===Opening Day===
Disney beat Universal to the punch when Disney-MGM Studios opened on May 1, 1989 <ref name= "yesterland"> http://www.yesterland.com/mgm-beginning.html </ref>. When the Studios opened, the park consisted of Hollywood Boulevard, Lakeside Circle, and the Backlot Annex (with the production studio and animation studio making up the rest of the park)<ref name= "yesterland"/> . On opening day, Disney-MGM Studios only had five operating attractions. On The Great Movie Ride, guests boarded large trams and rode through scenes from famous movies. Audio Animatronics were used to recreate these scenes, and at the ride’s end guests could see a montage of clips from "great movies". The second and third opening day attractions were The Monster Sound Show and Superstar Television. Both of these attractions were interactive stage shows hosted by Sony <ref name= "day"> http://www.thisdayindisneyhistory.com/Disney-MGMGrandOpening.html </ref>. On the Monster Sound Show guests were able to help add sound effects to an "all-star haunted house mystery". Superstar Television on the other hand, showed guests how TV production worked by recreating some of the greatest shows in television, with guests cast in the show. The other opening day attractions consisted of a lengthy tour of the animation studio and a shorter tour of the production studio <ref name= "day"/>.
Disney beat Universal to the punch, when Disney-MGM Studios opened on May 1, 1989 <ref name= "yesterland"> http://www.yesterland.com/mgm-beginning.html </ref>. When the Studios opened the park consisted of Hollywood Boulevard, Lakeside Circle, and the Backlot annex (with the production studio and animation studio making up the rest of the park)<ref name= "yesterland"/> . On opening day, Disney-MGM Studios only had five operating attractions. On The Great Movie Ride, guests boarded large trams and rode through scenes from famous movies. Audio Animatronics were used to recreate these scenes, and at the ride’s end guests could see a compilation of clips from "great movies." The second and third opening day attractions were The Monster Sound Show and Superstar Television. Both of these attractions were interactive stage shows hosted by Sony <ref name= "day"> http://www.thisdayindisneyhistory.com/Disney-MGMGrandOpening.html </ref>. On the Monster Sound Show guests were able to help add sound effects to an "all-star haunted house mystery." Superstar Television on the other hand, showed guests how TV production worked by recreating some of the greatest shows in television, with guests as the cast members. The other opening day attractions consisted of a lengthy tour of the animation studio and a shorter tour of the production studio <ref name= "day"/>. On hand for the Studios’ opening day were camera crews from various television stations from around the world <ref name= "mouseplanet"> https://www.mouseplanet.com/11330/The_Premiere_of_DisneyMGM_Studios </ref>. Actor John Ritter hosted the festivities, and celebrities such as Mickey Rooney, George Burns, Ann Miller, Willie Nelson, Jane Fonda, Jimmy Stewart, Dick Van Dyke and The Pointer Sisters attended <ref name= "mouseplanet"/>. Furthermore, Tony Randall, President Ronald Reagan , and British Prime Minister Margret Thatcher all appeared in video clips <ref> https://d23.com/a-to-z/disney-mgm-studios-theme-park-grand-opening-the-television/ </ref>. The festivities started with Smokey Robinson singing and dancing his way down Hollywood Boulevard <ref name= "studios"/> and Michael Eisner reading the park’s dedication:
{{Quotation|"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."|
