Disney’s Great Movie Ride to Get Update in 2015

by  Christine Dayao | Dec 5, 2014
Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom
Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom / Photo courtesy of Christine Dayao

Change is coming to one of the original rides at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

According to The New York Times, Disney and cable channel Turner Classic Movies (TCM) are entering an agreement that would allow TCM to freshen up The Great Movie Ride as early as the first few months of 2015.

Situated in a full-scale replica of Tinseltown’s Grauman’s Chinese Theatre -- complete with celebrities’ hand and footprints out front -- the tram-style ride takes guests on a journey through scenes from iconic films, acted out by audio-animatronics. (Movies include The Wizard of Oz, Singin’ in the Rain, Casablanca, and Mary Poppins.)

The Times reports that TCM will update the ride’s pre-show and finale videos, which will include an appearance by TCM’s host Robert Osborne, but there’s no word yet on whether or not the ride itself will experience a redo. TCM will essentially sponsor the attraction, getting “presented by” credits on attraction posters, banners, displays, and marquees.

As the Orlando Sentinel puts it, the 25-year-old park is “in transition.” The TCM news is the latest in a string of changes that the Mouse is making to the park. The Studios Backlot Tour, another of the theme park’s original attractions, shuttered earlier this year. The American Idol Experience, where guests could show off their singing shops, also got the boot in 2014. It’s also been announced that the polarizing Sorcerer’s Hat, the Studios’ icon, will get the heave-ho -- much to the delight of many Disney fans, who have long complained that it has little to do with the scheme of Walt Disney World’s third theme park.

When it opened in 1989 as Disney-MGM Studios, the park was meant to showcase the art of filmmaking and even served as a real movie and TV production lot. Years later, little to no production takes place there, and six years have passed since it saw the debut of a major attraction. Any Disney fanatics out there who long for the Studios' golden years?

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