A ride gone but not forgotten!
The Walt Daily
Secrets of the Great Movie Ride
Hi everyone! The great movie ride is gone, but not forgotten. Here are five secrets about the classic attraction. First, the facade of the Chinese theatre that housed the attraction was not only built from the original blueprints for Gromman's Chinese theatre in Hollywood, but it was built to full scale, which was fairly unique from Disney Imagineers since most buildings are built with forced perspective, to make a building appear larger than it is. Okay, next. As authentic as the facade might have been, there was a plaque on the outside of the building, claiming it was established in 1928, but the original theatre was actually established in 1927. It's said that this was not a mistake by Imagineers, and instead was an intentional reference to the 1928 feet of track on the attraction, and it also happens to be the year that Mickey Mouse made his first appearance. Now, we were all really used to having the great movie ride being a journey through the movies featuring audio animatronics, a technology that Disney pioneered in the earliest days of Disneyland. But during the development of the ride, Disney Imagineers were thinking instead about using celebrity impersonators on the ride. In the end, though, it was felt that audio animatronics would provide a more consistent experience for guests. Alright, our next secret is Disney actually recycling audio animatronics. In the bank robbery scene, if you think the sheriff shooting from the window looked a little familiar, he should. He was the same audio animatronic mold used to portray Thomas Jefferson in the Hall of Presidents. And in the gangster scene, Muggsy's two accomplices who were hiding by the stairs can also be found swashbuckling in Pirates of the Caribbean. Finally, it's no secret that to have a ride about the movies, you need to have the movie stars from the movies on the attraction. And just like the movies, the actors' likenesses and voices had to be licensed and approved by the actors or their estate. The family of James Cagney, for instance, didn't like the original attire that he was going to wear in the public enemy scene. And instead, the family gave Disney one of Cagney's personal tuxedos to wear. An Ingrid Bergman in the Casablanca scene does not speak because her estate did not authorize Disney to use her voice. And something that I'm sure is not a secret to anyone is that this ride is as beloved as it was when it was still around. [Music]