Universal Studios Florida: What Do We Think About It?

[mccgavin]

And it's also the only major classic attraction still in place at USJ while other ones have bitten the dust.

Jurassic Park River Adventure?

 

[Jake S]

Jurassic Park River Adventure?

sorry, nothing built in the 90’s can be considered a classic because that would make me old

 

[saint.piss]

This is why they need to do a studio tour equivalent dark ride for USF. There's clearly a want for these classic IPs to be back in some form at Universal... Otherwise they wouldn't keep putting out new merch or anything towards these old movies. I think a dark ride that's essentially a version of the Studio Tour but more focused on the original central USF IPs (Jaws, BTTF, Kongfrontation, Disaster, Beetlejuice, Twister, Ghostbusters, etc) would fulfill that need. Now that I think about it, this ride concept would be a little similar to the Great Movie Ride from WDW Hollywood Studios. It could be the replacement for Supercharged, definitely a lot of space there. They can even take some ideas from that original Universal Monsters drive-in ride pitch. That would be amazing !

Drive-In Universal Monsters Ride Idea Entertained at Epic Universe

Blue sky and concept art released by a ride designer show a Monster Movie Drive-In ride once entertained for Epic Universe...

themeparkmagazine.com

 

[Mad Dog]

This is why they need to do a studio tour equivalent dark ride for USF. There's clearly a want for these classic IPs to be back in some form at Universal... Otherwise they wouldn't keep putting out new merch or anything towards these old movies. I think a dark ride that's essentially a version of the Studio Tour but more focused on the original central USF IPs (Jaws, BTTF, Kongfrontation, Disaster, Beetlejuice, Twister, Ghostbusters, etc) would fulfill that need. Now that I think about it, this ride concept would be a little similar to the Great Movie Ride from WDW Hollywood Studios. It could be the replacement for Supercharged, definitely a lot of space there. They can even take some ideas from that original Universal Monsters drive-in ride pitch. That would be amazing !

View attachment 24994

View attachment 24995

Drive-In Universal Monsters Ride Idea Entertained at Epic Universe

Blue sky and concept art released by a ride designer show a Monster Movie Drive-In ride once entertained for Epic Universe...

themeparkmagazine.com

I think they'd need to add a little thrill and/or action to it though. I loved the Great Movie Ride at DHS, and always rode it a couple times on a visit. Plus it occupied a nice chunk of time, entertainment wise. But it was basically a walk on during its last few years. Short of the shoot out scenes, it didn't have much real thrill. Todays audiences want action/thrill, so I think it would be a necessary ingredient, if the attraction would be successful. They could probably utilize the present building without tearing it down. With F&F its a 'huge' waste of space. Wish they would have gotten rid of F&F before tearing down RRR. It's probably the most hated/least liked attraction in any of the Universal/Disney parks, by far.

 

[saint.piss]

I think they'd need to add a little thrill and/or action to it though. I loved the Great Movie Ride at DHS, and always rode it a couple times on a visit. Plus it occupied a nice chunk of time, entertainment wise. But it was basically a walk on during its last few years. Short of the shoot out scenes, it didn't have much real thrill. Todays audiences want action/thrill, so I think it would be a necessary ingredient, if the attraction would be successful. They could probably utilize the present building without tearing it down. With F&F its a 'huge' waste of space. Wish they would have gotten rid of F&F before tearing down RRR. It's probably the most hated/least liked attraction in any of the Universal/Disney parks, by far.

Well I didn't mean a slow moving ride like GMR. It should be a similar thrill level to stuff like Spider-Man, Ratatouille and the Peter Pan ride at TDS imo.

 

[belloq87]

sorry, nothing built in the 90’s can be considered a classic because that would make me old

This is why they need to do a studio tour equivalent dark ride for USF. There's clearly a want for these classic IPs to be back in some form at Universal... Otherwise they wouldn't keep putting out new merch or anything towards these old movies. I think a dark ride that's essentially a version of the Studio Tour but more focused on the original central USF IPs (Jaws, BTTF, Kongfrontation, Disaster, Beetlejuice, Twister, Ghostbusters, etc) would fulfill that need. Now that I think about it, this ride concept would be a little similar to the Great Movie Ride from WDW Hollywood Studios. It could be the replacement for Supercharged, definitely a lot of space there. They can even take some ideas from that original Universal Monsters drive-in ride pitch. That would be amazing !

View attachment 24994

View attachment 24995

Drive-In Universal Monsters Ride Idea Entertained at Epic Universe

Blue sky and concept art released by a ride designer show a Monster Movie Drive-In ride once entertained for Epic Universe...

themeparkmagazine.com

Yeah, this general sort of "Great Universal Movie Ride" concept is ideal for a number of reasons, but chief among them is that it minimizes the "risk" of devoting a single attraction to a single classic IP. By throwing several of them together, you still get to capitalize on the nostalgia (both for the properties themselves and for the bygone era of USF) while doing it with a single shot, so to speak.

I think they'd need to add a little thrill and/or action to it though. I loved the Great Movie Ride at DHS, and always rode it a couple times on a visit. Plus it occupied a nice chunk of time, entertainment wise. But it was basically a walk on during its last few years. Short of the shoot out scenes, it didn't have much real thrill. Todays audiences want action/thrill, so I think it would be a necessary ingredient, if the attraction would be successful. They could probably utilize the present building without tearing it down. With F&F its a 'huge' waste of space. Wish they would have gotten rid of F&F before tearing down RRR. It's probably the most hated/least liked attraction in any of the Universal/Disney parks, by far.

Well I didn't mean a slow moving ride like GMR. It should be a similar thrill level to stuff like Spider-Man, Ratatouille and the Peter Pan ride at TDS imo.

A dynamic ride vehicle could supply enough of a "thrill" within some more conventional dark ride scenes.

Some sort of system than could transition between different ride types (i.e. for the JAWS scene, it would become a boat ride, then transition back to "dry" land for the next scene etc.) would be cool, too.

 

[OhHaiInternet95]

And it's also the only major classic attraction still in place at USJ while other ones have bitten the dust.

During the late 2010s I definitely would've considered USJ the best Universal park. Between the loss of Spidey and IOA getting VC, that is no longer the case. Disclaimer I have never been, I am simply judging by how much the attraction lineup appeals to me (price too, though that's sadly still applicable).

 

[Alicia]

The only reason people long for old rides that are no longer around is because they’re no longer around.

I’ve seen it time and time again.

People at the time believed most spieling rides were boring. And if they had never closed, they’d still be a walk on to this day.

 

[Clive]

The only reason people long for old rides that are no longer around is because they’re no longer around.

I’ve seen it time and time again.

People at the time believed most spieling rides were boring. And if they had never closed, they’d still be a walk on to this day.

I do think Jaws would have bounced back - especially in the age of social media, for better or worse - but as Brian pointed out, it just cost so much money to keep it running. All of that water-exposed infrastructure and pyro. A victim of timing, maybe.

 

[DarkMetroid567]

I do think Jaws would have bounced back - especially in the age of social media, for better or worse - but as Brian pointed out, it just cost so much money to keep it running. All of that water-exposed infrastructure and pyro. A victim of timing, maybe.

It certainly would have its cult following but I think it still would peter out at ET-or-worse popularity. For all the talk of JAWS going strong at USJ, it’s still the least popular major attraction there. Even with its enhanced reliability I think its time is fairly limited.

 

[belloq87]

The only reason people long for old rides that are no longer around is because they’re no longer around.

I don't think that's true at all.*

There were plenty of contemporaneous reactions from when various ride closures were announced that indicate this is not just a rose-colored, "I miss this long-gone thing" situation.

It was a "Stop removing these things I actively, currently still enjoy" thing.

* Other than in a very literal "You can't miss something that's still here" sense.

 

[grlhowl]

I too would love to see a Universal version of GMR, but I would prefer it doesn't lean on the park's history and the nostalgia for old attractions. I think expanding to Universal's entire library would have so much potential while still including stuff like BTTF, Jaws, and even ET if that should ever go defunct. A varied tribute to Universal's role in Hollywood and a celebration of their greatest films would be a much stronger attraction than one that just evokes nostalgia for the way the park once was- and I also believe it would appeal to your average guest much more.

Additionally, if those IPs that were once at USF should return, I'd like to see them as justified, new iterations. Ghostbusters and Beetlejuice have seen success in new films, so I'd rather see them get their own new attractions than attempts at recreating what once was.