Backlot Tour Redo

Over the years, the state of the Backlot Tour in Disney’s Hollywood Studio has been one of steady decline.  I recently took another spin on the tour after not having done so in…well...at least a decade.  While it isn’t as bad as I was expecting…it certainly wasn’t great.  Obviously, the experience packed much more punch when “The Studios” was really a working studio.  While it would be great to bring back those days…I’m only the Future WDW CEO…not the Future Walt Disney Company CEO.  So I have no power over the movie biz side of things.

So what can we do to spice up the Backlot Tour?  Well, I’m about ready to drop one suggestion on you.  Now…let me upfront by saying I don’t expect my proposal to suddenly turn this experience into an E-Ticket attraction.  Previous pitches from the Fantasyland Boardroom have been major modifications.  My goal with this proposal, though, is to honor the original intent of Backlot Tour (as well as the Studios, in general)…which was to give you a sense of what goes into movie making.  Well…without further delay…here it is…

Picture if you will (sorry…couldn’t resist) an attraction that takes you through the life cycle of a live-action, feature motion picture.  An attraction that starts at the very beginning with an idea, moves through the writing phase, the preproduction phase, the actual production of the movie, and even the distribution of the film.  What Spaceship Earth is to the history of communication, the Backlot Tour would be for the lifecycle of a film.

I would keep the tram ride as the main ride vehicle.  This vehicle would take you to different “scenes” (again…like Spaceship Earth) that would detail a step in the process.  Some of these scenes would take place indoors…others would take place outdoors.  Each scene would relate back to the process of making a single (fictional) film.  I believe in doing this, the Catastrophe Canyon experience could be saved and built into the reimagining of this attraction.

The tram ride kicks off…the narration gives a little spiel about the magic of making movies…maybe something about how each movie is a story…but the making of a movie is its own story (I know...I’ll NEVER be a writer for Imagineering…please bear with me).  The tram enters a building where we see a series of audio-animatronics scenes showing an idea for “Catastrophe Canyon” being “born” and pitched.  We will see the writers hard at work on the screenplay. 

As we continue through the attraction, we will be casually introduced to many of the roles that go into making a movie.  I frequently watched the credits of a movie and see the plethora of job titles scroll by.  Many of these roles I think I understand what they do…others not as much.  But I want to see these people (or their AA counterparts) in action.  I want a scene with the Casting Director auditioning prospective actors.  I want to see the assistant director working through the logistics of the production.  Heck…I want to see the Best Boy Grip in action and understand what they bring to the table.

As we progress through our movie’s lifecycle, we’d see a scene being played out on a soundstage.  But then, later, contrast that with a big, blockbuster scene with pyro and effects.  That’s where the current Catastrophe Canyon scene comes in.  I believe this scene can remain relatively unchanged.

After the Catastrophe Canyon scene, we will get a glimpse into post-production.  We will watch the film being edited to perfection.  We will witness the sound editing being performed by the sound department.  Maybe we’ll even see the film being previewed by a focus group…and the edits that follow.  The final scenes will show a full movie trailer for our movie and distribution in action.  The attraction will end with guests exiting the tram on the red carpet for the opening night premiere.

One of the other things I’d like to see in this attraction….original music.  I could be wrong, but I really feel like the days of original park attraction music have passed…and that disheartens me.  Heck…some of those older songs have outlived the attraction they were associated with (It’s Fun To Be Free?!?!).  Our movie needs a soundtrack.  A song that can be used as we transition from scene to scene.  A song that can be used in score form throughout the queue.  Maybe have it playing while you’re walking the red carpet out of the attraction!!!

There are other options that we can explore in future posts for this real estate.  But I believe this attraction would be good for The Studios.  It brings the magic of moviemaking back to the Studios…even if it isn’t “real”.  So…if you were going to bring this to the Studios, what would you want to see?  Which you keep Catastrophe Canyon, or introduce a whole new movie?