QCT Disney Hollywood Studios
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Article December 2016

Next up was a stop at one of my all-time favorite adventure movies the original Indiana Jones (1981) starring Harrison Ford. Every time I hear that theme song it makes me want to re-join the Army as a Paratrooper on a night jump over Sicily DZ (Drop Zone) with a low ceiling (clouds) -- NOT! I at least thought about it though. I was lucky enough to be one of the first to enter this attraction because I arrived about 30 minutes before show time. This way-too-Kool attraction is actually a replica of the movie set that includes props from the best scenes of the original version like the classic giant rolling stone. I wondered if that stone was real and what would have happened if the trap door did not open in time? Anyhow, that scene went off without a hitch -- thank God. They also chose volunteers from our audience to participate in the final scene that included a jeep flipping over, bad guys getting shot, and multiple explosions. I am retired from that type of life but it was really entertaining watching others endure the experience.

I left that 30-minute show with a lot of adrenalin pumping so it was time to make another pit stop at the nearby men's room which actually resembled the ones we used in the field while training in the military. More Koolness! It was time for me to slow down a bit so I decided to opt for a more subtle adventure next by joining The Great Movie Ride which takes you through various movie sets from classic Disney movies for about 22 minutes. The wait to get in was only about 15 minutes and at one point on the ride one of the characters actually hopped aboard our vehicle and stood right next to me. He was playing the role of a gangster and I was really tempted to say something but decided against it because I did not want to disrupt his scene like some unruly hecklers.

The last stop on my whirlwind tour of Hollywood Studios was one that I really looked forward to -- Walt Disney: One Man's Dream. On my way over I was stopped by one of the park staff as well as all others around me because of a procession that included Shore Troopers and the man himself Chewbacca who looks much bigger in person. Once in the Walt Disney attraction I took my time and slowly moved from one display to another leading up to the theater to watch the film. I got a chance to learn about how he grew up (from age 5) in a small town in Marceline, Missouri, was a poor farm boy but had a very active imagination. It really impressed me that he believed in his dream enough to take night courses at the Chicago Art Institute the city where he was born in 1901. In addition, he had a brother (Roy) that believed in his dream enough to become part of it as opposed to destroying it out of jealously like so many negative friends, siblings and family members do.

Disney was always on the cutting edge of integrating the latest technologies into his entertainment vehicles and was first to use animatronics as in the case of the Hall of Presidents at the Magic Kingdom. As stated in my previous article; my first visit to the Hall as a kid back in the early 1970's is forever etched into my mind as one of the most impressive Disney creations to date. The way those statues move is mind-boggling and some may even think that they are actually real people but the stripped down version of the President Lincoln robot should quash that theory. I guess they are currently working on the censored Trump addition. Smile! The Walt Disney movie lasted about 20 minutes and included a segment on how one of his early partners literally stole one of his early characters -- Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. His subsequent rise is an endearing motivator for me as I have been ripped off several times of intellectual property rights courtesy of very bad judges. I estimate that I have lost over $2-million-dollars (U.S.) in revenue. Frown!

All in all it was another fantastic adventure at a Disney park and this go round I did not have to use their Fast Pass as my longest wait time was just 15 minutes. I departed Disney's Hollywood Studios at approximately 7:30 P.M. (EST) and was bid farewell by a very nice gentleman at the entrance/exit. I then hopped back on the contract shuttle bus at about 8:22 P.M. for my return trip to the Holiday Inn Hotel Lake Buena Vista (review pending). They were only 2 minutes off of their advertised departure time of 8:20 P.M. and this time the A.C. was indeed working on their older model coach.

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