Disney-MGM Studios

Disney-MGM Studios (1989- ) is one of the four parks of Disney World in Florida. It was the third to open. Like the Universal Park that opened that same year, its rides and shows are based on films and television shows. But Disney-MGM is more than just a park: it is also a working studio that makes films. One of the best rides there takes you behind the scenes where they do some of their work.

In the middle of the park is a huge blue magician’s hat, like the kind that Mickey Mouse wore in “Sorcerer’s Apprentice”.

While it arguably has the best ride in all of Disney World – the Twilight Zone ride where you drop 17 floors – most of it is weak. You would be better off going to the other three parks or even Universal.

What is good is too short and what is bad is too long. Too often you leave an attraction feeling, “Well, that was a waste of time.” You feel you are being advertised to, not entertained or even informed.

A perfect example is Journey into Narnia. You stand in a half-dark room which has the White Witch up on one wall and a big television screen on another. On the television you see scenes from the first Narnia film and hear about the story. After that they tell you a new one is coming out for Christmas (2007). You think, great, now the doors will open and we will get on with the heart of the attraction. The doors do open, but you are told to leave.

It has a very good beginning but no middle or end.

The Beauty and Beast stage show was also good as far as it went but it was too short too.

In Sounds Dangerous you sit in the dark hearing Drew Carey and some sound effects. What a waste.

There were some good attractions:

The Backlot Tour was good. You get to see how they do special effects and some of the things used in past films, like a spaceship from “Star Wars”. Everything is smaller than you expect. Do not get close to the water unless you do not mind getting wet!

Star Tour is a flight simulator for Star Wars. That was good.

I heard the Rock ‘n’ Roller coaster was good, but it was down for repairs when we were there (in September 2007).

Muppet-Vision 3-D is good the first time you see it. It is a 3-D Muppet film full of cheap effects. It is just like the one in Disneyland in California.

Every day at three they have a parade down the main street.

The park is set up like a little town. Part of it looks like an empty New York City, but most of what you see, you find out, is a huge painting, but cut up and put together in a way that makes it seem almost true to life if you are not too close to it.

See also:

• Disney World