What’s up, everyone? It’s time for another Top 5! I know you guys we’re waiting on pins and needles for a new one.
Let’s do something interesting this week, shall we?
If you’ve been under a rock, off Twitter, or haven’t strolled through Jurassic Park recently – there’s this HUUUUGE building going up. There have been “rumors” for quite some time that King Kong would be returning to Universal Orlando in a huge way. All signs pointed to this being the return of the King.
Well this week, over a conference call, Comcast’s CFO dropped a bomb about a Kong attraction coming back to Orlando!
That got me thinking; if Kong is coming back, what other attractions from the past could be next?
Of course this is all a fun “What if?” scenario, so don’t go telling everyone Back to the Future is on its way back.
5. Alfred Hitchcock: The Art of Making Movies
This attraction closed in 2003 to make way for what we know today as Shrek 4-D. Which is scarier? I kid, I kid. The Art of Making Movies was a live action show/ 3-D show. It featured scenes from some of Alfred Hitchcock’s most popular films; such as The Birds and Psycho. It had the honor of being one of the park’s opening attractions. It had a solid run.
The park has changed its general concept of taking you behind the scenes of a movie to throwing you into the movie itself. It’d be nice to see more newer attractions that were sort of a throwback to this era of the park. Hitchcock is one of Universal’s most well known filmmakers, yet his presence isn’t felt around the park much at all these days. I can’t say this is something I could necessarily see happen, but it’d be nice nonetheless.
4. Island Skipper Tours
Simple, yet effective. Sometimes when I’m spending a long day at the parks, I’m always looking for a nice break from the action. Whether it be as simple as taking a rest or riding something like Ellen’s Energy Adventure, it’s nice to have your options as to how to take a second to collect yourself. Skipper Island Tours does just that while also giving you a lift with some beautiful views of Islands of Adventure.
For those who may not know, the “tour” was a short boat ride across the Islands lagoon from Port of Entry to Jurassic Park, behind the Discovery Center. In my opinion, behind the Discovery Center is the best view anywhere at Universal Orlando. To be able to get out on the water today would provide us with some great views. Only catch is the secondary bridge built to help traffic during Potter’s Phase 1 construction blocks the waterway to the Jurassic Park dock. If it ever did return, I’d love to see what some of you amazing photographers would be able to capture with the ability to see Hogwarts from the lagoon. Would be great stuff.
3. Ghostbusters Spooktacular
As a kid of the 90’s, there weren’t many things that I loved more than Ghostbusters. I grew up on the movies, and the animated series.However, one of my great theme park regrets is that I never got to experience the old Ghostbusters attraction at Universal Studios.
It may be nowhere near as prominent as some other attractions on this list, but the brand it represented was one of the hottest things going. With a reboot coming out (ugh), could it see a return to the spotlight? Hopefully, but it should stick to the original..
Ghostbusters would be a natural fit in the New York area of the park. I vaguely remember the Ecto-1 vehicle in the streets of the park near Rockit’s helix. A Ghostbusters attraction could be a wonderful replacement someday for the Mummy, which to many I’m sure is an unpopular opinion. I’d love to see a legitimate E-ticket attraction built dedicated to the beloved franchise, something akin to Men in Black. Just no Melissa McCarthy, please.
2. JAWS
JAWS is still very fresh in our minds, so let’s give it a little more time to rest.
Jaws is a very interesting case. Although painful to see its departure, it did allow for the arrival of the Wizarding World – Diagon Alley.
I can’t really see any other way to take the experience of the film and translate it any differently than it was in its former state. Ultimately, for its property, it was the perfect attraction.
The film has ruined beaches for generations of people, myself included, and haunted the dreams of many. The ride actually provoked genuine fear from many people who rode it. This isn’t the Haunted Mansion where the haunts are nice; this shark was truly a menace. I knew adults who wouldn’t ride Row 4, where JAWS attacked in the boat house. I’d love to see the big guy make a return and create a new set of nightmares for generations to come.
1. Back to the Future: The Ride
How fitting would it be? One of Universal’s most beloved franchises, Back to the Future anchored the World Expo section of the Studios park from 1991 to 2007. The ride thrilled families for over a decade and a half. It would seem that recently, the franchise has begun to show up more in pop culture than year’s past, especially with the year 2015 being such an important time in the 2nd movie. Don’t let any other Facebook memes fool you, the actual date is Oct 21, 2015.
The brand still has some presence in the parks. You’ll often see Doc Brown wheeling around his bike through the park and on rare occasion, Marty McFly himself. The car, the train, even nods in the Simpsons Ride pre-show still exist today. Personally, I’d love to see Back to the Future make a return; maybe Test Track meets Radiator Springs Racer type attraction.
So there’s your blast from the past! What’d ya think? What’s missing from this list? What are YOUR ideas for new incarnations of these attractions? Drop me a line at drew@insideuniversal.net or on twitter @DrewOfOU. As always, be excellent to each other!
