The Great Movie Ride Returns to Hollywood Studios This Christmas
Do you still miss The Great Movie Ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios? There is a new nod to this favorite attraction; see where you can find this fun throwback for your next trip to Disney's Hollywood Studios.
MGM Studios
MGM Studios opened to Guests on May 1, 1989. The theme of this new park was to serve as a window into "Old Hollywood." MGM Studios welcomed Guests, but it also served as a production studio for both television and movies. The first movies filmed at MGM Studios were Earnest Saves Christmas and Newsies.
MGM Studios opening day attractions included Disney's Hollywood Studios Entrance, Backstage Studio Tour, the Magic of Disney Animation, the Monster Sound Show, Superstar Television, and The Great Movie Ride.
Disney added additional attractions throughout the years. Soon the focus shifted from the studio experience of opening day to a new vision.
The Great Movie Ride
The Great Movie ride was housed in the grand Chinese Theatre. It truly was revolutionary for its time. This dark ride allowed Guests to board a vehicle led by a Cast Member that was the star of the show.
Animatronics were found through this attraction depicting many of our favorite films such as Casablanca, Tarzan, The Wizard of Oz, Alien, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Mary Poppins and more.
In 2017, Disney announced that the curtain would close on The Great Movie Ride on August 13, 2017. This made way for the new Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway, which opened in March 2020.
Return of The Great Movie Ride
Since this closure, many of the displays and animatronics that were once housed in the Chinese Theater are now found in various locations. The above photo from Aliens is on display at the Walt Disney Archives exhibit.
The Great Movie Ride characters are now at Keystone Clothiers at Disney's Hollywood Studios.
Now, three of the Busby Berkeley dancers from The Great Movie Ride or in the display window at Keystone Clothiers at Disney's Hollywood Studios. In The Great Movie Ride, these ladies wore swim caps and swimsuits. If you look closely, you can see their swim caps under their velvet Santa hats.
This is a fun nod to part of Hollywood glamour from years ago. Thanks to @magicandwishes for sharing:
Do you prefer The Great Movie Ride or Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway? Share your thoughts with us and share this news with your Disney pals.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Donna loved Disney from an early age. As a child, her family would joke that she lived in "Donna Land." As an adult, she enjoys planning and creating magical vacations for her family. She always brings a little faith, trust, and a little bit of Pixie Dust!
love the Great Movie Ride. Run away Railroad is a one and done
Great movie Ride
Mickey and Minnie should have been put in the Magic Kingdom and The Great Movie Ride maybe updated some as previously stated. I miss that ride so much and what the studios started out to be.
Please get The Great Movie Ride back! Our family loved it! My daughter and I would ride it two or three times! Mickey and Minnie Ride cute but no way as good as The Great Movie Ride!
the great movie Ride was awesome. It will be good to have it back again.
the great movie ride
I miss it I wish it would come back permanently.
LOVED the Great Movie Ride!!!! BEST part of MGM/HS!!! Please bring it back!!!
I think it was one of Disney’s biggest mistakes getting rid of such a wonderful history of Hollywood at “Hollywood Studios”. I loved that ride. It was one of my favorites. As mentioned, they could have expanded on it and included so much more. I am sure Mickey and Minnie maybe fun, but there could have been other places for that ride. I don’t think of Mickey and Minnie as necessarily being “Hollywood “.
Love the great movie ride.I wish they would bring it back.I think it was phenomenal.It was the most fun I had in hollywood studios.
My favorite is the great movie ride! it was awesome! it would be nice to have both!
yes I miss the great movie ride it was spectacular and truly a chance to escape reality. the person who had the dumb idea to remove it should be fired
Great Movie Ride was awesome! We miss it soooo much! The Runaway train is cute, and Mickey and Minnie definitely deserve their own attraction, but it should have gone somewhere else. And I personally don't like the animation character portrayals in this attraction. Looks like an amateur drew them. I prefer good old characters we know and love, clean drawn! I sooo wish they could bring back the Great Movie Ride and the original overall feelings of the Studios!!
My family loved and greatly misses The Great Movie Ride by far! That was our 1st ride of the day and NEVER tired of it! we wish Hollywoid Studios would bring this "ride" back!
cringe response. That so called amateur art style is better than anything you can do
We loved the great movie ride & do miss it. Too bad Mickeys runaway railway wasn't a new addition. It is fun for sure.
Love the Great Movie Ride. I hope it comes back.
I agree that The Great Movie Ride is better however it woukd be great for both to be kept. I also loved the back lot ride. it made you feel like you were seeing where and how movies snd TV shows were made.
the Great Movie Ride was so much better. it had been years since I had been, missed the memo about the change. was disappointed. also, the memorabilia store at the entry gone. sad about that, too.
It is sad that the park is so much different than how it was originally designed.
Runaway Railway should've been built in Animation Courtyard where Launch Bay was. Great Movie Ride should have been updated, especially now that Disney owns so many Fox franchises. They could've updated the ride with scenes from Titanic, Star Wars, Avatar, Planet of the Apes, one of the recent Predator movies, etc. Really such a missed opportunity.
That would have been a perfect location for that
I love and miss the Great Movie Ride. It was a must do for our family every time we went to Hollywood Studios. It should not have been deleted from the park to make room for something else. Bottom Line. I love the Runaway Railroad. But it should have been an addition, to the park....not a replacement. Poor decision by Disney.
I agree 100%. I love Runaway Railway, but it would have been nice to have this at another location.
I agree with these comments. The movie ride was the highlight for us at Hollywood Studios. Disney made a big mistake.
Great movie ride hands down. All about movies and history.
Yes!!! I loved so much nostalgia in this attraction.
Runaway railway’s good, but The great movie ride was way better!!
The Great Movie Ride way surpasses the Mickey Ride ! It was great Fun from start to finish but most importantly it was what Hollywood Movies were all about and you were taking a totally awesome ride through Hollywood history and so a connection to Hollywood Studios History ;!
I really liked the original plan for MGM Studios, and The Great Movie Ride was such a great display of the magic of Hollywood.
I wish they could have room for both attractions