Should the Great Movie Ride change the gangster scene?

[disneysteve]

Let me preface this post by saying I am not an alarmist, not a conspiracy theorist, not the type to let current events and fear dictate my behavior, and not the most politically correct person you'll encounter. All of that said, however, I was really struck by something during our trip this week.

On the Great Movie Ride, an attraction I have been on dozens and dozens of times since 1989, the gangster scene suddenly struck me has horribly out of touch with today's reality. Not only does a live CM start shooting his gun right in front of you, but he then chases off the ride host at gunpoint and gets on board the ride vehicle, gun in hand, before you drive off to the next scene.

For the first time ever, it occurred to me that that whole scene could be really upsetting to people, especially kids, living in a world where they do active shooter drills at school, lock downs, etc. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a kid freak out when a strange man with a gun pops out and starts shooting and then climbs aboard. You and I know it's fake and all in fun, but will the kids?

Like I said, I'm usually the last person to suggest we change something to avoid offending people, but somehow this just seemed different to me, maybe a little too realistic and too close to recent events. Honestly, I was surprised by my own reaction. Maybe I'm just overthinking it but I'm curious to hear if anyone else has had a similar thought.

 

[bsj1701]

This scene and several others need to go, although maybe for a different reason. Much of the ride is very dated and could use new scenes and/or animatronics. The Wizard of OZ scene still works pretty well, but much of the rest could use refurbishment or have scenes replaced. I think a lot of the young people on this ride have no idea where many of the scenes are from.

 

[samsteele]

I love the Ride. But I think the future of the Ride is already in jeopardy and the writing is on the wall. This is a very pragmatic opinion and I'm not dismissive at all of the OPs concerns. I just don't think they figure into WDW's plans. My sad instinct is that it will be gone in the next 2 yrs to make way for another Toy Story or Star Wars venue. Its popular now because there are so few attractions in HS. But the park is facing a massive, game changing transformation. Until they announce its demise, WDW won't put any further money into it and won't change it. I'm curious what the life of the present contract with Turner Classic Movies is re the current sponsorship. Guessing it doesn't have legs beyond the estimated opening of the newly imagined HS park.

 

[disneysteve]

I'm curious what the life of the present contract with Turner Classic Movies is re the current sponsorship. Guessing it doesn't have legs beyond the estimated opening of the newly imagined HS park.

I don't know what the contract term is but I don't think any of us expect the new lands to be finished before 2020 so there is still quite a bit of time to manage and maintain things.

 

[Hunterr]

Yes, you are over thinking it i think.
I'm all for ridding things that are #problematic, but the world has gotten a little crazy with the PC stuff.
You're in the middle of a gangster movie scene...I'm sure there are even warnings about loud noises and stuff.

If you do that, maybe we should close tower of terror out of respect to people who have died in elevator drops.

With that said, the whole ride in general needs a touch up.

 

[DisneyKevin]

Then they should probably remove Toy Story Mania (guns), Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin (guns) and Fireworks (loud scary bomb like noises).

 

[Flight]

There have been tens of thousands of kids through the years that have enjoyed The Great Movie Ride without being traumatized.

 

[disneysteve]

As I said, I was surprised by my reaction. I love the Great Move Ride. I miss the bank robbery scene. I don't want to see it change and I'm not saying it should. I was just wondering if that thought had occurred to anyone else. It had never occurred to me prior to this trip.

 

[pjweaver]

Next you will say the Jungle Cruise Skippers can't shoot blanks at the life like animals. That encourages poaching.

 

[acourtwdw]

How many kids play video games that are far more violent then the GMR?

 

[Shanti]

No. Leave it alone and stop overanalyzing. I'm a teacher and have worked with hundreds of children over the years. Typical, middle-aged kids (7 - 12) would not find the ride traumatic. Young children (6 & under) might not belong on the ride depending on their individual sensitivity, but that's due to their age, not to the fact that we live in an age of terrorism.

 

[disneysteve]

Trust me. I'm fine with leaving the ride as it is. I was simply asking if anyone else found it disturbing. If the answer is no, that's great. As I said, I'm not the PC type, which is why I was surprised that I was the one having that reaction.

 

[PulsarIII]

My warped line of thinking leads me to not favor changing 1 of more scenes of the GMR just to be PC. After all, this is not the MK where the overall show is geared to the family with younger members. Does DHS need to repeat the Alien to Stitch mistake?

G’day
III

 

[Princess Jes]

My warped line of thinking leads me to not favor changing 1 of more scenes of the GMR just to be PC. After all, this is not the MK where the overall show is geared to the family with younger members. Does DHS need to repeat the Alien to Stitch mistake?

G’day
III

I feel like everyone has missed Steve's point.
He wasn't necessarily suggesting that it SHOULD be changed, but rather, surprised that it HASN'T been changed.

Let's look at the very recent past and some actions Disney has made:

• After the multitude of mass shootings in the USA in 2015, on top of the Paris events, and those in the Middle East, Disney (and many other USA theme parks) implement Metal detectors in all their parks.
• Crazy you know what passes security with a concealed, loaded weapon, then RUNS from security when called out on it.
• Plastic, very fake looking toy guns and bubble blowers shaped like 'guns' (but actually looking nothing like a real gun) are banned from the parks.

I think the comparison to Toy story and Buzz is a bit far as those 'guns' also look nothing like a REAL gun, but neither did the bubble blowers, so that one's got me beat?

I think all Steve was getting at was that it seems a bit of a disconnect that while toy's that barely resemble a real gun, are banned, yet a gun wielding actor (yes, all part of the theme and scene of the ride) runs towards a ride vehicle, commandeers it, and drives off to the next scene.
I usually am far from PC on most topics also, and I personally don't think it needs to change (but then, I don't think they needed to ban toy guns either) but its clear to see the 'double standards' (for want of a better phrase) when it comes to this.

The last thing I'd want is for the Jungle Cruise or Pirates or any of them to change for the sake of theatrics and guns and being PC, but I'm also kind of shocked that if kids think the Jungle Cruise is racially insensitive to people indigenous to the Congo, why they wouldn't think that a gun toting gangster wouldn't be insensitive to those who have lost family and friends to gun violence.

I hope that makes sense. it's been a long day...

 

[dogdangling]

It needs to be changed because the ride is dated, not because it has a gun in it. My son was scared of the Alien part and the witch part but was fine with the gun.

Disney can be sensitive, but to change their ride layouts for some gun totting idiots who are allowed guns, and then go on to kill innocent people, I don't think Disney should change things.

 

[Disney Khi]

I don't know if it should be changed, but I will say that my six-year-old is afraid to ride it again. She found a lot of it to be scary, including the gun scene. She loves Mary Poppins and tried to talk herself into riding it in order to see MP, but wasn't brave enough to do it. She does have a very active imagination, though, and is very hesitant to ride many attractions. But I am not saying that WDW should change the GMR based on my child's or any child's (or adult's) sensitivity to it. I'm just mentioning that this ride CAN be scary for some people.

I think the OP makes an interesting point in that it does seem like something that WDW would consider eliminating or toning down. And I haven't been on a Jungle Cruise in a long time where the skipper actually shoots the gun. They always act like they are going to but turn it into a joke where they don't actually do it. That's not to say that no skippers ever shoot now; just that in the many times I've been on JC in the past few years, my skippers have not.

 

[SorcererHeidi]

I have to weigh in on this too - I think our friend Steve (yes, I DO think of a LOT of the posters here as friends!) was just "thinking out loud" on this one, and sharing his thoughts with us - and I feel he's being "jumped on" a little bit here. And, as a friend, I have to defend his right to think out loud, and to also say I thought the boards were a place to encourage this type of friendly conjecturing?

That being said - yes - I think the Great Movie Ride (and some other attractions) need to be changed - but - in the spirit of "updating and refreshing" them, because - to me - they've become tired, old, and "same ole, same ole" at points. I would miss the Wizard of Oz scenes though, frankly, so I'd like to see a mix of old and new, with all updates. Just IMHO.

 

[LittleDreamer]

I miss the bank robbery scene.

Out of curiosity do you usually have a FP when you ride the Great Movie Ride? I've noticed, the past few times I've ridden it, that I only get the Western Bank Robbery scene, which still has guns also. I assumed that Car 1 (Western Change) is standby and Car 2 (Ganster Change) is FP.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

When I first read OP, well, original post, my first thought was - of course not, don't give in to "PC pressure" - but when he mentioned about kids having to now do active shooter drills, etc. it got me thinking more

Where I work, some colleagues live in/near Sandy Hook, CT and I know at least for whom their children were in the school at the time of the shooting there, so it got me thinking: "How would his kids react to that scene?" Now I don't know, how they would and I don't think it is reason enough to change the scene, but I do hope they have increased the warnings so that parents are aware of what happens and can make the ride decision for their children.

 

[JimmyV]

Next you will say the Jungle Cruise Skippers can't shoot blanks at the life like animals. That encourages poaching.

Ahhh. But they did change the Jungle Cruise. The skippers used to aim their guns right at the hippo, and now they fire a warning shot into the air. Don't think for a moment that this change was not intentional. Disney went from killing the hippo to scaring the hippo. So I can see where the OP is coming from.