Great Movie Ride Figures Return in New Holiday Window at Disney's Hollywood Studios

26 days ago in "Holidays at Disney's Hollywood Studios"

Holiday Window at Tailors to the Stars
Posted: Wednesday November 12, 2025 10:02am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

On Hollywood Blvd, a new holiday window display at Disney's Hollywood Studios is bringing back memories of The Great Movie Ride.


The festive setup at Tailors to the Stars features three figures that several Cast Members have confirmed to us are indeed the original "Footlight Parade" dancers from the former attraction's opening scene.


Each mannequin is dressed in a candy cane-striped costume with a glittering silver tutu, red sequined accents, and a Santa hat decorated with peppermint details - bringing a nostalgic holiday touch to the park. The figures appear to have been repurposed and reimagined for the display, now framed by a peppermint backdrop that ties into the seasonal décor along Hollywood Blvd.

The Footlight Parade scene, inspired by the 1933 musical starring James Cagney, was one of the memorable moments from The Great Movie Ride, which operated inside the Chinese Theatre from 1989 to 2017.

Inspired by the 1933 Warner Bros. musical starring James Cagney, the scene recreated the film's famous "By a Waterfall" musical number, where synchronized swimmers performed elaborate choreography atop a massive tiered fountain.

In the ride version, the dancers were positioned in a rotating multi-tiered set designed to mimic the cascading fountain from the film. Over time, the mechanism was adjusted and later replaced with a static version, but the shimmering costumes and art deco styling remained a memorable start to the attraction's classic Hollywood journey.


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jah49555 days ago

Interesting @Comped that this appears in the news less than a month later lol

jah495521 days ago

Sometimes how they did the Berkeley numbers were as interesting as the numbers themselves. Shame the 1st scene only worked for a brief time after opening (I saw it firsthand---it was a powerful way to start the ride after going under the marque).

MarkTwain21 days ago

These mannequins are much bigger in real life than I would have guessed. I always imagined the Footlight Parade scene used some crazy forced perspective and they were really the size of dolls.

jah495521 days ago

I saw a Twitter account recently that showed various GMR items in a trailer (or two?) near HS. Looked like urban exploring (think it was the Buzzy guy's account?) (ps: 🏆 🏆 🏆 🏆 🏆)

Disgruntled Walt21 days ago

I love the Four Seasons as well, so thank your friend for me for contributing to one of the great musical acts of the 20th Century! (Working my way) Back to the topic at hand (sorry, couldn't resist), I wonder how many other pieces from the Great Movie Ride are still present nearby, waiting for the right manager to pick them up and use for something like this.

jah495521 days ago

OUTSTANDING segue 🏆 but no...another Four Seasons (credited) songwriter ... I want to respect his privacy, as he's a humble man and doesn't care for any "fame" :) but he's fine with me loving The Four Seasons as my (since childhood) favorite group (long before I met him in the neighborhood I was living at during that time of my life) Back on topic: I have the impression, as there were simply so many "Busby Berkeley Chorus Girls," that at least the ones in the storefront were in nearby storage.

Disgruntled Walt21 days ago

(let's) HANG ON A SECOND! Your friend is Bob Gaudio??? Back on topic, were these figurines just sitting in a warehouse at the park somewhere? Or did they get returned from archives elsewhere?

The Mom23 days ago

Interesting side conversation, but time to get back on topic.

HMF23 days ago

The last time I saw Brian Wilson in concert back in 2022 felt really sad because I knew he was at the end of his touring rope so to speak.

jah495523 days ago

it was 2024 😬 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jul/22/abdul-duke-fakir-four-tops-dead

jah495523 days ago

I can HAPPILY explain this one, as my Four Seasons songwriter friend has been Frankie Valli's BEST friend for about 70 years. Verrrry simple....the concerts give Frankie meaning and purpose in his life...it keeps him alive. Based on my professional experiences, I agree 100% with Frankie and my friend, and I wish Frankie many happy years (but realize either way not likely that many more years since he's already 91...I hope I look half as good at 91!).

WondersOfLife23 days ago

Nice.

Disgruntled Walt24 days ago

Frankie Valli now is like a marionette…I don’t know how there he really is, or even how much of his voice is coming out of him.

jah495524 days ago

I feel like I'm in the same boat. There will likely be some exceptions. Dion's still going very, very strong, just not touring. He just redid "Abraham, Martin, & John."

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