1997: Disney-MGM Studios - Part 4

Echo Lake

After the relaxing meal at the SciFi Dine-In, we're headed down the homestretch in our tour of the Disney-MGM Studios. The buildings directly in front of the SciFi Dine-In house three more attractions. But you'll have to walk around to the other side of these buildings to where the entrances are located. There you'll find the ABC Sound Studio, where lucky members of the audience can try their hand at adding sound effects to a scene from a movie or animated feature. Right next door is the American Film Institute Showcase, which has exhibits of props and costumes from such Disney movies as Dick Tracy, Three Men and a Baby, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, and Crimson Tide. The final stop in this area is SuperStar Television, where again lucky members of the audience are chosen to paricipate -- this time as actors in film clips from I Love Lucy, Home Improvement, and Gilligan's Island. Through the magic of "green screen" special effects, the audience members are placed right into the scenes with Lucy, Tim the Tool Man, and Gilligan.

A tribute to SuperStars of Television

When you see the Imperial Walker towering above the buildings, you know you've found Star Tours the Star Wars-based thrill ride that's one of only two in the Studios (the other being the Tower of Terror). Star Tours is a flight simulator ride that takes you into the middle of battle between Imperial TIE Fighters and Rebel X-Wing Fighters and, eventually, into an attack run in the trench of the Deathstar itself. The ride is mildly bumpy, but not as bad as Body Wars in Epcot Center's The Wonders of Life pavilion. This is a very popular ride, so your best bet is to head here first thing in the morning or in the evening when the crowd has thinned out a bit.

The Imperial Walker and Snow Speeder mark the
entrance to Star Tours

Our final major attraction is the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular. In this 30-minute show, you get to see a good-natured behind-the-scenes look at how dangerous movie stunts are made. After several participants are selected from the audience, the show opens with the scene from Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark where a gigantic boulder almost rolls on top of Indy. Then we see a fight scene in an Egyptian marketplace, followed by a chase scene where a Nazi truck overturns and explodes. (As with Castastrophe Canyon, I was a bit disappointed during our most recent visit to see that a final stunt scene involving a futuristic Nazi airplane was cut from the show. I'm not sure if the airplane was down for refurbishment or if the scene was dropped for safety considerations.)

Indiana Jones gets himself into
one more dangerous situation

An Evening at the Studios

As at the other WDW theme parks, the action continues into the night time hours. Special events at Christmas time include the Osborne Family Christmas Lights, which consist of the residential street of the Backlot Tour being decorated with some 3 million Christmas lights. If you visit during the holiday season, it's quite a sight to see.

The Osborne Family Christmas Light spectacular

New Year's Eve is also a special time at Disney-MGM Studios, with live shows presented in different parts of the park throughout the evening. We had almost front-row views of a concert that the Bacon Brothers, Kevin and Michael Bacon, put on in the plaza on Hollywood Boulevard. Meanwhile, the Doobie Brothers were rockin' the audience on New York Street. Of course, the grand finale of every Disney-MGM Studios evening is a spectacular fireworks show, this one called Scorcery in the Sky.

Kevin and Michael Bacon on New Year's Eve

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Last Updated: January 1, 2003