DISNEY'S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS

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AT A GLANCE...
Attractions
Restaurants
Characters
Shopping

HOLLYWOOD BLVD.
Sorcerer Mickey Hat
The Great Movie Ride

SUNSET BLVD.
Beauty and the Beast
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster
Tower of Terror

STREETS OF AMERICA
Al's Toy Barn
Honey I Shrunk
    the Kids
Lights, Motors, Action!
  Extreme Stunt Show
Monsters Inc.
   Meet & Greet
MuppetVision 3D
Pizza Planet Arcade

Coming January 2009:
American Idol!

MICKEY AVENUE
Backlot Tour
Journey into Narnia
One Man's Dream

PIXAR PLACE
NEW!
   Toy Story Midway Mania!

ANIMATION COURTYARD
The Magic of Disney
   Animation
Playhouse Disney Live!
Voyage of the Little
   Mermaid

ECHO LAKE
Indiana Jones Epic
   Stunt Spectacular
Sounds Dangerous
Star Tours

ENTERTAINMENT
Jedi Training
    Academy
Playhouse Disney
   in Concert
Fantasmic!
Streetmosphere

NEW!
   Block Party Bash

SPECIAL EVENTS
ESPN The Weekend
Night of Joy
Super Soap Weekend
Star Wars Weekends
Osborne Lights
Playhouse Disney
  in Concert
Visiting Celebrities

SPECIAL TOURS

ARCHIVES
Backstage Pass
Bear in the Big Blue
   House
Disney's Doug Live!
High School Musical
    Pep Rally
Hunchback of Notre
   Dame
Making of the Haunted
   Mansion Movie
Mulan Parade
Stars and Motor Cars
   Parade
Who Wants to Be a
   Millionaire? Play It!

OTHER THEME PARKS
Animal Kingdom
Epcot
Magic Kingdom

Disneyland
Disney's California
    Adventure

Universal Orlando
   Resort

Introduction | Attraction | Touring Tips | Kids and Characters | Dining | Shopping | Interesting Facts

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INTRODUCTION

At the end of Hollywood Boulevard, dead center, stands a magnificent reproduction of the famous Mann's Chinese Theater, home to The Great Movie Ride. As part of the 100 Years celebration, the view of the theater was obscured by the installation of the Sorcerer Mickey Hat, a new icon for this theme park. One of the Disney's Hollywood Studios' original attractions when it opened in May 1989, and presented by Coca-Cola, the Great Movie Ride is a 22-minute journey into the history of the movies, with a cast of Audio-Animatronics characters re-creating memorable movie moments.

ATTRACTION

Pre-Show/Queue - As you enter the theater, you'll see many genuine movie props and costumes displayed in showcases. While you weave your way through the holding area, you're treated to vintage film clips projected on a huge screen.

Great Movie Ride - Long tram cars take you on a slow but interesting journey through some of the world's most famous movie scenes. Just about every genre is represented: musicals, gangster movies, westerns, romances, action/adventures and horror flicks. More than 50 exceedingly realistic Audio-Animatronic figures bring it all to life, among them Gene Kelly, Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, James Cagney, John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Sigourney Weaver, Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, and the Wicked Witch of the West herself, Margaret Hamilton. In addition to the wizardry of some of the best audio-animatronics in Walt Disney World, guests on this tour are treated to one of two scenarios that get the Cast Member hosting your tram in on the action -- one involves a gangster plot, the other a cowboy theme.

Mini-Review: Because the enthusiasm of your Cast Member greatly affects your enjoyment of the live-action scenes, this ride can sometimes be terrific fun, other times rather lackluster. Still, the combination of these antics, coupled with the highly interesting movie scenes, make this a ride worth taking again and again.

TOURING TIPS

HIDDEN MICKEYS: In the Well of Souls Raiders of the Lost Ark scene, try to spot Mickey and Donald among the hieroglyphics - they're having lunch. There are two more Hidden Mickeys on the ride -- one on the dock in the trees by the third light pole (ask a driver to point it out with a flashlight) and one on a rock where Indiana Jones is lifting the chest.

The line for The Great Movie Ride is generally longest in the morning and immediately following the afternoon parade. Best times to visit are very first thing in the morning, in the evening, and right before the afternoon parade starts. If the line is extending outside the theater, you may want to consider visiting the attraction at a different time. Once inside the theater, there is approximately a 25-minute wait.

Several scenes for this attraction, particularly the scene from Alien (in which the dripping alien hovers above you) and the Wizard of Oz Wicked Witch, may be too dark/intense for some children and even some adults. There are also snakes and skeletons in the Indiana Jones scene that may be upsetting to some sensitive guests.

There are two different storylines you may experience on this ride: one involves cowboys, the other involves gangsters. If you have a preference, ask the Cast Member prior to boarding to see if they can guide you to the appropriate queue.

Watch the movie montage carefully during your wait time in the queue, as well as the one at the end of the ride, for snippets of your favorite films.

This attraction is wheelchair accessible. Guests in ECVs can remain in their vehicle and be seated in row 12 or may transfer to another row.

Restrooms are located directly in front of you, at the beginning of Commissary Lane, when you exit the Great Movie Ride.

KIDS AND CHARACTERS

There are no characters associated with this attraction, however, there are often character Meet and Greet opportunities in front of the Chinese Theater. Recent characters spotted in this location include Philoctetes, Pinocchio, Foulfellow the Fox, Genie, Donald Duck, Green Army Man (from Toy Story), Captain Hook, Peter Pan, and Mary Poppins. Consult your guidemap or a Cast Member for times.

DINING

There is no place to eat in the immediate vicinity of the Great Movie Ride or the Chinese Theater. A short walk down Commissary Lane, however, brings you to the ABC Commissary (counter service restaurant). A quick walk across Hollywood Plaza, you'll find the Hollywood Brown Derby Restaurant.

Disney's Hollywood Studios Restaurants At A Glance
Menus From Around the World
Vegetarian and Other Special Diets

SHOPPING

There are no shops in the immediate area of the Chinese Theater, however there are usually several carts selling a variety of merchandise set up in the Hollywood Plaza area.

INTERESTING FACTS

Many of the props in the lobby of the theater are authentic, such as the carousel horse from Mary Poppins.

Gene Kelly inspected his AA likeness personally.

Ingrid Bergman's daughter Isabella Rosselini has brought her children to this attraction to see their grandmother in the Casablanca scene.

The entire Great Movie Ride attraction covers 95,000 square feet.

The trams in this attraction can hold approximately 70 passengers.

This attraction is frequently the target of rumors saying that it will be replaced or significantly redesigned. As one of the original attractions in the Disney's Hollywood Studios, the ride can use some updating, but no official announcements regarding any changes have been made to date.

If you have comments or tips to share with others about Disney's Hollywood Studios' Great Movie Ride, please email us. Thank you.