The 12 Milestones in Disney World History part 9; Disney-MGM Studios debuts
On April 30, 1989 Disney gathered a team of stars and dignitaries for a television event to commemorate a great milestone in Disney World history. The broadcast was a success, and the next day the Disney-MGM Studios opened its doors to a hungry and excited public.
Walt Disney had always had the idea of making a studio tour at the California film studio location, but never went through with it. So I guess in some way, like Epcot before it, building a movie studio based park was a sort-of fulfillment of another of Walt’s inspirations. But when it opened, many fans had to question whether or not Walt would have done it this way.
Disney-MGM Studios opened with a very limited offering of attractions and things to do, unlike any of the Disney theme parks that came earlier. It was because of this that people began to first question Michael Eisner’s motivations for building the park. Did he think this was the best they could do? Or did he only want to beat Universal to the punch? But Imagineers soon began adding to the park and building some of Disney World’s best thrill rides.
Now, as the Studios continues to evolve, things are very different from the days of Walt and those who worked along side him. It is also very different from how it looked on May 1, 1989. The theme is often jumbled and somewhat stretched. The rides are great, but the total immersive experience achieved at Disneyland is often not present here. Is this the representation of the modern Disney theme park? Only time will tell.
The Disney-MGM Studios was, and still is, the first example of the Eisner-era at Walt Disney World. It also marked the beginning of a huge expansion at the Florida resort. I have always adored this park, so please don’t think they I am trying to be negative. It has evolved wonderfully to suit my taste. But upon its opening, it meant something historic if not completely positive to Disney World. Now, as time marches on it will be even more different.
Raidermatt said,
January 5, 2008 @ 2:57 am
Good points. MGM’s significance as the first park built under the new Disney philsophy cannot be overstated. Disney is always touting its “brand value”, and I think this is an example where they shot themselves in the foot, and continue to do so today.
After Epcot, people had a pretty good idea of what to expect in terms of value from a Disney park. Lots of things to do and see, and if it was a non-MK park, something new and different.
MGM was the first park to damage that value. After the philosophy continued with every park Disney has built since, the public no longer even thinks about flocking to a new Disney park. Key exceptions are Tokyo DisneySea and Disneyland Paris, both of which were not built as “shell” parks and both of which performed well (the problems in Paris were related to the overbuilding of hotels and the location in general, not the park itself).
But instead of changing its park-building philosophy to go with what has proven to be successful, their answer is to say there is no need for new domestic parks, and to mitigate risk (and therefore potential profit as well) by giving majority ownership in foreign parks to other companies and governments.
Yes, Disney parks are still fun places to visit, but the opportunities Disney has missed to truly capitalize on its reputation and resources are too large to fathom.