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While I was heartbroken (only a slight exaggeration) to learn of the news of Maelstrom's closing, if we're being completely honest, I gotta admit -- not so heartbroken about this news.
I have fond memories of the Backlot Tour -- MGM was always my little brother's favorite park because of (1) the cars stunt show (which I CANNOT STAND) and (2) the Catastrophe Canyon segment of the Backlot Tour.
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Mainly because stuff explodes. Boys seem to love exploding things.
But still. I think, in its earlier incarnation, you got to see animators at work -- back when animated movies were hand-drawn and not computer animated. I remember seeing the front for the Golden Girls house (still not sure if that's the real one or not...) and realizing that TV shows weren't filmed in real houses. And you get to see the plane that Walt used to fly down and scope out the swamp-land that would eventually become Disney World. (Again, still not sure if it's the real one or not....)
That was always the cohesive plan for MGM -- the goal was to give you a "behind the scenes" look at how movies were made -- and the park channeled that old Hollywood vibe. There's a part of California Adventures that does that as well -- which makes sense, given that Hollywood is, you know, in California.
But MGM has kinda moved away from that behind-the-scenes feel, as outdated attractions get replaced. And so, overall, the park has an odd disjointed vibe -- like lots of things kinda mashed up together in one park because Disney wants the attraction, but doesn't know how to combine them effectively. You've got Pixar Place and Animation Courtyard -- then there's the "thrill rides" with Tower of Terror and Rock n' Roller Coaster -- and Star Wars and Indiana Jones and the Muppet Show....it's all over the place. Whenever we go, my husband and I always say that MGM needs a major makeover -- much like the one California Adventures got.
The solution he keeps coming back to -- he likes to read the theme park rumor blogs -- is to add an East Coast Cars Land. Which, if they're getting rid of the Backlot Tour -- and I can't imagine the Cars Stunt Show is far behind -- seems likely, as that's a big chunk of the park. Particularly since those attractions currently sit next to Pixar Place -- Cars Land would be a nice, logical addition to that.
I'm not wild about this. I'm of the mind that Disneyland and WDW are separate parks with their own identities, and they don't need to have identical attractions. Cars Land is one of the defining features of California Adventure, and you don't need to replicate that on the East Coast, no matter how popular it is.
That leaves, however, the other viable option (according to the rumor mill) -- the long-rumored and much hyped (given Disney's recent purchase of Lucas Films) Star Wars expansion. Not exactly up my Geek Girl alley, but I imagine the Imagineers could come up with some pretty kick-ass ideas....
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