It’s often been said that theme parks – and Disney theme parks specifically – are not museums. Not only is it not uncommon for attractions to be re-themed if not outright replaced, it’s arguably part of the very design. In recent years, however, we’ve seen Disney World go through some pretty radical changes. Many believe the resort has gone too far, and that includes the director of a new documentary film that includes a discussion about the preservation of theme park attractions.
Disney World’s Magic Kingdom is on the verge of a historic transformation that includes the redevelopment of Frontierland’s Rivers of America into a new Cars-themed area. For many fans, this is a step too far, and it’s feared the update will forever change the park for the worse. I recently spoke with Joshua Bailey, director of the new Disney World documentary film Stolen Kingdom and asked him about all the changes that were taking place. For him, the most significant change at Disney World has already happened. He said,
I don't know if there is any balance on the Walt Disney Company side these days, it just seems like they will tear down anything. I lost all hope when they tore down Great Movie Ride. I thought there was no way that they can tear down the icon attraction in a theme park that defines its entire mission statement, but they did.
When Disney’s Hollywood Studios first opened as Disney MGM/Studios, it was a park dedicated to the history of cinema. It included a backlot tour not unlike the one that led to the creation of Universal Studios Hollywood. The Great Movie Ride was a massive attraction that recreated numerous iconic moments from cinema history using animatronics. Built into a replica of L.A.'s famous Chinese Theater, it was, as Bailey says, the Mission Statement attraction for the park.
Today, the show building is home to Minnie and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. The attraction isn’t bad in itself (it’s actually quite good), but the transformation was a signal of a major shift in thinking for the park.
Bailey’s movie Stolen Kingdom is a new documentary currently on the festival circuit. It focuses largely on the popularity of urban exploration in defunct theme park attractions, as well as the black market that surrounds the sale of pieces of Disney World history. But all that is in part due to a desire by some to preserve attractions that Disney World has closed down.
I like Minnie and Mickey’s Runaway Railway, but it’s actually a far better attraction at Disneyland. It fits in Mickey’s Toontown in a way that it just doesn’t at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
To a certain extent, the loss of The Great Movie Ride was inevitable once the relationship between Disney and MGM ended, but even then the ride could have been transformed into a more Disney-focused attraction while still keeping the classic Hollywood feel. Without it, it's difficult to argue that Disney's Hollywood Studios just doesn't feel like the same park.
Stolen Kingdom will screen next at the Florida Film Festival in Orlando on April 11.
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