The Great Movie Ride
Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood Studios
| Opening Date: May 1st, 1989 | |
| Ride Length: 19 minutes | Minimum Height: N/A |
| Handicapped Access: ECV users must transfer to a regular wheelchair. | |
| Fastpass: No | Rider Swap: No |
| Attraction Type(s): Dark Ride, Ride Through, Tour | |
The Great Movie Ride is located just behind the Mickey Mouse Sorcerer Hat on Hollywood Boulevard. It is housed inside a full scale replica of Hollywood's iconic Graumann's Chinese Theater.
The first thing you notice when you enter is a very large queue area. Thankfully it's rarely full, and you will usually have a maximum wait time of around 10 minutes. However during really busy times of the year the ride has been known to have wait times up to 30 minutes.
You board a fairly large ride vehicle, which is basically like a moving theater cart. At the front of your ride car is your tour guide, who will take you on a guided tour of the golden age of film. The entire ride car moves forward through two giant doors, with 'Hooray For Hollywood' playing in the background.
You pass through a number of scenes from popular movies including The Wizard of Oz, Alien, Casablanca, Tarzan and Raders of the Lost Arc. Each set features audio-animatronic characters from each film, with some interaction with your host thrown in.
After this part the ride story takes off. Depending on which cast members are working, and how busy the park is you'll have a mobster take over your ride car, the actual storyline varies however it adds a great surprise to the ride for first timers.
We know of at least three alternate ways the story/ride can go, each ending in the mobster getting whats coming to them!
One thing that can really let this down however is the cast members. If you get a cast member who's not exactly the best actor, it can ruin the ride.
The ride is worth visiting at least once. Some younger viewers may end up being a bit board as most, if not all films featured were from before 1989. The ride has never had a significant update to add in some newer films, most likely for licensing reasons.
The Great Movie Ride Ride Tips
There are a number of real movie props in this ride. Notably, the merry-go-round horse from Mary Poppins, a green peacock Elizebethan dress worn by Judi Dench in Shakespear in Love and Susan's costume from The Chronicals of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
There used to be a large number of props in the queue area but most have now been removed.
In the fourcort of the theater there are a number of A-List Hollywood celebrity handprints in the floor, such as Sylvester Stallone, John Travolter, Dick Van Dyke, Audrey Hepburn and Tom Cruise to name a few.