| Universal Studios Florida | |
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| Location | Orlando, Florida, United States  |
| Website | Universal Studios Florida Homepage |
| Owner | NBC Universal, The Blackstone Group |
| Opened | June 7, 1990 |
| Operating season | Year-round |
| Area | Universal Orlando Resort |
| Rides | 12 total
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| Universal Orlando Resort |
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| Theme parks |
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Universal Studios Florida |
| Resort hotels |
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Hard Rock Hotel |
| Universal Orlando Resort |
Universal Studios Florida is an American amusement park located in Orlando, Florida. Opened on June 7, 1990, the park's theme is the entertainment industry, in particular movies and television. Universal Studios Florida inspires its guests to "ride the movies," and it features numerous attractions and live shows. The park is one component of the larger Universal Orlando Resort.
In 2008, the park hosted an estimated 6.23 million guests, ranking it the fifth-most visited theme park in the United States, and #7 in the world.[1]
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Park history and design
Unlike its sister facility, Universal Studios Hollywood, which is a working film and television studio that became a tourist attraction and theme park, Universal Studios Florida was designed as both a theme park and a studio from the start. It was also the first time that Universal Studios had constructed an amusement park "from the ground up."
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 enter the "Jaws" attraction and board a boat touring the fictitious Amity Harbor, where they encounter the shark, then exit 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.
Over the years, Universal Studios Florida has not limited itself to attractions based on its own vast film library. It has occasionally licensed popular characters from other rival studios, many of whom did not operate theme parks themselves. Some examples include the Ghostbusters and the Men in Black (from Sony's Columbia Pictures), Jimmy Neutron (from Viacom's Nickelodeon), The Simpsons (20th Century Fox), and Shrek (from DreamWorks Animation).
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, a VIP for the park, 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 and Men in Black: Alien Attack. Many of the original stars reprised their film roles including Christopher Lloyd and Thomas F. Wilson in Back to the Future: The Ride, Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt in Twister...Ride it Out, Rip Torn and Will Smith in Men in Black: Alien Attack, Brendan Fraser for Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride, Christopher Walken and Dwayne Johnson in Disaster!, the cast from Shrek returned for Shrek 4-D, various Nicktoons voice actors reprised their roles in Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast, Roy Scheider recorded a voice over for the conclusion of Jaws, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera made appearances in The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera while Hanna-Barbera voice actors reprised their roles in the same ride, Alfred Hitchcock and Anthony Perkins appeared in Alfred Hitchcock: The Art of Making Movies and even Charlton Heston made an appearance in the pre-show for Earthquake: The Big One.
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." Currently, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling films its television programs at the studio. In January 2009, the Powerball lottery drawings moved from Iowa; they are conducted and filmed at Universal Studios Florida, coinciding with the Florida Lottery's entry into the Powerball game.
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 has been used since June 2004 for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) which has produced its weekly television program, TNA iMPACT! from there, and has aired its pay-per-view events from this location since November 2004; it is referred to as the "iMPACT! Zone" for this reason. The remaining soundstages are available for rent by other production companies. 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 films a week-long series of episodes at the resort in the spring.[2] Sports-entertainment shows World Championship Wrestling and roller derby series "RollerJam!" were filmed at the studios. 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 Ace Ventura Jr: Pet Detective and Beethoven's Big Break 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, Legends of the Hidden Temple, Family Double Dare, All That and many others. 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 FSN.
Other soundstages located throughout the park (whilst primarily in the Production Central area) house the attractions Blue Man Group Sharp Aquos Theatre (in CityWalk) Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast, Shrek 4-D, Donkey's Photo Finish, Twister...Ride it Out, Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride, Men in Black: Alien Attack and E.T. Adventure.
Park sections
Universal Studios Florida is separated into seven different areas—Production Central, Hollywood, New York, San Francisco/Amity, World Expo, Woody Woodpecker's Kidzone and The Lagoon.
Production Central
Production Central serves as the park's main entrance. The section is a cluster of motion picture soundstages, each of which houses attractions inspired by today's most popular films and television shows or actual film & television filming. A section of this area holding soundstages 18 and 19 was formerly used for production of Nickelodeon shows, but following the closure of Nickelodeon Studios, this area was annexed into CityWalk with the opening of Blue Man Group Sharp Aquos Theatre.
Attractions
- Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast, a motion simulator ride featuring various Nickelodeon characters, such as Jimmy Neutron, SpongeBob SquarePants, The Rugrats and The Fairly Oddparents. Opened: April 2003.
- Shrek 4-D, a 4-D film set between the events of the motion pictures Shrek and Shrek 2. Opened: June 2003.
- Donkey's Photo Finish, is an interactive character meet and greet across from the exit of Shrek's Ye Olde Souvenir Shoppe. Opened: 2003.
- The Hollywood Bowl Theater, a new ampitheatre styled alike to the Hollywood Bowl,. Opened: 2009.
- Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit, a new roller coaster experience complete with a custom soundtrack and the ability to upload a video of your experience to your webpage or video-sharing site. Opened: August 2009
Dining
- Beverly Hills Boulangerie
- Universal Studios Classic Monsters' Cafe
Shopping
- Universal Studios Store
- Studio Sweets
- It's a Wrap!
- Nick Stuff (Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast)
- Shrek's Ye Olde Souvenir Shoppe (Shrek 4-D)
Character appearances
- Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey (In front of Donkey's Photo Finish)
- Nickelodeon characters (SpongeBob SquarePants, Jimmy Neutron, Dora, Diego, and the Penguins from "Madagascar")
- Hanna-Barbera characters (Scooby-Doo, Shaggy)
Hollywood
Along Hollywood Boulevard, guests will see recreations of some of its greatest monuments, such as Schwab's Drug Store and Mel's Drive-In. The real Schwab's Drug Store and Mel's Drive-In were located in Sherman, later known as West Hollywood and both on Sunset Boulevard, not Hollywood Boulevard.
Attractions
- Universal's Horror Make-Up Show is a live stage show that shows guests how horror film special effects are created. Features a pre-show walk-through of set pieces and props used in various horror movies. Originally featured an opening pre-show featuring an appearance by Lon Chaney, Sr.'s Phantom of the Opera. Pre-show currently houses a character appearance by Hellboy from Hellboy II: The Golden Army. In August of 2008, a section of the pre-show lobby was included to contain material from Halloween Horror Nights (Orlando) which includes some concept art, and a timeline of Halloween Horror Nights comprised of map covers dating from its debut year in 1991 as Fright Nights. Opened: 1990.
- Lucy: A Tribute, a walk-through museum featuring the best of "America's favorite redhead." Opened: 1990
- Terminator 2: 3-D Battle Across Time is a live, 3D experience that combines a 3D film with an actual stage show based on the film Terminator 2. Opened: 1996.
Dining
- Cafe La Bamba (operates seasonally)
- Schwab's Pharmacy
- Mel's Drive In
Shopping
- Cyber Image (Terminator 2: 3-D Battle Across Time)
- Theatre Magic
Character appearances
- Marilyn Monroe
- Lucy and Ricky Ricardo
- Betty Boop
- Scooby Doo, Shaggy Rogers
- The Simpson Family: Homer Simpson, Marge Simpson, Bart Simpson, and Lisa Simpson
- Woody and Winnie Woodpecker
- Curious George
New York
This section of the park is aptly named. Within its boundaries can be found architectural styles and sets that resemble the New York of yesterday or today.
Attractions
- Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride is an indoor roller coaster inspired by The Mummy and its sequels. Opened: May 2004.
- Twister...Ride it Out is a live-action attraction that uses special effects to simulate a tornado. Inspired by Twister.Opened: 1998.
- The Blues Brothers Live is a live outdoor show with classic rock and soul songs performed by The Blues Brothers. Opened: 1991.
- Delancey Street Preview Center allows visitors to preview an upcoming film or television show created by Universal. This allows the company to receive feedback from a wide range of sources. Opened: 2006
Dining
- Finnegan's Bar and Gril
- Louie's Italian Restaurant
- Starbucks Coffee
- Ben & Jerry's
Shopping
- Aftermath (Twister...Ride it Out)
- Sahara Traders (Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride)
- Rosie's Irish Shop
Character appearances
- The Blues Brothers
- The Mummy characters
- The DeLorean time machine and the Jules Verne Train from the Back to the Future Trilogy is on display outside of Soundstage 44.
- Street Breaks
San Francisco/Amity
This section has two distinct themes; that of a mature coastal city and of a seasonal tourist town in New England.
Attractions
- Beetlejuice's Rock and Roll Graveyard Revue is a live show featuring some of Universal's classic monsters, including Frankenstein, Dracula, the Bride of Frankenstein, and Wolfman. Opened: 1992.
- Disaster!: A Major Motion Picture Ride...Starring You!, puts you in the middle of a new Disaster movie made by fictional company Disaster Studios. Opened: January 2008
- Fear Factor Live is a live stunt show that puts real park guests into the action of the former NBC series, Fear Factor. Opened: 2005.
- Jaws puts you aboard Captain Jake's Amity Boat Tours, where you'll journey around the island of Amity, hoping to avoid the menace known as JAWS. Opened: 1990.
Dining
- Richter's Burger Company
- Lombard's Landing Seafood Grille
- Nathan's Hotdogs
Shopping
- San Francisco Candy Factory
- Quint's Surf Shack (JAWS)
- Disaster! Studios Gifts (Disaster!: A Major Motion Picture Ride...Starring You!)
World Expo
World Expo takes its inspiration from the international expositions of the 20th century. It combines ultra-modern architecture as seen from the 1960s and today. Themeing in the area includes various flags of world countries and of Simpsons characters, and a small Coca Cola themed drink stall titled Roboasis.
Attractions
- Men in Black: Alien Attack is an interactive dark ride adventure where you will join the ranks of the Men in Black to save New York City from a recent alien invasion. Opened: 2000
- The Simpsons Ride is a motion simulator ride which takes you through the world of Krustyland with The Simpsons Family. Opened: 2008
Dining
- International Food and Film Festival
Shopping
- Fear Factor Gear (Fear Factor LIVE)
- MIB Gear (Men In Black: Alien Attack)
- Kwik-E-Mart (The Simpsons Ride)
Character appearances
- Doc Brown Doc Brown can actually be seen throughout the park riding a bicycle (equipped with its own flux capacitor) and interacting with guests, especially at the new Back to the Future display outside of Soundstage 44.
- The Simpsons Family: Homer Simpson, Marge Simpson, Bart Simpson, Lisa Simpson
Woody Woodpecker's KidZone
Woody Woodpecker's Kidzone is the park's children's area, and is hosted by Woody Woodpecker, Universal Studios' mascot. The area was originally part of World Expo, but was divided into its own section with the opening of Woody Woodpecker's Nuthouse Coaster in 1999.
Attractions
- A Day in the Park with Barney is a live stage show featuring Barney and his friends. Opened: July 10th, 1995.
- Fievel's Playland, a children's playground [3] [4]. Opened: 1991.
- Animal Actors On Location is a live stage show featuring trained animals. Opened: 2006.
- Curious George Goes to Town is 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 squishee balls out of cannons Opened: 1998
- Woody Woodpecker's Nuthouse Coaster is a junior coaster aimed toward children and their parents. Opened: 1999.
- E.T. Adventure, a dark ride based on the 1982 hit film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Opened: 1990.
- StarToons: 80's Rewind, a live show featuring classic Universal cartoon characters performing to 1980's songs. It is the third version of the show to be held at the park, the previous two versions being StarToons, in the Production Central area, and StarToons Character Meet and Greet, also in the Woody Woodpecker's Kidzone area. Opened: 2005.
Dining
- Kidzone Pizza Company
Shopping
- The Barney Store (A Day in the Park with Barney)
- E.T.'s Toy Closet (E.T. Adventure)
- Universal Cartoon Store (Woody Woodpecker's Nuthouse Coaster)
Character appearances
- Woody Woodpecker and Winnie Woodpecker
- Barney, Baby Bop, and BJ
- Curious George and Ted, the Man in the Big Yellow Hat
- Alex the Lion and the Penguins from "Madagascar"
- Scooby-Doo and Shaggy
The Lagoon
A large lake located in the middle of the park.
Attractions
- Universal 360: A Cinesphere Spectacular, a seasonal fireworks display that showcases scenes from various Universal films, featuring lasers, projectors and fireworks. The show is often shown during summer and other major holiday periods. Opened: 2006.
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.
- Mardi Gras (February-April) is a parade and concert series inspired by New Orleans' Fat Tuesday party.
- Rock the Universe (September) is the park's Christian music festival, featuring two days of concerts with leading contemporary Christian, Christian rock, and Christian rap artists.
- Halloween Horror Nights (September-October) turns the park into a giant haunted playground, including scare zones, numerous haunted houses and special themed shows.
- Macy's Holiday Parade (December) brings some authentic balloons from the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade to Orlando in a month-long event that highlights the Christmas celebrations at Universal Studios.
Universal Express Plus
Universal Studios Florida allow guests to utilize the "Universal Express Plus" Pass on selected attractions. This pass admits users to a separate line for the attraction, which is given priority status when boarding. Universal Express Plus is not a virtual queuing service, where users receive a specific time to return to the priority line. Instead, passholders may enter the Express Plus line whenever they wish.
Universal Express Plus is not included in park admission. There are a limited number of passes available each day and they are often sold out in advance. [5] The cost of the pass varies based on what parks are selected and even what day is selected, with higher prices charged on peak operating days during the year.
Purchasers of the Express Plus pass may use the shorter priority line once per enabled attraction. Guests of Universal's three on-site resorts—the Royal Pacific Resort, the Hard Rock Hotel and the Portofino Bay Hotel—may show their room keys for unlimited uses of the faster line for each ride. Also, guests who hold Universal Orlando's Premier Annual Pass receive the same unlimited privilege extended to hotel guests after 4pm.[6]
Previous attractions
Like all theme parks, attractions are sometimes closed due to age and replaced with more contemporary attractions. Universal has seen this action used a great deal of times, with many attraction closures such as Kongfrontation, Back to the Future: The Ride, Earthquake: The Big One, and The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera. The most recent closures which occurred were Back to the Future: The Ride, which has been replaced by The Simpsons Ride, Earthquake: The Big One, which has been replaced by Disaster!: A Major Motion Picture Ride...Starring You!, Kongfrontation, which has been replaced by Revenge Of The Mummy: The Ride, and The Boneyard, which was replaced The Hollywood Bowl Theater. Some closures, such as those of Kongfrontation and Back to the Future: The Ride, have proven drastic to longtime visitors and have been given homages by the park.
In 2008, Universal announced plans to release the ride films of The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera and Back to the Future: The Ride on special edition DVD re-releases of Back to the Future and The Jetsons planned for 2009.[7][8]
See also
- Incidents at Universal parks
- List of Universal Studios Florida attractions
- List of former Universal Studios Florida attractions
- Islands of Adventure
References
- ^ "TEA/ERA Theme Park Attendance Report 2008". www.themeit.com. 2009-04-16. http://teaconnect.org/etea/teaera2008.pdf. Retrieved 2009-04-16.
- ^ Universal Orlando-Ellen
- ^ Orlando Sentinel story
- ^ Wikimapia clickable map location
- ^ Express Plus Passes http://www.universalorlando.com/tic_express.html
- ^ Premier Annual Passes http://www.universalorlando.com/annualpass/ap_prem.php.html
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
External links
- Official Resort Site
- Universal Studios Florida Production Group
- Universal Studios Florida at the Central Florida Better Business Bureau
28°28′31″N 81°28′01″W / 28.4752°N 81.4670°WCoordinates: 28°28′31″N 81°28′01″W / 28.4752°N 81.4670°W
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This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
