When the attraction is operating during the peak season, both pairs of ride vehicles are used. Otherwise, only the second pair of ride vehicles is used.
The film set within the soundstage features a large neon theatre marquee and a cyclorama of the 1930s-era Hollywood Hills complete with the original Hollywoodland Sign. As the ride begins, the tour guide on the ride vehicle welcomes guests and informs them that they will be taking them through scenes from different classic films throughout history.
The first genre of films introduced are musicals, which begins with a pyramid of Audio-Animatronic starlets in a scene from Busby Berkeley's Footlight Parade. The next musical scenes include audio-animatronics of Gene Kelly swinging from a lamp post from the film Singin' in the Rain, followed by Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke singing on the rooftops of London in Mary Poppins.
The next scene is a tribute to gangster films. The ride vehicle passes through the dark and seedy backstreets of 1930s Chicago and past an audio-animatronic James Cagney in a scene from The Public Enemy. When both pairs of ride vehicles are in use, the first pair continues on to the next show scene while the second pair is stopped by a red light at the entrance to a tunnel. Here, the tour guide stops the ride vehicle and waits for a green light. While stopped, a live gangster named Mugsy (male) or Mugsi (female) and their audio-animatronic sidekicks Squid and Beans show up and get involved in a shoot-out with rival mobsters in a car on the opposite side of the street where the ride vehicle is stopped. During the shoot out, the live gangster then chases away the tour guide and hijacks the ride vehicle. When the gangster notices the red light above the tunnel entrance, they shoot it out and make their getaway aboard the ride vehicle, leaving Squid and Beans behind to "give regards to the warden."
Next is a tribute to the Western film genre. Here, guests encounter audio-animatronics of Clint Eastwood standing near a saloon and John Wayne sitting atop his horse. The second vehicle (which is already being driven by the gangster) continues past a shoot-out between the town sheriff and an audio-animatronic bank robber named Snake. However, the first ride vehicle (which is still being driven by the tour guide) stops in front of the town bank while a robbery is in progress. Suddenly, a live bank robber named Kate Durango (female) or Kid Carson (male) appears from inside the bank. After getting into a shoot-out with the town sheriff and chasing the tour guide away, the bandit blows up the town bank with dynamite and hijacks the ride vehicle. Following this scene, the remainder of the attraction is the same for both ride vehicles.
As the ride vehicle continues into a spaceship, a narrator's voice states that this is the Nostromo, the ship from the film Alien. The narrator then tells guests of the alien lurking within the ship waiting to claim its next victim. Guests can also hear the Nostromo's "Mother" computer warning of an imminent ship self destruction countdown. Hearing this, the hijacker becomes nervous and speeds the ride vehicle through the ship. But not before the Alien appears and attacks the guests, popping out from both the ceiling and the wall. Before exiting the spaceship, the ride vehicle passes a scene of an audio-animatronic Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) holding a flamethrower as she prepares to confront the Alien.
The ride vehicle next enters a scene set in an ancient Egyptian temple filled with snakes. The narrator informs guests that they are in a scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark as audio-animatronic figures of Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) and Sallah (John Rhys-Davies) struggle to lift the Ark of the Covenant. A second room within the temple (though not from the film) features a large altar in the form of the ancient Egyptian god Anubis. Near the top of the altar, a large jewel is being watched over by a cloaked temple guard. The hijacker sees the jewel, stops the ride vehicle, and disembarks to retrieve it. Before touching the jewel, the temple guard gives a warning that those who disturb the jewel must pay with their life. Ignoring the warning, the hijacker reaches to grab the jewel. Suddenly, a plume of smoke shoots from the ground. When it disperses, the hijacker is now nothing more than a skeleton (still reaching for the jewel) and the temple guard is revealed to be the original live tour guide who re-boards the vehicle and continues the ride.
The next film genre introduced is the horror film as the ride vehicle travels through an ancient burial chamber full of mummies who have come to life. The ride vehicle soon leaves the tomb and enters a jungle, which is home to Tarzan the Ape Man. Here, audio-animatronic figures of Tarzan swinging on a vine, Jane sitting atop an elephant, and Cheeta the chimpanzee can be seen. The ride vehicle then moves past the classic final scene from Casablanca featuring audio-animatronics of Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman as they stand in front of a waiting airplane. Some incorrectly claim that this plane, a Lockheed Model 12 Electra Junior, is the actual plane used during the filming of the film, but it isn't as no full-size plane was actually used during the filming of Casablanca. The plane on the attraction was allegedly used in Tarzan's New York Adventure and other films in the 1940s before being purchased by Disney. The back half of the plane was cut off and can be found resting along the shoreline of the Jungle Cruise attraction at the Magic Kingdom. Next, the ride vehicle passes a film projection of Mickey Mouse in his role as The Sorcerer's Apprentice from the classic Disney animated film Fantasia.
The ride vehicle then enters into the Munchkinland scene from The Wizard of Oz, where Dorothy's house has landed on top of the Wicked Witch of the East. When both pairs of ride vehicles are in use, they meet up here and come to a stop in the middle of the scene. Audio-Animatronic Munchkins begin to appear from various places and sing as they welcome guests to their home. However, a plume of smoke suddenly rises from the ground as an audio-animatronic Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton) appears and asks who is responsible for killing the Wicked Witch of the East. The tour guide aboard the first ride vehicle interacts with her before she disappears in another puff of smoke. The Munchkins reappear from their hiding places and begin to sing again as both ride vehicles follow the Yellow Brick Road out of Munchkinland past audio-animatronic figures of Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion and Toto standing in front of the Emerald City, and onto the ride's Grand Finale.
For the Grand Finale, both ride vehicles enter a large, dark theatre where they line up side-by-side and come to a stop in front of a large movie screen. There, a fast-paced three minute film montage of classic film moments is shown. At the conclusion of the film, both ride vehicles exit the theatre, line up single-file again and return to the 1930s soundstage where the ride concludes and guests disembark the vehicles and exit the attraction.
Touring Tips
- The line for The Great Movie Ride is generally longest in the morning and immediately following the afternoon parade. Best times to visit are very first thing in the morning, in the evening, and right before the afternoon parade starts. If the line is extending outside the theater, you may want to consider visiting the attraction at a different time. Once inside the theater, there is approximately a 25-minute wait.
- Several scenes for this attraction, particularly the scene from Alien (in which the dripping alien hovers above you) and the Wizard of Oz Wicked Witch, may be too dark/intense for some children and even some adults. There are also snakes and skeletons in the Indiana Jones scene that may be upsetting to some sensitive guests.
- There are two different storylines you may experience on this ride: one involves cowboys, the other involves gangsters. If you have a preference, ask the Cast Member prior to boarding to see if they can guide you to the appropriate queue.
Facts
- Scenes from all major film studios are represented in the film montage with one notable exception; there is no reference to any motion pictures released by Universal Studios (whose parent company operates the rival Universal Orlando Resort nearby).
- Notable props currently residing in the queue include Mary's merry-go-round horse from Mary Poppins, Susan's costume from The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and a green peacock Elizabethan dress worn by Judi Dench in Shakespeare in Love.
- Props that formerly resided in the queue include Indy's machete and monkey heads from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, the Dejarik board used aboard the Millennium Falcon in the original Star Wars, the dip machine model and bullet case from Who Framed Roger Rabbit and the model Nautilus submarine from Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea along with a dive suit from the film as well.
- Unlike many Disney dark rides that feature separate embarkation and debarkation areas, the Great Movie Ride has only a single combined unloading and loading area. The last people to exit the vehicles often pass the next group of guests waiting to board the vehicles. At the time the ride was designed (the mid to late 1980s), it was common throughout the theme park industry to have all major rides exit into a merchandise store selling novelties associated with the attraction the guests just exited. The Great Movie Ride, however, does not exit directly into a store.
- There are no characters associated with this attraction, however, there are often character Meet and Greet opportunities in front of the Chinese Theater. Recent characters spotted in this location include Philoctetes, Pinocchio, Foulfellow the Fox, Genie, Donald Duck, Green Army Man (from Toy Story), Captain Hook, Peter Pan, and Mary Poppins.
- The entire Great Movie Ride attraction covers 95,000 square feet
- This attraction is frequently the target of rumors saying that it will be replaced or significantly redesigned. As one of the original attractions in the Disney's Hollywood Studios, the ride can use some updating, but no official announcements regarding any changes have been made to date.
History
Alien appears in The Great Movie Ride despite that it was released by 20th Century Fox rather than MGM or Lucasfilm. Disney had acquired the rights to use Alien from Fox several years earlier for a planned ride at the Magic Kingdom, based on the film. While the ride was canceled, the overall concept later morphed into the Tomorrowland attraction ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter, although the creature from Alien was not used on the basis that it was "too frightening."
A 3D adventure called the "Chinese Theater's Villain Ride" was planned (but never built) for replacing The Great Movie Ride. More information about this can be found on the list of never built Disney attractions page.
The Great Movie Ride directly inspired the creation of Disney's Hollywood Studios. In an Imagineering book, it was revealed that The Great Movie Ride was actually going to be the main attraction in a show business themed pavilion at Epcot, which was to be called "Great Moments at the Movies." However, the newly assigned Disney CEO Michael Eisner and WDI president Marty Sklar decided the idea was strong enough to lead an entire new theme park. The idea for the ride was expanded, and the Disney-MGM Studios went into official development.
Plans called for The Great Movie Ride to be the main attraction for the Disney-MGM Studios Paris theme park, which was scrapped due to the early financial difficulties of the EuroDisneyland Resort. Years later when the resort began turning profits, a show business themed theme park went into development again, and the Walt Disney Studios Park opened in 2002 at the Disneyland Resort Paris, although minus The Great Movie Ride. A show called CineMagique was built in lieu of the ride due to claims by Disney management that the French preferred shows to ride-through attractions.
Three separate attempts were made by Walt Disney Imagineering to bring The Great Movie Ride to California. First were plans to incorporate the attraction into the proposed "Disney-MGM Studio Backlot" project, a 40-acre (160,000 m2) film studio themed retail and entertainment district that was planned (but ultimately never built) for downtown Burbank, California during the late 1980s. Several years later, plans called for the ride to serve as the centerpiece of the proposed Hollywoodland at Disneyland, which would have been added to the park during the planned Disney Decade in 1990s. Due to budget cuts, however, Hollywoodland was canceled. Later, plans called for the ride to be built as part of the Hollywood Pictures Backlot area of the Disney California Adventure Park theme park at the Disneyland Resort. But budget cuts in the park's original development planning forced the ride's projected cost to be spent on smaller, original and less expensive attractions.
In the late-1980's early-1990's Disney came very close to buying Jim Henson's Muppets. Walt Disney Imagineering developed a Muppet-themed land for Disney-MGM Studios called Muppet Movieland. The land was to feature two main attractions; one was Muppet*Vision 3D and the other was The Great Muppet Movie Ride, a parody of The Great Movie Ride featuring Muppet characters such as Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear and Gonzo re-enacting scenes from famous films such as Frankenstien and Peter Pan. However after Jim Henson died the deal fell apart and Disney cut back on the Muppet-themed area to just Muppet*Vision 3D.
The ending of The Great Movie Ride was originally going to have more of a foundation in The Wizard of Oz. with the Fantasia scene being the Cyclone, and also a divider down the middle of the theatre separating the A and B vehicles in the final (film clip) scene. Where the screen is now was where the Wizard would have appeared surrounded by flames. The Wizard would say his famous line, "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain" and the show would be "interrupted" as the curtains to the left or right of the screen would open to reveal either your live bandit (on the A vehicle side) or gangster (on the B vehicle side). Along the outer walls of the theatre (to the left of the A vehicle or to the right of the B vehicle), is currently large empty carpeted areas. Here was supposed to be large platforms where models of all of the audio-animatronic characters seen earlier in the ride would be standing and would take a bow.
Hidden Mickey
- In the Well of Souls Raiders of the Lost Ark scene, try to spot Mickey and Donald among the hieroglyphics, they're having lunch. There are two more Hidden Mickeys on the ride, one on the dock in the trees by the third light pole (ask a driver to point it out with a flashlight) and one on a rock where Indiana Jones is lifting the chest.