Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls

Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls
Logo
Location	Islands of Adventure
Area	Toon Lagoon
Status	Operating
Opening date	May 28, 1999 (1999-05-28)
Type	Log flume
Manufacturer	Mack Rides
Max speed	45 mph (72 km/h)
Duration	7 minutes
Height restriction	3 ft 8 in (112 cm)
Theme	Dudley Do-Right
	Universal Express available
	Single rider line available

Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls is a log flume ride at Islands of Adventure in Orlando, Florida inspired by the Dudley Do-Right character created by cartoonists Jay Ward and Alex Anderson. Opened on May 28, 1999, it is one of the park's original attractions.

Summary

Queue area

The attraction's queue area passes through: Snidely Whiplash's hideout; a theater that spoofs movies such as "Jaws," "Silence of the Lambs" and "Star Wars"; and a room with a talking bear head and a talking beaver head on a wall. While passing through the theater room of the queue, guests watch as Nell Fenwick is kidnapped from her dressing room, setting up the ride's main story.

Ride

The final drop to Ripsaw Falls.

Once passengers have been placed in the log, it enters the first room where lights shine on forest animals playing instruments as the narrator announces that the ride is entering a 'moving melodrama'. The log proceeds up the first of two lift hills as Dudley makes his first appearance, stating "I'll save you Nell!" While climbing the lift hill, Snidely is seen riding a mine cart laughing maniacally at having captured Nell.

The route takes the ride outdoors as it reaches the top of the hill, giving passengers a quick view of the park before taking a turn and entering Wontyabee Mine. After a short sequence where Dudley encounters a cougar in the cave, the ride exits the mine and passes by Snidely tying Nell to train tracks. Next, the ride passes by Horse and Inspector Fenwick, both of whom are also tied to the tracks.

The ride then enters a cave where Dudley is heard saying, "Horse, I lost my train of thought!" Then a giant train light is seen and the sound of the engine is heard (this is a parody of the famous scene in Mr. Toad's Wild Ride at Disneyland). After the light goes out, the ride drops a medium size drop.

Passengers then travel into an outdoor sawmill where Nell is tied to a log headed for a rotating buzz saw whilst Snidley and Dudley fight over the lever that operates the conveyor . After dropping to ground level, riders are shown humorous signs telling them to turn around. The ride then climbs the second lift hill. At the crest, the ride enters Snidely's lair. At this point the track divides in two. On busy days, when there are more logs on the track, the logs could take either path to make the ride more efficient and allow for more boats to be used. On slower days, when there are fewer guests and logs, the logs always take the right path (left from a spectator's view). Nell fires Snidley from a cannon and we next see his rear end sticking out of a wall which he crashed through. We see Dudley triumphantly place his foot on a dynamite plunger, setting off an explosion causing a cartoonish montage of flying debris.

The ride then makes its climactic drop, plunging 75 feet into a dynamite shack (labeled "Highly Kaboomable"). When the log is under the shack, the shack "explodes," spraying passengers and spectators with water. The ride climbs its last hill, then drops into the splash down pool accompanied by cartoonish "boing" and "pop" noises.

Next, the ride then curve towards nine hoses. Spectators can pay a small fee to spray riders with water from the hoses.

The ride then enters the Alottapoopoo Island Prison, where Snidley is being held. He attempts to convince a beaver holding the key in its mouth to give the keys to him (a parody of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride in Disney parks). The log passes through one last scene where Dudley is being awarded a medal by Inspector Fenwick for capturing Snidley and saving his daughter Nell who has her attention on admiring Horse (a running gag throughout the short on The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show). as the log pulls into the unloading station and is greeted by a Mountie, the narrator can be heard one last time saying "and so our hero proves that a Mountie always gets his man, but not always his girl." After the logs are unloaded the two tracks are merged into one again and enters the building where guests get on in which the logs are lined together.

Modifications

Three major renovations have been made to this ride. The first was a modification in 2006 to the ride's signature drop's steepness to make it less intense. The second was the addition of lap bar restraints in 2007, making it one of the few attractions of its type to use them, and most recently, an on-ride camera was added.

Incident

See also: Incidents at Universal parks

On January 1, 2011 a major fire broke out in a building behind the ride at 5 PM EST. It was contained and extinguished soon afterwards. The Toon Lagoon section was evacuated. No injuries or fatalities were reported. On March 14, 2011, the ride was reopened with all special effects restored and the entire ride repainted.