"Past Disney" July 2023 Exercise Challenge

The TEAM has turned 1950s Blue, and luvpoohandcompany is *this* close to changing color as well!

Another opening-day attraction at Disney-MGM Studios was Superstar Television. Guests were chosen to play parts from well-known television shows and the audience would see the filmed result. I remember watching guests try to recreate the candy factory scene from I Love Lucy and laughing up a storm. Superstar Television was around from 1989 to 1998.

The space then hosted Doug Live! from 1999 to 2001, Get Happy . . . With ABC! in 2002, and The American Idol Experience from 2009 to 2015. Now you'll find the Frozen Sing-along there.
Oh I remember Superstar Television, but I don't think I ever saw Doug Live or Get Happy.
 
Congratulations to Bethislucy, luvpoohandcompany, and Oneanne for turning 1950s Blue! And PollyannaMom is *this* close to turning 1960s Orange.

At opening, Disney-MGM Studios offered two behind-the-scenes type tours.

The Magic of Disney Animation in the Animation Building let guests view real animators working on Disney features. I recall seeing animators working on animals in what looked like a jungle -- which I think may have been a scene from The Lion King. This article lists the films that the Florida animators had a part in. Both Mulan and Lilo & Stitch were made primarily in Florida.

But hand-drawn animation was on its way out, and the animation tour morphed over the years. It closed for good in 2015. The space is now the Star Wars Launch Bay, which still is closed from the pandemic.

The other behind-the-scenes tour was the Backstage Studio Tour (later called the Studio Backlot Tour). As originally offered, it was about 2 hours long, part walking tour and part tram ride. The walking tour involved demonstrations of how effects were filmed, and the tram ride took guests through the residential street, the New York area, and Catastrophe Canyon. Fairly quickly, the tour was split into two portions, the tram tour and a walking tour.

The walking tour closed in 2001. In 2003, the residential street was removed for the stunt show Lights, Motors, Action! Finally, the Studio Backlot Tour closed in 2014, eventually to be replaced by Toy Story Land.

Here's an article from Yesterland about both the Studio Backlot Tour and the Animation Building.
 
Congratulations to Bethislucy, luvpoohandcompany, and Oneanne for turning 1950s Blue! And PollyannaMom is *this* close to turning 1960s Orange.

At opening, Disney-MGM Studios offered two behind-the-scenes type tours.

The Magic of Disney Animation in the Animation Building let guests view real animators working on Disney features. I recall seeing animators working on animals in what looked like a jungle -- which I think may have been a scene from The Lion King. This article lists the films that the Florida animators had a part in. Both Mulan and Lilo & Stitch were made primarily in Florida.

But hand-drawn animation was on its way out, and the animation tour morphed over the years. It closed for good in 2015. The space is now the Star Wars Launch Bay, which still is closed from the pandemic.

The other behind-the-scenes tour was the Backstage Studio Tour (later called the Studio Backlot Tour). As originally offered, it was about 2 hours long, part walking tour and part tram ride. The walking tour involved demonstrations of how effects were filmed, and the tram ride took guests through the residential street, the New York area, and Catastrophe Canyon. Fairly quickly, the tour was split into two portions, the tram tour and a walking tour.

The walking tour closed in 2001. In 2003, the residential street was removed for the stunt show Lights, Motors, Action! Finally, the Studio Backlot Tour closed in 2014, eventually to be replaced by Toy Story Land.

Here's an article from Yesterland about both the Studio Backlot Tour and the Animation Building.
This brings back the memories. I used to love watching the animators at work.
 
My parents were in town visiting this week, which threw off my night time routine... Plus Charles has been eating relentlessly lately, giving me little time to squeeze in a workout. AND I'm still fighting off that stupid cold (lingering cough and sinus pressure). I finally mustered the motivation to do something tonight after I put Charles to bed. +20 of Growwithjo and Chloe Ting. Now to try and get some sleep before Charles wakes me up for a midnight snack. 😅
+35/400
 
No color changes, but Elizabeth Smith is *this* close to one!

The only opening-day Disney-MGM attraction that we haven't looked at is The Great Movie Ride. Housed in a replica of Graumann's Chinese Theatre, this dark ride with huge cars took guests through scenes of classic movies.

When we went to DHS in 2015, I fully expected my tween niece and nephew not to know many of the movies. They surprised me, though, with my niece saying it was her favorite ride of the whole trip!

One of the features of the ride was being hijacked by either a gangster or a cowboy. For some reason, we almost always got the gangster, but occasionally we did get the cowboy. (Their reactions to the Alien scene were always fun, no matter which character.)

The Great Movie Ride closed in 2017 to make way for Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway, which opened in 2020.

Do you have a favorite scene from GMR? Mine was either Raiders of the Lost Ark or The Wizard of Oz.
 
Last edited:
And a bonus discussion, because the month keeps moving on and there's a lot to talk about!

One of the features of the Disney parks is the park's symbol -- for MK, the castle; for Epcot, Spaceship Earth; and for AK, the Tree of Life. But Disney-MGM had some trouble sticking with a symbol.

The original symbol was supposed to be the "Earffel Tower," a water tower with Mickey ears located on the Backlot Tour. But it was hidden and hard to get a picture with. So in 2001, for the 100 Years of Magic Celebration, Disney built the Sorcerer's Hat, a giant representation of the hat Mickey steals in Fantasia, right in front of the Chinese Theatre. The Sorcerer's Hat remained the symbol until it was taken down in 2015. The Earffel Tower was removed shortly thereafter, in 2016, to make way for Toy Story Land. Since then, the symbol of DHS is either the Hollywood Tower Hotel or the Grauman's Chinese Theatre building.

Let's take a poll: Did you love the Sorcerer's Hat, hate it, or were you indifferent? I'm firmly on the side of hate it. And in researching this post, I found out that Disney planned to rebuild it for the 100 Years of Wonder celebration? Is this true? We did get tickets to Jollywood Nights, so I guess I'll see for myself in December.
 
Congratulations to Elizabeth Smith for turning 1950s Blue and to luvpoohandcompany for being the first team member to reach 1960s Orange!

Moving to AK, when it opened in 1998, there was a land called Camp Minnie-Mickey. The original plan for that area was for "Beastly Kingdom," but that plan was put aside and never realized. Camp Minnie-Mickey, which was themed to the Adirondacks, was the original location of the Festival of the Lion King show (1998-2014) and another show, Pocahontas and her Forest Friends (1998-2008). The area also provided meet-and-greet locations for characters.

In 2014, Disney moved the Festival of the Lion King to Africa and the characters to other meeting locations so it could start building Pandora, which opened in 2017.


(Current Sorcerer's Hat poll tally = 2 for, 1 against)
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!











facebook twitter
Top