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List of former Universal Studios Florida attractions

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Snowman Guy (talk | contribs) at 23:33, 6 June 2011 (→‎Former services). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

For a list of the park's current attractions, see List of Universal Studios Florida attractions.
File:Usf-logo1990.jpg
The original logo for Universal Studios Florida, used from 1990 until 1998. During this time, many of the park's now former attractions were in operation.

This is a List of Former Universal Studios Florida Attractions.

History

Since Universal Studios Florida's opening on June 7, 1990, a total of 32 attractions have been retired, and usually replaced or re-themed into new attractions, 17 of them being original attractions.

The original entrance to the theme park, circa 1993. It was replaced with the current entrance in 1998.

The first major attraction to be retired from the park was An American Tail Theatre in 1992, due to low attendance capacity. The show was replaced in the same year by Beetlejuice's Rock and Roll Graveyard Revue, and the Fievel's Playland attraction, also based on the film An American Tail, opened in the park's Expo Center area simultaneously, and is now part of Woody Woodpecker's KidZone.

In 1996, the interactive show attraction Murder, She Wrote Mystery Theatre was closed due to the cancellation of the Murder, She Wrote television show on which it was based; also retired around the same time was the next door MCA Recording Studio, also an interactive show. The two attractions were replaced the following year by Hercules and Xena: Wizards of the Screen and Stage 54. The Hercules and Xena attraction was later closed and abandoned in 2000, and Stage 54 followed in 2003, with the latter of the two replaced by Donkey's Photo Finish, an interactive meet-and-greet.

Two further attractions were retired in November 1996. Ghostbusters Spooktacular closed on November 9 due to the end of a contract, and was replaced in the Spring of 1998 by Twister...Ride it Out. The nearby The Screen Test Home Video Adventure followed on November 16, and was replaced in the following year with the Islands of Adventure Preview Center. The preview center itself was closed following the grand opening of Islands of Adventure in 1999, and its former space was used for Universal Express distribution, and is now currently used as an extended queue area for Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride.

Other closures of minor attractions occurred throughout the 1990s . The Swamp Thing Set, used for the production of the television series Swamp Thing up until 1993, was demolished in 1994. Men in Black: Alien Attack was constructed on the previous site in 2000. How to Make a Mega Movie Deal was closed due to unpopularity in 1993. In 1998, Universal attempted to revive it with the similar AT&T at the Movies attraction, which would later close in 2001, with its entrance used for Universal Express distribution. In the New York area of the park, the StreetBusters show was performed from 1991 until 1993. In 2002, an update version of the show titled Extreme Ghostbusters: The Great Fright Way was brought back, and was later closed in 2005 when the park did not renew their contract to the Ghostbusters characters. The Bates Motel Set, which was used for production of Psycho IV: The Beginning, was demolished in 1995, with A Day in the Park with Barney constructed on the site. Similarly, The Bates Mansion Set, also used for production of Psycho IV, was demolished in 1998, with Curious George Goes to Town constructed on the re-landscaped site.

In 2000, the park's finale show Dynamite Nights Stunt Spectacular set in Universal Studios' lagoon was close due to maintenance issues. Universal 360: A Cinesphere Spectacular began inhabiting the space in July 2006.

In 2002, the park announced that Kongfrontation, The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera and Alfred Hitchcock: The Art of Making Movies would all be closed by the end of the year. Kongfrontation was the first of the three to be retired in a grand closing ceremony on September 8, 2002, and was replaced in May 2004 by Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride. The closure of Kongfrontation has been viewed as the most park changing and notable closure in Universal Studios' history which caused a great deal of controversy among theme park fans. Following the closure of Kongfrontation, The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera closed on October 20, 2002, and was replaced in the Spring of 2003 by Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast, which utilizes the same ride system and technology. Alfred Hitchcock: The Art of Making Movies was retired on January 3, 2003, and was replaced later in the year by Shrek 4-D, a 3-D short film. In Fall of 2003, The Wild Wild Wild West Stunt Show was closed due to a loss of the attraction's usual capacity. It was replaced in the Spring of 2005 by Fear Factor Live, another live stunt show. Two years after Wild Wests closure, the Nickelodeon Studios facility and attraction were disestablished on April 30, 2005 due to Nickelodeon moving their production facilities to Burbank, California. The former space was left abandoned until it was re-designed in 2007 for the opening of Blue Man Group Sharp Aquos Theatre, an attraction in Universal CityWalk Orlando.

In September 2006, Half of the Back to the Future: The Ride attraction was shut down, preparing the ride for a complete closure which eventually occurred on March 30, 2007. It was replaced on May 15, 2008 by the popular The Simpsons Ride. The closure of Back to the Future has been viewed as the second notable attraction closure in the park after Kongfrontation. The second attraction to be re-tired in 2007 was Earthquake: The Big One, on November 5, wit the attraction's pre-show portions already having been discontinued on September 8. The ride was replaced two months later, in January 2008, with Disaster!: A Major Motion Picture Ride...Starring You!. Similar to Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast, the attraction uses the same ride system and technology as the previous attraction, however, the queue and pre-show portions are completely different.

In 2008, The Boneyard attraction was retired, and was replaced in the Spring of 2009 with The Universal Music Plaza Stage, and open-air amphitheatre used for the park's music concerts.

On March 14, 2011, Universal announced that the Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast ride would be closed on April 1, 2011 followed by temporary re-openings in the 2011 Spring and Summer seasons before a permanent closure on August 18, 2011. They confirmed on May 19, 2011 that it would be replaced with a new Despicable Me themed attraction which is among several new concepts in development for the Resort over the next few years.[1][2]

Two further shows throughout the park's history have been revamped several times. The first was StarToons which replaced The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle Show which closed in 1993. StarToons, located in the Production Central area, operated from 1993 until 1996. When the newest section of the park, Woody Woodpecker's KidZone, opened in 1998, the park bought back the show as StarToons Character Meet and Greet. It was re-vamped once again in 2008 as StarToons: 80's Rewind. The second of the two shows was Animal Actors Stage which was replaced by Animal Planet Live in 2001. When Universal's contract with Animal Planet ended in 2006, the show was re-vamped as Animal Actors On Location. The show is similar to the original but with updated segments.

Throughout the park's history of attraction closures, merchandise shops connected to major attractions have been closed and refurbished to fit the themeing of the replacement attractions. The park's former gift shops include Nickelodeon Kiosk, Hanna-Barbera's Store, The Bates Motel Shop, Paranormal Store, Safari Outfitters Ltd., Shakin's Souvenirs, and Back to the Future: The Store, which have been replaced by Nick Stuff, Shrek's Ye Olde Souvenir Shoppe, Aftermath, Sahara Traders, Disaster! Studios Gifts and Kwik-E-Mart.

Two dining establishments have also been retired since the park's inception. The first of which was The Studio Star's Cafe, which was themed to the various famous movie stars. Due to modest feedback from park guests, the eatery was closd in 1991, and replaced in the same year by The Universal Studios' Classic Monsters Cafe. The second cafe to be retired was the original 1990 Hard Rock Cafe. While it was originally considered to be the world's largest Hard Rock Cafe, the company built a larger facility for the opening of Universal CityWalk Orlando in 1998, with the original Cafe closing shortly afterwards. The original building sits unoccupied today in the park.

List of former attractions

Attraction Image Opening Year Closing Year Park Section Description Replacement
Nickelodeon Studios 1990 2005 Production Central took guests on a tour of Nickelodeon's production facilities. Blue Man Group Sharp Aquos Theatre
The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera File:Tfwohb.JPG 1990 2002 Production Central a motion simulator ride with characters created by Hanna-Barbera including Yogi Bear and The Jetsons. Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast
Alfred Hitchcock: The Art of Making Movies File:Artmakingmovies.JPG 1990 2003 Production Central a theatrical show on film-making that detailed, among other things, the secrets of the famous shower scene from Hitchcock's film Psycho. Shrek 4-D
The Boneyard 1990 2008 Production Central an outdoor multi-purpose exhibit space that can be used to showcase movie props or parade floats, or serve as a concert venue. The Universal Music Plaza Stage
Murder, She Wrote Mystery Theatre 1990 1996 Production Central a theatrical show which took guests through the post-production of the TV series. Hercules and Xena: Wizards of the Screen
MCA Recording Studio 1990 1996 Production Central an interactive attraction located in a soundstage next to the Murder, She Wrote show. Stage 54
Production Studio Tour 1990 1995 Production Central visited the backlot production areas of the park. (none)
The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle Show 1990 1993 Production Central a live stage show featuring Rocky, Bullwinkle, Natasha, Boris, And Dudley Do-Right. Was Located in between Murder She Wrote: Mystery Theatre and the Classic Monsters' Cafe. Star Toons
Ghostbusters Spooktacular 1990 1996 New York a live stage show based on the Ghostbusters film series. Twister...Ride it Out
Kongfrontation 1990 2002 New York a ride where guests encountered King Kong while on a cable car. Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride
The Screen Test Home Video Adventure 1991 1996 New York an added-cost attraction where guests could be digitally inserted into famous movie scenes. Islands of Adventure Preview Center
The Star Trek Adventure 1992 1996 New York a sub-section of the park's Screen Test Home Video Adventure, featuring a Star Trek theme. Islands of Adventure Preview Center
Street Breaks 1998 2006 New York a live seasonal outdoor show with break dancers. (none)
StreetBusters 1991 1993 New York a live outdoor show featuring the Ghostbusters and Beetlejuice. It was advertised as a main attraction at the park's 1991 Fright Nights event. Extreme Ghostbusters: The Great Fright Way
An American Tail Theatre 1990 1992 San Francisco/Amity a live stage show based on the animated film. Beetlejuice's Rock and Roll Graveyard Revue
Earthquake: The Big One 1990 2007 San Francisco/Amity put guests in the middle of an 8.3 scale earthquake inspired by the disaster film. Disaster!: A Major Motion Picture Ride...Starring You!
The Wild Wild Wild West Stunt Show 1991 2003 San Francisco/Amity a live stunt show featuring wild west performers in death defying stunts. Fear Factor Live
The Swamp Thing Set File:Swamp Thing sets.JPG 1990 1994 World Expo the actual sets from Swamp Thing, which were used to film the show at the park. Men in Black: Alien Attack
Back to the Future: The Ride 1991 2007 World Expo a high tech motion simulator ride inspired by Universal's Back to the Future film series. The Simpsons Ride
Animal Actors Stage 1990 2001 Woody Woodpecker's Kidzone a live stage show with Universal's most famous animal actors. Animal Planet Live
The Bates Motel Set 1990 1995 Woody Woodpecker's Kidzone recreated the set of The Bates Motel from Psycho. It was used to film Psycho IV: The Beginning. A Day in the Park with Barney
The Bates Mansion Set 1990 1998 Woody Woodpecker's Kidzone recreated the set of The Bates Mansion from Psycho. It was also used to film Psycho IV: The Beginning. Curious George Goes to Town
How to Make a Mega Movie Deal 1991 1993 Hollywood a small exhibit about the movie industry. AT&T at the Movies
Hercules and Xena: Wizards of the Screen 1997 2000 Production Central Took guests through the special effects editing of the Hercules and Xena series. (none)
Stage 54 1997 2003 Production Central an indoor exhibition of sets and props from recent Universal films. Donkey's Photo Finish
Star Toons 1993 1996 Production Central a live stage show featuring Fred Flintstone, George Jetson, Scooby Doo, Yogi Bear, and Boo-Boo. (none)
Extreme Ghostbusters: The Great Fright Way 2002 2005 New York an updated version of the StreetBusters show, with a slightly different plot and music. (none)
Islands of Adventure Preview Center 1997 1999 New York Gave guests a first look into Universal's neighboring park Islands of Adventure. (none)
Star Toons Character Meet and Greet 2000 2007 Woody Woodpecker's Kidzone a live show where Universal cartoon characters would briefly sing and dance, followed by them posing for autographs and pictures. Star Toons: 80's Rewind
Animal Planet Live 2001 2006 Woody Woodpecker's Kidzone a live stage show inspired by the TV channel Animal Planet. Animal Actors on Location
AT&T at the Movies 1998 2001 Hollywood a series of interactive electronic games powered by AT&T. (none)
Dynamite Nights Stunt Spectacular 1990 2000 Lagoon a live Miami Vice themed stunt show with pyrotechnics and live actors. Universal 360: A Cinesphere Spectacular
The Marvel Show 1993 1995 New York an outdoor show that went on in front of and on the building to the left of the Ghostbuster's Firehouse and featured Spider-Man, Storm, Iron Man and Wolverine. (none)

Former services

The former Hard Rock Cafe at Universal Studios Florida in what is now the Woody Woodpecker's Kidzone area. It was closed in 1998 for the opening of Woody Woodpecker's Nuthouse Coaster, and is currently left abandoned.

Below is a list of retail and dining establishments that have been closed since the park's inception, grouped by the section of the park in which they were formerly located.

Production Central

New York

San Francisco/Amity

World Expo

Woody Woodpecker's KidZone

  • Hard Rock Cafe (original location) (1990–1998)

Hollywood

References

  1. ^ Bilbao, Richard (Apr 21, 2011). "What's with the banana?". Orlando Business Journal.
  2. ^ MacDonald, Brady (May 19, 2011). "Universal Studios Orlando plans 'Despicable Me' attraction and digital upgrade to Spider-Man ride in 2012". Los Angeles Times.
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