January 15, 2010

Retro Lookback: Superstar Limo

Today we start our monthly Retro Lookback segment. We have done two of these before, featuring the Orange Bird and the Hatbox Ghost. But today, we will feature an attraction.

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The Superstar Limo has to be one of the least liked, and shortest REAL attraction to live. (Not counting shows or parades like Stitch’s Supersonic Celebration, and LightMagic!). Overall, the attraction lasted less than a year.

The attraction was one of the FEW attractions to open with Disney’s California Adventure. Opening on February 8th, 2001, with DCA, and being located in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot. It was also the only real RIDE inside Hollywood Pictures Backlot.

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The attraction's purple "stretch limo" ride vehicles took riders through a cartoony rendition of Hollywood. Riders were introduced to animated figures modeled in the likeness of celebrities from hit ABC shows. A limo-driver character further appeared infrequently on small inset video screens.

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The story of the attraction placed the guest (rider) as Hollywood's newest celebrity, taking them through a variety of recognizable and somewhat stereotypical locations and situations throughout the greater Los Angeles and Hollywood areas including Rodeo Drive, the Sunset Strip, a nightclub, Bel Air, a pool party, Malibu, a tattoo parlor, a fictitious street in Hollywood lined with studios, the interior of a soundstage, Grauman's Chinese Theater, a billboard, and Downtown Los Angeles.

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When the attraction closed on January 11, 2002, it became the first casualty of DCA’s less than overwhelming performance. Many Disney park fans/ enthusiasts weren’t that upset about the attraction going to the Disney Theme Park graveyard. Over the less than the year it existed, the attraction was criticized by many fans as lacking in concept and limited in a motivating story. This led many fans spur telling the story that this actual storyline was used instead of an “original” chase after paparazzi. The renditions of popular celebrities were funhouse-style, oversized and stylized almost to the point of the grotesque, scaring small children and rendering it non-"family friendly". Between the time the attraction was designed and it opened, many of the celebrities depicted had lost much of their celebrity status. Though figures were animated (moving arms or heads), none of Disney's famed human-like Audio-Animatronics technologies were used in the attraction.

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I sent out a tweet, and a message on Facebook to all my followers and friends asking for ANY opinion on this attraction, good and bad. Here are some responses:

@aDisneylander (Kenny Siegal) said, “Celebrity-obsessed-culture summed up in one short trip. Not magical in any way shape or form.”

Kelly M., CT said, “I've only ridden it twice but the word that comes to mind is Cheesy! It had the feel of Great Movie ride but the animatronic figures were a little more cartoony. Very weird ride!”

Erica M., NY said, “We stood and stared at it for about 2 minutes, and then decided to go on Soarin' for the third time.”

If anyone else has comments regarding Superstar Limo attraction, please feel free to email me, or comment this post.

On to the pins…

First we have the attraction logo pin released around the time of park opening.pin3529

The attraction poster in pin form. It is part of a series released to the people who attended the Sneak Peak event of Disney’s California Adventure, released on January 19, 2001.pin3745

Many pins feature the Superstar Limo, attraction vehicle. pin3530

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This three pin set features the left and right pieces of Goofy and Donald in the limo, and the attraction logo in the middle piece, this is a three piece puzzle pin set. pin9473

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This final pin features the last “scene” of the attraction, with the fans and paparazzi.pin9425

Lets End this post with a ride through of the extinct attraction. (courtesy of Theme Park Review)

Pictures and Information from Yesterland, Pin Pics, and Wikipedia

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