PHOTOS, VIDEO: Leaked Images Show The Great Movie Ride’s Demolition, Progress on Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway

Tom Corless

Updated on:

PHOTOS, VIDEO: Leaked Images Show The Great Movie Ride’s Demolition, Progress on Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway

Backstage photos at Walt Disney World are a definite no, and photos from inside a Disney construction site are typically an even bigger issue, but still, somehow, photos have leaked from the interior of the Chinese Theater at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, former home of The Great Movie Ride and future home of Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway.

The first queue room, mostly untouched. Looks like some new carpeting and railings will go in, but otherwise the lobby will be a familiar place to past guests.

The photos were posted on a website called Backdoor Disney. By the time you read this, it is possible that the site, the photos, and/or the video no longer exist thanks to Disney stepping in. Data within the photos indicate that the photos were taken in May/June of this year.

The FastPass+ touch point and podium inside of the entrance, abandoned.

The photos are not of the best quality, but they are the only look inside we will probably be getting for while.

Paper FastPasses once used to take a Spectacular Journey Into the Movies were left behind.
It is nice to see that they are in fact keeping a lot of the beautiful queue, as we previously reported.
The next queue room has been emptied of its display cases and props, leaving just the themed walls and ceiling, with the digital movie poster displays waiting to return to service for the new attraction.
Some carpet remains, probably not for long.

This is from inside the former theater pre-show room. Here we see the two sets of doors that will lead to the smaller theaters where guests will step through a movie screen and into the cartoon world.
The Great Movie Ride has been completely stripped away at this point, with installation now beginning on the show scenes for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway.
Here we can see the wall where Great Movie Ride cast members left their mark, still standing

There is also, for now, a video from inside of the building that is a little clearer than most of these photographs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpcsEZ0-PBU&feature=youtu.be

It could be a bit heart wrenching to look at these if you loved The Great Movie Ride, but hopefully Runaway Railway won’t disappoint when it opens sometime in 2019 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

17 thoughts on “PHOTOS, VIDEO: Leaked Images Show The Great Movie Ride’s Demolition, Progress on Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway”

  1. It’s sad to see it like this. Especially since this was the first ride I did in Disney World. I loved it from the start. I wished they would have just replaced some of the scenes in Great Movie. Rather than throwing away the baby with the bathwater.

    I don’t get how Mickey’s Railway fits with the theme of the park. They could have at least made it Mickey goes to Hollywood. Oh well, looks like theming is mattering less and less in Disney.

  2. I feel sorry for all the people who will never have a chance to experience The Great Movie Ride. It was one of the all-time great rides.

  3. Sad that Disney is stripping Hollywood Studios of all of its charm, including laying off four more Citizens of Hollywood. The Great Movie Ride was a wonderful ride and it’s a huge loss. While I’m glad they seem? to be keeping the queue entrance elements of the Chinese theater, it is a shame to lose that fabulous, special carpet.

  4. My hand print is on that wall as I was a Great Movie Ride Tour Guide in 2014. I loved the place and (at times) hated it. It wasn’t the best or most popular ride in the park, but it felt like family. I will forever miss the ride and everyone I got to meet there!

  5. I’d love to see them put “Great Movie Ride” stuff in “Backlot Express”. An extra cherry on top would be if they make it so the animatronics say their lines.

    It certainly would make it a much more fun place to eat.

Comments are closed.