Why it's there: Studio Tour

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Thursday, March 27, 2008
Matt Hochberg

Sometimes references to attractions that are gone are taken down quickly after the demise of a former attraction while other times references are kept around as a kind of memorial to these departed attractions. This week's artifact of the Studios is unknown whether someone forgot to take this down or left it up purposefully. On Sunset Boulevard in the Mouse About Town Shop is a poster of Mickey Mouse that features an attraction that was around for when the Studios first opened but is no longer there anymore.

Behind Mickey Mouse are facades from the Studios as they were in the parks first few years. The Great Movie Ride's Chinese Theater facade is present but unobstructed by Mickey to his left (and your right) is the Studio Tour attraction. Studio Tour is the grandfather of the current Backlot Tour. It was located in what is now the Animation Courtyard where Magic of Disney Animation currently lies. The Studio Tour was one of the premier attractions in the then new Disney-MGM Studios and this tour was far more elaborate and in-depth than the current Backlot Tour. The original tour (which took about two hours to complete with no restroom stops) included stops at Residential Street, where guests could view faux facades from hit NBC sitcoms The Golden Girls, Empty Nest, and others; the tour would then proceed down New York Street, an area of the park that was at the time closed off to day guests; onto Catastrophe Canyon and following the tram tour there would be a walking tour. The walking tour included the current water tank demonstration area, the effects shop, and a tour of the soundstages along Mickey Avenue.

The Studios Tour, although very in depth and interesting, was eventually chopped up into different parts to make the tour more manageable. The tram portion remains, showing off Catastrophe Canyon and some other shops backstage, along with the water tank portion of the walking tour, with the entrance moved towards the back of the park and the Magic of Disney Animation tour showcasing the art of film making taking its place. Much of the walkways from the walking tour were renamed Backstage Pass and would compliment the Backlot Tour as a means of allowing guests to break up one large and long attraction. Backstage Pass continued to feature the soundstages along Mickey Avenue, which often let guests observe tapings of real Hollwood productions, howeevr Backstage Pass subsequently closed down in 2001. One of the soundstages (number 3), was opened up to become the home of Who Wants to be a Millionaire - Play It!. This attraction ran from 2001 to 2006 and it and the other walkways have been mostly demolished to make way for Toy Story Mania. Only Soundstage 4 remains intact as the home for the Narnia film previews (although it was used also as the home for previews of 101 Dalmations and the Haunted Mansion live action films). Residential Street was demolished in 2003 to make way for Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show and New York Street has been opened to the public and expanded to become Streets of America.

So the poster featuring the Studio Tour remains, perhaps as a tribute to an attraction that was one of the more popular and marquee attractions that the brand new theme park had to offer