---

---

• Hollywood Blvd.
• Sunset Blvd.
• Animation Ctyd.
• New York St.

& Mickey Avenue

Trivia:
The "Phone a Friend" option will put you in touch with a park guest selected at random by Cast Members scattered throughout the park.

Trivia:
The lucky piano teacher in the pre-show is played by none other than Bette Midler.

Symbolized by a giant balloon on top of the bulding with a picture of Kermit the Frog, Muppet*Vision 3D places guests right into the action as a show put on by the Muppets grows wildly out of hand. The show actually turns into 4D as water splashes in your face, real bubbles mix in with 3D bubbles, and fireworks explode inside the building. In the preshow area, loaded with witty gags and corny puns (A net full of Jell-O alludes to former Mousekateer Annette Funicello, and a fish locked in a cage represents a "caged-in" or "cajun" fish), overhead monitors show the frantic preparations of Sam the Eagle and other co-stars backstage. The actual theater is designed to look like the one in the original Muppet Show, complete with the hecklers Waldorf and Statler in the balcony above the stage. Guests are asked to put on their glasses, and the Muppet Show theme song rings out from the orchestra pit filled with penguin musicians. The film is started by the Swedish Chef, who is the theater's projectionist. On-screen, Kermit welcomes you and gives a short tour of Muppet Labs. He promises that the show will not be filled with cheap 3D tricks, whereupon Fozzie the Bear pops in and begins playing cheap 3D tricks. Kermit then gives a short itinerary of the show, which includes a little number by Miss Piggy, and a show-stopping grand finale coordinated by Sam. You are then taken to the lab of Bunsen Honeydew and his clumsy assistant, Beaker. They try to show you how 3D really works, and attempt to create the very first living, breathing 3D effect. Beaker is sucked up by the machinery, but they end out succeeding, creating a rubbery three-dimensional cartoon called Waldo. He flies about the audience, then hovers in front of your face, where he performs several zany tricks. When Bunsen is ready for him to return, however, Waldo resists and escapes into the theater after Muppet Labs is sucked up by a giant vacuum used to try to capture him. The show must go on, though, and it does, with numerous other mishaps that further complicate matters. Miss Piggy's solo, Dream a Little Dream of Me, is ruined when the cute but over-zealous Bean Bunny tries to liven up the act by adding 3D effects then handing her a ski rope. She is, of course, dragged screaming into the pond. Bean is then scolded by up-tight Sam, but he maintains that he was just trying to help. Encouraged by Waldo, he decides to run away forever. Gonzo asks him to get a sandwich for him while he's out. He realizes too late that Bean has no intention of returning, then runs off to alert Kermit. In the meantime, Sweetums wanders in, and stops to display his mastery of the art of paddleball. He bumbles off just as Kermit, Gonzo, and Fozzie come back on and form a search party for Bean. They walk across the screen calling his name, while Sweetums comes out into the audience to search for the lost bunny. He is finally found in the box seats across from Waldorf and Statler, and agrees to come back if he is given an important job. He is asked to be in charge of the fireworks in Sam's show, and he decides that would be fun. Waldo becomes excited at the mention of fireworks, thinking of what mischief he could cause. At that time, Sam's production, "A Salute to All Nations, But Mostly America" begins. Groups of toy soldiers march on screen in formation, to the tune of patriotic music. One of the soldiers who is a band member accidentally trips, causing his head to become stuck in his tuba. He helplessly and aimlessly wanders around, causing mass confusion. At this point, Bean decides it would be a good time to hit the plunger to start the fireworks, and a few explode in the theater. Waldo turns himself into a rocket, and zooms around the screen, causing more confusion. He whirls around Miss Piggy, who is costumed as the Statue of Liberty, making her dress fall down. He zooms out of control, crashing into the penguin orchestra lighting the pit on fire. Sweetums runs back out in front of the stage, yelling at the Chef to stop the film projector, then slinging a bucket full of water over the pit to put out the fire. The angry soaking wet birds raise a cannon out of the pit aimed at Sweetums, who fervently explains that he didn't cause the fire, then turns to the audience instructing them to duck. Waldo zips through the audience, quacking wildly. He dips out of the way just as the cannon ball smashes into the projection room. The Swedish Chef angrily mutters as he disappears and returns with a shotgun, shooting at the irritating Waldo. As the audience dodges misfired bullets and fireworks, not to mention Waldo, the Chef realizes he's going to need bigger ammo and switches over to his own cannon. Waldo once again avoids the cannon ball, which blasts a hole in the screen through the front of the theater. Curious park guests with Mouseka-ears and Mickey balloons peer through the hole, then get out of the way as a fire truck with Kermit perched on the ladder backs through the building. The ladder extends over the audience as Kermit apologizes for the ruined show. He looks around and notices the sorry state of the once plush theater, with holes knocked in the building by various debris, and pieces of the walls crumbling off. He then looks out at the audience, gulps quite noticeably, and assures guests that the theater has only suffered "minor" damage. Waldorf and Statler just laugh.

Trivia:
You've heard of minimum height requirements. Well, this is the only attraction at WDW with a maximum height requirement! Above one of the doors you pass through in the line, there is a chunk of wall knocked off where an obviously too-tall person tried to pass through. Scribbled above the wall is this note: "You must be shorter than this to enter".
In the pre-show, a surprise celebrity makes an appearance: Mickey Mouse! However, it just turns out to be Rizzo in Mickey ears and a tuxedo.
At the end, Waldorf and Statler turn to each other, and one says to the other "So, do you think we can make it to the bathroom before the next show?" The other replies "Go to the bathroom? We're bolted to the chairs!"

Disney-MGM Studios Backlot Tour
Bright red trams take guests on a tour through costuming, lighting, and props departments; past building fascades where exterior shots for popular TV shows were filmed; and into the reality of movie making. Before the tram tour begins, there is a special effects demonstration in which a lucky person from the audience is chosen to participate. This volunteer climbs into the miniature steamboat "Miss Fortune", and is then bombarded with water effects ranging from heat-seeking missiles to a giant tidal wave. Everyone proceeds to board the trams, which take guests behind New York Street, Mickey Avenue, and Animation Courtyard for up close views of movie and television artifacts. On Residential Street, you pass the house of Dorothy, Sophia, Rose, and Blanche on The Golden Girls, and Harry Weston's home on Empty Nest. These are actually facades used for exterior shots in the shows, both set in Miami, Florida. On display in the drive-through warehouse buildings are famous wardrobes and props from movies and TV. Famous movie vehicles are on display beside the road along the tour, and at one point you even get a close up look at the lofty Earffel Tower. The highlight of the tour is a visit to Catastrophe Canyon where a movie is supposedly being filmed. Suddenly, a dangerous action sequence begins filming while the tram is still inside, and a huge fireball erupts from a gas tanker perched on the cliff. A flash flood fills the gorge and splashes guests inside. It turns out to have all been planned, as you see when you are taken behind the canyon to discover how it really works. The American Film Institute Showcase at the end of the tour features the "Creatures of Distinction" exhibit which lets you see the miniature props and sets used in the filming of movies such as Armageddon and The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Trivia:
Housed inside the costuming department is Disney's 2 million+ garment collection; the largest wardrobe collection in the world.
In one episode of Home Improvement, Tim Taylor was seen working on a house for his cable show, "Tool Time". The house was actually a facade located here at the Studios, which was outfitted with explosives for a scene where Tim destroys the house accidentally.
Catastrophe Canyon uses enough water in one demonstration to fill 10 Olympic-size swimming pools. The air cannons used to shoot the water out are ao powerful that they could blast a basketball over the Empire State Building. All this water is recycled after each tram leaves for constant use in the disaster.
During the holiday season, Residential Street is trasformed into a glistening wonderland for The Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights. The Osborne's, from Little Rock, Arkansas, bought the houses on both sides of their own just to accomodate their growing light display, which was eventually moved to Orlando when Disney offered to buy the display. The over 5 million lights, brightening every crevice of the television house facades, can be viewed through special glasses handed out on New York Street which make each light appear to be a tiny snowflake.

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: Movie Set Adventure
Enter the Szalinksi kids' world as you become a quarter-inch tall in this intricately themed playground. Adjacent to the Studio Catering Co. snack bar, the attraction and surrounding area is designed to appear like an active set filming a movie in which park guests are the stars. Smaller children will want to climb around the backyard jungle, while adults and older children will appreciate the detailed theming and the overall feeling of being microscopic. Assorted articles spread throughout the towering grass include an oversized beehive, springy Cheerios three times as big as a boating life saver, a dog's nose taller than a grown man, a giant hose than randomly squirts guests, a huge roll of film slide, a large spider web that serves as a playground ladder, and an underground insect cave. A waterfall even tumbles from an elevated leaf into a cluster of musical ferns that play notes when stepped upon.

Trivia:
This playground is over 11,000 square feet of surprises, with 30 foot tall blades of grass and a 52-foot garden hose.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame: A Musical Adventure
Based on 1996's Hunchback animated movie, this stage adaptation is just as entertaining and riveting as the film. Taking place in the Backlot Theater, the half hour show is prefaced by an entertaining jester in the queue area and is set on a stage that juts out into the audience. Beautiful backdrops of Parisian scenes give the play an artistic feel, as do the vibrantly colorful costumes worn by the performers. In the story, the evil Frollo, mayor of Paris, accidentally kills a gypsy woman. This is seen by the priest of the grand Notre Dame cathedral, who says Frollo can redeem himself by taking care of the woman's poor, orphaned child. He takes in the baby, although it is disgustingly deformed, and names it Quasimodo, meaning "half-formed". He dooms the boy to live away from human contact in the Notre Dame belfry, ringing the brass, silver, and gold bells every morning. He befriends three comical gargoyles, who add a bright spot of humor to an otherwise dark and unhappy story. His unfortunate predicament leads to Quasi's wistful "Out There" solo, one of several stirring numbers spread throughout the production. Esmerelda, a gypsy girl, becomes friends with the Hunchback when she seeks shelter in the bell tower. Throughout a series of mishaps, Quasi has to save Esmerelda from being burned at the stake during the famous, dramatic "Sanctuary!" scene. Hailed as a brave choice for Disney's animation studio to produce, the story makes a smooth, seamless transition to live theater, where it has been an enjoyable tradition at MGM since 1997.

Trivia:
The gargoyles are played by human actors in elaborate costume. Unlike the fantasy characters in the Beauty and the Beast stage show, the actors faces show through the costumes, to allow for a more expressive character.
The show is packed with special effects, several ocurring during the Feast of Fools celebration. In one instance, Esmerelda disappears in a puff of smoke.