Unbelievable as it may sound, there’s a Disney Park with ZERO opening day attractions still open!
Whether it’s The Jungle Cruise or the Fantasyland dark rides at Disneyland, the Haunted Mansion at the Magic Kingdom, or Spaceship Earth at EPCOT (among others at each park), opening day attractions hold a special place in the hearts of many Disney fans. Which makes it all-the-more shocking that one of Disney’s premier theme parks has none of its opening day attractions left!
When Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios — then known as Disney/MGM Studios — first opened in 1989, it was different than any other Disney park before, or since for that matter. Initially, the Studios was not a theme park in the traditional sense. Instead, it was a literal film studio — an attempt to either create a “Hollywood of the East” or cut off Universal’s attempt to build a theme park in Florida, depending how much theme park lore one believes — that featured theme park elements. As MGM Studios became Hollywood Studios and transitioned into more a of traditional theme park, each of the park’s original five attractions was closed and replaced.
We’re taking a look at them now!
The Great Movie Ride
The longest-lasting, and arguably most-beloved, of the original five attractions was the Great Movie Ride. This gigantic, audio-animatronic-filled attraction was located within the park’s central facade, a recreation of Hollywood’s famous Chinese Theater.
SuperStar Television
Located in the park’s Echo Lake area, Superstar Television had guests act out scenes from “popular TV shows like General Hospital, Bonanza, Gilligan’s Island, and Cheers, among others. The guests, paired up with the SuperStar Television cast, would act out their assigned roles on sets or in front of a screens, while the live studio audience could watch the finished product air on screens above.”
The show was heavily marketed during the park’s early years, but only lasted until September of 1998. Several shows have filled its former theater over the years, including Doug Live!, The American Idol Experience, and currently For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration.
Monster Sound Show
The Monster Sound Show was an effects show detailing how sound effects and foley work are integrated into film productions. The show, very similar to those featured over the years at Universal’s parks, lasted until 1997. It was replaced by similar shows based on ABC’s Saturday Morning children’s television lineup, and an original film starring Drew Carey entitled Sounds Dangerous, the latter of which lasted until 2012.
Since the closing of Sounds Dangerous, the theater has featured Jedi Training Academy Sign-Up/Carbon Freeze Me, and Star Wars: Path of the Jedi. The building is now known as Mickey Shorts Theater, and it currently plays the short “Mickey & Minnie in Vacation Fun.”
Magic of Disney Animation
In addition to its live action studio component, the original Disney/MGM Studios complex also was home to an animation studio, which would go on to produce animation for several Disney films including Mulan and Lilo and Stitch.
The Magic of Disney Animation provided a 4-part tour featuring a live action/animated short film, “Back to Neverland” which starred Walter Cronkite and comedian Robin Williams. The film guided you through the different stages of animation. Following that film, guests would “witness the process of animation” from glass-enclosed walkways that looked down on the actual animation studio. Next, there was a display of Disney Animation artifacts and Academy Awards before two finale films: One in which Disney Animators described the joy of the art of animation, and then Classic Disney, which was a montage of key moments from classic animated Disney films and shorts.
The attraction actually outlived the animation studio itself, which closed in 2004. Over the next decade, the Magic of Disney Animation featured a different opening film, meet and greets with Disney characters, and an Animation Academy. Currently the building is home to the Star Wars Launch Bay.
Hollywood Backlot Tour
The original centerpiece of the MGM Studios park, the Studio Backlot Tour was initially a massive, hours-long tour through the park’s real working soundstages and sets, including its massive New York backlot, as well as the ever-popular Catastrophe Canyon. Over the years, the tour was cut down considerably as production at the park ended, with more and more of its area becoming part of the park, including the New York streets being opened up as the Streets of America.
One quick note: There are two attractions that opened up within months of Hollywood Studios’ opening day that are still in existence today, in some form. The Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular opened in August, a few months after the park. It had been planned for opening day, but wasn’t ready in time. Secondly, Star Tours — which currently operates as Star Tours: The Adventure Continues — opened that fall. Allegedly, the ride was ready to open with the park, but was delayed to not compete with the similar Body Wars that had recently opened at EPCOT.
While the modern iteration of Hollywood Studios certainly has a lot of good things going for it, we can’t help but be nostalgic for these opening day attractions at times. Stay tuned to AllEars for more dives into Disney history.
Extinct EPCOT: The History of Universe of Energy
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Which opening day Hollywood Studios attraction was your favorite? Let us know in the comments below.
I was lucky enough to have experienced all of these original, opening-day attractions. There was a totally different feel to the park then…..more leisurely with its lengthy attraction times, and certainly less crowded. I still feel that it’s such a shame they took away the Great Movie Ride. Rather than replacing it, it would have been so much better for the guest experience if they had made Mickey’s Runaway Railway an addition instead of a replacement.
I believe the one way the loss of GMR could be remedied would be to dust off and enhance the plans for the Great Muppet Movie Ride and install it in a more robust Muppets land next to Muppet Vision 3D. This has endless potential as a park favorite and would appeal to kids (who love muppets and slow moving dark rides), seniors (who remember the muppets fondly and love slow moving dark rides) and nostalgic Gen Xers (who appreciate muppet humor, would love the tie-ins to the original GMR and love slow moving dark rides). The park clearly needs more attractions as it is a victim of its own success at this point.
I agree! I loved the movie ride!