Studio Backlot Tour — Former Ride · History & Timeline

Former Ride · the memorial record

⚰ Permanently closed · Sep 27, 2014operated 25 years · 1989–2014

Also known as Backstage Studio Tour, Backstage Studio Tour featuring Catastrophe Canyon.

This ride is gone, but its history stays documented — the full lifetime log is below.

Ride history

the lifetime record

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2016

UpdateApr 2016#

Demolition of the former backlot began, with construction on Toy Story Land starting April 3, 2016.

Tracked byTheme Park Patch Notes
2015

◆ Latest milestone

UpdateAug 15, 2015#

Disney announced at the D23 Expo that the former backlot land would be redeveloped into Toy Story Land and Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge.

Both land articles independently give the August 15, 2015 announcement date, and the Toy Story Land infobox names the Studio Backlot Tour as what it replaced. Toy Story Land opened June 30, 2018 and Galaxy's Edge opened August 29, 2019.

Tracked byTheme Park Patch Notes
2014

RefurbishmentSep 27, 2014#

The Studio Backlot Tour ran its last trams through Catastrophe Canyon and closed permanently after more than 25 years.

Yesterland: "The Studio Backlot Tour closed permanently on September 27, 2014." Wikipedia's article text gives the same final operating day while its infobox lists September 28, 2014, the first day it no longer ran; we record the last day guests rode.

Tracked byTheme Park Patch Notes
Coming SoonSep 20, 2014#

Cast members were told that the Studio Backlot Tour would permanently close on September 27, 2014.

Wikipedia states the September 20 cast briefing plainly but cites no source for it; the Orlando Sentinel's "Disney's Studio Backlot Tour turning out the lights" ran September 25, 2014.

Tracked byTheme Park Patch Notes
ChangedAug 2014#

The American Film Institute showcase exhibit that guests walked through to exit the tour closed, along with its store.

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2009

ChangedMar 29, 2009#

The tour reopened from a two-month refurbishment that had begun January 4, 2009 with a recorded audio spiel throughout the ride and in Catastrophe Canyon, replacing the live tram guides.

Tracked byTheme Park Patch Notes
2003

Nerf2003#

Residential Street, the outdoor set of replica television-family homes on the tram route, was walled off from the tour and demolished to clear space for the Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show.

The stunt show opened May 5, 2005 and its article names "Studio Backlot Tour - Residential Street" as what it replaced; Wikipedia says its arena forced the tour to be re-routed and New York Street lost its arch to make room for the tram turnaround. Small portions of Residential Street were reused for the tour's downsized boneyard and tram roadways.

Tracked byTheme Park Patch Notes
2001

Changed2001#

Backstage Pass, the walking half carved out of the original 1989 tour, closed, and Soundstage 3 opened to guests in April 2001 to house Who Wants To Be A Millionaire - Play It!.

Tracked byTheme Park Patch Notes
1996

ChangedJun 30, 1996#

The tram tour relaunched as the Studio Backlot Tour, a roughly 35-minute version entering at the far end of Mickey Avenue where the walking tour had begun, with the water tank special effects demonstration as its opening act.

Yesterland says the Studio Backlot Tour "opened at Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park on June 30, 1996" and was "an updated subset of the Backstage Studio Tour." Wikipedia adds that it took over the Backstage Pass entrance, with a prop warehouse built for extra queue and a new tram loading area. This was a rename and re-route of the same attraction, not a new one.

Tracked byTheme Park Patch Notes
1991

Changed1991#

The walking half was split off as a separate attraction and the tram was billed on its own as a 30-minute shuttle ride, the Backstage Studio Tour featuring Catastrophe Canyon.

Year is an upper bound: Wikipedia hedges the timing as "by 1991," and Yesterland cites the 1991 Guide Book listing rather than an announcement. The two sources also name the spinoff differently, Yesterland as Inside the Magic: Special Effects and Production Tour and Wikipedia as Backstage Pass, the name it carried from 1996.

Tracked byTheme Park Patch Notes
1989

NewMay 1, 1989#

The Backstage Studio Tour opened with the Disney-MGM Studios as one of the park's two operating attractions, pairing a walking tour of the production facilities with a tram ride through the backlot that climaxed at Catastrophe Canyon.

Yesterland quotes the 1989 park guide book, "This 2-hour guided tour involves an hour of walking," and ties the debut to the park's May 1, 1989 opening; the Disney's Hollywood Studios article says this tour and The Great Movie Ride were the only two attractions operating on opening day. Wikipedia's Studio Backlot Tour infobox gives April 29, 1989 instead; we record the park's opening day. The original tram loaded near what later became Star Wars Launch Bay.

Tracked byTheme Park Patch Notes

Questions & answers

When did Studio Backlot Tour open?

Per the documented record, Studio Backlot Tour at Hollywood Studios opened on May 1, 1989.

When did Studio Backlot Tour last close for refurbishment?

The most recent closure/refurbishment documented for Studio Backlot Tour is dated Sep 27, 2014: The Studio Backlot Tour ran its last trams through Catastrophe Canyon and closed permanently after more than 25 years.

What changed recently on Studio Backlot Tour?

The latest documented change (documented Apr 2016): Demolition of the former backlot began, with construction on Toy Story Land starting April 3, 2016.

How many changes are on record for Studio Backlot Tour?

11 documented changes, dating back to 1989 — the fan-kept ride changelog nobody else keeps.

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