The idea for a park based on favorite movie themes
originated with Walt Disney more than 40 years ago when "backlot tours" were limited
to a privileged few. He first considered a park on his own backlot, then looked
across the river from the Disney Studios in Burbank on land adjacent to Griffith
Park. Lack of enough land combined with potential traffic problems caused him
to look elsewhere; namely, Anaheim. The result was Disneyland. In the mid '80s,
a greatly expanded production schedule for the Walt Disney Company demanded more
facilities. Rather than buy expensive land in California, the company realized
it had plenty of land in Florida and the opportunity to combine its new production
facilities with a chance for Walt Disney World guests to see behind the scenes
of movie and television production.
MGM Studios opened on May 1, 1989.
The
dedication plaque at Disney-MGM Studios reads - "The world you have entered was
created by the Walt Disney Company & is dedicated to Hollywood - not a place
on a map, but a state of mind that exists wherever people dream & wonder &
imagine, a place where illusion & reality are fused by technological magic.
We welcome you to a Hollywood that never was - and always will be."
The Earffel Tower is 130 feet tall. It is not a working water tower.
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is 199 feet tall.
There are 6 simulators at Star Tours
Gertie the Dinosaur, on Echo Lake, pays homage to pioneering animator Winsor McCay
and his revolutionary 1914 animated cartoon, Gertie the Dinosaur.
Imagineers used the blue-prints of the original 1927 Meyer and Holler building
for reference, when building the replica of Grauman's Chinese Theater. The facade
is built to full scale. The 22 ft central roof section was constructed seperately
and hoisted into place by crane.
Films represented in the Great Movie Ride include Busby Berkeley's Footlight Parade,
The Public Enemy, Singin' in the Rain, The Wizard of Oz, Mary Poppins, Alien,
Raiders of the Lost Ark, Tarzan and Casablanca.
The Hollywood Brown Derby pays homage to the second Brown Derby restaurant (1929),
once located at 1624 Vine Street, just south of Hollywood Boulevard.
"The diameter of the Earful Tower is 8 1/2 feet and translates into a hat
size of 342 3/8. The reason for the hat size is because every holiday season they
usually top it off with a Giant Red Stocking Cap." Andi Brandon
The HBO series "From the Earth to the Moon": A 13-part drama was in production
in two soundstages throughout 1997.
Films shot at the studios include: "Marvin's Room," "Passenger 57," "Oscar," "Quick
Change," "Ernest Saves Christmas," "Splash Too," "Separate But Equal" (Emmy-winning
TV mini-series) and "Instinct."
TV shows taped at the studios include: "Sheena," "Full House," "Wheel of Fortune,"
"World Championship Wrestling," "ESPN College Football Awards," "Talk Soup," "Step
By Step," "Barbara Walters Special" and "Live! With Regis & Kathie Lee."
Among the hundreds of actors, comedians and entertainers who've appeared at the
studios are: Charlton Heston, Dustin Hoffman, Bette Midler, Ann-Margret, Sylvester
Stallone, Tom Hanks, Liza Minnelli, Billy Joel, Kevin Bacon, Michael J. Fox, Gary
Sinise, Samuel L. Jackson, Lou Gossett Jr., Drew Carey, Oprah, Susan Lucci and
Britney Spears.
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
When the Tower of Terror was being built, it was struck by lightning.
As the story goes, on the night of October 31, 1939, there was a thunder storm
in Hollywood Hills, and the elite of the film industry sheltered in the Hollywood
Tower Hotel's lobby. A child actress & her governess, a young couple &
an over-worked bellman were among those in the lobby that night, & they were
last seen heading for the elevator. After they stepped into the elevator, it vanished,
along with the passengers & several sections of the upper hotel.
Rock
'n Roller Coaster
The coaster was built first, then the building was constructed around it.
The building volume is over 3.7 million cubic ft.
The limos go from 0-57 mph in 2.8 seconds.
There are 125 speakers and 24 sub-woofers in each limo.
There are over 900 speakers in the attraction
There are three inversions - two rollover loops and one corkscrew.
There is 3,403 feet of track
The launch catapults you 200 feet
Each limo can hold 24 guests
At 40 feet tall, the larger-than-life stratocaster guitar that adorns the entrance
of the attraction has a 32-foot-long neck which is nearly 15 times the size of
the neck on an average stratocaster guitar.
As you enter the first inversion the G-Force is between 4 and 5
The story behind the R 'n' R Coaster - "You're going on a tour of a fictional
record plant, G-Force Records. You meet Aerosmith, and they invite you to go with
them to this concert they're performing that night. Unfortunately, there isn't
enough room for everyone in Aerosmith's limo, so geusts end up waiting for more
cars. When the guests get into their own limos, the radios are on, broadcasting
'live' from the concert. The actual ride then is your tour through Southern California
as Aerosmith gives its concert."
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