Vacation! Day 4
Today: Disney MGM!
Emily will be joining us. She seemed fine in the morning, maybe a little cough.
On our way, we passed this cool shoppe.. Wonder what they serve?
Once there, we did something we hadn't done since we were in Florida: put on sunscreen!
Ready!
Once inside and pass the security check, you immediately enter a world of everything movies and film. Every genre, theme, style, stereotype, and spoof of anything Hollywood and the movie industry can be found here.
Everywhere you look there are employees going about in character, to add to the 'movies' theme.
This scene from Fantasia is sculpted from plants.
Dinosaur Gertie's Ice Cream is a tribute to the original animated dinosaur film "Gertie the Dinosaur" from 1914.
The characters put on full shows wherever they can draw a crowd. This is a film crew looking for talent that they take from the crowd.
Indiana Jones wasn't ready so we got a fast pass for later. From there we walked around the corner to our first ride of the day: Star Tours!
Me under the AT-AT, just like Luke from The Empire Strikes Back!
Our crew on the AT-AT's foot. They can't appreciate how cool this is!
The other half of the outside motif is an Endore forrest/village. Here, our crew leans against a re-creation of an Endor tree (*nerd on* actually it's a giant redwood from California where they shot the Endor forest scenes *nerd off*).
Hmm.. The back side of this AT-AT isn't as impressive as the front.
As you enter, you pass the director chairs for the stars of the show: C3PO and R2D2!
Once inside, you get your first glimpse at the Starspeeder 3000. R2 is on top working on it, while C3PO is checking the computer.
Awwwwwww yyyyeeeeeeaaaaaa!
Above and left is a control tower that two Mon Calamari are working and overseeing the droids.
A tighter shot of R2. Heh, you got some carbon scoring there, looks like you boy's have seen some action!
C3PO at his station, complete with sliver leg (he was made from junk, so everything didn't match).
At one point during your entry, C3PO goes down a checklist of the ship's systems with R2. When he gets to "Laser Cannons" suddenly the cannons come on and start firing! Luckily, R2 shuts them off.
After the hangar, you wind around a droid repair area where some Johnny-5 looking robots are repairing various astromech droids.
We're ready for the jump to lightspeed! (*cue chewy growl*)
This is right before you go in. You watch a little video that explains what is fixing to happen, then watch your Starspeeder get serviced before you enter.
Locked and ready! Star Tours is a motion simulator ride. Once inside you are greeted by your pilot RX-24, or Captain Rex (voiced by none other than Paul Reubens aka Pee Wee Herman). Naturally, mishaps and accidents happen that cause you to go off course. You eventually end up joining the X-Wing squadron as they attack the Death Star, even following them right down into the trench! A fantasy for every 6-10 year old when Star Wars came out, I must say that it still envokes strong feelings in me when the theme music hits and you start diving down into the trench. What a ride! For everything Star Tours, CLICK HERE.
As we exited, we snapped this pic by some posters. This ride still holds up today and is very fun! Note: no Janet or Emily (Janet gets motion sickness).
From the simulator, they pipe you right out into the gift shop. Of all the gift shops we visited, this was the MECCA of all themed gift shops! I have never seen so much Star Wars merchandise in one place!
Here, you can buy an actual lightsaber! They have everything!
As we left the gift shop we noticed a long line wrapping back around to the entrance. It turned out to be for autographs and a picture with Darth Vader and a Stormtrooper! Very cool, but I wasn't standing in line for an hour. I sneaked above them and we snapped this pic. Close enough!
Later, we found the touristy-me-take-pictures speeder-bike setup and quickly started taking pictures like the popparatzi at a red-carpet runway. Pictured here: Andrew and Chandler.
Chandler with his Donald Duck quacker.
Keighly and Ian.
Keighly. A line is now starting to form behind us.
Donovan.
Ian. The people behind us are now getting pretty restless. How many dang pictures are we gonna take?
Me and Ian. I wanted a pic of me on it by myself, but the other people were getting pretty angry so I figured we better move on.
Time for lunch. Where else? Pizza Planet!
Amazingly we hit it at just the right time. NO ONE was in line at all so we got our food very fast.
Ahh, pizza. Not bad at all for the speed in which we got it. Walking around MGM will really wear you out!
We had noticed Emily wiping her eyes all morning. It was at this point we realized something was wrong. Green stuff was matted in there and she just looked terrible. I guess crusading around the Magic Kingdom in the rain two days ago took it's toll.
After lunch, we walked right across to Muppet Vision 3D, where you sit in the muppet theater and watch a 3D movie about how the muppets came up with "Muppet Vision". This fountain is right outside the theater.
Andrew gives a big "thumbs up!" as we start entering. We all love the muppets and grew up with them. This is also a great venue to go to since it is basically a theater and can hold lots of people (lines move fast, if there even is a line) plus you sit down in the air conditioning.
As the line snakes around, you are entertained with various sight-gags and vaudville style jokes and spoofs. Here are several movie posters that have been "Muppet-ized".
Hmmmm.. That pipe looks strangly like Gonzo's nose! You can't see the other lens of the glasses drawn on the wall, but together they say "3D".
The gags only increase once you get inside. This one was my favorite!
Like most Disney attractions, once inside you are assembled in a pre-atraction area where you get some instructions and explanations about what is fixing to happen.
Ian wanted SpiderMan to see in 3D! (Note to self: wipe Ian's mouth after we eat pizza)
Rock it!
Here we go! I have determined from these last two pictures that you can't take an attractive picture while wearing 3D glasses.
That was GREAT! Lots of fun for everybody, no one got sick, and plenty of gags and jokes. Wahoo!
FINALLY our fastpass time came up for Indiana Jones! Once there, the line seemed rather long for fastpass.
Woah. These are the fastpass seats? Janet wasn't happy with the seating, we were all the way over to the right. Talk about sardines, we were crammed in there, too.
While waiting, you ponder over the large "Raiders of the Lost Ark" style set in front of you. Is that a golden statue in the distance?
Early on, we're fresh and happy! Yay! We love Indiana Jones!
After about 15 more minutes of waiting, we're not so fresh. Come on! It's hot! Start already! Emily was very figity. A kind lady sitting in front of us let us use her hand-fan to cool her off. It did help calm her down, although more for entertainment than the cooling factor.
Eventually a lady comes out and explains what is about to happen. The "Stunt Spectacular" part is where they show you how they film the action scenes for movies. In addition, they pick several people from the audience to be extras. Here, the extras are performing on command.
FINALLY the music swells and you can feel something is about to happen. With a crash of rocks Indiana descends on an rope! Yay! He carefully acts out his choreographed scene that ends with the 'director' yelling "CUT!" and then explaining what just happened.
After some explaining, the set splits apart and reveals a Middle Eastern market scene. The extras are up front practicing for their big moment as they portray a "crowd".
A packed house!
Part of the show is seeing how they film certain parts of the action. Here, a manned film crane is rolled in so it can follow the action when it takes to the roof.
Andrew: Word. Me: doh!
Eventually the market scene starts. Tumblers encircle the hero and heroine and a choreographed melee ensues.
The ordered chaos eventually takes to the roof, and all the cameras follow to make sure they get the shot.
After the market scene has wrapped, the set is pulled back to reveal the final scene: the uni-wing nazi plane scene from the desert! (sorry, couldn't think of a shorter, more descriptive title)
The plane cranking up and coming around the sand dune really took me by surprise. I got excited! An actor came out that looked exactly like the guy Indiana fights around the plane.
Just like in the movie, the damsel gets stuck in the planet (which she cranks) while Indiana and the german hulk fight around the precarious propellers!
A fire starts from the fuel tanks! Indiana has to quickly get the damsel out!
Just in time! The fire trail shoots over to the fuel depot with a huge explosion!
Afterwards, the entire cast comes out to take a bow. Very entertaining, although a bit long (just the show itself is 30 mins). Highly recommended!
Thanks to my inquisitive nephew Donovan, we were very fortunate to get our picture with the german hulk guy that Indiana was fighting at the plane. The flash didn't go off so we were quite dark, I doctored it as best as I can.
Time for a snack. Chandler is enjoying his edible paper. The rest of us got Slushs. While we were snacking, several movie-style characters came by. One "director" would say things like "Hello everybody, glad to see me!"
In the center of MGM is a huge sorcerer's hat from Fantasia.
On to The Great Movie Ride. The ride is based in a replica of Graumann's Chinese Theater, complete with hand/foot/paw prints of famous actors and characters in cement outside as you enter.
Once inside you board a fairly large people mover. Our driver/conductor/tour guide was pretty over-the-top-tour-guidish. The ride takes you through different movie genre's and sets of famous films where the ride stops and the tour guide tells you a little about the film. However, sometimes things don't go as planned! The tour guide himself gets caught up in the "movies" and ends up saving the day by apprehending your people-mover's hijacker!
As we walked toward the back lot, we passed this HUGE matte painting of New York.
Speaking of New York.....
Around the corner was a matte painting based on San Francisco.
From this point we split up. I took Emily to their little Disney first aid office to see if there was anything they could do about her eyes. The rest of the crew went on to the Honey I Shrunk The Kids Playground.
Woah! Talk about larger than life!
I don't want to know what that bee is on.
My lawnmower's worst nightmare.
Unfortunately, Ian decided to leave the playground without anyone knowing. On my way back from first aid Janet realized that Ian was missing. By the time I caught up with them security had already been alerted. Almost no time later, they found Ian and brought him back to us. Disney runs a tight ship, no question about it.
On our way back to getting souviners, we passed the Toy Story area.
Al's Toy Barn (moo)!
After getting some Muppet merchandise, we all took our picture with a tuxedo clad Kermit. Andrew and Chandler.
Amanda, Amber, and Donovan.
Janet, Me, Emily, Keighly, and Ian.
The most annoying purchase of the trip: Donald Duck quack-makers. Amber models hers.
Chandler with his own noise maker.
Winding through the souvenier shops we found this "winterland" theme outside a holiday gifts shop.
Inside one of the shops was a rare sighting: Mickey Mouse playing the bagpipes!
While waiting for the last two BIG rides, we had a little time to kill. We decided to try Journey Into Narnia: Creating The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.
Exciting! Actually, our line outside was in the sun so we were happy to be inside.
Once inside, we basically watched the movie trailer on a large screen in the middle of some trees. I have never seen the movie, so I may have been missing some huge correlation there.
At one point a lady comes from behind and says a few things important. I don't recall what they were, sorry.
After we watched the trailer, we exited out by some articles of clothing and props from the movie.
Time to get serious! The VERY anticipated TOWER OF TERROR! The line was long and we didn't have a fastpass. They did have misters that kept you cool. The constant rumblings of "didn't you hear someone died on this ride?" only added to the anticipation. They interior motif of an abandoned/run-down/haunted hotel was absolutely top-notch.
Eventually you make it to the "library" where the lights dim and you watch a film based on Rod Sterling's Twilight Zone. This REALLY sets the mood, and gives you some background information about the ride. Eventually you enter the boiler room where you split into lines for different elevators. Amanda was getting quite anxious, and we asked another fellow in line if it was scary. He said no, but I don't think that made her feel better.
TOWER OF TERROR = EXTREME FUN!
After that excitement we went right next door to the Rock-n-Roller Coaster. Luckily we got a fastpass for this ride, and we literally walked right in. Once inside you enter a room where Aerosmith is recording in their studio. They are late to a concert and want you to come with them, if you can catch them! From there you enter the rollercoaster loading area. I remember watching the rollercoaster ahead of us as it took off. It didn't ease away and go clackity-clack up a ramp, it ZOOMED away at full speed right from the start! Me and Keighly rode in our car and had a super time! The coaster is SO smooth, the loops, twists, and curves are all easily absorbed and you can just enjoy the ride.
Everyone approved of the ride! VERY FUN!
Before leaving, one last shot of us in front of the Tower of Terror.
And a pic of us in front of the giant guitar of the Rock-n-Roller coaster.
On our way home, we passed a NASA themed McDonalds. Now THAT'S a playplace!
Emily will be joining us. She seemed fine in the morning, maybe a little cough.
On our way, we passed this cool shoppe.. Wonder what they serve?
Once there, we did something we hadn't done since we were in Florida: put on sunscreen!
Ready!
Once inside and pass the security check, you immediately enter a world of everything movies and film. Every genre, theme, style, stereotype, and spoof of anything Hollywood and the movie industry can be found here.
Everywhere you look there are employees going about in character, to add to the 'movies' theme.
This scene from Fantasia is sculpted from plants.
Dinosaur Gertie's Ice Cream is a tribute to the original animated dinosaur film "Gertie the Dinosaur" from 1914.
The characters put on full shows wherever they can draw a crowd. This is a film crew looking for talent that they take from the crowd.
Indiana Jones wasn't ready so we got a fast pass for later. From there we walked around the corner to our first ride of the day: Star Tours!
Me under the AT-AT, just like Luke from The Empire Strikes Back!
Our crew on the AT-AT's foot. They can't appreciate how cool this is!
The other half of the outside motif is an Endore forrest/village. Here, our crew leans against a re-creation of an Endor tree (*nerd on* actually it's a giant redwood from California where they shot the Endor forest scenes *nerd off*).
Hmm.. The back side of this AT-AT isn't as impressive as the front.
As you enter, you pass the director chairs for the stars of the show: C3PO and R2D2!
Once inside, you get your first glimpse at the Starspeeder 3000. R2 is on top working on it, while C3PO is checking the computer.
Awwwwwww yyyyeeeeeeaaaaaa!
Above and left is a control tower that two Mon Calamari are working and overseeing the droids.
A tighter shot of R2. Heh, you got some carbon scoring there, looks like you boy's have seen some action!
C3PO at his station, complete with sliver leg (he was made from junk, so everything didn't match).
At one point during your entry, C3PO goes down a checklist of the ship's systems with R2. When he gets to "Laser Cannons" suddenly the cannons come on and start firing! Luckily, R2 shuts them off.
After the hangar, you wind around a droid repair area where some Johnny-5 looking robots are repairing various astromech droids.
We're ready for the jump to lightspeed! (*cue chewy growl*)
This is right before you go in. You watch a little video that explains what is fixing to happen, then watch your Starspeeder get serviced before you enter.
Locked and ready! Star Tours is a motion simulator ride. Once inside you are greeted by your pilot RX-24, or Captain Rex (voiced by none other than Paul Reubens aka Pee Wee Herman). Naturally, mishaps and accidents happen that cause you to go off course. You eventually end up joining the X-Wing squadron as they attack the Death Star, even following them right down into the trench! A fantasy for every 6-10 year old when Star Wars came out, I must say that it still envokes strong feelings in me when the theme music hits and you start diving down into the trench. What a ride! For everything Star Tours, CLICK HERE.
As we exited, we snapped this pic by some posters. This ride still holds up today and is very fun! Note: no Janet or Emily (Janet gets motion sickness).
From the simulator, they pipe you right out into the gift shop. Of all the gift shops we visited, this was the MECCA of all themed gift shops! I have never seen so much Star Wars merchandise in one place!
Here, you can buy an actual lightsaber! They have everything!
As we left the gift shop we noticed a long line wrapping back around to the entrance. It turned out to be for autographs and a picture with Darth Vader and a Stormtrooper! Very cool, but I wasn't standing in line for an hour. I sneaked above them and we snapped this pic. Close enough!
Later, we found the touristy-me-take-pictures speeder-bike setup and quickly started taking pictures like the popparatzi at a red-carpet runway. Pictured here: Andrew and Chandler.
Chandler with his Donald Duck quacker.
Keighly and Ian.
Keighly. A line is now starting to form behind us.
Donovan.
Ian. The people behind us are now getting pretty restless. How many dang pictures are we gonna take?
Me and Ian. I wanted a pic of me on it by myself, but the other people were getting pretty angry so I figured we better move on.
Time for lunch. Where else? Pizza Planet!
Amazingly we hit it at just the right time. NO ONE was in line at all so we got our food very fast.
Ahh, pizza. Not bad at all for the speed in which we got it. Walking around MGM will really wear you out!
We had noticed Emily wiping her eyes all morning. It was at this point we realized something was wrong. Green stuff was matted in there and she just looked terrible. I guess crusading around the Magic Kingdom in the rain two days ago took it's toll.
After lunch, we walked right across to Muppet Vision 3D, where you sit in the muppet theater and watch a 3D movie about how the muppets came up with "Muppet Vision". This fountain is right outside the theater.
Andrew gives a big "thumbs up!" as we start entering. We all love the muppets and grew up with them. This is also a great venue to go to since it is basically a theater and can hold lots of people (lines move fast, if there even is a line) plus you sit down in the air conditioning.
As the line snakes around, you are entertained with various sight-gags and vaudville style jokes and spoofs. Here are several movie posters that have been "Muppet-ized".
Hmmmm.. That pipe looks strangly like Gonzo's nose! You can't see the other lens of the glasses drawn on the wall, but together they say "3D".
The gags only increase once you get inside. This one was my favorite!
Like most Disney attractions, once inside you are assembled in a pre-atraction area where you get some instructions and explanations about what is fixing to happen.
Ian wanted SpiderMan to see in 3D! (Note to self: wipe Ian's mouth after we eat pizza)
Rock it! 
Here we go! I have determined from these last two pictures that you can't take an attractive picture while wearing 3D glasses.
That was GREAT! Lots of fun for everybody, no one got sick, and plenty of gags and jokes. Wahoo!
FINALLY our fastpass time came up for Indiana Jones! Once there, the line seemed rather long for fastpass. 
Woah. These are the fastpass seats? Janet wasn't happy with the seating, we were all the way over to the right. Talk about sardines, we were crammed in there, too.
While waiting, you ponder over the large "Raiders of the Lost Ark" style set in front of you. Is that a golden statue in the distance?
Early on, we're fresh and happy! Yay! We love Indiana Jones!
After about 15 more minutes of waiting, we're not so fresh. Come on! It's hot! Start already! Emily was very figity. A kind lady sitting in front of us let us use her hand-fan to cool her off. It did help calm her down, although more for entertainment than the cooling factor.
Eventually a lady comes out and explains what is about to happen. The "Stunt Spectacular" part is where they show you how they film the action scenes for movies. In addition, they pick several people from the audience to be extras. Here, the extras are performing on command.
FINALLY the music swells and you can feel something is about to happen. With a crash of rocks Indiana descends on an rope! Yay! He carefully acts out his choreographed scene that ends with the 'director' yelling "CUT!" and then explaining what just happened.
After some explaining, the set splits apart and reveals a Middle Eastern market scene. The extras are up front practicing for their big moment as they portray a "crowd".
A packed house!
Part of the show is seeing how they film certain parts of the action. Here, a manned film crane is rolled in so it can follow the action when it takes to the roof.
Andrew: Word. Me: doh!
Eventually the market scene starts. Tumblers encircle the hero and heroine and a choreographed melee ensues.
The ordered chaos eventually takes to the roof, and all the cameras follow to make sure they get the shot.
After the market scene has wrapped, the set is pulled back to reveal the final scene: the uni-wing nazi plane scene from the desert! (sorry, couldn't think of a shorter, more descriptive title)
The plane cranking up and coming around the sand dune really took me by surprise. I got excited! An actor came out that looked exactly like the guy Indiana fights around the plane.
Just like in the movie, the damsel gets stuck in the planet (which she cranks) while Indiana and the german hulk fight around the precarious propellers!
A fire starts from the fuel tanks! Indiana has to quickly get the damsel out!
Just in time! The fire trail shoots over to the fuel depot with a huge explosion!
Afterwards, the entire cast comes out to take a bow. Very entertaining, although a bit long (just the show itself is 30 mins). Highly recommended!
Thanks to my inquisitive nephew Donovan, we were very fortunate to get our picture with the german hulk guy that Indiana was fighting at the plane. The flash didn't go off so we were quite dark, I doctored it as best as I can.
Time for a snack. Chandler is enjoying his edible paper. The rest of us got Slushs. While we were snacking, several movie-style characters came by. One "director" would say things like "Hello everybody, glad to see me!"
In the center of MGM is a huge sorcerer's hat from Fantasia.
On to The Great Movie Ride. The ride is based in a replica of Graumann's Chinese Theater, complete with hand/foot/paw prints of famous actors and characters in cement outside as you enter.
Once inside you board a fairly large people mover. Our driver/conductor/tour guide was pretty over-the-top-tour-guidish. The ride takes you through different movie genre's and sets of famous films where the ride stops and the tour guide tells you a little about the film. However, sometimes things don't go as planned! The tour guide himself gets caught up in the "movies" and ends up saving the day by apprehending your people-mover's hijacker!
As we walked toward the back lot, we passed this HUGE matte painting of New York. 
Speaking of New York.....
Around the corner was a matte painting based on San Francisco.From this point we split up. I took Emily to their little Disney first aid office to see if there was anything they could do about her eyes. The rest of the crew went on to the Honey I Shrunk The Kids Playground.
Woah! Talk about larger than life!
I don't want to know what that bee is on.
My lawnmower's worst nightmare.Unfortunately, Ian decided to leave the playground without anyone knowing. On my way back from first aid Janet realized that Ian was missing. By the time I caught up with them security had already been alerted. Almost no time later, they found Ian and brought him back to us. Disney runs a tight ship, no question about it.
On our way back to getting souviners, we passed the Toy Story area.
Al's Toy Barn (moo)!
After getting some Muppet merchandise, we all took our picture with a tuxedo clad Kermit. Andrew and Chandler.
Amanda, Amber, and Donovan.
Janet, Me, Emily, Keighly, and Ian.
The most annoying purchase of the trip: Donald Duck quack-makers. Amber models hers.
Chandler with his own noise maker.
Winding through the souvenier shops we found this "winterland" theme outside a holiday gifts shop.
Inside one of the shops was a rare sighting: Mickey Mouse playing the bagpipes!
While waiting for the last two BIG rides, we had a little time to kill. We decided to try Journey Into Narnia: Creating The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. 
Exciting! Actually, our line outside was in the sun so we were happy to be inside.
Once inside, we basically watched the movie trailer on a large screen in the middle of some trees. I have never seen the movie, so I may have been missing some huge correlation there.
At one point a lady comes from behind and says a few things important. I don't recall what they were, sorry.
After we watched the trailer, we exited out by some articles of clothing and props from the movie.
Time to get serious! The VERY anticipated TOWER OF TERROR! The line was long and we didn't have a fastpass. They did have misters that kept you cool. The constant rumblings of "didn't you hear someone died on this ride?" only added to the anticipation. They interior motif of an abandoned/run-down/haunted hotel was absolutely top-notch.
Eventually you make it to the "library" where the lights dim and you watch a film based on Rod Sterling's Twilight Zone. This REALLY sets the mood, and gives you some background information about the ride. Eventually you enter the boiler room where you split into lines for different elevators. Amanda was getting quite anxious, and we asked another fellow in line if it was scary. He said no, but I don't think that made her feel better. TOWER OF TERROR = EXTREME FUN!
After that excitement we went right next door to the Rock-n-Roller Coaster. Luckily we got a fastpass for this ride, and we literally walked right in. Once inside you enter a room where Aerosmith is recording in their studio. They are late to a concert and want you to come with them, if you can catch them! From there you enter the rollercoaster loading area. I remember watching the rollercoaster ahead of us as it took off. It didn't ease away and go clackity-clack up a ramp, it ZOOMED away at full speed right from the start! Me and Keighly rode in our car and had a super time! The coaster is SO smooth, the loops, twists, and curves are all easily absorbed and you can just enjoy the ride.
Everyone approved of the ride! VERY FUN!
Before leaving, one last shot of us in front of the Tower of Terror.
And a pic of us in front of the giant guitar of the Rock-n-Roller coaster.
On our way home, we passed a NASA themed McDonalds. Now THAT'S a playplace!
posted by Matthew at 9:10 AM
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