The Great Movie Ride at Disney’s Hollywood Studios has been a staple since the park opened in 1989, and has been relatively unchanged. The attraction has received some minor upgrades over the years, but the aging attraction has yet to get a major overhaul. In 2015 the ride will get another small update, with a huge partnership that could lead to even more updates in the coming years. While the update is relatively small, well it just makes sense. Turner Classic Movies will enter an exclusive partnership with Disney to not only host the Great Movie Ride, but also to bring classic Disney films back to television, beginning this December!
Hollywood Studios will return to some of it’s classic glory in the beginning of 2015 when the huge sorcerer’s hat is removed, and the Chinese Theater is once again the centerpiece of the park. When that happens, Turner Classic Movies will be the official sponsor of The Great Movie Ride at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
The cable TV channel will get posters and banners on the outside of the building, plus the pre-show and ending will be refreshed with new scenes and a new video with TCM host Robert Osborne providing illuminating insights from great movies.
In addition, beginning December 21st at 8p.m. TCM will air the all new “Treasures from the Disney Vault”. The recurring series will feature both Disney live action films, such as Darby O’Gill and the Little People and animated films such as The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. The series will take a look at rarely seen Disney films, as well as documentaries and made for TV classics, including the tours around Disneyland and the World of Color specials.
The opening night will include the holiday and winter animated shorts “Santa’s Workshop,” “On Ice” and “Chip An’ Dale,” followed by The Disneyland Story. The night will also include The Reluctant Dragon, Disney’s 1941 film that combined a live-action tour of the Walt Disney Studios facility with animated shorts; Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier (1955), a compilation of the first three episodes of the iconic series starring Fess Parker; the Oscar®-winning documentary The Vanishing Prairie (1954), part of Disney’s True Life Adventure series; the rarely seen Third Man on the Mountain (1959), an Alpine tale starring Michael Rennie and James MacArthur; and Perilous Assignment (1959), a documentary about the making of Third Man on the Mountain.
“At TCM, it’s our mission to share and celebrate the greatest films of all time,” said Jennifer Dorian, general manager of TCM. “Disney provides the perfect relationship through which we can share the magic of the movies with every generation, not only through an amazing new showcase on TCM, but also through newly refreshed components of ‘The Great Movie Ride’ Attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.”
“We are looking forward to this collaboration, which complements Disney’s commitment to telling great stories and immersing our guests in family entertainment,” said Tiffany Rende, senior vice president of Disney Corporate Alliances and Operating Participants. “Through this alliance, we are able to share more classic Disney stories with TCM audiences, while further enhancing the guest experience by showcasing TCM content and talent.”
The ride is expected to go down for short time in 2015, after the holidays and come back up with the new material shortly after. While the entire ride really needs a revamp, it appears that Disney is holding off, for now. Currently about half of the park is closed, with The American Idol Experience, Captain Jack Sparrow and the Backlot Studio Tour all being closed over the past year.
Perhaps after the rest of the park comes back on line, the Great Movie Ride will finally get a major overhaul.
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