Seriously, Where Was I? Part V

Our final day of theme park madness was spent at Disney-MGM Studios. Of all the parks that we visited that comprise DisneyWorld, this one seemed like the one with the least to do. Which isn't to say that we didn't have any fun, because we certainly did, but if you only have a couple of days to spend at DisneyWorld, I would either suggest getting a Park Hopper Pass and visiting Disney-MGM Studios on the same day as another park, or if time and money are really short, skipping it altogether. It would be especially worth skipping if you are bound and determined to visit Universal Studios: Florida, as Disney-MGM is clearly based on the Universal model.

I know that it sounds like I'm slagging off Disney-MGM Studios, but that's not really my intent. In fact, if I had to choose between Universal Studios and Disney-MGM, I'd probably have to pick Disney-MGM. Despite the similarities in both parks being essentially the same in that they are both meant to resemble a movie studio backlot, Disney-MGM gets the edge for a couple of reasons. The first reason is that, like all the Disney theme parks, Disney-MGM has top notch animatronics. The second reason, is that unlike Universal Studios (not to be confused with Islands of Adventure), Disney-MGM has a couple of great thrill rides.

That's right, for some reason, Disney decided to put it's two best thrill rides in MGM Studios. The first of which Megan and I rode was the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster. The set up fro the ride is that you're touring a recording studio where Aerosmith is recording. At the last minute, you and your fellow riders are invited to ride along with Aerosmith to their concert. The rollercoaster itself is meant to resemble a stretch limo and the ride is meant to simulate a ride to the concert through the streets of LA. The ride, no pun intended, rocks. Much like Space Mountain, it's an enclosed coaster almost entirely in the dark, which again, keeps riders from knowing what to expect and punches the thrill factor up a couple of notches. Unlike Space Mountain, however, the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster also features a couple of inversions, which, for those of you not "in the know," means the ride goes upside down. Those inversions, coupled with the speed of the ride, definitely make the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster the most thrilling rollercoaster I've ridden at Disney. That said, I still think I prefer Space Mountain for it's retro-future design, but that's probably just me.

The other thrill ride that gives Disney-MGM it's edge over Universal is The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. The ride itself is housed in a replica of a 1930s Hollywood Hotel. And let me tell you, the design of the ride it definitely something to behold. The attention to detail in not only making an effective old-style grand hotel, but giving the illusion that it is one that has fallen into disrepair, is truly awe-inspiring. I'd ride this ride multiple times just so I could look at it.

The premise of this ride is that the passengers are on an elevator that takes them into the Twilight Zone. Riders are led by a bellhop into an elevator car and strapped in. The car then moves through a set featuring weird, Twilight Zone effects. Finally, a door opens, and riders can see that they're looking out over the park from several stories up. Then, almost before you have time to register what's going on, the car drops. And it drops fast. After the first plunge the car raises and drops several more times putting the riders again and again through freefall, simulating the out-of-control elevator it's meant to be, before finally coming to rest at the ground floor. Normally, I don't like these kind of rides. They make my stomach feel like I left it somewhere at the top of the drop and it's having an out-of-body experience. But I really dug The Tower of Terror. Maybe it's because of the ride's unique design, or maybe it's because it's a Disney ride and therefore less intense than others like it. Whatever the case, it had Megan and I going back for more.

Now, I know that I keep going on and on about Disney's animatronics, but the one's featured on The Great Movie Ride are really something special. This ride takes it's passengers led by a tour guide through different sets replicating famous movies or simply different genres of movies. The best animatronics are John Wayne in the Western portion of the ride, and James Cagney in the gangster movie portion. The gangster portion also features a pretty nifty live-action/animatronic shoot-out where the ride is "hijacked" by an actor playing a mobster. It's a fun little ride that will make any movie fan smile, especially those who enjoy animatronics. This might sound like a small demographic, but then again, there's a reason that DisneyWorld is the world's number one theme park.

While not most people don't associate Muppets with animatronics, Disney-MGM has a show featuring them as well. Megan and I checked out MuppetVision 3D which is essentially 3D movie featuring the Muppets, with animatronics and live actors in Muppet costumes participating along in the theatre. The theatre itself is pretty neat, deigned to resemble the one featured on the Muppet Show I enjoyed in my youth, complete with animatronic versions of the Muppet Show's resident theatre critics, Staler and Waldorf, in a balcony box. The movie is charming and funny, so much so, that it made the attraction almost melancholy to me. I know that sounds rather incongruous, but hear me out. The whole display was actually put together by the now deceased Jim Henson and it shows. For whatever reason, he brought something special to the Muppets than has been sorely missed since his death. The magic of MuppetVision 3D reminded me of how great the Muppets used to be, and how much I miss Jim Henson's unique genius. Leave it to me to be depressed by the Muppets.

Almost immediately after watching the Muppets in all their 3D glory, Megan and I split up. Megan went to see some Beauty and The Beast musical number or somesuch, whereas I went to complete a dream I've had since 1987. That dream, my friends, was riding Star Tours. As many of you know, I am a huge Star Wars nerd, and I can't tell you how much I've always wanted to ride Star Tours. I first heard about it when some kids from my old neighborhood rode it back in the day. Their descriptions of flying along on the famous Death Star run from the original Star Wars filled my imagination with the coolest ride ever imagined. I couldn't wait to ride this thing!

But wait I did. I waited nearly 20 years to ride Star Tours. And as you would probably expect, I was pretty disappointed. The ride is really just a simulator, with an animatronic robot tour guide, which takes rider on a Star Wars-based adventure through space. It's cool enough, but since I've ridden several other simulators throughout the years, this one feels pretty much like more of the same. Granted, this is the only simulator I've ridden with ILM created effects, but even those can't save the whole thing from feeling more than a little dated. I'm sure that if I rode it back in '87 I would have loved it, but the simple fact that it existed solely in my imagination for so long set such a high bar that it would have been impossible for it to live up to. Still, much like Megan's finally get to eat at EPCOT's Resturant Marrakesh, I was able to cross another childhood fantasy off the list. Not only that, but I'm especially glad to have had the chance to ride it, since, as I understand it, Lucas is developing a new Star Tours ride, which will be prequel-based and simulate a pod race. It would have been hard to imagine a way to make Star Tours more disappointing, but luckily, Lucas has gone ahead and done it for me.

Well, that's it. There were other things to see at the park, like various shows, but Megan and I weren't really too keen on checking any of them out, so we split. We wanted to get back to the condo with time to recover and pack (and in Megan's case watch Grey's Anatomy). As much fun as we had, we were really looking forward to what was to come and the real purpose of our trip, Nate and Katie's wedding.