The Disney Parks periodically add new attractions, but as we've seen those can sometimes take years to develop and build and are intended to last forever (or at least a very long time). The job of keeping the parks feeling fresh often falls to entertainment offerings, which are usually quicker to mount and easier to change. This week, we'll take a look at some of the entertainment that has come and gone over the years in the Disney Parks.
The American Idol Experience is only the latest in a line of shows at Disney's Hollywood Studios designed to give Guests the feeling of being on the set, participating in a taping of a favorite television show. The first of these was "Let's Make a Deal," held on Soundstage 1 back in 1990 on the set used for NBC's short-lived relaunch of the popular game show. Later, Soundstages 2 and 3 became home to the theme park version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?"
"Who Wants to be a Millionaire - Play It!" opened in April 2001, at the height of the TV show's popularity. Guests entering the soundstage stepped onto a set designed to mirror the one used by host Regis Philbin in New York (although built to have 3-4 times the audience seating capacity).
In this version of the show, everyone in the audience got to play along. The lights dimmed, the host was introduced, and Guests around the room rapidly tapped out responses to the Fastest Finger question on their button boxes, all for a chance to come down to the Hot Seat and tackle a stack of questions. Each correct answer earned the lucky contestant an exclusive Millionaire pin (rather than cash), with other prizes coming at plateau levels: a hat at 1000 points, a collared shirt at 32,000 points.
For those who made it all the way to 1 million points, the top prize was initially a trip to New York City to attend a taping of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" As production on the network show slowed down, the ultimate prize shifted to a Disney Cruise vacation for four. During the life of the show, 126 people successfully answered the million-point question.
"Who Wants to be a Millionaire - Play It!" went off the air in August 2006 to make way for Toy Story Midway Mania. Entertainment offerings like Millionaire are never intended to be permanent additions to the parks. It was fun while it lasted, and that's the point.
I had the opportunity to work on the development of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire - Play It!" and went on to write for the show for more than two years (look for me in the team photo below, a couple of people behind the contestant's monitor just left of center). Writing on Millionaire involved not just the questions, but also the answers and "frills," extra lines for the hosts to use during the show.
I got to write questions on just about every topic and at every point level, but my personal specialty was the Disney questions. In fact, if you saw a Disney question played in the show, chances are pretty good it was one of mine. Here are some of my favorites. No Lifelines. No "Phone a Complete Stranger." How would you do? (Check back tomorrow, and I'll have the answers for you in the Comments.) Good luck!
FF Put the following Disney theme parks in order of their grand opening dates, starting with the most recent.
A: Epcot
B: Disney-MGM Studios
C: Tokyo Disneyland
D: Disneyland Paris
100 In Disney's The Lion King, Mufasa rescues Simba from a stampeding herd of what?
A: Wildebeest
B: Meerkats
C: Warthogs
D: Paparazzi
200 How do you get to Disney.com?
A: By steam train
B: With a computer
C: Second star to the right
D: Practice, lots of practice
300 What is the primary geometric shape used in the design of Mickey Mouse?
A: Rhombus
B: Circle
C: Diamond
D: Trapezoid
500 What occupation prepared Cliff Secord for becoming a high-flying hero in Disney's The Rocketeer?
A: Accountant
B: Coal miner
C: Pilot
D: Insurance salesman
1000 Which of these Disney rides does not have a height requirement
for safety?
A: Splash Mountain
B: Space Mountain
C: Tower of Terror
D: It's a Small World
2000 Which of these actors provides the voice of Mike Wazowski in
Disney-Pixar's Monsters, Inc?
A: Tom Hanks
B: Tim Allen
C: Billy Crystal
D: John Goodman
4000 The 1954 Disney TV show "Operation Undersea" took viewers
behind the scenes of what film?
A: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
B: The Little Mermaid
C: Finding Nemo
D: Splash
8000 In what city does most of the action in the 1981 movie The Great Muppet Caper take place?
A: New York
B: London
C: Paris
D: Los Angeles
16000 Who was the original winner on the first season of the ABC
television series "Dancing with the Stars"?
A: Evander Holyfield
B: Rachel Hunter
C: Kelly Monaco
D: John O'Hurley
32000 During which war or conflict did the US military occupy
Disney's Burbank, CA studio?
A: World War I
B: World War II
C: Korean conflict
D: Vietnam conflict
64000 Which of these musical groups performed the song "Do You
Believe in Magic" for the Disney animated film Return to Never Land?
A: BBMak
B: LFO
C: 'N Sync
D: Backstreet Boys
125000 In 1925, Walt and Roy Disney purchased a lot on what
California street as the location for their studio?
A: Mulholland Dr
B: Buena Vista St
C: Hollywood Blvd
D: Hyperion Ave
250000 What was the face value of the stamp produced by the US
Postal Service in 1968 to honor Walt Disney?
A: 4 cents
B: 6 cents
C: 8 cents
D: 10 cents
500000 Which of these comic strips is drawn by the father of Disney
animator Glen Keane?
A: Beetle Bailey
B: Mother Goose & Grimm
C: Family Circus
D: Hi & Lois
1 Million On Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, what is the
name of the town mayor being dunked in the well?
A: Miguel
B: Santos
C: Samuel
D: Carlos
