Location:
Mickey Avenue Ride Type: Live special effects demonstration and tram tour.
Being that two thirds of the Studios are closed off, Disney has
created a tram tour of the closed off sections, giving guests the
opportunity to see what goes on in a real Hollywood movie studio.
Ride
Overview
Our Rating(Out of 5):
Presentation
Preshow is informative and fun. Use of volunteers and
campy humor get message across while entertaining. Actual
backlot tour is laid out very well.
4
Guest
Appeal
Nearly everyone will be able to enjoy this attraction,
from Grandma to Little Johnny. Catastrophe Canyon might
be intense for some very young childen.
Full
Description: Because Disney-MGM Studios is a real working television and movie studio, much of it is closed off to the public. The Disney-MGM Studios Backlot Tour gives guests the only chance to go where no one else is allowed.
The tour begins with a special effects demonstration. This water tank demonstrates effects that would typically be used in a war movie. Guests watch (while standing) from behind a guard rail as four volunteers from the audience are chosen to help demo. There is a large water tank with some movie props strung around. The volunteers pretend to shoot parts of movies as they experience how real movie effects can be.
Following the demo, guests walk to a waiting studio tram. After getting on, it gives a scenic tour of the Studios, showcasing various elements from TV houses to makeup and design places to old movie props. The tram portion culminates with Catastrophe Canyon, where guests experience a thunderstorm, earthquake and oil fire in one. The tour concludes at a gift shop where you can purchase some rather unique items.
Comments: The idea of this ride was to mimick the Hollywood tram tours of studios in California. This attraction is interesting and is somewhat educational at the same time. Both the special effects demo and the tram are well done and worth your time.
If your interested in being a volunteer for the Backlot Tour, there are two ways of doing it. One is to arrive VERY early for the next tour, meaning, you need to arrive and
wait just as the previous group gets let in. Most likely a Cast Member will ask if your interested, or you can ask a passing one. The other option, and possibly, the easier, is at the conclusion of the special effects demo, wait behind and walk to the far right where the CM's gather. Ask if you can volunteer. If they allready have a group for the next one, they'll most likely offer you the following show. It's a ton of fun, though, you may have someone in your party stay behind to film it (or at least bear witness to your escapades) as the viewing monitor you'll be seeing at the end of the show, is usually sun-glared.
The actual tour is pretty interesting.
It's a combination
working set tour and used props graveyard. The working set drive-thru varies based on whatever was being worked on last and is usually the latest Disney non-animated film or something for a television show. With the removal of Residential Street (the area that used to have the houses from the Golden Girls and Ernest Saves Christmas and especially the axing of animation from the Studios a few years ago, the Backlot Tour isn't as compelling an attraction as it once was to see. Actual production that you can witness is quite limited and most of what you'll see on the tram portion of the tour tends to be old.
Catastrophe Canyon is a nice
surprise. According to Disney, if you want to get really
wet, sit on the left side of the tram. It's been my experience
you don't get that wet so don't worry too much. Also,
don't forget to bring your cameras on this attraction as there's
lots to take photos of.
