June 15, 2015 – Fast & Furious: Supercharged’s seasonal pass preview sessions have been postponed, Inside Universal has learned. Featuring the cast of the Fast & Furious franchise in a new adventure through the streets of Los Angeles, Universal’s newest Studio Tour animation has been plagued with technical difficulties as the park prepares for the attraction’s official opening on June 25. Despite the attraction’s official opening date later this month, Universal has held a series of employee preview sessions and annual pass previews earlier last week. Attendees from both events have reported technical difficulties during their preview sessions. Indeed, pass…
Author: Jon Fu
May 27, 2015 – Universal just got in a big shipment of I-beams, so that means it’s time for a photo update. It’s an interesting time for construction in the park. Some things look finished, some things look far from being complete. In this update, we’re going to cover Potter, Jurassic World and cranes! So let’s get started. Park Update Index » Lankershim Projects » Parking Structures » Park Entrance » Jurassic World » Universal’s House of Horrors » The Wizarding World of Harry Potter » Backlot Construction / Fast and Furious » StarWay Construction Lankershim Projects While the pedestrian…
May 24, 2015 – First on Inside Universal – In preparation for its summer debut, Universal has begun testing the highly anticipated Nighttime Studio Tour, Inside Universal has learned. Featuring a dazzling array of theatrical lighting, projections, characters, a new tour-guide script and more, the new Nighttime Studio Tour offers guests a new experience on the world famous tour. Featuring Marilyn Monroe and Frankenstein, the Nighttime Studio Tour takes advantage of various sets located across the lot – combining live actors and special effects to add an extra dimension to the otherwise normal daytime tour. Marilyn Monroe can now be…
May 16, 2015 – Universal Studios Hollywood is ramping up for a big summer on the Studio Tour to celebrate its 50th anniversary. As part of this big ramp up, Universal recently held auditions in an effort to bolster their Studio Tour staff – inviting Inside Universal down to detail the process of attaining this highly coveted position. We spoke to Natalie Ceballos, a tour guide of five years, who was on hand to help with the audition process. She told us about the benefits working for Universal as a Studio Tour guide – benefits that include advanced movie screenings…
May 8, 2015 – If you’ve been following the television industry lately, you might have noticed a string of series finales – in the case of as CBS’ ‘CSI’ – or downright cancelations – as is the case with Fox’s ‘Mindy Project’ and NBC’s ‘About A Boy.’ While television cancelations are the norm, all the aforementioned shows are filmed on the Universal lot. CSI is filmed in soundstage 22, 23, 24 and 25 while the Mindy Project and About A Boy are filmed in soundstage 27 and 29, respectively. Since productions have a tendency to ebb and flow depending on…
May 8, 2015 – In this episode, Jonathan Green, Christopher Tillman, Chris Lord and Jon Fu discuss Universal’s customer service, Springfield, Fast & Furious and more! Agenda » Introduction – 0:30 » Springfield/Universal’s customer service – 2:03 » Fast & Furious: Supercharged – 38:20 » Nighttime Tours – 01:16:00 » User questions – 01:21:05 Audio Direct download: May 2, 2015 PodcastiTunes link: (028) May 2, 2015 PodcastOpening track: Please Read the Letter – Robert Plant & Alison Krauss Jonathan Green Jonathan Green is a contributing editor for Inside Universal. Jonathan has been going to Universal for over 25 years, developing…
“People are going to see the Studio Tour in a whole new light.” It’s a pun that Creative Director John Murdy is reluctant to make, but it really is the best description for what we can expect for Universal Studios Hollywood’s new nighttime offering to celebrate the park’s 50th anniversary. Little has been talked about the new tour, but we had a chance to chat with Mr. Murdy about what guests can expect. Moving away from light puns, John said that there is a reason Universal has never done a nighttime tour before. It’s dark. “We don’t need lights on…
May 4, 2015 – As you turn the corner from Wizarding World and see the “Welcome to Springfield” sign, you are instantly transported to the world of the Simpsons. With “The Simpsons Ride” and carnival games behind you, the Kwik-E-Mart and Springfield DMV to your left, 24 multi-level building facades in front of you, Duff Brewery, Bumblebee Man’s Taco Truck, and more to your right, it’s hard to realize that you are anywhere but Springfield. Of course, it wouldn’t be the city of Springfield if Universal didn’t include its food! While we weren’t able to sample all of Springfield’s dishes,…
April 22, 2015 – Despite the fact that Springfield’s official opening is fast approaching, Universal continues to work and embark on various construction projects across the park. The highly anticipated Wizarding World of Harry Potter expansion notwithstanding, the theme park continues to work on a multitude of projects lining Lankershim Boulevard, Victoria Station’s replacement, the rebrand of Pink’s Hotdogs within the park and some curious work developing alongside Universal’s Animal Actors. There’s a lot to cover, so let’s begin. Park Update Index » Lankershim Projects » Parking Structures » Park Entrance » The Wizarding World of Harry Potter » Universal’s…
April 19, 2015 – The Studio Tour has served as a Universal staple for over fifty years. Not only did the tour spawn the birth of Universal Studios Hollywood, but it also served (and still serves, to some extent) as the basis of inspiration for Universal parks all across the world. From the original giant animatronic King Kong, Earthquake and Jaws to the highly advanced and intricate King Kong 360 – 3D, the Studio Tour is the foundational heart and soul of Universal. So of course, when Inside Universal heard that Universal was set to introduce a new set of…