On July 16th, 2010 I was able to participate in the Tables in Wonderland special event inside The Great Movie Ride; and what a special event it was. Over the next few Hollywood Studios Wednesdays we will be highlighting the details from this event, beginning today with the first course.
The Attraction Closed to the Public at 6p.m.
Attendees were asked to check in and gather in front of the attraction beginning at 7p.m. on Friday the 16th. Once everyone was checked in, our producer Otto Von Bonn Bahn, arrived to explain to us our roles for the evening.
Otto Von Bonn Bahn
"No Pictures!... Please..."
Mr. Von Bonn Bahn entertained the waiting crowd with jokes and a little heckling of the crowd. “I suffer from bar arthritis. Do you know what that is? It’s when you’re stiff in a different joint every night!” Ba dum ching! Once set up was complete inside we were led in by Mr. Von Bonn Bahn and taken through the queue down in front of the giant movie screen that plays the trailers of the films in the attraction. Mr. Von Bonn Bahn did not want us going through the actual “corral” queue as he called it because he didn’t care for us to start mooing.
Now things really became surreal to me as Mr. Von Bonn Bahn led us through the doors to the ride loading area and we were free to roam and take photos and continue down the steps and walk through the first few sets.
Looking Back at the Loading Area
Once down the steps and on the track, we walked first through one of my favorite films on the list, Footlight Parade. It was a little rushed through here simply because I think we weren’t sure how long we could linger, but as the night went on, we took care of that.
Footlight Parade Set
Next of course was Gene Kelly and Singin’ in the Rain.
Gene Kelly
After walking quickly through the Mary Poppins set my stomach had that butterfly feeling because up next was my favorite scene in the attraction, the gangster set. This set, modeled after another James Cagney film, contains elements from The Public Enemy including Patrick J. Ryan’s bar, James Cagney himself knocking at the door, and the giant film posters on the wall.
Mr. Von Bonn Bahn overseeing the card table
The Public Enemy - no grapefruits were harmed this evening...
Props in the Gangster Set
It was here that we received our table placement cards for dinner which was the next course. Guests were given a card with their names on it as well as the name of a Wild West icon (Jessie James, Wyatt Earp, Calamity Jane). Calamity Jane was ours so that would be the table we sat at in the next scene.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. Back to the first course! We had a bartender set up in the room with us, and we noticed that he rolled from course to course with us as the night progressed.
Bartender
Servers were walking among the crowd with Bourbon Lemonade as well and then there was the food! The passed appetizers included:
Bugsy’s Fire-roasted Duck with Cherries (a confit of duck tart topped with a dried cherry – my personal favorite)
Dillinger’s Seared Shrimp with Dill (seared shrimp served in a one bite sized spoon with chopped red peppers and dill)
Bonnie and Clyde’s favorite Chive-stuffed Potatoes (halved new potatoes topped with sour cream and chives)
Passed Appetizers for the First Course
We were free to move around this set, take photos, enjoy the food and drink, as well as be entertained by the piano player and the gangster actors moving throughout the crowd.
Entertainment
It’s hard to say how long we were in this area as we were enjoying ourselves so much that time wasn’t even a consideration. The servers came through with trays of appetizers multiple times that I saw and everyone had ample opportunity to enjoy. Our gangster entertainers spotted my birthday button (my 30th birthday was the 12th and this event was my birthday gift from my husband) and they, very loudly, questioned me in order to create a birthday song for me, which ended up being very entertaining. Here’s a short video of this craziness.
Next Wednesday we will move on to the Main Course in the Western Scene!
Find this article as well as many other great articles part of the Disney Blog Carnival at Dismarks.com
4 comments
5 pings
iamjusttiff says:
July 21, 2010 at 11:45 am (UTC -4 )
Another great entry Melissa!
Andy says:
July 21, 2010 at 12:55 pm (UTC -4 )
Awesome stuff Melissa!
Louisa says:
July 26, 2010 at 1:20 pm (UTC -4 )
So cool! Can’t wait to read Part 2!
Jamie in Jax says:
May 30, 2012 at 3:08 pm (UTC -4 )
That was a really great night… and I can see my wife and I in the video and a few pics!
We are ecstatic about doing this again on June 16th! Are you going to be there too? 
Disney Food Post Round-Up: July 25, 2010 | the disney food blog says:
July 24, 2010 at 11:43 pm (UTC -4 )
[...] The Makin’ Memories Blog shows us Part I of her Tables in Wonderland Great Movie Ride dinner experience! [...]
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July 26, 2010 at 11:39 pm (UTC -4 )
[...] Makin' Memories presents The Great Movie Ride Dinner First Course [...]
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