Universal Studios Hollywood (USH) Discussion Thread

Sooo... The Jurassic World re-do replaced the old JP "big reveal" door opening scene with TV screens & water sprays? I mean, that was a pretty iconic, "grand" moment of the previous ride. Did we really need to replace some decent animatronics & physical sets with more screens?

I just don't understand. That "reveal" was probably one of the most iconic movie > attraction moments of any ride Universal had ever created. Why did they think that replacing it with an indoor section full of TV screens was a good idea?

Seriously, how did we go from this...

to this...

That's just embarrassing.

wow.. that really is underwhelming.

why in the world would they have gotten rid of the practical (and yes, Iconic) "Welcome to Jurassic Park" doors??

and in watching some video from the ride, I can see the impact of the video screens, and while i guess technically you still go thru "doors". . . it really does feel like it's missing the huge impact you used to get from the start of the old ride

and in watching some video from the ride, I can see the impact of the video screens, and while i guess technically you still go thru "doors". . . it really does feel like it's missing the huge impact you used to get from the start of the old ride

Absoultely the "soul" of the ride is gone. I honestly just do not understand how this got approved or how anyone thought this was a good idea.

Yikes, they really did a number on it. It looks like they also took the pre-lift scenes out and replaced them with . . . nothing? What a shame. They could have at least stuck a looping video of the old falling car prop as a kind of reminder of what the ride once was.

I think it looks really awesome. And the new indoor tank section actually works well. Finally fixed those terrible sight lines. And wow. The main indoor portion is incredible.

I think it looks really awesome. And the new indoor tank section actually works well. Finally fixed those terrible sight lines. And wow. The main indoor portion is incredible.

Did we watch the same video!??!? The indoor tank section is like a lesser immersive version than Orlando's Kong or Supercharged and those rides are already underwhelming. And the main indoor section was just a mess. No real story or anything and just random stuff everywhere with a bad looking new dinosaur animatronic at the end.

I would honestly question anyone's "opinion" who would rather have a bunch of TV screens and water sprays than a practical set with real animatronics.

"Awesome" or "incredible" are absoultely not words I would imagine many people using to describe this re-do....

The main indoor portion is incredible.

The main indoor portion is incredible.

The part before the final drop? It looks like they added a couple of new dinosaurs in there.

They for sure added this one that pokes his head out at you...

But let's be honest, he looks like he was picked up on the cheap at one of those Chinese dinosaur animatronic companies I keep getting spam emails from!

Sooo... The Jurassic World re-do replaced the old JP "big reveal" door opening scene with TV screens & water sprays? I mean, that was a pretty iconic, "grand" moment of the previous ride. Did we really need to replace some decent animatronics & physical sets with more screens?

 

I just don't understand. That "reveal" was probably one of the most iconic movie > attraction moments of any ride Universal had ever created. Why did they think that replacing it with an indoor section full of TV screens was a good idea?

 

Seriously, how did we go from this...

[attachment=0]jp2.jpg[/attachment]

to this...

[attachment=1]Screen Shot 2019-07-05 at 12.24.35 AM.png[/attachment]

That's just embarrassing.

You said it best. "That's just embarrassing"

I think it looks really awesome. And the new indoor tank section actually works well. Finally fixed those terrible sight lines. And wow. The main indoor portion is incredible.

Did we watch the same video!??!? The indoor tank section is like a lesser immersive version than Orlando's Kong or Supercharged and those rides are already underwhelming. And the main indoor section was just a mess. No real story or anything and just random stuff everywhere with a bad looking new dinosaur animatronic at the end.

 

I would honestly question anyone's "opinion" who would rather have a bunch of TV screens and water sprays than a practical set with real animatronics.

 

"Awesome" or "incredible" are absoultely not words I would imagine many people using to describe this re-do....

I’m sorry. I think it looks great. This is probably the first time I’ve been on the opposite end of the opinion spectrum from you haha. But that’s okay. I totally see your side of it.

I only have the Japan version to go off of, but it wasn't just the reveal, it was the mini build-up, with the opening notes of the score as you approached the door with the timing of the score kicking into full gear just as the door flings open, you go from a small channel to that large area and you see your first dinosaur.

Here it just feels anti-climatic, I've seen the new movies but none of that music sticks out so not sure what the music is at the tank, and unless I missed it earlier in these new POV's you get some of the original theme in the middle of the ride after the CG dinosaur which just feels random and less impactful. I dunno maybe I'm being picky but that small tank doesn't give me the sense I'm entering Jurassic park like the original large area does.

it wasn't just the reveal, it was the mini build-up, with the opening notes of the score as you approached the door with the timing of the score kicking into full gear just as the door flings open, you go from a small channel to that large area and you see your first dinosaur.

Yep. I mean, that "Welcome to Jurassic Park" moment has been ranked in the "Top 100 Movie Moments of All-Time" by many different outlets...

I just cannot even comprehend why Universal would want to change that. It should be an attractions designers #1 rule that you never EVER replace a real physical set that includes an iconic grand reveal and "larger than life" animatronics...

with TV screens and water sprays.

Shame on Universal...

I'll be disappointed if the giant dino head doesn't really say "Hi."

I'll be disappointed if the giant dino head doesn't really say "Hi."

^

I don't think the videos do the ride justice (the media looks fine IMO), but I also agree with Robb that the old ride established itself WAY WAY WAY better. The gates opening into Ultrasaur lagoon set the tone of "hey, I'm really in Jurassic Park!" The new audio doesn't do anything to make it dramatic you're entering the aquarium to start your tour of JW, so it's not really an entry statement at all.

The show building scene is MUCH improved IMO. The dinos that returned (stegasaurus, Parasaurus) look brand new and have more movement. The biggest problem that really kills any positive momentum is that nothing really happens between Parasaurus and the top of the lift.

Why do I have a feeling they even if King Kong never burned down, they would have torn it down anyway to build what we have now (given it opened when the remade movies came out)

universal has a weird Fetish for putting screens on everything.

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I've been shaken by this new pov all day. It's just *SO* aggressively bad.... who let this happen... ?!

universal has a weird Fetish for putting screens on everything.

Well, I suppose that's possibly because their whole business is about putting things on screens. As silly as it sounds, that might factor into the logic of why so many of their attractions are overrun by screens. I'm not sure what to make of their obsession with squirting guests with water, though.

I don't think the videos do the ride justice (the media looks fine IMO)

The media looks fine. It just shouldn't be there and it's not needed. And while I know you can never quite judge a ride by a video, I can 100% guarantee, based on all those screen rides I've been on all over the world, my reaction from actually riding it wouldn't be any different from watching that video...

universal has a weird Fetish for putting screens on everything.

Well, I that's possibly because their whole business is about putting things on screens. As silly as it sounds, that might factor into the logic of why so many of their attractions are overrun by screens

See, it's funny that you say that. When Universal started getting more serious in the theme park business, their slogan was "Ride The Movies"....

And while not all of their attractions were physical rides (Back to the Future, for example) they really did sell guests on "being put in the middle of movie scene" for example, Jaws, E.T., Kong, Earthquake, etc. And those were all supposed to be these "movies come to life" ...

"It's the only place where everything that happens in the movies, happens to you." The prided themselves on those physical rides. Universal Studios was not a "passive" experience. It was "active" and you were put right in the middle of that action.

The original Jurassic Park attraction fell right into the philosophy as it opened not that much longer after Universal Studios Orlando opened, and Universal in general was upping their game for creating real physical attractions.

And then sometime after Men In Black and Mummy that all kind of changed. Not sure why. Expense maybe? And we started seeing tons of these screen-based "immersion" rides pop up. When it was something really innovative like Spider-Man, it was amazing (pun intended), but then when it just started becoming a copy/paste with different themes, it became "old and stupid." (Anyone remember that Universal throwback?) lol

I've been more hopeful that we would start to see more attractions from Universal that were more like the original Jurassic Park, Men in Black or Mummy... and while Hagrid's is most certainly a much needed welcome over all the more recent screen rides, it didn't come close, in terms of story, as some of the other past attractions, like Mummy.

I would love nothing more to see Universal go back to their "Ride the Movies" philosophy because IMO that's when they were at their best. That was the era where they were making rides that made you seriously question who was better at themed attractions.... Disney or Universal? And now? The answer is pretty obvious...

It’s a bit of a giveaway how iconic both the score and the doors were as a reveal in that they kept BOTH in the JW film...bit of a no brained that they should have stayed in the ride redo.

If you wanted to do screens, why not do that in the boring AF lift section?

Bit of a concern when Knott’s log flume redo turns out a million times better than this Universal one.

It’s certainly up there in the redo for redos sake stakes with Guardians at DCA.

In my opinion, the redo is disappointing, but the animatronics that were reused are definitely in better condition. THe dilophosauruses that were moved inside move faster than before.

I don't think the videos do the ride justice (the media looks fine IMO)

The media looks fine. It just shouldn't be there and it's not needed. And while I know you can never quite judge a ride by a video, I can 100% guarantee, based on all those screen rides I've been on all over the world, my reaction from actually riding it wouldn't be any different from watching that video...

I guess I'm more open minded about screens on rides with how fast media technology has evolved. Loved Flight of the Passage and I thought this got the job done as a faux aquarium featuring a giant swimming dino.

I think the problem here is with how it doesn't have the same emotional impact as the previous one---no question it doesn't match the previous epic reveal and the audio doesn't do much to set it up. There's no explanation that I can remember hearing for why the aquarium is connected to the herbivore area by a cave either (logic would say another door should be there...), so the storytelling falls way short.

I guess I'm more open minded about screens on rides with how fast media technology has evolved.

Who pays the bills again?