Walt Disney World Attraction Spotlight – The Great Movie Ride
Well, it’s Week 2 in our “WDW Attraction Spotlight” series, and that means it’s time to analyze a new attraction. If you’re new here, here is a quick run-down: we will begin looking at attractions at the Walt Disney World Resort. In short, we will feature an attraction and look at 5 categories:
- Queue Line
- Cast Member Costuming and Demeanor
- Animatronics
- Overall Experience
- Nostalgic Factor
Each attraction will be ranked out a score of 100 points (20 for every category) and categorized against each other in the coming weeks. Be sure to comment below with your ranking of each category of this week’s featured attraction, as this column will be 100% opinionated. Last week we featured the Jungle Cruise, and out of the 15 people that sent in their ratings, the Jungle Cruise ended with an average of 74/100. Very close ratings last week for the Jungle Cruise! Let’s try to double that number of viewers and set the stage for Week 2 with: The Great Movie Ride (Shout-out to graphite1326 and MonstersUGrad for the suggestion!)
The Great Movie Ride
Opened: 1989
Side-Note: Much like the Jungle Cruise, this attraction can totally depend on the “Stage Crew Cast Member” that you end up getting. Let’s base the Cast Member section on the “best cast member” you have ever had on this ride.
Queue Line:
The queue line of The Great Movie Ride is notable for having a good amount of old, Hollywood-style memorabilia and movie props. The fact that they try to replace some of the props with more generation relevant props is stellar (It keeps the attention of every guest that walks through it).
After coming in through the entrance of the Chinese Theater and getting through the memorabilia, guests are then filtered into a maze in a “theater”. Though The Great Movie Ride has been updated in recent years to be the home of Turner Classic Movies (TCM), the beginning pre-show still makes the usual 20 minute wait time feel like a 5 minute wait time.
The pre-show is definitely a perk to this queue. Guests get to stand in line and watch old trailers like Alien (1979) and Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). This queue happens to be at the top of my list, primarily because they have so many vehicles going which causes the line to constantly move.
Overall Queue Line Rank: 16/20
Cast Member Costuming and Demeanor:
This attraction, much like the Jungle Cruise, prides itself on its Cast Member’s. It all depends on the interactions between the Cast Member’s and the guests, as well as the synchronized notion with the animatronics. This is another attraction where you really have to sit and, not only take everything in with your eyes, but also take everything in with your ears. The costuming for the Cast Members is replica to old Hollywood-style movie ushers. Again, the costuming is very iconic for this attraction.
Overall Cast Member Costuming and Demeanor Rank: 13/20
Animatronics:
The animatronics in this attraction really make you feel like you are a part of the scenes that your vehicle is guided through. Most of them are extremely life-like to their corresponding actors, while only a few are static (Footlight Parade).
Some of my favorite animatronics in this park are in this ride, including John Wayne (as Ethan Edwards), Julie Andrews (as Mary Poppins), and Clint Eastwood (as Man with No Name). The most realistic animatronics have to be the Wicked Witch of the West in the Wizard of Oz scene, and both aliens in the Alien scene.
Overall Animatronics Rank: 17/20
Overall Experience:
Now, I know Disney needs sponsorship for its rides, but sometimes it gets ridiculous when you see “Test Track presented by Chevy” or “The Great Movie Ride presented by TCM”. A lot of Walt Disney World’s attractions are being bought out and ran by separate companies (but I do understand they need a constant influx of money to keep the rides as they are). It really takes away from the experience during this ride, especially towards the end when Robert Osborne brings out the final movie montage. It’s just a little reminder that you aren’t really engrossed in the Disney Magic in this one, as much as some of the other attractions.
Also, if you get put in the second car of your 2 car vehicle, you definitely miss out on a lot of the attraction. Your Cast Member sits in the front car, giving movie insight and facts while going through the different scenes AS THEY PASS THROUGH THEM. There’s a good 20 seconds between when the Cast Member gives their facts and when the back car passes through the corresponding scene. I might be picky, but it can be a real deal-breaker for me if I ride in the second car on The Great Movie Ride.
Overall Experience Rank: 12/20
Nostalgic Factor:
I would consider Nostalgic Factor a main ingredient in any Walt Disney World attraction. By this category, I’m expressing certain questions: 1. “Does this ride make you want to ride it over and over again?”. 2. “Is this ride memorable?”. Depending on how good your ride through was the first time you ride it during your vacation, this ride does not need to be ridden more than twice (throughout your entire vacation). You get two options when riding this attraction, either your Cast Member goes off during the Gangster scene or the Wildest West scene, but the most important thing to know here is, they all end the same way.
I would not recommend waiting more than 15 minutes for this attraction. This ride is certainly a bad memory for young ones (especially when the aliens attack or the Wicked Witch of the West makes her grand entry). Now, don’t get me wrong, this is a great ride to escape the crowds and get into a building with air conditioning on those hot days, but this one is mainly for the “movie-buffs”.
Overall Nostalgic Factor Rank: 11/20
Overall Ranking for The Great Movie Ride: 69/100
Be sure to comment below with your own overall ranking of The Great Movie Ride (I am really looking forward to see where it ranks in the reader’s opinions!). Also, be sure to include in your comment, any suggestions for next week’s attraction spotlight.
Top 10 Rankings so far…
Jungle Cruise – 77/100 ; Readers Rating – 74/100
The Great Movie Ride – 69/100 ; Readers Rating – TBD