DCA History Tour: Superstar Limo

Editor, this is the second post in a series on DCA History as it prepares to re-make itself effective June 15th.

This article is going to be BIG! Bigger than Madonna! Bigger than Leonardo…well maybe not that big. Yes, you guessed it, we are heading back to LAX to relive what is regarded by some as the worst Disney theme park attraction of all time…I know, harsh. So let us look back, grab a map to Drew Carey’s house, and climb aboard as we head to our own premiere as we remember…”Superstar Limo.”

The premise was relatively simple. You were the “Latest and Greatest” thing to come to California and your premiere of your new movie was showing at the Chinese Theater that day. To get there, you had to travel in your “Superstar Limo” through all of California’s celeb hotspots and see some of “Hollywood’s Best” on your journey. Your Hollywood Agent would repeatedly check up on you via a small screen in the limo with you. When he wasn’t there, an invisible announcer became your tour guide through Rodeo Drive, Bel-Air, Malibu and beyond. After encountering Regis Philbin, an awkwardly placed Madame Leota reference and multiple “directors and screenwriters” you finally make it to your premiere and meet the Unofficial Star of DCA, “Hollywood Favorite,” Whoopi Goldberg.

Opening as one of DCA’s opening day attractions; this ride through California had many flaws from the start. First of all, the line was filled with cardboard cut outs, thought of as the “cheap way out” by many. Secondly, the line also presented you with the first glimpse at the “look” of the celebrities throughout. A Joan Rivers puppet had an appearance and creeped people out! This creepy look continued not just with the celebrities, but the awkward Hollywood agent that was on a TV screen on the side of your limo. The third reason it failed was the list of B-List celebrities that were placed in the ride. By the time the ride opened for the public, the celebs already had diminished “Star Status,” making no one really care about them.

This had the unfortunate honor of being the first thing to close from Day 1 DCA just 11 months after it premiered. It took another 4 years for a replacement to come, that being “Monsters, Inc.: Mike and Sulley to the Rescue!” in 2006. For 4 years, the building remained empty as people walked by and laughed at the area’s former inhabitant, also receiving the name ‘Superstar LAMEO.”

Did you enjoy “Superstar Limo?” Would you like to see this return in place of Monsters, Inc.? Do you really think that WAS Regis Philbin’s final answer? Let your voice be heard in the comments below. Also, I have included a video so you can remember the experience for years to come! Next week, we will travel across the park to another one of Whoopi Goldberg’s former attractions…”Golden Dreams.” But until next time…I will be with “Vivacious Melanie Griffith and Dashing Antonio Banderas.” Have a Magical Day!

(Pictures courteous of Laughingplace.com)