Though the tour is nowhere near as good as it used to be, its still a decent attraction that is worth a visit at least once each trip to WDW... and honestly, its a staple of Disney-MGM Studios. The first part of the tour, the special effects water tank, is fun - and it is really easy to be a volunteer for it - just ask a cast member - they will most likely let you do it, unless they are not doing the full show due to cold weather. The 2nd portion of the tour - the tram, took a major blow when Lights, Motors, Action came in, taking out most of the space for the boneyards and residential street. However, Disney did an OK job of making a tour out of the little bit of space that is still left back there. Catastrophe Canyon, when working properly, is still pretty neat and makes the tram tour worthwhile if you didnt find any of the props interesting. Overall, in a park that is already lacking actual *rides*, the Backlot Tour is a good way to spend 35 minutes of your day.

This was not very entertaining. Most of the tour I was thinking about everything else in the park that I was missing out on by being on the tour instead. very slow paced tram with an exhaust system that blows right into the people. I did enjoy the Catastrophe Canyon section though, which helps to redeem an otherwise pathetic "backlot" tour.

Although I have had wonderful experiences with this ride, the last time I went it completely ruined my experience. I am not that upset that they closed the residential district. The only bad thing with that is how much shorter the ride is. Anyway, one of the big killers when I went was that the harbor attack was closed. Which meant all we basically saw were movie props and catastrophe canyon. Another problem was our tour guide. She definitly wasnt taking her job seriously and was just laughing in the mic. We seriously went past certain things and had no clue what they were because she couldnt stop laughing. Now Im not a person that doesnt condone fun on a job, but I would like to see some professionalism.

Even with all these problems on my last ride, I still have not given up on it. I believe there is still a lot of potential with this ride. It will never be like the Universal Hollywood backlot tour due to limits in space, but I think maybe they could put some more movie sets there instead of just props or maybe something more than harbor attack and catastrophe canyon.

I liked the residental street, but they took that out for the car stunt show. This was a terrible blow to Backlot Tour. Catastrophe Canyon isnt what it used to be. I remember getting wetter. I even sat at the edge, where youre suppose to get the most water on you. The oil truck was suppose to slide down the canyon towards you but it didnt when I went on it.

I was also an extra in this show with my husband. That was the best part. I have been on this ride many times and always thought it was ok. I could easly skip this for something better. But this last time it was even worse. They removed the residental street to put in the new stunt show. Which is fine.. however it made the backlot tour suck even more. I would have to say that this is the most disappointing ride at MGM. I really hate to give it that low of a rating, being that I love Disney. But I just cant lie. I even thought this time that Catastrophy Canyon looked like it could use some repairs where the color was fading (which happens with age, I know). Just thought that for the increadible line I stood in, it just wasnt worth it for me... at least not anymore!

Ah, the Backlot Tour. Ever since opening in 1989, this has been arguably the building block for Hollywood Studios’ growth into what it has become today. Well, certainly it has served the park well over time, but how have I enjoyed this famous attraction. Unfortunately, it’s just a mixed bag in my opinion.

Well despite the attraction’s popularity, it never has had a wait when I’ve experienced it thanks to the ride’s gargantuan capacity that just eats through people. Really the attraction begins with a pre-show, highlighted by the exciting Harbor Attack special-effect extravaganza where some guests get the opportunity to contribute to. Unfortunately I’ve never been selected, but nonetheless it’s definitely one of the highlights of the entire attraction. Afterwards if I remember correctly, there’s a brief walking portion that displays a few of Disney’s props featured in motion pictures.

Eventually you board one of the attractions many trams to get to the meat of the attraction, which consists of a long, and I mean long, tour of the Backlot, complete with many scenes featuring props from various famous flicks such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Narnia, and others. However, after a few minutes, the attraction gets pretty dull in my opinion since I can only be intrigued by movie props for so long (and the entire attraction is over 30 minutes long). My favorite sight included in this portion of the attraction is the park’s former icon, the Earful Tower (the massive water tower that once stood where the Sorcerer’s Hat is today). It’s just so cool how Disney saved the park’s original icon.

But by far the highlight of the entire attraction is the impressive Catastrophe Canyon. After maneuvering onto a petite bridge, an earthquake ensues which results in a barrage of special effects that consists of a torrent of water, an exploding oil tanker, and the aforementioned earthquake. While it inevitably bears some striking resemblance to Disaster’s climatic subway scene, Catastrophe Canyon is just more exciting and well executed in my opinion.

Overall, the Backlot Tour is a mixed bag in my opinion. On one had, it features some great props such as Walt Disney’s private plane and the Earful Tower, and two incredible special effects demonstrations. On the other hand, the attraction just lacks any real excitement for the majority of the attraction’s duration with the props just feeling repetitive in my opinion. Definitely give the Backlot Tour a shot if you haven’t been on it before or if you’re a movie buff, but those who are on time-constraints need for be awry of the large chunk of time the attraction merits.

I give this a seven because I was an extra at the begining. The ride it self is more like an 5. Not much going on and not as long as they said it would be. more like 20 min instead of 45 min.

Its a pretty good ride. Thats all I have to say for this ride.

A very fun backstage tour of the studios with some unexpected surprises. I found it very fun to see where they make the costumes and the water effect. Too bad they got rid of "Residential Street", but it was only to make room for the new "Lights, Motors, Action" show.

A pretty cool attraction that shows you some pretty cool things. I enjoyed the effects show at the beginning and it was fun.