The downsides
There were some downsides to working on the Great Movie Ride, as Amy explains: "The Great Movie Ride is really unique in that there are two separate costumes you rotate between all day long. The original costumes involved putting on a jacket to go outside which is totally counterintuitive in Florida. With the new costumes, you put on the jacket when you come in, so it’s a little more comfortable temperature-wise. However, the new costumes only have a hat in the outdoor roles and not inside (the original costumes had a hat for both roles), so if you get hat-hair when you’re sweating outside, it's going to be noticeable when you come in and take the hat off again."
"Since you're putting on a show, you naturally want the guests to appreciate the work that's going into the role. Unfortunately, a lot of guests come to the Great Movie Ride just to get inside and enjoy the cool for awhile. Brazilian tour groups are the worst because they often don't speak English and don’t understand what you're saying. They’re also a nightmare to group because they either don’t know how many are in the party, or there are 30 or 40 of them. I would just step back and let them group themselves." "You have bench seating on the ride, so you can usually fit between four and six people per row, depending how big they are. The Brazilian groups would just pile in, eight or nine to a row and insist on sitting that way. When you’re getting dozens of groups like that in peak season, it’s just not worth fighting with them over it."
The hidden secrets
Were there any hidden elements of the Great Movie Ride that guests don't get to see? Yes, Amy recalls: "The Great Movie Ride has catwalks above nearly all of the attraction. Managers can go stand up there to evaluate cast shows without them knowing that they’re being observed. The only time regular Cast Members get to go up to the catwalks is during training, which is a lot of fun." "The Great Movie Ride has two possible shows, known as 'A' and 'B'. When the park isn’t busy, only the 'B' show will run and you'll see a single vehicle sitting on the dock. If there are two vehicles on the dock and you happen to get into the front one, you’re in for a real treat. This is the much rarer 'A' version of the ride. Even when this show is running, it typically only shows up in one or two of the five sets. If you really want to get onto this vehicle, you can always ask if an 'A' is running. Cast Members will usually accommodate if they can."
"Once you've settled into your vehicle, a live tour guide will take you on a tour through the movies. The first scene you see is a tall cake of dancers from Footlight Parade. Passing through the first set of doors, you find yourself in a seedy alley. To the right is James Cagney from The Public Enemy. If you’re on a 'B' vehicle, you’ll stop here to wait for a red light. A live gangster enters the scene and hijacks your vehicle, taking over for the next leg of the show." "If you’re in an 'A' vehicle, you’ll pass right through the gangster scene and stop on an old Western set with Clint Eastwood and John Wayne. This show is hijacked by a bandit and features pyrotechnics in the ensuing firefight. For both the flames and the general rarity of the scene, most people consider the bandit the better of the two options."
Ad-libbing
Sometimes, things can go wrong - and that's when the character actors on the Great Movie Ride come into their own. "One of the most common reasons for a tour guide to hand pack is because a light doesn’t turn green. There are lights throughout the ride that turn from red to green when you’re clear to proceed. This keeps the vehicles spaced out and makes sure each scene has time to reset before the next vehicle comes through. There are four scenes in the ride that actually go through a whole show sequence, instead of just repeating a few actions or phrases. You’ll only see three on any given show, since you have either the bandit or the gangster."
"When a light doesn’t turn green after awhile, you have to hand pack because it's probably just an error. The Cast Member who comes to assist you will peek on the other side of the door to make sure you’re clear and manually open the doors for you to proceed. If you get a hand pack in gangster or bandit, things can get really interesting. Gangsters and bandits typically stay in character all through the hand pack, so they’ll react to the new Cast Member entering the scene. There’s no script for this kind of thing, so you all just ad lib through the scene and it can get really entertaining." Thanks to Amy for sharing her memories with us. If you'd like to learn more about Cast Members' roles and experiences at Walt Disney World, sign up now to be notified when Creating the Magic: Life as a Disney Cast Member is released.
Comments
I worked at GMR from 2002 to 2007 and I did the gangster and bandit roles. I would say those are a lot of fun. This is also correct we would stay in character unless things really got out of hand.