Backlot Tour Reviews - Disney Reviews and Ratings

Author

baloosballs

Registered: January 2008
Posts: 36

Review Date: Thu December 3, 2009

Would you recommend the product? No | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 2

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Relaxing
Cons:	Boring

This ride has potential to be a lot of fun. However, other that seeing some special effects, it was rather boring. I wouldn't waste 45 minutes on it.

Click here to Send this user a Private Message

miss missy

Registered: January 2005
Posts: 9165

Review Date: Tue July 28, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 9

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	informational
Cons:	can be scarey for small ones

We love this back lot tour. The part with the truck fire can scare small ones. It is informational and worth seeing at least once.

klam_chowder

Registered: November 2007
Posts: 1223

Review Date: Sun July 26, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 6

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Good rest break
Cons:	Should be amped up

A good attraction to do so that people in your party can take a break and rest their feet on the long tram ride. The canyon scene is fun too.

Seems with all the time and space this takes, they could be doing more with it.

disney_lily

Registered: July 2009
Posts: 11

Review Date: Sat July 25, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 8

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	canyon, disney props, boat performance.
Cons:	-

i'm suprised at the low ratings for this ride. its a favourite of mine!

Tortuga-J

Registered: May 2007
Posts: 8

Review Date: Tue June 9, 2009

Would you recommend the product? No | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 2

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	None
Cons:	Lots

Not worth the time or the effort. It's sad how they are letting all of this space to go waste. Especially if you remember this tour in it's hey day. Hopefully, someday they put this "tour" out of its misery and add something significant to the studios.

bsusanmb

Registered: July 2004
Posts: 1818

Review Date: Sun June 7, 2009

Would you recommend the product? No | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 1

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	you get to sit down
Cons:	the car show ruined this ride..

Prior to the lights, action, motor cars, this was a great attraction. Now it is short, changed, and not worth the time.

kramer222

Registered: November 2007
Posts: 219

Review Date: Sun June 7, 2009

Would you recommend the product? No | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 4

Positive aspects of the product (pros):
Cons:

This is really hard to enjoy if you've been on the Universal Studios Hollywood Backlot Tour. There isn't really a "backlot" that they are taking you through. And the interesting areas - the costume shop, the prop warehouse - are blown through so you can't really enjoy any details.

The Grumpus

Registered: January 2006
Posts: 179

Review Date: Sun June 7, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 6

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Interesting stuff the first time through
Cons:	Not much changes - a bit boring after the first time or two

The concept was well thought out 20 years ago, but the lack of maturity or growth over time has resulted in a stagnant ride, which is a shame because this is one of the few that could easily change.

If you've never been on it, it's worth the time. Don't sit on the left side if you are hydrophobic.

SheenaXena21

Registered: February 2005
Posts: 1061

Review Date: Tue May 19, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 7

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Seeing the costumes
Cons:	Kind of boring

It was ok. I would do it once.

Love2663

Registered: May 2009
Posts: 109

Review Date: Tue May 19, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 4

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	the earthquake, movie special effects simulations
Cons:	long tour for limited highlights

The first part is much more enjoyable if you get selected for audience participation. The tram ride is shorter than it used to be because of the construction of Lights! Motor! Action! The earthquake scene is best on first visit, but of limited excitement on repeat visits.

BeamsofLight

Registered: April 2004
Posts: 1130

Review Date: Fri May 15, 2009

Would you recommend the product? No | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 3

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	You can sit for a while
Cons:	The attraction

This has been whittled away at over the years to the point it's not worth going on anymore (especially considering it wasn't that interesting to start with). Some of the old props they have are interesting, but it's not worth sitting through the rest of the attraction to see them.
If you're obsessive about checking off every attraction on the list, go for it; otherwise you can spend your time better elsewhere.

jessily

Registered: November 2007
Posts: 724

Review Date: Sat May 9, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 4

Positive aspects of the product (pros):
Cons:

I think this ride has passed its prime. It can be interesting the first time around, but its not an attraction you will be returning to over and over again. Hopefully Disney will update the ride soon because the idea has a lot of potential. They're just not doing much with it right now.

Decorated_Dust

Registered: October 2007
Posts: 792

Review Date: Fri May 8, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 6

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Catastrophe Canyon, and Walt's plane
Cons:	No more backlot :'(

I like this look into the movies, but it would have been so much better if the studio had been a working studio. I remember when I was a kid and we got to see the studio where they shot Adventures in Wonderland and that weird alien show on PBS that I forget the name if. I also remember seeing all of the cool props from Disney movies. Now, it feels like we a re seeing a shell of what it used to be. That makes the tour a little boring, sad, and rote. Still, Catastrophe canyon is fun.

DeVineMom

Registered: March 2009
Posts: 80

Review Date: Fri May 8, 2009

Would you recommend the product? No | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 3

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Seeing the costume area was pretty neat
Cons:	Boring!

This was not much. A brief tram ride through some of the back areas, but you really don't see much of anything. My 10 year old son thought it was interesting, but said he wouldn't go see it again.

PE_TCR

Registered: April 2008
Posts: 139

Review Date: Tue May 5, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 4

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	catastrophe canyon
Cons:	can get boring

I have skipped this ride the past few times at the park. It seems to be the same every time with no changes at all. The guides don't even change the script. The canyon is fun but that is the only highlight on the 45 minute trip. This one needs to be refurbed in a big way. Not just a little one.

cyberbox2

Registered: March 2005
Posts: 789

Review Date: Mon May 4, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 8

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Very informative
Cons:	Mostly outside queue

This is a great attraction that takes you behind the camera and shows you how many of the hollywood movies we see get made. on your first stop, you get to witness the recording of a live scene where a lucky few audience member get to participate.

Next you walk through a props warehouse, which was quite amazing. Then you are loaded onto a shuttle and taken for a nice long ride through the backlot and a narrator parts with many wonderful facts about the park and the movie making industry.

OKW Lover

Registered: April 2004
Posts: 8537

Review Date: Sun May 3, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 4

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Some interesting takes on special effects
Cons:	Wasting away to a shell of its former self

Sadly, they seem to be removing more and more of this attraction leaving not much interesting to see.

flyingcat2003

Registered: August 2006
Posts: 451

Review Date: Sun May 3, 2009

Would you recommend the product? No | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 3

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	old movie props
Cons:	pre show, needs updating

The pre show is very long and boring. The old movie props are neat but you go through to quickly.

oakmanner

Registered: October 2006
Posts: 1407

Review Date: Sun May 3, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 6

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Behind the scenes look
Cons:	Repeat visits become boring

I remember the first time seeing this attraction and being impressed with how they showed how scenes were made in the movies. However, the show has been the same for so many years we usally skip this attraction now.

WaDiWo

Registered: April 2008
Posts: 187

Review Date: Sat May 2, 2009

Would you recommend the product? No | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 5

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	catastrophe canyon
Cons:	no backlot

What they call The Backlot Tour today is sad, sad, sad. For one ... there's no longer any backlot so to speak. DHS is no longer a working studio. Seeing residential road, Walt's plane, that film they made with Bette Midler, and real working props from relevant movies was awesome back in the day. Really felt "behind the scenes."

Now there's nothing. seriously. the opening segment in the tank is an ok gag, catastrophe canyon is pretty cool admittedly ... but the "magic" of a real working studio is lost.

GreenCacher

Registered: May 2009
Posts: 31

Review Date: Fri May 1, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 6

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Creates impression of working studio
Cons:	Long lines, overall short and anticlimactic experience

If you haven't done this yet, you should. It is worth seeing once. It's a fairly uneventful tram tour, with a monotone prerecorded narrator. There is an overall lack of things to see, especially since the residential street was removed, and entire attraction was shortened. The harbor attack preshow is probably one of the highlights. The attraction does help give the park the impression of a working studio backlot.

lady danger

Registered: June 2006
Posts: 175

Review Date: Fri May 1, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 2

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	good place to chill out if you're tired of walking
Cons:	badly needs to be rehabbed, very boring

I really don't have anything good to say about the Backlot tour. Apart from the show at the beginning and Catrophe Canyon, there's nothing exciting at all to see here, even being generous with the word "exciting." Only reason I'd ride it again is if I needed an excuse to give my legs a break as you get to sit in a tram for an extended period of time.

CynthiaCindy

Registered: September 2007
Posts: 892

Review Date: Fri May 1, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 4

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Some parts are interesting
Cons:	Should be much, much better

Worth doing once, but if you miss it, not a big deal. This used to be so much better.

shmedly123

Registered: August 2007
Posts: 472

Review Date: Thu April 30, 2009

Would you recommend the product? No | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 3

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	seeing Walt's Airplane
Cons:	dated and cut back so much that it's not even worth it

The backlot tour really aggravates me. I used to like the original and thought it gave you a different experience that you couldn't get at any of the other parks. I really wish they would have brought in some newer props and vehicles from more recent movies/shows.

I loved seeing Walt's private plane and things like the vehicles used in Indiana Jones etc. but the problem IMO is 20 years later and the same things are still there. It would have been really cool to see some of the props used in POC and other more recent movies added instead of seeing the houses from golden girls and empty nest for the 100th time.

On top of that they completely cut out most of the tour and it is now a sad reminder of what used to be a cool unique attraction.

TravelingMatt

Registered: April 2009
Posts: 38

Review Date: Thu April 30, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 4

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	One of the best queue areas...lots to look at.
Cons:	A shadow of its former self...no residential street.

Without the residential street and with many props that are pretty obsolete to today's audiences, this is no longer worth the time. After Disney abandoned the idea of the park being a working movie studio, this attraction went downhill. The canyon would still be exciting for kids and it is a good chance to rest your feet but there are lots of places to do that in this park. I would skip it.

Carolinagal

Registered: July 2002
Posts: 346

Review Date: Wed April 29, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 6

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Seeing movie props
Cons:	Slow-moving, doesn't hold kid's attention

The backlot tour is one of those rides you jump on whenever the lines elsewhere are too long. It is dated and the props are from a generation ago. The ride in the trams is nice, if for no other reason than the chance to sit down. The Canyon is the most exciting aspect, but looks and sounds staged and rehearsed.

While I love to see the old movie props, I am always saddened to see them slowly deteriorating in the hot Florida sun. It would seem that they would be valuable enough to protect, right?

kymickeyfan717

Registered: February 2004
Posts: 352

Review Date: Wed April 29, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 1

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	canyon
Cons:	everything

This ride needs to go or be re-done. It's really a waste of time

dpuck1998

Registered: April 2003
Posts: 9097

Review Date: Tue April 28, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 5

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Sit down
Cons:

This ride was much better in the past. The experience is still ok, but not a ride I worry about hitting on every trip.

safetymom

Registered: August 2001
Posts: 37537

Review Date: Tue April 28, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 4

Positive aspects of the product (pros):
Cons:	Needs more to see

If you are looking for a place to take a break this attraction may be an option. Otherwise check out another attraction. It now has a prerecorded narration. They have moved a lot of the props. The day we went to Catastrophe Canyone they don't set it up beforehand so it seemed sort of pointless. I agree about seeing Walt's plane. That was the high point for me. At the end you have to walk through some displays and out through a gift shop. At the water show in the beginning be aware the first row gets wet. This would be the last line to the right as you enter the lines.

timandlesley

Registered: April 2004
Posts: 4837

Review Date: Mon April 27, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 5

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	catastrophe canyon
Cons:	boring at times

I have been on this ride several times and it is very enjoyable the first time around but wish they would make some changes to make it more interesting. They have a show in the beginning with audience participation that is entertaining showing you how they make an action sequence of a movie. Then they take you through a warehouse with some interesting movie props and then you board the tram. The tram takes you through costume areas, prop graveyard, etc. I do enjoy seeing Walt Disney's airplane back there and catastrophe canyon is a fun surprise along the way. Overall I wish they would add more fun and excitement to this ride, it does have potential. It is one of those things you have to do once but may never do again.