Theme park and attraction news, rumors and videos.
The Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! at Disney’s Hollywood Studios seems to be a show where people either love it or hate it. I find myself in the “love it” group. Yes, a lot of this is related to the nostalgia of it all, but I also think it’s still an entertaining show full of talented stunt performers, surprising moments and most importantly, in-your-face explosions.
I have an idea, but it’s too late for it to ever come to fruition, so I figured I’d write about it here to share with all of you so that in some little way it exists.
I often see jokes made about how expensive it can be to visit your favorite theme park. It’s not uncommon to find a guest in a theme park wearing an Etsy-made shirt reading “Most expensive day ever.”
If you can believe it’s been so long, today, March 21, 2020 marks 20 years to the day since the mega-hit boy band *NSYNC released their most successful album, “No Strings Attached.”
By Gavin Hatch
This week on Photo Finds we are going to take a look around what use to be the Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park. [Read more…]
The Walt Disney World park that celebrates the silver screen is getting ready to celebrate its silver anniversary as Disney’s Hollywood Studios turns 25 this Thursday, May 1, 2014. [Read more…]
By Kevin Yee
We poke through the photo archives to bring you images (mostly from 2004 and 2005) of things you can’t see anymore in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, then known as Disney-MGM Studios.
By Audrey M. Brown
Theme parks are mysterious organisms that usually have good reasons for making big changes. But taking down the Monster Sound Show may have been a bit premature, and I wonder, is there any way to bring it back? [Read more…]
The sad news of legendary newsman Walter Cronkite’s recent death at 92 years old has Disney fans remembering his contributions to Walt Disney World theme parks. While many remember Cronkite as the narrator of Epcot’s Spaceship Earth attraction from 1986 to 1994, he was also featured in a 9-minute film entitled Back To Neverland at what was the Disney-MGM Studios at the time (now Disney’s Hollywood Studios).
The 1989 film also starred Robin Williams and served as the introduction to the The Magic of Disney Animation attraction, which took guests on a walking tour of Disney’s animation facility inside the theme park.
Back to Neverland was written and directed by Jerry Rees, whose other Disney theme park credits include directing “Sounds Dangerous” with Drew Carey, Cranium Command formerly at Epcot, the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster pre- and post-show videos with Aerosmith, the video portions of the ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter formerly at the Magic Kingdom, the recently updated version of Epcot’s “Oh Canada” film, and many more.
In thinking back to working with Walter Cronkite while filming Back to Neverland, Rees recalled, “Walter was exactly the charming intelligent guy you would imagine him to be. What he presented on the air and what he was in person was one and the same.”
He also shared with me a few behind-the-scenes snapshots he took with Cronkite and Williams on the Back to Neverland set:
Rees notes that the giant books in the background of this portion of film were actually built and not a special effect.
Rees pointed out, “Walter’s face in this photo really sums up who he is.”
It is interesting to also note that Williams’ performance in Back to Neverland is what ultimately led to his casting as the Genie in Aladdin. You can instantly see why when watching this clip from the short film, which includes a quick animated impersonation of Cronkite by Williams:
Walter Cronkite was certainly an important figure in the history of news media but he also made his mark on the history of Disney theme parks. About Cronkite, Rees concluded, “In an era when ‘reality’ is anything but real, he and his approach are a lost treasure.”