Movies Come Alive At Disney-MGM

If you love movies as much as I do, you've probably often wondered what it would be like to be on the set seeing one made.

And while I haven't visited a great many sets, I think I've been on enough of them to burst your bubble -- it's for the most part uneventful; it's a lot of hurry up and wait, it's like watching paint dry.

Considering that most film productions take 10 weeks of shooting time, only to whittle the final product down to two hours or less on the big screen, this shouldn't come as a terribly huge surprise.

So, I began wondering to myself, where on earth can somebody experience the magic of movies without all the down time that goes with it?

While you won't often see much of the actual production process of a movie, Walt Disney World's Disney-MGM theme park is a great alternative to witness the magic of movies in more of an up-close-and-personal way. It made a recent trip I made to Orlando, Fla., one that I remember for many years to come.

For those of you unfamiliar with Disney World, it is divided into four different theme parks: The Magic Kingdom, Epcot Center, the Animal Kingdom, and Disney-MGM. And while all have a fantastical nature that will sweep you away from the doldrums of everyday life, Disney-MGM is the one best suited for movie fans.

Lucky for me, it's also a place that's home to the attractions based on the works of two of my favorite filmmakers, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. If I had a mission going into the park, it was to experience both the "Star Wars" themed ride Star Tours, and the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular. I'm happy to say that both fulfilled, if not exceeded, my expectations. Anything that came after that on the day I was there was a bonus.

The fun part of Star Tours begins even before you enter the building. On the outside, I saw for the first time a full-scale model of the AT-AT vehicle, used both in the snow battle scenes from "The Empire Strikes Back," and in the forests inhabiting the moon of Endor in "Return of the Jedi."

Entering the building, you're greeted by a slew of droids, including, of course, our old friends C-3PO and R2-D2, on a walkway reminiscent of the space stations featured in the all three films of the original "Star Wars" trilogy.

The cake-topper, of course, is the ride itself, as long as you can hold in your cake, cookies, or whatever else you might have eaten before getting on the ride. It's a high-energy motion-controlled ride that holds about 40 people, where you voyage on a tour of the "Star Wars" galaxy -- and perfect for those who like the motion, but not the commotion of a rides like rollercoasters. Plus, it takes you through a ride down the trenches of the Death Star like Mark Hamill's adventure in "Star Wars" -- how can it get any better than that?

In the end, it makes you long more than ever for the release of the next "Star Wars" movie, "Attack of the Clones."

The Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular is every bit as educational as it is entertaining. Utilizing three key scenes from the movie, "filmmakers" take you through the moviemaking process, and warns of the dangers actors and filmmakers face when filming action scenes.

The first scene recreates the classic opening from "Raiders of the Lost Ark," when Indiana snares an ancient golden idol, only to be chased down by a monolithic round boulder. Needless to say, the props are big enough for everybody to see, and every vantage point from the attraction's 1,800-seat amphitheater is a good one.

The great part of the attraction is that naturally, you're right there in the thick of the action. For some lucky show-goers, it's even better. The show's host plucks out about a dozen or so people to be extras for the middle scene of the production: Indiana and his fellow archeologist, Marion Ravenwood's encounter with the bad guys on the streets of Cairo. It's here where our heroes become the ultimate swashbucklers, with a mix of high-flying pratfalls, fisticuffs with the bad guys, and blazing pyrotechnics.

The show wraps with the breathtaking recreation of the infamous scene in "Raiders" where Indiana takes on the German plane mechanic, who meets his fate as he faces the propeller of a warplane. Like Star Tours," it leaves you longing for more. But until Lucas and Spielberg get that third sequel together, if want more of Indiana, then you'll be happy to see him again in the Great Movie Ride.

The Great Movie Ride is the perfect attraction for those needing a break from the adrenaline bursts of such rides as the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and Aerosmith's Rock and Rollercoaster ride. That's not to say that it isn't eventful. In fact, it's a spectacular tour of movies past and present, and literally puts you on the movie sets of many famous films.

To make the ride complete, those sets are populated with animatronic recreations of the actors and actresses that made those movies so memorable to begin with.

The vehicle for your journey is essentially a giant trolley car, which coasts from set to set with a narrator who points out each attraction. It's in the movie ride where you'll see the likes of John Wayne, James Cagney, Clint Eastwood and Gene Kelly come to life.

Or course, I'm a die-hard fan of science fiction movies, so naturally, I was swept away by the cavernous confines of the mothership that Sigourney Weaver finds herself trapped in battling the creatures in "Alien." If that's too intense for you, the ride also creates the splendid "yellow brick road" scene from "The Wizard of Oz," and takes you to the rooftops with some very real-looking renderings of Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke in "Mary Poppins."

As I mentioned before, you'll get more of Indiana Jones here, too. Inside a spectacularly detailed pharaoh's tomb is Indiana again, looking for treasures like he sought like "Raiders of the Lost Ark." Like the stunt spectacular, it leaves you pining for more.

If you like your journey less adventuresome, then some productions tailored for younger families may be your speed. "Jim Henson's Muppet Vision 3-D" is set in a plush, old-style looking theater, with cast members of the Muppet crews interacting in the balconies.

But the true attraction of the exhibit is the film, which hosted by Kermit the Frog and Fozzie Bear, literally jumps out of the screen at you. Of course, the film also features such Muppet stalwarts as the lovable Miss Piggy, whose enthusiasm is infectious. If you're lucky, you just might encounter the characters outside the theater.

Like the classic characters of Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and new favorites like Mike and Sulley from "Monsters, Inc.," the Muppet celebrities wander the park all day. If you're there at the right time, you can catch all the characters in the park's daily Stars and Motor Cars parade, too.

Approaching the end of my day at the park, I rested comfortably in the theater to see "The Little Mermaid," which is personally one of my favorite Disney modern animated films. Like the park's "Beauty and the Beast" and "Hunchback of Notre Dame" attractions, the characters from "Mermaid" are transported to a stage environment, and the Broadway-esque energy it generates is infectious.

Dubbed "Voyage of the Little Mermaid," the show features, naturally, an actress to play the Ariel on stage, and her singing alone made the show a success. But what boosts it even more is a playful mixture of laser lights, puppetry, and a touch of a cool mist to make you feel like you are literally under the sea -- it's a real treat. If you can manage to hang until the end of the day, Mickey Mouse brings "Fantasia" to life with the "Fantasmic" attraction, which wraps up the day at the park with even more laser lights and pyrotechnics.

While "Mermaid" boasts Disney's accomplishments of movies past, you can also witness future projects in the works at Disney-MGM. Tours are available all day of the parks animation studio, which on the day I visited animators were hard at work on the big-screen version of "Lilo & Stitch," which the artists are preparing for a summer release.

Of course, with any theme park comes a wait, and I was pleased to find that mine were relatively short. Since I got to the park when the gates opened, I found myself on the first attraction I went to, Star Tours, in minutes. Waits thereafter were usually 15 minutes or less, with one instance where I waited for 45 minutes.

The smart thing to do is get a free Disney Fastpass at any attraction that they are available. This was particularly helpful for me for the Indiana Jones and the "Little Mermaid," attractions, although they are available for other attractions, too.

When you go -- and for every moviegoer this is a must -- make sure to plan for a full day at the park to take in as many attractions as possible. With about 90 minutes of my time spent on breaks, I managed to make just over half of the parks 20-plus attractions the day I toured the park, which was open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The ones I regret missing were the American Film Institute Showcase (which features movie costumes and props) the Disney-MGM Backlot tour, which promised to be a cool tour of famous television houses and a wild trip through Catastrophe Canyon.

Of course, this gives me an excuse to go back -- I hope to see ya real soon, Mickey!