Best Picture Oscar Statuette Showcased in “The Universal Experience”

Universal City, California – Hollywood’s crown jewels will be on view as Universal Studios Hollywood puts a “Best Picture” Oscar® and never-before-seen props, costumes, wardrobe, artifacts and special effects on display at “The Universal Experience: Behind the Scenes of Universal Pictures,” a new attraction designed to put the magic of Hollywood within arms reach of guests.

“The Universal Experience” will showcase an extraordinary close-up view of many of the memorable items seen on film from Universal Pictures’ award-winning movies, including some of the most celebrated movies in Hollywood history. The attraction will draw from a library of over 6,000 titles dating back to the Studio’s early beginnings in 1913 and will offer a peek into the advances in film technology from the days of early motion pictures through modern day filmmaking.

Standing tall at the center of the new attraction will be the “Best Picture” Oscar statuette from The Sting, awarded to Universal Pictures in 1973.

In an effort to showcase the studios vast collection of memorabilia, “The Universal Experience” will be updated regularly to feature a selection of items in designated Behind-the-Scenes and On-Screen areas that have long been part of Universal’s history. Insightful trivia and film clip kiosks will also add to an interactive component.

“The Universal Experience” will also serve as a showcase for the numerous props and costumes featured in current Universal films, providing guests with the opportunity to see these items first hand soon after viewing them on the big screen.

A sampling of displayed props will include the Book of the Dead from The Mummy, the Book of Who from Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the Speak and Spell transmitter from E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, the Diary from Bridget Jones’s Diary, Denzel Washington’s boxing gloves from The Hurricane, Toby Maguire’s Trophy from Seabiscuit, Gregory Peck’s briefcase and glasses from To Kill a Mockingbird.

Costumes and wardrobe will include garments worn by Keira Knightley and James McAvoy in the award-winning film, Atonement; Cate Blanchett’s regal period pieces from the Oscar winning film, Elizabeth, Anthony Perkins’ jacket from Psycho, Anthony Hopkins’ mask and outfit from Hannibal, Roy Schieder’s police uniform from Jaws, Mike Myers’ hat from The Cat in the Hat, Toby Maguire’s racing attire from Seabiscuit, Joaquin Phoenix’s costume from Gladiator, a Letterman Jacket from Fast Times at Ridgemont High, WC Fields’ hat and glove from The Bank Dick and Abbott and Costello’s “Who’s On First” uniforms.

Within the designated behind-the-scenes section, sleight-of-sight special effects, will include treatments as Matte Paintings used in the making of Earthquake and in Alfred Hitchcock’s Torn Curtain and The Birds, models and miniatures from The Mummy, Apollo 13 and Back to the Future, as well as the Mechanical Horse from Seabiscuit and the Baby Raptor from Jurassic Park.

Guests will also be afforded the chance to see original set designs created for the Psycho House, mechanical drawings of Jaws’ Bruce the shark, concept art from Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas and The Cat in the Hat, set drawings from Stanley Kubrick’s Spartacus and storyboards from Back to the Future.

Artifacts will run the gamut and include a broad selection original silent film era cameras, Alfred Hitchcock’s director’s chair and the original Universal Studios Hollywood theme park brochure from 1964 will add to the display.

Consistent with a company-wide initiative, the creative team at Universal Studios Hollywood has also employed technological innovations in the creation of “The Universal Experience” designed to reduce energy consumption by half. With the installation of a state-of-the-art LED powered lighting system, “The Universal Experience” joins “The Simpsons Ride” in a new era of environmentally conscious theme park ride construction.

Universal Studios Hollywood, The Entertainment Capital of L.A., includes a full-day, movie-based theme park and Studio Tour; the CityWalk entertainment, shopping and dining complex; the Universal CityWalk Cinemas; and the Gibson Amphitheatre concert and special event venue. The theme park features such groundbreaking attractions as “The Simpsons Ride,” “Revenge of the Mummy™ – The Ride,” “Shrek 4-D™,” “Jurassic Park® – The Ride,” and the world-renowned Studio Tour, which takes guests behind-the-scenes of such landmark TV and movie locations and sets as Steven Spielberg’s “War of the Worlds.”

Universal CityWalk features 65 entertainment-themed restaurants, nightclubs, shops and dynamic entertainment options. Universal CityWalk Cinemas, offering the best movie-going experience in Los Angeles, features 19 screens including one of Southern California’s largest IMAX® venues and newly renovated stadium-style seating.

Universal Studios Hollywood (www.UniversalStudiosHollywood.com) is a unit of Universal Parks & Resorts, a division of Universal Studios, a part of NBC Universal. NBC Universal is one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May of 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80% owned by General Electric, with 20% controlled by Vivendi.