Splatter -- I think you're right on with a lot of points. It's almost like if you didn't know the history of Universal Studios (the park), you would hardly make the connection that the park is supposed to be a working studio lot -- or even a replication of one. I do think they've lost touch by way of giving in to recent pop attractions.
There are several attractions that aren't even directly tied to Universal Pictures, but are rather licensed properties :
- Shrek is DreamWorks Animation, who were once parented by Universal, but have since been passed to Paramount - at which it remains, while DreamWorks SKG (parent of DreamWorks Animation) is now a Disney property.
- Twister was a Warner Bros. production and a Warner Bros. release -- only tied to Universal in that Spielberg was an Executive Producer and was at that time working in-house with Universal. (Which is no longer the case, as he's now partnered with Disney along with his DreamWorks).
- Beetle Juice is another Warner Bros. release, with no association to Universal.
- Men In Black is a joint production/release of Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures (and Sony owns Columbia). Again, no Universal ties other than Spielberg's Producer status.
- The Simpsons is Twentieth Century Fox, no matter how you slice it. Pure licensing.
- Terminator 2 is a TriStar release.
- Rockit has no basis in anything other than a generic theme of "music video production".
- Jimmy Neutron is essentially left-over licensing with Nickelodeon.
So that leaves this list as authentic Universal properties, aside from "official licensing" :
- The Mummy
- Jaws
- E.T.
There is definitely something to be said about the fact that Universal is sourcing out their legacy here. They have plenty to work with in Universal's library...... why water it down with all of these licensed brands, of which most don't even have iconic status at all?