Universal Studios Florida

Coordinates: 28°28′31″N 81°28′01″W / 28.4752°N 81.4670°W / 28.4752; -81.4670
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Universal Studios Florida
File:UniversalStudiosOrlandologo2017.png
Entrance to the theme park
LocationUniversal Orlando Resort, Orlando, Florida, U.S.
Coordinates28°28′31″N 81°28′01″W / 28.4752°N 81.4670°W / 28.4752; -81.4670
OpenedJune 7, 1990; 33 years ago (1990-06-07)
OwnerNBCUniversal
(Comcast)[1]
Operated byUniversal Parks & Resorts
ThemeShow business and Universal entertainment
SloganLet Yourself Woah
(as Universal Orlando Resort)
Operating seasonYear-round
Attractions
Total18
Roller coasters4
WebsiteOfficial website
Universal Orlando
Theme parks
Water parks
Resort hotels
  • Loews Portofino Bay Hotel
  • Hard Rock Hotel
  • Loews Royal Pacific Resort
  • Loews Sapphire Falls Resort
  • Universal's Cabana Bay Beach Resort
  • Universal's Aventura Hotel
  • Universal's Endless Summer Resort
Entertainment district

Universal Studios Florida is a theme park and production studio located in Orlando, Florida. Opened on June 7, 1990, the park's theme is the entertainment industry, in particular movies and television. The park encourages its guests to "ride the movies" and features numerous attractions and live shows. It is a component of the larger Universal Orlando Resort. The park hosted an estimated 10.2 million visitors in 2017, ranking it as the sixth most attended theme park in the United States and the ninth most attended theme park worldwide.[2]

History

The original entrance to the theme park

Many of the park's past and present attractions were developed with the actual creators of the films they were based on, and feature the original stars as part of the experience. Steven Spielberg helped create E.T. Adventure and was a creative consultant for Back to the Future: The Ride, Twister...Ride it Out, An American Tail Theatre, Jaws, Men in Black: Alien Attack and Transformers: The Ride.[3]

In many current rides, the original stars reprised their film roles including: Rip Torn and Will Smith from Men in Black for Men in Black: Alien Attack, Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria and Kelsey Grammer reprised their roles from The Simpsons for The Simpsons Ride, Brendan Fraser and Arnold Vosloo from The Mummy for Revenge of the Mummy, Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and John Lithgow from Shrek for Shrek 4-D, Steve Carell, Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, and Elsie Fisher from Despicable Me for Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, Peter Cullen and Frank Welker reprised their roles as Optimus Prime and Megatron for Transformers: The Ride 3D, and Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Dwayne Johnson, Luke Evans, Ludacris, and Jordana Brewster reprised their roles from the Fast & Furious franchise for Fast & Furious: Supercharged.

In many former rides, the original stars also reprised their film roles such as: Christopher Lloyd and Thomas F. Wilson in Back to the Future: The Ride, Roy Scheider recorded a voice over for the conclusion of Jaws, Alfred Hitchcock and Anthony Perkins appeared in Alfred Hitchcock: The Art of Making Movies, various Nicktoon voice actors and actresses reprised their roles for Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast, Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt introduced the pre-show for Twister...Ride it Out, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, Edward Furlong and Linda Hamilton reprised their roles for Terminator 2: 3-D Battle Across Time.

Park history

From its inception in 1982,[4] Universal Studios Florida was designed as a theme park and a working studio. It was also the first time that Universal Studios had constructed an amusement park "from the ground up", as Universal Studios Hollywood in Los Angeles was mainly serviced by the flagship Studio Tour attraction at the time. However, the proposed project was put on hold until 1986, when a meeting between Steven Spielberg, a co-founder for the park, and Peter N. Alexander prompted for the creation of a Back to the Future simulator ride in addition to the already planned King Kong based ride.[5] Spielberg had also noticed how competitive the park could be if it could compete with the nearby Walt Disney World and Seaworld Orlando.[5]

A major component of the original park in Hollywood is its studio tour, which featured several special-effects exhibits and encounters built into the tour, such as an attack by the great white shark from the film Jaws. For its Florida park, Universal Studios took the concepts of the Hollywood tour scenes and developed them into larger, stand-alone attractions. As an example, in Hollywood, the studio tour trams travel close to a shoreline and are "attacked" by Jaws before they travel to the next part of the tour. In Florida, guests entered the "Jaws" attraction and would board a boat touring the fictitious Amity Harbor, where they encountered the shark, then exited back into the park at the conclusion of the attraction. Universal Studios Florida originally had a Studio Tour attraction that visited the production facilities, but that tour has since been discontinued in 1995.

Branding

Previous slogans for Universal Studios Florida were: See the Stars. Ride the Movies. (1990–1998); No one makes believe like we do! (1990–1998); Ride the Movies (1998–2008); Jump into the Action (2008–2012); Experience The Movies (2012–2015). The current slogan is Vacation Like You Mean It (2013–present; along with Islands of Adventure as Universal Orlando Resort).

Timeline

Year Events
1986 Land clearing takes place on the swamp land purchased by MCA/Universal that would hold the park. Universal Studios Florida is announced at a press conference on the Hollywood property, with a planned opening date of December 1989.
1988 The popular kids network Nickelodeon bought part of Universal Studios Florida to make their very first studio dedicated to their productions. They have access to Sound Stages 17, 18, 19 and 21. This means that Universal Studios Florida's opening date is delayed from December 1989 to May 1, 1990. Shortly following, MCA/Universal releases a video detailing the future park, which stars Christopher Lloyd as the Universal character Doc Brown interacting with the various attractions at the Florida park.[6] Universal Studios allows guests to witness the production of television shows and motion pictures in the Florida park's soundstages in middle 1988, while the rest of the studio/park is still under construction.[7]
1989 MCA/Universal Studios claims that The Walt Disney Company and its CEO, Michael Eisner copied several concepts of the Universal Studios Florida park, and integrated them into Disney's recently opened Disney-MGM Studios park.[8]
1990 On January 31, Universal Studios Florida's opening date is again delayed from May 1, 1990 to June 7, 1990.[9] Universal Studios Florida begins soft openings for the general public in late May.[10] Many of the park's attractions are not yet open at the time, and still under testing. Universal Studios Florida is officially opened with a grand opening style ceremony on June 7.[11] The park opens with five themed areas: The Front Lot (entrance area), Production Central, New York, San Francisco/Amity, Expo Center, Hollywood as well as a Lagoon located in the center of the park. The Front Lot and Production Central areas are referred to as "In Production", the New York section is referred to as "Now Shooting", the San Francisco and Amity sections are referred to as "On Location" and the Expo Center area is referred to as "The World of CineMagic Center". Nickelodeon Studios opens on the same day and there is a grand opening ceremony hosted by Marc Summers that was broadcast live on Nickelodeon. Due to massive technical problems with the original Kongfrontation, Earthquake: The Big One and Jaws attractions, Universal begins a temporary voucher service to allow guests to re-visit the studio/park when the attractions are operating.[11] Jaws is temporarily closed by Universal on September 30 due to persistent major technical problems. During the shut-down, Universal sues the original designer of the Jaws attraction,[12] Ride & Show Engineering, and hires Totally Fun Company to create a re-designed version of most of the ride. On October 27, Nickelodeon unveiled their Slime Geyser that first erupted that day.
1991 Universal adds four new attractions to the park: The Blues Brothers Show, StreetBusters, The Screen Test Home Video Adventure and How to Make a Mega Movie Deal.[13] Back to the Future: The Ride officially opens in the World Expo Center area of the park, in a grand opening ceremony.[14] The ride is considered to be a success, and receives positive reception from theme park critics.[15] Fright Nights debuts at the park. In 1992, it is renamed to Halloween Horror Nights.
1992 Nickelodeon Studios gets rid of their Audition Room and the "Touch Screen" Surveys at the end of the 40 min walking tour and replaces them with the Game Lab. Nickelodeon also have a time capsule buried there on April 30. Fievel's Playland opens in the World Expo area.
1993 Jaws is re-opened, with many scenes altered. MCA/Universal announces plans to expand Universal Studios Florida into the Universal City, Florida resort complex, including a second theme park and multiple hotels.[16]
1995 Universal Studios Florida celebrates its 5th anniversary. A Day in the Park with Barney opens in the World Expo area. The Production Studio Tour is closed due to a dwindle in the studios' recent Film/TV production. Nickelodeon Studios's red & white pillars change to green. This is also the last year Nickelodeon uses Stage 21.
1996 Ghostbusters Spooktacular closes on November 8. T2-3D: Battle Across Time opens in the Hollywood area.[17]
1997 Universal announces that Ghostbusters Spooktacular will be replaced by Twister...Ride it Out, with a planned opening date of Spring 1998[18] Universal Studios announces that the sole Studio park will be expanded into the Universal Studios Escape, including the Islands of Adventure park, Universal CityWalk Orlando and multiple hotels. The Preview Center opens in the New York area, replacing The Screen Test Home Video Adventure. It is meant to give guests a preview of the up-coming Islands of Adventure park, as well as expansion of the Studio park into the Universal Studios Escape resort.
1998 The expansion begins as the original open parking lot for Universal Studios Florida is demolished and replaced by CityWalk and a parking garage complex.[19] Universal delays the opening of Twister...Ride it Out from March 1998 to May 4, 1998 out of respect for the 42 deaths caused by a recent El Nino outbreak of tornadoes in the central Florida area. Twister...Ride it Out opens in the New York area, replacing Ghostbusters Spooktacular.[20] A new area of the park, Woody Woodpecker's Kidzone, is officially opened, holding the attractions Curious George Goes to Town, StarToons and the previously opened Fievel's Playland, E.T. Adventure, Animal Actors Stage and A Day in the Park with Barney; CityWalk opens outside of the park.
1999 Woody Woodpecker's Nuthouse Coaster opens in the Woody Woodpecker's Kidzone area. Islands of Adventure opens next door to Universal Studios Florida.[21]
2000 Dynamite Nights Stunt Spectacular ends. Men in Black: Alien Attack opens in the World Expo area, on the former site of The Swamp Thing Set. Universal Studios Florida's 10th anniversary celebration.
2001 Animal Planet Live opens, replacing Animal Actors Stage. Macy's Holiday Parade debuts at the park.
2002 Universal Studios Escape is renamed Universal Orlando Resort. Kongfrontation closes in a closing ceremony. Halloween Horror Nights is moved to Islands of Adventure. The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera closes on October 20.
2003 Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast opens, replacing The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera.[22] Shrek 4-D opens with Donkey's Photo Finish, replacing Alfred Hitchcock: The Art of Making Movies and Stage 54 respectively.[23]
2004 Revenge of the Mummy opens, replacing Kongfrontation.[24] Halloween Horror Nights takes place in both Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure. Nickelodeon Studios' last show is taped.
2005 Universal Express Plus is introduced, replacing Universal Express. Nickelodeon Studios closes on April 30 after nearly 15 years. Fear Factor Live opens, replacing The Wild Wild Wild West Stunt Show. Universal Studios Florida celebrates its 15th anniversary.
2006 Delancey Street Preview Center opens in the New York area. Universal 360: A Cinesphere Spectacular opens, replacing Dynamite Nights Stunt Spectacular. Animal Planet Live is closed, and replaced by Animal Actors on Location. Halloween Horror Nights returns to Universal Studios Florida for its "Sweet 16".
2007 Back to the Future: The Ride closes on March 30.[25] Blue Man Group Sharp Aquos Theatre opens in CityWalk, replacing Nickelodeon Studios. Earthquake: The Big One closes in the San Francisco area on November 5.
2008 Disaster!: A Major Motion Picture Ride...Starring You! opens, replacing Earthquake: The Big One.[26] Universal announces Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, with a planned opening of Spring 2009. The Simpsons Ride opens, replacing Back to the Future: The Ride.[27]
2009 The Universal Music Plaza Stage opens, replacing The Boneyard. Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit opens.
2010 The 20th anniversary of Universal Studios Florida in June, as well as Halloween Horror Nights in October. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter opens to the public.
2011 Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast closes on August 18. Universal 360: A Cinesphere Spectacular closes. The 10th anniversary of Macy's Holiday Parade at the park.[28]
2012 Jaws and the surrounding Amity themed area closes on January 2, as announced on December 2, 2011.[29] Universal announces the additions of Universal's Cinematic Spectacular: 100 Years of Movie Memories and Universal's Superstar Parade to the park, with openings on May 8, 2012.[30] Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, opens replacing Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast; as announced on March 14, 2011 as "...one of many exciting things planned for the next couple of years".[31] Universal Orlando Resort announced Transformers: The Ride 3D will officially open in the summer of 2013, replacing Soundstage 44, which was demolished on June 24, 2012.[32] SpongeBob StorePants, a gift shop themed after SpongeBob SquarePants opened in Woody Woodpecker's Kidzone replacing the Universal Cartoon Store.
2013 The opening date for Transformers: The Ride 3D is announced for June 20, 2013. Details of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter expansion are officially announced. Details for the new Simpsons Land are announced and expected to open in the summer of 2013. Transformers: The Ride 3D officially opens in the Production Central area, replacing Soundstage 44. Simpsons Fast Food Boulevard (renamed Springfield U.S.A.) concludes its expansion as it includes one new ride: Kang & Kodos' Twirl 'n' Hurl.
2014 A Celebration of Harry Potter, an annual three-day weekend event celebrated on the last weekend of January, debuts at both Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure on January 24. The opening date for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Diagon Alley is announced for July 8, 2014 amid the Diagon Alley preview red carpet premiere on June 18, 2014 with Domhnall Gleeson, Bonnie Wright, Evanna Lynch, Matthew Lewis, James and Oliver Phelps, Tom Felton, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis and Helena Bonham Carter attending the premiere. King's Cross station opens on July 1, 2014 as well as the Hogwarts Express Hogsmeade station at Islands of Adventure, connecting park visitors to both Harry Potter theme parks via a full scale working replica of the Hogwarts Express train that appears in the Harry Potter film series. Diagon Alley officially opens, replacing Jaws and the Amity section of the park.
2015 Universal Studios Florida celebrates its 25th anniversary. Metal detectors and airport-style security are placed at the entrances to the Dragon Challenge and The Incredible Hulk at Islands of Adventure, and Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, as a precaution, banning loose articles from all pockets of riders, including cell phones, wallets, watches, and such. Universal announces a partnership with Nintendo to bring their characters to either Universal Studios Florida or Islands of Adventure park.[33] Universal announced in August, that Fast & Furious: Supercharged will replace Disaster!, set to close on September 8, and Beetlejuice's Rock and Roll Graveyard Revue, set to close early 2016, set to open in 2018. Disaster! closed on September 8. It was announced on October 27, the closing of Twister...Ride it Out for November 2, 2015 to be replaced by Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon in 2017,[34]
2016 Beetlejuice's Rock and Roll Graveyard Revue closes on January 5. Construction begins for Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon.
2017 On the January 12, 2017 episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, host Jimmy Fallon announced April 6 as the official opening date of Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon[35] with tapings of the show taking place at the resort April 2–6. Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon began soft openings on March 2 and opened on April 6. Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon attended the grand opening of the ride as well as announcer Steve Higgins, house band The Roots, Gary, Sara's stepdad and Hashtag the Panda. T2-3D: Battle Across Time closed on October 8 to make room for a new attraction opening in 2019.[36] Universal's Cinematic Spectacular: 100 Years of Movie Memories closed to make room for a new night show.[37]
2018 In 2018 Universal opened Fast & Furious: Supercharged on April 23, 2018. The attraction is based on Fast & Furious film franchise, which features Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez and Tyrese Gibson. Fast & Furious: Supercharged replaced Disaster!, which closed on September 8, 2015. Also on July 16, 2018, Universal Orlando Resort debuted its new Night time lagoon show, Universal Orlando's Cinematic Celebration.[38]
2019 Beverly Hills Boulangerie closed early January to be re-themed to The Today Show and open in Spring as TODAY Cafe. A Celebration of Harry Potter was not celebrated as Universal focused on the construction of Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure at Islands of Adventure. TODAY Cafe opened on May 16 with a grand opening attended by Al Roker and a live broadcast of The Today Show. On October 15, it was announced that a stunt show based on The Jason Bourne film series, called The Bourne Stuntacular, would open in the spring of 2020 replacing T2-3D: Battle Across Time.[39]
2020 Universal Parks & Resorts announced the closure of the resort effective March 15 due to the rapid spread of the coronavirus in Florida, initially until the end of the month, later expended to April 19, then May 31. On May 22, Universal announced the official reopening of the resort for June 5. Universal Orlando Resort reopens after almost almost three months since closing, due to the coronavirus, with safety guidelines implemented in order to prevent contagion. The Bourne Stuntacular, which replaced T2-3D: Battle Across Time, opened on June 30.[40]

Previous attractions

Main article: List of former Universal Studios Florida attractions
The previous icon of the Jaws ride is still a popular photo spot.

Like all theme parks, attractions are sometimes closed due to aging and replaced with more contemporary attractions. Universal has seen this happen several times. Some notable closures include Kongfrontation, Back to the Future: The Ride, The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera, Jaws, and Nickelodeon Studios. The closures of Kongfrontation, Back to the Future, and Jaws have been given homages by the park to honor veteran visitors who revered the former rides.

For instance, the current location of Diagon Alley was once a section of the park named Amity Island, based on the fictional seaside town from Jaws, which contained the park's Jaws attraction. The area was reconstructed to make way for the Diagon Alley portion of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction. As an homage to the Jaws attraction and Amity section that was available to so many visitors of the years, references to both are sprinkled throughout Diagon Alley. One being a set of shark jawbones appearing behind the herbs and potions of Mr. Mulpepper's Apothecary.

Nickelodeon Studios became a Blue Man Group attraction in 2007.

Park design

Main article: List of Universal Studios Orlando attractions

Universal Studios Florida features eight themed areas all situated around a large lagoon. In 2012, this lagoon became the site of Universal's Cinematic Spectacular: 100 Years of Movie Memories, a thematic display that showcased scenes from various Universal films, featuring lasers, projectors and fountains, and pyrotechnics.

The eight surrounding themed areas, clockwise from the entrance, are Production Central, New York City, San Francisco, London/Diagon Alley, World Expo, Springfield, Woody Woodpecker's Kidzone and Hollywood. Each area features a combination of rides, shows, attractions, character appearances, dining outlets and merchandise stores. The newest area, based on Harry Potter's Diagon Alley, was added to the park in the July 2014.

Production Central

Ride Year opened Manufacturer Description
Despicable Me Minion Mayhem 2012 Intamin A simulator ride featuring the characters from Despicable Me movie franchise.
Shrek 4-D 2003 PDI/DreamWorks A 4-D film show featuring the characters of Shrek movie franchise.
Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit 2009 Maurer Söhne A steel music-themed roller coaster, featuring a loop and several helixes.
Universal Music Plaza Stage 2009 An amphitheater that is located next to Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit. It hosts 15-20 concerts per season and holds up to 8,000 people.
Transformers: The Ride 3D 2013 Oceaneering International A 3D dark ride based on the characters from the Transformers film franchise.
Universal's Superstar Parade 2012 Universal Orlando's Entertainment Division A parade based on the Despicable Me, The Secret Life of Pets, SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, Go Diego Go! TV show series and the film franchise.

The area is also home to a variety of dining outlets and merchandise shops. Food and beverage items can be purchased from TODAY Cafe or Universal Studios' Classic Monsters Cafe while merchandise can be bought from a variety of themed stores including Universal Studios Store, Studio Sweets, It's a Wrap!, Super Silly Stuff, Shrek's Ye Olde Souvenir Shoppe, and Transformers: Supply Vault.[41][42]

New York City

Ride Year opened Manufacturer Description
Revenge of the Mummy 2004 Premier Rides An indoor roller coaster ride based on The Mummy franchise.
The Blues Brothers Show 1991 A musical stage show featuring The Blues Brothers.
Delancey Street Preview Center 2006 An interactive attraction where guests could preview upcoming TV shows and films from Universal.
Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon 2017 Dynamic Attractions Based on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Fallon challenges guests on a wild race throughout New York City.

New York City features several dining outlets: Finnegan's Bar and Grill and Louie's Italian Restaurant which were designed for the park as well as Starbucks Coffee and Ben & Jerry's which are commercial franchises. Within New York City exist two merchandise shops: Sahara Traders and Rosie's Irish Shop. The first two feature merchandise related to attractions within this area.[41][43] Also located here is a statue of longtime MCA/Universal executive Lew Wasserman, honoring his achievements and history while head of Universal.

As Nickelodeon was headquartered in the park at the time, the opening credits for Roundhouse and All That (two of its shows) were filmed around this area of the park.

San Francisco

Ride Year opened Manufacturer Description
Fast & Furious: Supercharged 2018 Oceaneering International A dark ride based on The Fast and the Furious franchise.

In August 2015, Universal announced that it would replace Disaster! with a new attraction based on the film franchise The Fast and the Furious. The company later revealed that this attraction would use Universal's new "Virtual Line" system, allowing guests to select a time frame in which they want to ride. Fast & Furious: Supercharged opened on April 23, 2018.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley/London

Main article: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (Universal Orlando Resort)

Diagon Alley is the second half of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Ride Year opened Manufacturer Description
Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts 2014 Intamin A dark indoor steel roller coaster featuring Harry Potter and his friends.
Hogwarts Express 2014 Doppelmayr Garaventa Group A train ride where guests can look outside the window at the scenes from the Harry Potter movies.

Opened on July 8, 2014, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley/London features two attractions, Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts and the Hogwarts Express, which connects the area to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade at Islands of Adventure. Diagon Alley also features a restaurant The Leaky Cauldron and several "signature shops".[44] These include, Ollivanders Wand Shop, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, Borgin and Burkes, Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment, and Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour.[45]

World Expo

Ride Year opened Manufacturer Description
Fear Factor Live 2005 A stunt stage show based on the NBC television show series Fear Factor.
Men in Black: Alien Attack 2000 MTS Systems Corporation Based on the Men in Black film, this is a shooting dark ride where guests try to shoot as many aliens as possible.

Sometime after June 2005 the optical illusion of the Space Shuttle was removed from this part of the park. As you headed towards World Expo from San Francisco it was one of the many designated photo spots throughout the park. There was a hanging platform that you would place your camera on and take the picture. The Shuttle would look as though it was sitting on the top of Back to the Future: The Ride.

Springfield

Ride Year opened Manufacturer Description
The Simpsons Ride 2008 Intamin Based on the long-running animated sitcom, guests are taken on a big adventure featuring all the Simpsons characters on this simulator ride.
Kang & Kodos' Twirl 'n' Hurl 2013 Zamperla A spinning ride resembling the title aliens (Kang and Kodos) on The Simpsons.

Springfield used to be classed as a part of the World Expo until 2017.

Woody Woodpecker's Kidzone

Ride Year opened Manufacturer Description
Animal Actors on Location 1990 A 20-minute live stage show featuring trained animals showcasing their talent. This was formerly Animal Planet Live.
A Day in the Park with Barney 1995 A live sing-along stage show featuring Barney and his friends.
Curious George Goes to Town 1998 A play area featuring two large water troughs that dump 500 gallons of water on its visitors every few minutes, and a ball area where guests can shoot soft foam balls out of cannons.
Woody Woodpecker's Nuthouse Coaster 1999 Vekoma A simple Woody Woodpecker-themed Vekoma family roller coaster.
Fievel's Playland 1992 A children's playground based on An American Tail which includes a 30-foot (9.1 m) spider web to climb and a 200-foot (61 m) long water slide.
E.T. Adventure 1990 Based on Steven Spielberg's hit film, the scenes from the film are re-enacted while guests ride on bikes to save E.T. from NASA and police officials and have to take him to his home planet. The ride has also been at Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Studios Japan. However, the Hollywood ride closed in 2003 and the Japan ride closed in 2009. Therefore, this is the only remaining E.T. Adventure ride in the Universal Parks because the Universal Studios Singapore version was cancelled.

Hollywood

Ride Year opened Description
Universal's Horror Make-Up Show 1990 A live stage show that shows guests how horror film special effects are created. Before the main show guests experience a pre-show walk-through of set pieces and props used in various horror movies. The pre-show houses multiple props from films like the Universal Classic Monsters series and modern films including Hellboy II: The Golden Army. In August 2008, a section of the pre-show lobby was included to contain material from Halloween Horror Nights which includes some concept art, and a timeline of park map covers dating from its debut year in 1991 as Fright Nights. Both of these attractions opened in 1990.
Marilyn and The Diamond Bellas 2020 A live action musical show located outside the Horror Make Up show theatre.
The Bourne Stuntacular 2020 A live action stunt show based on the Jason Bourne film series.

Hollywood's two dining outlets are recreations of actual Hollywood outlets. Schwab's Pharmacy and Mel's Drive-In offer guests a variety of food and beverage options. A third outlet, named Cafe La Bamba, operates seasonally. Guests can purchase magic-related items from Theatre Magic.[41][46]

Lagoon

Ride Year opened Description
Universal Orlando's Cinematic Celebration 2018 A nighttime lagoon show, similar to World of Color, that features full panoramic water screens, including multi-layer water screens, pyrotechnics, projection mapping and more than 120 dancing fountains. This show brings thrilling and fun moments from Jurassic World, The Fast and the Furious, Harry Potter, Illumination (Despicable Me, The Secret Life of Pets, Sing), DreamWorks Animation (Shrek, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda, How to Train Your Dragon, Trolls) and other blockbuster films.[47]

Character appearances

Woody and Winnie Woodpecker are among the mascots of Universal Studios

Universal Studios Florida has a number of famous characters. The following is a list of characters that can be seen in the park:

Current characters

Seen in Hollywood
Seen in Production Central
Seen in World Expo
Seen in Springfield: Home of the Simpsons
Seen in Woody Woodpecker's KidZone
Seen in New York City
Seen in San Francisco
  • Bruce the Shark from Jaws
Seen in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley

Past characters

Production facilities

Universal Studios Florida is also a working production studio. It has been used for several movies, television series, commercials, music videos, and other events throughout its history. It was also the home of Nickelodeon Studios, the production location for Nickelodeon from 1990 until 2005. In September 2008, Nickelodeon returned to Universal Studios Florida for the production of "My Family's Got GUTS". In January 2009, the Powerball lottery drawings moved from Iowa; they are conducted and made at Universal Studios Florida, coinciding with the Florida Lottery's entry into the Powerball game. In July 2010, the 2010–11 season of RTL Group's Family Feud was filmed at the studios, coinciding with the show's debut of new host Steve Harvey; the show would change its production location to Atlanta, Georgia for the show's 2011–12 season. Over a two-month span in July and August 2018, a revival of Endemol Shine Group's Deal or No Deal was filmed in Soundstage 21 for CNBC, with Howie Mandel returning as the show's host.[50] David Makes Man will also be using the Sound Stages in Summer 2018. David Makes Man is scheduled to air in 2019 on the Oprah Winfrey Network. In 2019, National Geographic used Sound Stages 19 and 20 to film The Right Stuff (TV series)

Soundstages 18 and 19 at the park were home to Nickelodeon Studios prior to the debut of the Blue Man Group show.

Universal Studios Florida is home to six soundstages that are available for a variety of purposes. A seventh soundstage, Stage 18, was one of the former Nickelodeon Studios soundstages; it was redesigned in 2007 as the Sharp Aquos Theatre, where the Blue Man Group has performed since June 2007.

The soundstage and the core production facility were made a permanent part of Universal CityWalk. Soundstage 21 was used between 2004–2013 by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA, now known as Impact Wrestling) which had produced its weekly television program, Impact! (now also known as Impact Wrestling), from there along with some of its pay-per-view events before terminating their lease[51] and beginning to tour nationally. Impact returned to Universal Studios on November 21, 2013, this time using the smaller Soundstage 19.[52] Since then, the company has again been taping most of its programming at Universal Studios (with occasional tapings at other venues), but there is no permanent venue for the tapings. The company switches between Soundstage's 19, 20 and 21. Impact Wrestling refers to the Universal Studios soundstage's, and in particular Soundstage 21, as the Impact Zone, derived from the name of their television programming.

During Halloween Horror Nights, the soundstages are occasionally used for the event's haunted houses.

A wide range of productions have been filmed in the soundstages during the studio's history, including many local and national commercials. Television shows include SeaQuest DSV (from its second season forward) and Superboy (second-fourth seasons). The Ellen DeGeneres Show taped a week-long series of episodes at the resort in the spring.[53] Sports-entertainment shows WCW Monday Nitro and roller derby series RollerJam! were taped at the studios. In 2009 the studios also became headquarters for the Adrenaline Partnership's FIREBALL RUN(R) series; a popular national motoring event series. The studios have hosted numerous game shows, including national tours of Wheel of Fortune, Fear Factor (portions of episodes from 2004–2005) and the Florida Lottery's Flamingo Fortune. Since 2009, the Powerball drawing originates from the facilities. Major scenes of the movie Parenthood were filmed at the studios prior to the park's opening to the public in 1990. The film Psycho IV: The Beginning as well as the TV series Swamp Thing were also filmed at the theme park shortly following its grand opening. Most recently, the films Bring It On: In It to Win It, Ace Ventura Jr: Pet Detective, Beethoven's Big Break and The Final Destination were filmed at the studio.

During the 1990s when Nickelodeon's main home was at Universal Studios, the soundstages were used to film almost all Nickelodeon's original live action programming including: Get the Picture, Kenan & Kel, Family Double Dare, All That and many others, although many programs, including All That and Kenan & Kel later moved to Nickelodeon on Sunset in California. While Stage 18 is now used as the Sharp Aquos Theatre for the Blue Man Group, Soundstage 19 and the core production facility are home to Sun Sports and Fox Sports Florida. Soundstage 19 has also been used to film The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in June 2014 and April 2017.

Other soundstages located throughout the park (while primarily in the Production Central area) house the attractions Blue Man Group Sharp Aquos Theatre (in CityWalk), Shrek 4-D, Donkey's Photo Finish, Revenge of the Mummy, Men in Black: Alien Attack, E.T. Adventure, Despicable Me Minion Mayhem and Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Annual events

Universal Studios Florida features several seasonal events throughout its operating calendar. Some are included in the daily park admission, while others are separately-ticketed events.

Grad Bash and Gradventure

Grad Bash and Gradventure are two separate events held in April and May at the park. Grad Bash is an event for graduating high school senior classes who can gather for an exclusive, all-night party at Universal Orlando Resort featuring the 2 parks’ best attractions, live performances by some of the most popular musicians, dance parties with DJs, and pre-parties live at The Universal Music Plaza Stage in the Production Central area.[54] After Disney's retirement of Grad Nite, Grad Bash was held for five nights in 2012. Gradventure is similar, but is designed for junior high/middle school graduating students.[55]

Halloween Horror Nights

Main article: Halloween Horror Nights

Halloween Horror Nights turns the park into a giant haunted playground, including scare zones, numerous haunted houses, and special themed shows. The event is run annually in late September, October, and early November.[56]

Macy's Holiday Parade

See also: Macy's Holiday Parade

Macy's Holiday Parade brings some authentic balloons from the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade to Orlando in a month-long event in December that highlights the Christmas celebrations at the park.[57]

Mardi Gras

See also: Mardi Gras

Generally in February through to April, a parade and concert series inspired by New Orleans' Fat Tuesday party is held at the park.[58] The parade takes place in the evening and consists of park employees and other appointed park guests throwing beads to other park guests.

Rock the Universe

Main article: Rock the Universe

Rock the Universe is the park's Christian music festival, featuring two days in January or February (as of 2019, prior years held this event in September. This was likely done in response to the cancellation of the event in 2017 due to Hurricane Irma.) of concerts with leading contemporary Christian, Christian rock, and Christian rap artists live at The Universal Music Plaza Stage in the Production Central.[59]

Summer Concert Series

Summer Concert Series occurs annually and features a variety of popular music acts performing live at The Universal Music Plaza Stage in the Production Central.[60]

A Celebration of Harry Potter

Main article: A Celebration of Harry Potter

A Celebration of Harry Potter is an annual three-day weekend event held on the last weekend of January at both Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure, celebrating the fandom of the Harry Potter books authored by J. K. Rowling and the Wizarding World franchise (including the Harry Potter film series and Fantastic Beasts film series).

Universal Express Pass

Main article: Universal Express Pass

Most attractions in Universal Studios Florida allow guests to utilize Express Pass. This pass admits users to a separate line for the attraction, which is given priority status when boarding. Express Pass is not a virtual queuing service. Instead, passholders may enter the "Universal Express" line whenever they wish. This pass is not included with park admission.

Attendance

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Worldwide rank
6,231,000[61] 5,530,000[62] 5,925,000[63] 6,044,000[63] 6,195,000[64] 7,062,000[64] 8,263,000[65] 9,585,000[66] 9,998,000[67] 10,198,000[68] 10,708,000[69] 11

Closures

The park has had some unscheduled closures. These included:

See also

References

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External links

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