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| sponsor= Turner Classic MoviesCoca Cola

| custom_label_1 = Fastpass +| custom_value_1 = Yes (Group A)}}

The attraction that would one day be known as the The Great Movie Ride actually began as an idea for [[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. 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 EPCOT 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 guests guest 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 was to feature a movie set 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 concept however, 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 Moments and the Movies attraction as the new park’s centerpiece.

Since the The Great Movie Ride (as the attraction it 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. 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- , Grumman’s Chinese Theater. Furthermore, since the attraction was no longer going to be housed in Epcot, Imagineers also decided that the The Great Movie Ride’s plot would loosen its focus less on education, instead 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 of the Audio Animatronic characters seen earlier in the ride would reappear and take a bow. Although this scene was eventually scrapped, the The Great Movie Ride opened with the Disney MGM Studios on May 1, 1989.Since its opening, the 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 that originally featured a rotating cake and attached water pumps (as seen in the movie) was significantly toned down. The cake in the scene was constantly breaking down and the water pumps would fail, causing the ride path to flood. Disney Imagineers eventually decided to leave the cake stationary, and 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 November 25, Disney and Turner Classic Movies announced that TCM would become the new sponsor of the The Great Movie Ride. As part of the agreement in on May 30, 2015 the attraction will receive an attraction’s preshow and closing montage were updated. Following the update TCM host Robert Osborne introduces the film clips seen in both the pre-show attraction’s preshow and the film closing montage shown . Furthermore, Osborne was added as the attractions finaleattraction’s narrator. TCM host Robert Osborne will appear Following these changes, the live cast member is still featured in the updated version interactive parts of the attractionride; however Robert Osborne is the one who narrates The Great Movie Ride’s scenes.

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

The Great Movie ride Ride begins with guests boarding their ride vehicles and being introduced to their tour guide. After asking if everybody is ready, the guide tells guests that it is them its 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” starts begins to play. As the tour begins, the tour guide tells guests that the 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, guests the vehicles 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 classic film.

[[Image:Gangster.jpg|300px|thumb|The gangster who eventually hijacks The Great Movie Ride.]]

{{Quotation| In fact, it looks a lot like the Underworld. The scene of such classic gangster films like The Public Enemy, 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 red and the ride vehicles stop. As the tour guide waits at the light, a gangster emerges from the shadows and hijacks the ride vehicle. 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. Next, telling 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 guest’s valuables. Just as she starts the process however, the voice of the town’s sheriff can be heard telling the townsfolk that Mugsy is “the bank robber”. As gunfire erupts begins from either side of the vehicle, Mugsy tells guests that she is getting out of there, and guests proceed into the next room.

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 and tells telling her that if she disturbs the treasure of the God’s she will die. Mugsy is not discouraged, and she attempts to grab the jewel anyway. After touching the stone Mugsy goes up in smoke, and guests learn that the temple guardian was actually their tour guide. Leaving Mugsy’s skeleton behind, the tour guide returns to the ride vehicle. She then concludes The tour guide (who has now returned to the seeing by saying, vehicle) says that “That just goes to show you, anything can happen in the movies. Now let’s get on with the show.”

[[Image:Greatmovieoz.jpg|300px|thumb|Dorothy, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion as they head towards Oz.]]

Following the Fantasia sceneAt this point in The Great Movie Ride, 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 enters the room, the tour guide tells guests:

The bandit version of the 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, he she 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.

* All of the actors portrayed by Audio Animatronics in The Great Movie ride Ride had to sign a waiver to allow the use of their image. If the actor/actress was deceased, their estate had to sign.

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

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

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

* When the The Great Movie Ride opened, only men played gangsters and women played bandits.