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| caption='''The Great Movie Ride is held within a replica of Grauman's Grumman’s Chinese Theater.'''

The attraction that would one day be known as the Great Movie Ride actually began as an idea for Epcot[[EPCOT Center]]. In the early 1980’s a team of Imagineers, led by Randy Bright and WDI president Marty Skylar were tasked with creating two new pavilions for Future World in [[Epcot]]. The team came up with two ideas, the [[Wonders of Life]] pavilion, and the Great Moments at the Movies pavilion. While the Wonders of Life was green lit for inclusion in EpcotEPCOT Center, the Great Moments and the Movies attraction was set aside by Disney CEO Michael Eisner.

The original plans for the Great Moments at the Movies, called for the pavilion to be placed in between [[The Land]] and the [[Journey Into Imagination]] pavilions. The basic plot for the attraction which was to be housed within the pavilion would not only have given guest guests an inside look into how films were made, but it would have also allowed them to enter the films themselves. The façade for the new pavilion would have featured was to feature a movie set back drop, backdrop with a ticket booth for an entrance. The façade was intentionally designed to look fake, as a commentary on Hollywood itself. After seeing the Great Moments at the Movies concepthowever, Michael Eisner decided that the attraction was strong enough to build a whole new park around. Eventually, Disney decided to create the Disney MGM Studios, with the Great Movie Ride Moments and the Movies attraction as the new park’s centerpiece.

Since the Great Movie Ride (as it the attraction was now called) was now going to be the focus of a new park, Disney Imagineers decided that they needed to create a new façade for the attraction. Since Because the Disney MGM Studios, were set in the golden age of Hollywood (the 1920s-1930s), Imagineers decided to house the attraction inside one of Hollywood’s landmarks, Grauman’s - Grumman’s Chinese Theater. Since Furthermore, since the attraction was no longer going to be housed in Epcot, Imagineers also decided that the Great Movie Ride’s plot would loosen its focus less on education, and instead it would take taking guests on a journey through various classic films. Originally, the final scene in the attraction was going to be an extension of the Wizard of Oz scene. Guests would have come face to face with the Wizard, who would say his famous line “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain”. Following this, the curtain would open showing that the bandit (or gangster ) who had hijacked the ride earlier in the attraction was still alive. Finally, guests would approach a large platform where models of all the of the Audio Animatronic characters seen earlier in the ride would reappear and take a bow. The Although this scene was eventually scrapped, the Great Movie Ride opened with the Disney MGM Studios on May 1, 1989.Since its opening, the Great Movie Ride has only seen two major changes. The first change to the attraction came shortly after its opening. The Footlight Parade scene, which that originally featured a rotating cake and attached water pumps (as seen in the movie), was significantly toned down. The cake in the scene would was constantly break breaking down, and the water pumps would fail, causing the ride path to flood. Disney Imagineers eventually decided to leave the cake stationary, and sue use lighting effects instead of water pumps. The other change came in 2008, when the Wicked Witch of the West Audio Animatronic was replaced with a newer model.

On the Great Movie Ride, there are two different experiences, one . One experience involves a 1920s 1920’s gangster hijacking the ride, and another involves while the other features an old west outlaw.

The Great Movie ride begins with guests boarding their ride vehicles and being introduced to their tour guide. After asking if everybody is ready, the guide tells them its guests that it is show time, before telling C.B. (famous Hollywood director Cécile B. Demile) that everyone is ready to go. As C.B. yells “Action!” the ride vehicles begin to move and the song “Hooray for Hollywood” begins starts to play. As the tour begins, the tour guide tells guests that the Great Movie Ride brings movies to life and puts guests “right in the middle of the action”.

The first movie that guests enter is Footlight Parade. Guests pass by a pyramid of chorus girls as bubbles float down from above. The tour guide then tells guests that they are visiting the 1933 Busby Burkley musical, which starred James Cagney, Ruby Keeler, and Dick Powel. As the vehicles continue forward, the vehicles guests pass by Gene Kelly performing “Singing In the Rain”. As Kelly sings, the tour guide informs guests that Gene Kelly also co-directed the 1952 classicfilm.

The next scene that guests come upon is from Disney’s 1964 film Marry Poppins. Guests pass by Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. The as the duo sings the song “Chim Chim Cheree” from the movie. As the rid continues, the tour guide warns guests that they better hold onto their purses and wallets, as they are entering a bad neighborhood. As the cars enter a dirty alley, guests can see a fight going on in an apartment. The tour guide then says:

{{Quotation| In fact, it looks a lot like the Underworld. The scene of such classic gangster films like The Public Enemy. Starring , starring one of my favorite tough guys, James Cagney.}}

At this point, Cagney appears on the right, where he yells for somebody to “open up in their”. On the left of the cars, two men are hiding behind some boxes, apparently expecting trouble. One of the men, (named Beans ) tells his partner Squid to get down because somebody is coming. As the vehicles pass the two thugs, the stoplight up the street turns redand the ride vehicles stop. As the tour guide stops waits at the red light, a gangster emerges from the shadows, and hijacks the ride vehicle, telling . She then tells the tour guide:

After the gangster (whose name is reviled to be Mugsy) gets rid of the tour guide, a 1930’s car come screeching into the scene. The gangsters in the car begin to shoot at Beans and Squid, who are still hiding behind the boxes. During the gun fight, Mugsy makes her escape, leaving her accomplices behind. Telling Next, telling guests that “Runnin’ a red light’s against the law, and I never break the law”, ; Mugsy shoots out the red light and the vehicles move onto the next scene.

The next scene that cars enter, is set in an old western town. Here, guests can see Clint Eastwood on their left, and John Wayne on their right. As guests pass by, Wayne warns them:

Ignoring Wayne, Mugsy decides that she is going to collect the guests guest’s valuables, just . Just as she starts the processhowever, the voice of the town’s sheriff can be heard, telling the townsfolk that Mugsy is “the bank robber”. As gunfire begins erupts from either side of the vehicle, Mugsy tells guests that she’s she is getting out of there, and guests proceed into the next room.As guests enter the next scene, the attraction’s narrator announcer (heard overhead) informs them that, :((Quotation| “This is ‘Alien’. You are with Sigourney Weaver aboard the spaceship Nostromo. Something has gone wrong. One by one, the crew has vanished and somewhere in the ship, a terrifying creature waits to claim its next victim”. }}As warning sirens go off, guests are informed that ship will detonate in 10 minutes. Then, At this point the alien can be seen overhead, as it begins to try an attack the ship. After the first attack, the alien attacks again from the top, and then from the side. Mugsy decides that she has finally had enough, and guests leave the Alien scene.

As the vehicle continues forward, guests pass by hieroglyphics on the walls. On the right, a set of stairs leads to a glowing red jewel. The ride announcer then informs guests that they are in an ancient burial chamber, where the priceless jewel is held. Mugsy, cannot believe what she sees, and she goes to get the stone, telling guests to stay put. After she exits the vehicle, the ride announcer tells guests that the jewel is guarded by a curse, and that those who defy it, will pay with their lives.

Just as Mugsy is about to reach the jewel, the Temple Guardian puts his hand up, telling them and tells her that if she disturbs the treasure of the God’s she will die. Mugsy is not discouraged, and she attempts to grab the jewelanyway. After touching the stone, Mugsy goes up in smoke, and we guests learn that the temple guardian was actually our their tour guide. Nothing is left of Mugsy except a Leaving Mugsy’s skeleton. The behind, the tour guide, who has no returned returns to the ride vehicle. She then concludes the seeing by saying, says that “That just goes to show you, anything can happen in the movies. Now let’s get on with the show.”

Following the return of their tour guide, guests enter a dark area filled with skeletons. The tour guide tells them that the horror genre’s golden age may have come in the 1930’s and 40s, however the genre is still very popular today. The attraction then moves to a jungle scene. Guests are informed that they are inside one of the Tarzan films starring Johnny Weissmuller. On their left, guests can see Weissmuller swing by on a vine, while Jane (played by Maureen O’Sullivan), and Cheetah the chimp look on from the left.

As guests leave the Tarzan scene, they enter the famous closing scene from Casablanca. On their right, they guests can see Humphrey Bogart telling Ingrid Bergman that she has to get on the plane. As guests pass the scene, the tour guide references the film , saying: " Louie{{Quotation| “Louie, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. The best last lines of a movie ever. Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in the classic romance, "Casablanca". }}Leaving Casablanca, guests briefly enter the world of Disney's Fantasia.As Sorcerer Mickey causes waves of water to splash, guests can feel a soft breeze. In this scene, the tour guide tells guests that Mickey’s master, Yensid “Yensid” is actually just Disney spelled backwards.

At this pointFollowing the Fantasia scene, guests enter the Wizard of Oz. On their left, the Wicked Witch of the East can be seen, crushed by a house. Around the room, Munchkins pop up and sing "Ding dong, the witch is dead". After the vehicle is in enters the room, the tour guide tells guests:

 All of the suddenAt this point, the Wicked Witch of the West appears in a cloud of smoke and asks the tour guide of if she killed her (the Witch’s) sister. When the guide replies no, the Witch warns that she is going "to get you, and your little dog too". Following the witch's departure, the tour guide wonders aloud how they will ever get home. On cue, a munchkin appears, exclaiming "Follow the yellow brick road". As the ride begins to move again, the tour guide tells guests to sing along. Moving forward, guests pass Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion as they walk towards Oz.

The bandit version of the Great Movie Ride, is the rarer of the two shows that guests can experience. On this version, the tram cars are not hijacked in the gangster scene. Instead, when traveling to the Western town, the tour guide notices that the bank is being robbed. Not wanting to "let this happen on (his) watch", the tour guide goes to stop the bandit. Unfortunately, is he is quickly captured by a bandit and her partner. As the bandit begins taunting the tour guide, the sheriff tells him/her to "reach for the sky". After an ensuing gunfight, the bank starts on fire, causing the bandit to jump in the tram in order to escape.

Like the gangster, the bandit is ultimately done in during the Indiana Jones scene, where the tour guide rejoins the ride.

Following the Wizard of Oz scene in both versions of the attraction, the trams stop moving in front of a large movie screen. Here guests see film clips from various movies, including:

* Lee Marvin's character from the 1965 western, Cat Ballou was originally going to be included in the Great Movie Ride's western scene. When Marvin's children refused to sign the waiverhowever, Clint Eastwood was added to the sceneinstead.

* The Fantasia scene in the Great Movie Ride was originally going to be a third Wizard of Oz scene, which that would have depicted the tornado that brought Dorothy to Oz.

* If guests look closely at the left hieroglyphics in the Indian Indiana Jones scene, they can see Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, R2D2 and C3PO.

* In the gangster scene, guests can see that a Mickey Mouse movie poster has been covered by one a poster advertising the Jimmy Cagney movie The Public EnemiesEnemy.

* The license plate of the car in the gangster scene, is the same plate that was used during the Valentine's Day Massacre in 1929.

* Across from John Wayne in the Western scene, is a sign that reads "Ransom Stoddard Attorney". This is a reference to a character played by Jimmy Stewart in, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.

* If guests look closely at the yellow brick road in the Wizard of Oz scene, they will notice that the road spells out the world "OZ" with part of the Emerald City.