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Great Movie Ride

Hidden Details of the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World – Up the Waterfall

7 October 2020 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

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One of the things that separates amusement parks from theme parks, is just that, the theme. Theming takes you out of the real world and puts you into the environment that the creators want you to experience and be a part of. In the realm of theme parks, Disney has been the leader for quite some time. Part of what helps Disney achieve that status, is “story” or backstory if you will, and the layer upon layer of detail used to create that story.

On this week’s Up the Waterfall show, we focus on Magic Kingdom and some of its many hidden details. All of these details pull you into the story, if you take the time to notice them. We list our favorites, but because we didn’t want a 3 hour show, we don’t mention ALL of the details, as there really are stories behind everything.

We start right at the front of the Magic Kingdom and go clockwise through the lands: Main Street, U.S.A., Adventureland, Frontierland, Liberty Square, Fantasyland, and Tomorrowland. The list below will serve as a guide along with the podcast, leaving out any we didn’t mention, and room for more we may add!

Main Street, U.S.A.  

Walt Disney World Railroad Main Street Station: there are quite a few timetables with references to other Disney parks, movies, and characters.

Main Street Windows: most everyone knows that the names on the windows of Main Street, U.S.A. reference Imagineers and folks involved in the creation and legacy of Walt Disney World and Disney Parks in general. We reference the Windows on Main Street book from 2009, which is a great guide to the stories behind these windows. There’s also an updated version from 2014, Main Street Windows: A Complete Guide to Disney’s Whimsical Tributes.

The Chapeau Telephone: this is an old favorite, you used to be able to listen to several full conversations on there. According to our friends at the RoadSideTrippers instagram account, they checked it out about a week ago, and sadly the line kept cutting out a lot, so it wasn’t up to its old performance. Hopefully when times are better, Disney can spare some love for this little detail.

Adventureland

Jungle Cruise: most of us remember the half a plane used in the Casablanca scene of the Great Movie Ride (rest in peace), well the other half of that plane is right in the Jungle Cruise!

skipper canteen bookshelves

Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen: This relatively new (by Magic Kingdom standards) restaurant is chock full of references to the Jungle Cruise itself and other Disney attractions and names. Right as you enter you are greeting with a painting of Dr. Albert Falls, and an abstract of his wife Alberta, who opened up the restaurant. Once inside, the doors on the second floor are nods to original Imagineers and legends, including Marc Davis, Harper Goff, and Bill Evans, landscape designer for Disneyland and the Jungle Cruise itself.

The real magic (and hidden details), however, lies in the bookcases which lead to the “hidden” rooms of the restaurant. Almost every book in the shelves is some reference or pun, including author names like “Cap Size” and “Sid Truss” along with nods to created characters like Merriweather Pleasure of Pleasure Island lore, and even “Vagnini” a nod to former archivist, Disney Imagineer (and friend!) Steven Vagnini. We won’t list all the titles and names here, but be sure to check them out next visit. We didn’t even touch on all of the S.E.A. references in this spot, so stay tuned for a future discussion on that very topic.

Tortuga Tavern: Scott gives us the rundown on the rich backstory of this spot, with lots more than just the book with some characters’ names written in it! Be sure to look around next time you visit.

Frontierland

Pecos Bill’s: yes, another restaurant – but it’s really a great way to insert lots of details that you don’t have to worry about being missed as you ride by in an attraction! Funny thing, I actually missed most of the ones Scott mentioned in Pecos Bill’s! Sounds like I need to get back there right quick! We touched briefly on the redux of the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad queue area, but again, this is a spot that we feel needs more attention than just a part of a podcast. If you have a favorite, let us know (I am very partial to the Barnabus T. Bullion painting that looks eerily like my beloved Tony Baxter – the Imagineer responsible for Big Thunder Mountain of course).

Liberty Square

The enjoyable part about Liberty Square is that so much of its detail can be traced back to actual history. In all cases of Disney parks planning, Imagineers go above and beyond to have authentic details, pay homage to actual places or events, or at the very least expand upon the references we know and love. Liberty Square is no exception. With homages to “2 if by sea” lanterns, use of the original Liberty Bell mold to cast the Disney version, and architecture that looks like you are walking through historic Boston or Philadelphia, it’s a wonderful place to explore.

Fantasyland

Cinderella’s Fountain: or La Fountaine de Cindrillon in French, is a beautiful little detail. I recently discussed it on my zannaland instagram page as well, which was actually the impetus for this episode!

Sir Mickey’s: a very fun shop with lots of great visuals to see right off the bat (giant vines from a beanstalk and the face of a giant peeking in from the eaves), to minute details referencing two original Mickey shorts.

Under The Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid: As we know, this was once the spot of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. We show you all the hidden references to this original ride in the Fantasyland area, and a special hidden Steamboat Willie as well.

Nautilus Little Mermaid

Tomorrowland

Robotic Palm Trees: this is a favorite “fun fact” that gets thrown around, but we couldn’t not mention it. The backstory is that the Tomorrowland Power Company uses these metal palm trees to harvest the suns rays, and the “coconuts” that grow are “energy balls” to harvest and provide power for the citizens of Tomorrowland.

Tomorrowland palm trees
photo: Shawn Spencer

Space Mountain Queue: There is a rich rundown of hidden details within the queue, including references to other Disney theme parks and their Space Mountains, as well as former “futuristic” attractions. We mention our favorites on the show.

We had to end our episode there, but we know there are so many more we didn’t mention. Listen or watch below and let us know your favorite details or what we missed. We’d love to hear from you. And make sure you look up, look down, and look all around next time you’re in the Magic Kingdom! Scroll down to see where to listen and connect with us, but before that, as mentioned on this episode, we’d like to share some places to help displaced Cast Members, many of whom are Imagineers or directly responsible for the details we know and love. If you can, please help. Thank you.

Ways to Help Laid Off Cast Members: 

As we mentioned on the end of the show, it is such a devastating time for so many. As locals, and a Cast Member family, we want to spread the word as much as possible about ways to help if you can. 

Cast Member Pantry Facebook group for Orlando area Cast Members

Ear for Each Other Facebook group featuring Cast Members from both coasts offering their services or talents for sale

Google Sheet with Cast Member run Small Shops and businesses

Also check out our friends Sarah and Tom Bricker’s post on ways to help, including donating to the Second Harvest Food Bank in both Orlando and Orange County, California. Thank you for reading, and thank you for helping the magic makers. 


As always, we thank you for watching and listening! If you enjoyed, please share with a friend so more folks can learn about our growing podcast! Thank you!

Listen to Up the Waterfall:

You can listen anywhere you download and listen to podcasts, including: 

  • Apple Podcasts
  • Google Podcasts
  • Spotify
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  • I Heart Radio
  • Anchor

(If there’s a podcast service where you can’t find our show, let us know and we’ll get it added there!)

Watch Up the Waterfall:

Head to our Up the Waterfall YouTube Playlist – where you can see our opening sequence and see some unique images during some episodes.

Feel free to comment below with your opinions on ANY of these movie choices, any questions or info you’d like to add, or if it’s easier, head to the Zannaland Facebook page and join the discussion there with fellow Disney Parks fans!

Zannaland and Up the Waterfall Community – Let’s Connect!

FOLLOW THE ZANNALAND FAMILY ON SOCIAL MEDIA, WATCH OUR VIDEOS, VLOGS AND PODCAST TOO: 
  • Twitter: @zannaland, @otisney
  • Instagram: @zannaland, @UpTheWaterfall, @otisney
  • Zannaland’s facebook page, Up the Waterfall on Facebook
  • Zannaland on YouTube
  • Listen to Up the Waterfall podcast, subscribe on iTunes, or watch Up the Waterfall on YouTube

We thank you for your support and for sharing the love! 

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Filed Under: Disney Attractions, Disney Parks, Resorts, & Entertainment, Top Stories, Up the Waterfall Podcast, Walt Disney World Tagged With: Disney Attractions, Disney rides, Great Movie Ride, Haunted Mansion, Hidden Details Magic Kingdom, Hidden Disney Details, Hidden Mickeys, Magic Kingdom, Up the Waterfall podcast, Up the Waterfall show

Scariest Disney Rides! – Up the Waterfall Episode 41

23 September 2020 by Suzannah Otis 2 Comments

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This week we wanted to stick with the Halloween/Spooky theme on Up the Waterfall. However, we may have gotten more than we bargained for. We reached deep into our memory banks and discovered childhood traumas that we didn’t realize stuck with us for so long. In other words – the Scariest Rides at Disney parks!

I think many of us can relate to the rides we discuss, especially former classics like Snow White’s Scary Adventures, and certain sections of the Great Movie Ride, as well as of course – Alien Encounter. We somehow made it through our therapy session and are now ready to share it with you! I apparently totally mis-remembered the original Snow White’s Scary Adventures as having flat cut outs of the hag popping out to get me. The real thing looks to be much, much creepier. I guess my memories were self-preservation!

Alien Encounter
The Extra TERRORestrial Alien Encounter

What are your childhood memories of scary Disney rides? Did we leave any out that really scared you as a child (or still do?!) Let us know in the comments below or track us down on social media – you can find all the links below too…and a ghost…will follow you home!!

 

 


As always, we thank you for watching and listening! If you enjoyed, please share with a friend so more folks can learn about our growing podcast! Thank you!

Listen to Up the Waterfall:

You can listen anywhere you download and listen to podcasts, including: 

  • Apple Podcasts
  • Google Podcasts
  • Spotify
  • Stitcher
  • I Heart Radio
  • Anchor

(If there’s a podcast service where you can’t find our show, let us know and we’ll get it added there!)

Watch Up the Waterfall:

Head to our Up the Waterfall YouTube Playlist – where you can see our opening sequence and see some unique images during some episodes.

Feel free to comment below with your opinions on ANY of these movie choices, any questions or info you’d like to add, or if it’s easier, head to the Zannaland Facebook page and join the discussion there with fellow Disney Parks fans!

Zannaland and Up the Waterfall Community – Let’s Connect!

FOLLOW THE ZANNALAND FAMILY ON SOCIAL MEDIA, WATCH OUR VIDEOS, VLOGS AND PODCAST TOO: 
  • Twitter: @zannaland, @otisney
  • Instagram: @zannaland, @UpTheWaterfall, @otisney
  • Zannaland’s facebook page, Up the Waterfall on Facebook
  • Zannaland on YouTube
  • Listen to Up the Waterfall podcast, subscribe on iTunes, or watch Up the Waterfall on YouTube

We thank you for your support and for sharing the love! 

Up the Waterfall logo

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Filed Under: Disney Attractions, Disney Parks, Resorts, & Entertainment, Up the Waterfall Podcast Tagged With: Alien Encounter, Disney Attractions, Disney rides, Great Movie Ride, Haunted Mansion, Scariest Disney attractions, Scariest Disney rides, Snow White's Scary Adventures, Up the Waterfall podcast, Up the Waterfall show

The End of The Great Movie Ride – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

27 September 2017 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

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Great Movie Ride
Image ©Tom Bricker disneytouristblog.com because I could not do justice with any of my photos!

Being raised by parents who grew up in the middle of the golden age of movie-making, I think Disney-MGM Studios on a whole had an instant familiar feel to it, though I had never stepped foot west of the Mississippi. As I’ve mentioned before, California seemed like a distant other country to me.

I was 15 in 1989 when the park opened; raised on a steady diet of old movie lines and songs sung by my father, who had over the years made me watch a few of his favorites. I say “made” because at that age and prior, I had no real appreciation or interest in anything black and white that wasn’t an A-Ha music video.

But this time in my life, 6 years after I’d met and fallen in love with EPCOT Center, was filled with quite a few trials and tribulations, so it was easy to find solace here and take an immediate interest. I’m not exactly sure of the date the first time I walked down Hollywood Blvd, enveloped by the motion picture soundtracks that swirled in the air, but I do know I was instantly in love once again, this time with the Hollywood that never was, and always will be.

Just as with EPCOT Center’s opening, I had gotten my news about what to expect from my trusty Birnbaum’s: Walt Disney World guidebook. I was fascinated and oh-so excited to experience all of the interactive and behind-the-scenes attractions that Disney-MGM Studios promised, all of which I now miss dearly as they have faded away over the years. It was a different time of course, even the then-modern television showcasing and state-of-the-art production studios were from a time when there was no reality tv. The magic and glamour of movie and tv production was still a palpable, undiscovered mystery to most.

Today, anyone with a phone can be a star or be famous, even if only in viral form, and kids know that. So for many that grew up with me or before, Disney-MGM Studios was a romantic interpretation of the real, live movie and tv-making processes and history. Now, the park seems like a fantasy that exists nowhere and those that appreciate the history and nods to the past are, as with EPCOT’s history, few and far between (though we do tend to find each other and stick together online and off).

As the years have passed, the park changed its moniker to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but slowly cannibalized itself from any real connection to a studio park. What we were left with was a front section still in tribute to Hollywood’s past, in both architecture, landmarks, and overall feel, but the rest of the park became almost a question mark as to how things related to the original theme (as has also happened with much of EPCOT). So we were left with a just a few highlights to the transitory feeling of being a part of Hollywood past, and indeed a part OF the movies. How long these places and theming will remain is unknown.

Rather than walking through an Ewok village “set” or a backlot restaurant with props, we will now roam through a galaxy’s edge where you are expected to be part of the landscape and population. How will the park explain those anomalies? I guess they don’t have to, as we have learned. Guests’ tastes change, kids’ interests change, and as is evidenced by crowd levels at all of the attractions that have been on the chopping block recently (Maelstrom, Universe of Energy, etc.), the things that made us fall in love with a particular park or area, are not the most popular in today’s time.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios is certainly a park in flux, and many of the experiences we knew and loved, and maybe took for granted, are now a part of history. We are no longer entering a park that is a tribute to Hollywood and movie making, but mostly tilted toward the actual movies themselves. Which is fine, but we are also allowed to mourn what once was, when it was (for a while), done so well.

Even those not bothered by the closing of The Great Movie Ride will admit it was a great ride, but proclaim “it needed more love” or “it needed updating.” And while I agree that every ride that features animatronics needs a lot more updating than it currently receives within Disney parks, on the Great Movie Ride specifically, how does one keep updating a field which changes daily? Sure, they could keep adding movies to the montage at the end, but at which movies’ expense? Do you take out Singin’ in the Rain’s show scene and add Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump sitting on a bench? Or John Travolta and Uma Thurman dancing from Pulp Fiction? Movies are for the most part, so subjective, it’s impossible to please everyone.

For example, I love the Great Movie Ride as it is. For what it is. I would love to have the latest model animatronics in it, but other than that, I would’ve left it how it was pre-TCM/Robert Osborne additions. But that’s just me. I know there are countless others like me who have the entire ride sequence memorized, down to the music cues and the original montage ending, both music and clips. It’s provided endless quote opportunities within my family and friend groups.

One of my favorite memories of The Great Movie Ride was when two cast members were acting out the scene from The Searchers that played in front of us in the queue, one of them shouting “No you don’t, Ethan! Ethan, no you don’t!” The entire ride experience is forever ingrained in my brain, as I’m sure it is for many other guests and cast members. It is, in a word, iconic.

The Great Movie Ride combines so many parts that make its whole a classic Disney attraction. First, you have the show building itself, an exact replica of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood (now the TCL Theatre). Seeing that at the end of the street when you first pass the Crossroads of the World instantly transports you to Hollywood. The detail in the building itself is impeccable. If you can before it closes, walk around and really pay attention to the workmanship (or if you can’t, watch Martin Smith’s Ultimate Tribute, which I watched in the background while typing this, for inspiration – and hopefully, the building itself will remain for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway…).

Great Movie Ride interior
Image ©Tom Bricker disneytouristblog.com

Next, you have the queue area, with again, ridiculously insane details from the original theatre, movie props and costumes, and the film trailers as you approach the ride. The ride vehicle system has always fascinated me (a smaller version of the theatre system from Universe of Energy, which I’ll discuss my thoughts on later).

Any attraction that has theatre style moving vehicles is just amazing to me. It is a shame that both of these types of attractions will soon be no more. I really think the technology has stood up to time and the fact that they hold so many guests at once is always a good thing.

Finally, you have the ride experience itself, which showcases both iconic scenes from famous movies or genres, as well as interactive “surprise” elements and of course, a happy ending. The level and attention to detail within the movie scene sections is mind blowing.

I’ve been lucky enough to have full access to walk the ride, and been able to see into the “trash” in the gangster scenes – with cigarette butts inside tin cans that are never visible from the ride vehicle, but there because it makes the scene authentic. The signs in the western scene are written as if you just happened upon a town in Deadwood or some other village of the old west. It’s truly Imagineering at its finest. You are transported to another location, where anything could happen, but within the safety of a Disney park. The finale with the movie montage lifts you up and shows you the power of movies to endure through generations and inspire our daily lives.

I always walked off The Great Movie Ride with a smile on my face, filled with a love of movies and their history. I will miss that experience, and that feeling, but I am very, very grateful for the many memories I have had over the years; with my late father, with my mom, with my children, with my husband (the first place we held hands), and many friends. To me, it was one of the truly “Disney-at-its-best” rides, and I hope that it isn’t the last of its kind. This particular ride closing is perhaps the first “park icon” attraction to close. 27 Oh, one more thing. When I yell “Action!”, don’t forget the thunderous applause for your tour guide. Places, everybody! And…Action!

Thanks for the memories, Great Movie Ride, and thunderous applause to all who were a part of its design, creation, and running for the past 28 years.

If you need a pick-me-up to remember this wonderful attraction, head over to my good friend Glenn’s fan site that he created long ago in tribute to the Great Movie Ride – Pretty Good Movie Ride.

To see the latest photos and videos from Zannaland’s adventures,
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Filed Under: Commentary Land, Disney Attractions, Disney Parks, Resorts, & Entertainment, Disney Past Tagged With: Audioanimatrics, Closed Disney attractions, DHS, Disney attraction closing, Disney Attractions, Disney Imagineering, Disney-MGM Studios, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Extinct Attractions, Great Movie Ride, Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway, Pretty Good Movie Ride, The Great Movie Ride

First Impressions of the Disney Studios-Why I Fell in Love

16 June 2011 by Suzannah Otis 8 Comments

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Disney-MGM Studios
Recreating this photo is not possible today! Pre-Sorcerer’s Hat and Sunset Blvd.

You’ll notice I didn’t say “Disney’s Hollywood Studios,” because I truly fell in love with the Disney-MGM Studios, which is no longer the proper name, as we all know. It will forever be “MGM” to me when I speak of it among family and friends, just as the Tomorrowland Transit Authority Peoplemover will always be the “Wedway Peoplemover”. But I’m not here to talk about why I’m stuck in the past or yell at you kids to get off my lawn. Oh wait, I actually am going to talk about why I’m stuck in the past. Sorry about that. Hopefully you’ll bear with me and perhaps even agree with some of my thoughts.

I am pretty bad with dates and official names for things, so apologies up front if I remember something incorrectly. I used to be great with details, but then I had three kids. In any event, my first visit to the Disney-MGM Studios was some time in 1989, probably in June when I got out of school (a 14 year-old Sophomore). We were living in Lynchburg, VA at the time and would’ve driven down to Orlando. My trips sort of mesh together around this time, so I’m not sure where we stayed, it could’ve even been off-property. It’s hard to imagine that this was a time before Disney’s Port Orleans (either side), Beach Club, or Wilderness Lodge Resorts existed, but it was. I remember there being a lot of buzz surrounding the park, because it was supposed to be a Disney version of the Universal Studios lot in Hollywood, or Hollywood East. Sort of.

My late father was a huge old movie buff. He loved all the classic black and white films, the over-the-top musicals and everything in between. So to say he was excited for this new park was an understatement. As I’ve mentioned before, I spent from 1983-1986 visiting EPCOT Center and the bonds I’d formed there were unbreakable. We had so many memories as a family there, we all had high hopes for the Disney-MGM Studios. And we weren’t disappointed.

From the moment you walk into the Studios, you are greeted with tiny details giving a nod back to old Hollywood, or as their slogan goes, “The Hollywood that never was and always will be.” I remember how completely thrilling it was to walk into the 50’s Prime Time Cafe for the first time and see items I saw in my grandmother’s home as an even younger girl. It truly was another world, different from the Fantasy, Adventure or Tomorrowlands of the Magic Kingdom or the futuristic (it still was back then!) world of EPCOT. It was like reality, only better.

Back then there was no Sunset Boulevard but that didn’t mean anything felt lacking. The only Sorcerer’s hat was that seen atop Sorcerer Mickey’s head as he stood on top of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre to kick of the Sorcery in the Sky fireworks, which premiered the following year in 1990. Pixar Place did not exist and Lights, Motors, Action! was actually home to Residential Street, which I still miss to this day. What made Disney-MGM Studios so magical, to me, was not only the incredible attention given to each themed area, but also the amount of guest interaction and audience participation. It was, after all, the birthplace of Streetmosphere!

Who can forget their very first journey on the Great Movie Ride when your car is over-taken by either a gangster or a western bank robber and you are right in the middle of the show? I remember thinking it was the greatest ride ever, even if I did close my eyes in the Alien and Raiders of the Lost Ark scenes. During the finale with the movie clips, I’d listen to my dad name every movie that came on, and usually know all the lines too. As a result, I really can’t sit through that part of the ride today and not tear up, remembering him and his favorites.

Another attraction I loved was the Monster Sound Show. I am a huge Martin Short and Chevy Chase fan, and seeing this fun little movie was great, along with the chance for the audience to create their own sound effects to the film? Hysterical. And? Interactive. Super Star Television was an example of this as well. Housed where the American Idol Experience is now, the stage held several sets for different famous television scenes. Employing blue-screen technology, guests chosen from the audience can then act out the candy factory scene from I Love Lucy, or be a jilted lover in a soap opera, or appear on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. My dad was chosen during our visit and played that soap opera character, complete with long trench coat and fedora. It is such such a special memory and he loved getting to talk about it.

 

The Rocketeer's Bulldog Cafe
The Rocketeer’s Bulldog Cafe on the Backlot Tour

I think my favorite at that time was the Backstage Studios Tour (now the Backlot Tour).  When the attraction first opened, you entered where the Animation tour is now and an actual cast member gave you the tour spiel on the tram. Driving through the costuming and set-building departments, something was always being worked on. You truly felt like you were a part of the backstage magic. The tour then went down Residential Street, which showed the front facades of houses used in opening shots of tv shows. The Golden Girls house was there and the house from its spin-off show, Empty Nest as well as the house from the Disney Channel Adventures in Wonderland series. It was just fun to look at these pristine houses from the front, then make a turn and see nothing but framing and no back to the houses at all. I never watched the Golden Girls the same way again! Later, the Bulldog Cafe from the wonderful Disney movie The Rocketeer was placed on the tour too. It was not a real cafe and really very small in person. It did not age well and was removed along with the other houses when Lights, Motors, Action was being built.

Inside the Magic: Special Effects & Production Tour
My ex-husband counseling his victim…er, volunteer

The Catastrophe Canyon section was the same and it was actually believable that we were stuck in the middle of a movie production. Now there is no pretense, and guests are told up front that we are just witnessing special effects. The tour ended where the Studio Catering Company now is, and guests could take a break before going on to the second part of the tour – Inside the Magic: Special Effects & Production Tour. This was always fun because you got to see things like blue-screen technology used to make the flying bee scene in Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and miniatures used in the making of Dick Tracy. You then walked through a series of production studios, including a section on sound hosted by Pee Wee Herman and Mel Gibson. You were also able to see actual shows being produced, including the new Mickey Mouse Club. We then watched the short film, The Lottery, starring Bette Midler and filmed right on New York Street. The last part of the tour was walking through a room filled with the set pieces from The Lottery. This was later replaced with pieces from the 101 Dalmations live-action film.

The details are a but hazy as to when the changes to this part of the tour were made, but I know the bee room and the miniatures room were still in effect back in 1995, because that’s where my now-ex-husband (then-fiance) worked when we first moved to Orlando to work at Disney. He started out in Merchandise at the Little Mermaid shop, but then transferred to Attractions and worked at the special effects water tank, the two inside special effects rooms, and rotated to Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set play area. I remember being so jealous that he was in Attractions! It was really fun to watch him perform his show. At that time there was a tv show on the Disney Channel also called Walt Disney World Inside Out. It started with Scott Herriott as host but changed in 1995 to J.D. Roth, Brianne Leary and George Foreman. J.D. Roth filmed a segment at the Inside the Magic tour and my  ex-husband was the cast member responsible for (off-screen) setting off all the correct cues to make the bee and other parts of the attraction work. Fun fact! 😉

Inside the Magic: Special Effects & Production Tour
The water effects tour is slightly different today…

Needless to say, we enjoyed our first visit. My mom and I returned in 1991 with my high school class trip to Walt Disney World. At that time, Here Come the Muppets was where the Voyage of the Little Mermaid is and the Dick Tracy show was there (I may only be remembering the Dick Tracy show from the vacation planning video though – I seem to remember it being part of the Backlot Tour…maybe it was just a display of some sort?). EDIT: Confirmed by StudiosCentral.com – here’s a YouTube video of the Dick Tracy finale with some other great Backstage Studio Tour footage! Thanks, Matt!

Here Come the Muppets
Here Come the Muppets sign

Later when we moved to Orlando in 1995, we would enjoy the Aladdin parade and see the debut of the Toy Story Parade. I cannot hear “Strange Days” without remembering that time in my life – good memories of course! I haven’t even touched on Streetmosphere (see that link above, it’s worth a read!) or the wonderful Hunchback of Notre Dame and Pocahontas stage shows, which had incredible sets, actors and special effects. The park has of late received a lot of criticism and I will admit that I myself even thought less of it as the years went on. Things like Residential Street being destroyed, the Sorcerer’s Hat addition, and lots of Disney Channel synergy moving in have changed the feel of the place. However in recent times, I realized how much I really did fall in love with the Studios and what a special place it is.

Streetmosphere
Dorma Nesmond to the rescue during the D23 Great Scavenger Hunt

One thing that brought this into view was taking part in the D23 Great Scavenger Hunt about a month ago. There were so many difficult questions that caused you to really stop and notice the impeccable detail and Hollywood spirit with which the park is imbued. Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards are brimming with nods to old Hollywood, little inside jokes and other Imagineering details you’d expect in any Disney park but may not have ever noticed here. While the scavenger hunt was frustrating, it definitely gave me a renewed appreciation for Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

As with all Disney parks, things will change and corporate decisions will be made that may not feel right as a guest, but great decisions are made as well – Star Wars Weekends are one of my favorite times of the year and the all-new 3D Star Tours is probably my favorite ride right now. If I were to speak to the decision-makers at Disney I would implore them to remember what made the Studios so appealing: interaction. They are on the right track with Star Tours and the “Rebel Spy” aspect, which is now a goal for each guest as they ride. After all, don’t we all want to be a star?

The park history remains as well. Just as I regale my children with tales of Horizons and KELP and how Living with the Land was once LISTEN to the Land, I now tell them how there was a time when the 8×10 glossies hanging in Mama Melrose were relevant actors and how their daddy used to dump gallons of water on people every day. So during this Disney’s Hollywood Studios Awareness Week, I have become acutely aware of how important it is to capture and record these memories while they are fresh and appreciate the best laid plans of Mice and men.

 

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Filed Under: Commentary Land, Disney Attractions, Disney Past, Family Memories, Walt Disney World Tagged With: #DHSawareness, 50's Prime Time Cafe, Backlot Tour, Bulldog Cafe, Cast member memories, Disney memories, Disney Studios, Disney-MGM Studios, Disney's Hollywood, Great Movie Ride, hollywood studios, Inside the Magic Special Effects Tour, Rocketeer, Studios Central, Walt Disney World Inside Out

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