Nostalgia vs Cheesiness : A look at the Great Movie Ride

Great

I’m a huge Disney fan and a huge movie fan –so I have always loved  The Great Movie Ride.  

It  is like an animatronic trip into the history of films. 

  I love the Raiders scene (My favorite movie)

The Casablanca Scene is classic even though

  the movie itself is overrated.  

And the Wizard of OZ scene is a gem.  I love how the conclusion of the ride has the movie montage of famous movies clips  (I’m a fan of movie history so I’ve seen most of these films).

 So after riding this classic ride on our recent trip I turned to my wife expecting to see a smile on her face and instead got a  “That was really cheesy comment”

I was shocked –how could she not find this ride great.  I mean it is a like a Pirates of the Caribbean or Haunted Mansion type ride through the history of movies???  Both of the kids were kind of bored as well.    I couldn’t understand it.  How can a ride that I look on with such fondness  be boring and cheesy to the rest of my family.    I asked –  “what didn’t you like?”   She thought that the whole gunfighter stealing the tram portion with the live actors was just really lame.   I admit the same old bit after 30 years has gotten old and doesn’t hold the same punch that it used to.  But being a Disney and Movie fan –it just reminds me of cheesy old shows that Ioved at Universal Studios.  And being the Disney fan that I am I love any ride with Audio Animatronics.     But I guess I can see how one persons nostalgia is just old and cheesy to someone else.   
  As far as the kids are concerned  --unlike all the animated Disney movies that other rides are based on –they have no idea what 90% of these movies are.    I still see the Great Movie ride through the eyes that I first saw it 30 years ago when it still opened.    To the rest of my family it might as well have  Superstar Limo (the old failed DCA ride through Hollywood).

The ride just got a much needed update to movie montage section at the end to add more relevant films with its new TCM sponsorship as well.   (It should never have taken that long to update the film).

Maybe the ride itself needs an update ?????     (despite my still loving it).   

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Seven Dwarves Mine Train: Magic Kingdom Family Attraction Review 10 out of 10

As one of the newest Attractions in Walt Disneyworld  (Magic Kingdom to be exact) is the Seven Dwarves Mine Train.  The ride was at the top of our list of rides to go on.  By the time we bought our tickets for our trip all of the fast passes for this ride were gone already (oh well).   We knew we were going to have to just tough it out and wait in the super  long standby line .  But it was well worth it as the Seven Dwarves Mine Train was a nearly perfect Family Attraction.

Like Radiator Springs Racers in California this ride was able to find the perfect mix of fun for the entire family.  With fast  rollercoaster sections the adults and teens and slower sections that the little kids will be entertained by as you get a glimpse the  amazing animatronic Dwarves inside the diamond mines.  After another fast section once you leave the mines the finally always letting you see Snow White and the Dwarves dancing in her cottage as the evil queen lurks outside their door.

The  long line weaves through trees and cottages as you work your way towards the mines.  The look and design of this  line and ride is fantastic and the interactive elements once inside will keep the kids entertained during this long wait.   In fact it will be heard to drag the little ones past this section of the line.

My stepdaughter who just turned 9 during our trip isn't a big rollercoaster fan yet (Hopefully she will get over that soon).  She was nervous to go on the ride -but ended up loving it and it ended up being my wife's favorite ride of the day as well.  It is like a  tamer version of Big Thunder Railroad --but that the additional dark ride elements made it more entertaining for the whole family.  I love rollercoasters big and small and so Everest was definitely one of the highlights of the trip for me -- but Seven Dwarves Mine Train was the ride that the whole family was able to truly enjoy. 

 A great family ride and a great ride to introduce younger kids that are just getting a little more daring to the world of coasters.

Just be careful making the transition from Seven Dwarves to Rockin Rollercoaster (that didn't go over as well).

Check back soon for more Attraction Reviews from both Disneyworld and Disneyland.

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Monsters Inc Laugh Floor: Magic Kingdom Family Attraction Review 8 out of 10

One of our first stops at the Magic Kingdom was Monsters Inc Laugh Floor.  It is one of the attractions unique to Magic Kingdom that we don't have on the West Coast.    Monster's Inc Laugh Floor is an attraction meant for the entire family that is based on the technology used previously in Turtle Talk where the animated characters interact with you in real time.   Like Turtle Talk this allows for a slightly different experience on multiple visits as the interactions with the audience can take the show in different directions.

If you recall the events at the end of the original Monsters Inc the company is no longer powering the city with screams -but now laughs.  Well this lends itself to a perfect setting for the attraction as the Monster comedians are trying to gather power from the tourists by making them laugh via a stand up comedy act.   The humor is aimed at kids and is family friendly --but the comedians pointing out and making fun of the audience adds to the fun.  My whole family enjoyed the attraction and if it was out on our home coast park Disneyland we would definitely head back for another show.   It is a much better  family experience than Stitch's Great Escape across the way.  This attraction will have the kids laughing --where as Stitch may still scare some of the smaller kids (Although it isn't scary at all).

Here is a quick clip of the Attraction from You Tube to give you a taste of what to expect if you haven't visited the attraction before. The part with the telepathy is great.

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