Assorted Rumors from MouseTunes

[Robin]

Some good and some not so good rumors from Magical Mountain and MouseTunes.

http://www.magicalmountain.net/WDWNewsDetail.asp?NewsID=1274

The 'rumor' about tearing down the Chinese Theatre at MGM is blasphemy. I would much rather they do a major rehab on the attraction and tear down that stupid hat!

:soapbox:

[BaciBecky]

Ditto!!!!!

[MissBianca]

I do like the idea of having a bigger presense for Pixar at the Studios, though. I would just hate it if they took out the Great Movie Ride though, it's really the only majorly audioanimatronic attraction at the Studios.

[Robin]

I could live with them changing the vignettes at the Great Movie Ride. I think they should keep the kid friendly stories like the Wizard of Oz sets.

The Tarzan set, complete would be fit nicely for a Monsters Inc set, complete with moving doors.

[SueV]

I don't lke the tearing down of the chinese theatre!
However I do like that Captain Jack has killed stitch:razz:, according to the rumors now when riding the monorail we get to hear Captain Jack's voice. I'll be on the monorail ALOT:D Can anyone confirn this?

[Tagrel]

I still heard Stitch when we were there... he was also on the wakeup calls we received.

[roodad]

The chinese theater is part of the great ambience at the studios. I can see no reason why they would have to tear it down to replace the attraction. It would be improved if they took that stupid hat out of there. Talk about ruining sight lines - the hat is one of the dumbest things they have ever done at the studios.

[MissBianca]

You know, I like the hat. I just hate where they put it! Can't they move it or something? You're so right, roodad, it messed with the whole ambience.

[Robin]

The hat totally ruins the theme of old Hollywood. And it's nothing more than a big souvenir stand.

It would have fit better in the Animation Courtyard, or even the backlot area, as a tribute to the 'hat' on top of the Animation building at the Disney Studios in Burbank.

[lllovell]

I think your love of the hat might depend on when you went to MGM first....before or after the hat was installed.

I love it - my kids love taking pictures near it every time, etc but we only visited the studios after it was in place and have never seen it without the hat.

Laura

[kathleena]

The rumor about the Chinese Theatre/TGMR has been out there for years and years. There has been so much speculation on when the MGM contract is up - if/would the ride stay.

Graumann's Chinese Theatre is a Hollywood icon. It's not necessarily MGM based. So why would the demise of the MGM in the studios make it so it had to come down.

The movies in the TGMR are not all just MGM movies. Plus - think about Star Tours - none of that franchise is in the name of the park (20th Century Fox), yet that movie is promoted. Come to think of it - what about Indy? :confused: Was that Disney? I think it was Paramount?

Just because MGM may leave, doesn't mean the theatre and TGMR goes with it.

[ChrisR]

Does TGMR have an official corporate sponsor? Sometimes when the sponsor's support goes away so does the attraction or it undergoes a major rehab. I spoke to a CM who said that they could not refer to Disney/MGM as simply "MGM" any longer since the contract was expiring. If they wanted to use a nickname, they had to refer to it as "the studios", like Disney Studios in Paris which is very similar. While I like the hat, I don't think it is placed well. You can hardly even see the theater now. I guess they wanted a "disney" icon for the park (like the castle, Mission Earth, and tree of life) vs the water tower (never understood that) or a theater owned by someone else.

[Robin]

I used to like the water tower as the icon, but I don't think people 'got it'. I believe for the icon, they wanted something people entered the park and then headed for. Unfortunately they didn't come up with something that actually fit the town square like atmosphere.

A bit of trivia. Disney actually owns the El Capitan theatre which is across the Hollywood Blvd from the Chinese Theatre.