The Great Movie Loss
by Thomas Hoffman

Earlier this year, Walt Disney World discontinued a show that should have been a permanent addition to the list of Disney classics. The Wishes fireworks show has performed one final “story in the sky.” Recently, another Disney classic has been destined to close. The Great Movie Ride is about to transport guests into the movies for the final time.

Usually whenever guests complain about rides/shows closing at Disney, they are told that Disney must always be providing changes to attract new guests. They are told that certain rides may be dated. We are reminded of Walt Disney’s promise that Walt Disney World will never be finished. This may be true. Disney does indeed need to constantly build new rides to attract guests. Walt Disney was right, Disneyworld will never be finished. I myself have been on The Great Movie Ride at least twenty times in my life. I will be the first to admit the ride needs an update. But to replace it is to deprive the Disney Hollywood Studios of a unique experience that cannot be found at any other theme park.

It is an unusual experience “losing” a favorite theme park ride. It is not a feeling everyone can relate too. Whether it is Wishes, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride or The Great Movie Ride, it is a journey you are no longer able to go on, an experience you can no longer have, a part of your childhood you cannot reclaim.

Spoiler Alert:

With the loss of The Great Movie Ride comes the loss of a “magic trick” unique to this attraction. The best and most unique part of the ride is the “spectacular twist,” where one of the scenes comes to life. The tour guide disappears, and the tram is hijacked by a cowboy or gangster. The tour guide then reappears when yet another movie scene comes to life. This special effect is unique — no other theme park ride at Disney World or Universal Orlando provides anything similar.

The Great Movie Ride concludes with a clip of Star Wars, where one of the ships jumps into hyperspace. The Star Wars scene then transforms into the Hollywood skyline. The tram ventures under the screen and back into Disney’s Hollywood Studios, where guests participate in an “exit” scene directed by the tour guide. Guests applaud for their guide and carefully gather their belongings. Whoever is on that final tram, participating in the last “exit” scene and applauding for the guide, will be part of an interesting piece of Disney history.

The main message of this ride — especially the final scene — is that every movie is a trip on The Great Movie Ride. Every movie is a spectacular journey, a ride into another world where anything can happen.

Several protests have mounted online, but it is highly unlikely the closure of The Great Movie Ride can be prevented. Disney does not typically respond to protests; a notable example is the closure of Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride in 1998. A website, SaveToad.com, tried to prevent its closure, but to no avail. That was before social media became the tool it is today. Some favorites, like the Main Street Electrical Parade, have returned, and Figment was restored to a bigger role in Journey into Imagination.

Perhaps some twist can make The Great Movie Ride reappear the same way our tour guide does. If Figment and the Main Street Electrical parade can return, so can this. As our tour guide (and The Great Movie Ride itself) reminds us “Anything can happen in the Movies.”

Photo: By Jedi94 (Personal work.) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons