SAMLAND GUIDE TO UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOLLYWOOD – Part 2
As you recall, the basic touring plan for USH is to start with the Studio Tour, cross over to the Lower Lot for the thrill rides, The Mummy and Jurassic Park. Then spend the rest of the day taking in all of the shows and atmosphere on the Upper Lot.
The Studio TourThe Official Line: This tour passes through several attractions, which contains loud explosions, large flame effects, fog effects and tidal wave effects. The vehicle rocks aggressively from side to side and up and down during certain attractions. Certain effects may be too intense for children.
The world famous Studio Tour is the whole reason why USH exists in the first place. In 1961, in order to gin up business in the Studio Commissary, legendary movie mogul Lew Wasserman decided to let tour buses drive through the back lot if the drivers agreed to drop people off for something to eat. It worked.
It worked so well that in 1964 Wasserman decided to take over the tours himself and hired Disney Legend Harper Goff to design the iconic GlamorTrams and Edith Head to design the tour guide costumes.
The Studio Tour experience has changed a lot over the years. The current version lasts about 45 minutes and features guest host Jimmy Fallon along with a highly trained, live tour guide. Because the tour has to traverse through a real working studio there is a high level of randomness and repeatability. Every tour is different depending on what is being filmed on the backlot or what show element is working that day. The Studio Tour is great and the must-do attraction within the park.
The custom built trams consist of 4 cars. Each car is huge and comes complete with hi-def video monitors. My preferred seat is toward the back of car 2 and anywhere in car 3. As we shall see, this will afford you the best view for most of the little adventures you are about to experience. If you have Gate A privileges, they will guide you toward the first car but it is worth asking to sit farther back.
Our tour begins with the tram descending down a steep hill behind The Simpsons Ride. Once upon a time this is where you got caught up in the middle of Battlestar Galatica or a bunch of rubber rocks before that. As you continue down the hill you will see the backstage side of Jurassic Park. On both sides of the tram are movie posters reflecting the history of the studio. Once you are on the Lower Lot, the tram will drive past the haunted Stage 28, home of the set from Lon Cheney's Phantom of the Opera.
Over the years, USH realized that just driving by some movie sets would not make for a very interesting tour. So they started to add little sideshows that represent a particular film or demonstrated movie making technologies. This is the peeling back the tinsel I talked about last week.
The best immersive experience is also the newest addition to the park - King Kong 360 3D. I have encountered many guests who think this is a stand-alone attraction and they are surprised to learn that it is part of the Studio Tour. You grab a pair of 3D glasses at the beginning of the tour and awkwardly hang on to them the entire way. However, once you have experienced King Kong you are bound to agree with me that it was well worth it.
Your tram grinds its way up a hill just below the old Collapsing Bridge and waits (and waits, and waits, and…). Once it gets a green light it enters a portal protected by skulls. Peter Jackson guides us into the tunnel and then tells us we can finally put on our glasses. The room goes black and then we find ourselves rolling along in Skull Island. You sense that you are moving and you get caught in the action but that is just movie magic consisting of a giant fans and a tram that is mounted on a gimbal.
The screens on both sides of the tram surround the vehicle and create a very convincing illusion. This is why sitting toward the back is better then toward the front. More screen therefore more action. The battle between dinosaurs and King Kong is very intense and may freak out the little ones. Kong has a habit of crossing over the roof of the tram and you will get used to being splattered with dino blood. At least that is what I think that was. Even the last car of the tram gets caught up in the action in a grizzly way (sort of). Once you escape you need to find a place to stow those glasses because you won't be needing them again. As you walk around USH notice how many 3D glasses are orphaned on trashcans or in corners. Amazing.
I especially enjoy driving through the very large sets of through New York Street and Courthouse Square. The ever-changing facades are a reminder that real movies are made here. Due to production schedules sometimes much of the area is block off. Good luck.
We continue along encountering more immersive experiences. An old favorite, the Mexican village, is still being ravaged by flash floods every few minutes. The shark from Jaws still lunges at you and then does the backstroke. A couple of the shows need a bit of TLC including the BART station that suffers from the earthquake as well as the Mummy's tomb. My hope is that at some point the Fast and Furious dancing cars and the fossils left over from Jurassic Park will be retire and something worthy can take their place. According to a proposed master plan of the entire property, this is an area slated for theme park expansion.
Placing The Grinch Who Stole Christmas next to the Bates Motel from Psycho is rather inspired and driving through the War of the World crash scene is a powerful moment and reminds you why the neighbors may hate living next to this theme park.
Jimmy Fallon replaced Whoopi Goldberg as host and it is a refreshing change. His bits are quite funny and I wish there were more of them. Not sure if "have a tramtastic day" has reached deep into the popular culture but USH is trying.
Now let's go back up the escalator, past the giant clown head and head down one of the longest esclator systems to the Lower Lot. Enjoy the amazing view (most of the time) of the San Fernando Valley. Off in the distance is Warner Brothers studio as well as the Disney Studio. The planes you see are flying in and out of Bob Hope Airport. The golf course below is the very exclusive Lakeside Golf Club. This view is one of the most underrated features in the park.
THE LOWER LOT
Jurassic Park – The Ride
The Official Line: This ride is a water journey on a touring raft. The raft will suddenly and dramatically accelerate, turn and drop. Riders will get wet. 42" height limit.
A common storyline used at theme park attractions from Disney and Universal goes something like this. You step into an exotic vehicle and you plan on taking a leisurely trip from Point A to Point B. All of sudden, something goes horribly wrong and then you are plunged into an adventure that will surely result in nothing less then certain death.
This is a ride that makes a great first impression. For me, the best part of is the opening sequence when your boat flows through the iconic gates and you enter the first dino enclosure. We see dinos munching away peacefully and then, say it with me, something goes horribly wrong. Somehow we are pushed backstage were all of the bad dinos live. Not good. The tour boat before did not fare well. Look closely for the floating Mickey Mouse hat in the debris.
Every turn brings about another horror and it just keeps getting worse. You are pulled up hill and then… You see for yourself. The drop sounds ferocious and can get quite wet, especially in the front row but during the cooler months you will be surprised how dry you can stay as long as you avoid the first row. During this past summer water cannons were added and you were sure to get soaked. Really soaked.
This ride also exists on the east coast at Islands of Adventure. Most bi-coastal park goers prefer the Hollywood version but just slightly.
Revenge of the Mummy – The Ride
The Official Line: Plunge into the immortal horror of the The Mummy on the world's first psychological thrill ride. It will hurtle you screaming through the darkness, forwards and backwards, with special effects at every turn! 48" height limit.
If you have experienced The Mummy in Florida prepare to be extremely disappointed. The east coast version is an amazing coaster with a solid, believable backstory. In Florida, you are going to be used as an extra in an upcoming sequel to the Mummy series. However, something goes horribly wrong (where have I heard that before?). You are trapped in your mine car and the Mummy is trying to suck out your soul. That version contains a false ending and some amazing effects that combine to create a great indoor coaster. The west coast version…not so much. In Hollywood, they had to shoehorn the coaster into a much smaller building and the editing was brutal. The pre-show is abrupt and just a room with a video screen yelling at you. You step out of the coaster and walk right into a non-theme hallway toward the exit. Over!
Get ready to board the mine cars. The seats are cramped and the lap and knee restraints are incredibly uncomfortable and I am not a big person. The train leaves the station and you crawl through some very detailed creep scenes. A very cool audio-animatronics character tries to make you an offer you can't refuse but you do. The coaster is launched into the blackness while swordsman fall out of the ceiling to cut your head off. Blacklight demons haunt you as you spin about in the dark. You come to a very sudden (and for many a painful) stop and get attack by scarab beetles. Oh joy. Then you go backward. Luckily the return trip is mercifully smooth and short. My biggest disappoint comes at the end. The ride's climax has been hacked into nothing over the years. There is sometimes a single rider line that is sometimes open.
The NBCUniversal Experience
The Official Line: Go behind the scenes of Universal's films legacy in this interactive exhibit featuring authentic props, wardrobe and artifacts from past, present and upcoming Universal productions.
The NBCUniversal Experience is well worth a brief visit. This little museum is often overlooked, especially since nothing is at that end of the Lower Lot right now. Props from movies past and present are behind glass. Each artifact is well documented. A small area is dedicated to the theme park and tour.
Over the past summer I noticed that the air conditioning was set so low that you could store meat in the museum. This space will no doubt become the prime waiting area for those not riding Transformers. The area is scheduled for some changes to accommodate the large crowds expected for Transformers once it starts running early next year.
THE UPPER LOT
For most visitors, the Upper Lot is where you will spend most of your time. This is where the majority of shows are located as well as lots of shops and restaurants. Just a reminder that the best way to get around the Upper Lot without getting lost is to walk around the perimeter pathway. For the purposes of this tour we will start at the front entrance and make a counter-clockwise loop. Once you enter go straight and stick to the right. To the right you will pass the Waterworld entrance, Shrek 4-D, The Adventure of Curious George, and the Studio Tour entrance. Continue around the loop and there is The Simpsons Ride, the escalator to the Lower Lot, Special Effects Stage, Universal Animal Actors, T2:3D, The House of Horrors, and the exit. WaterWorld
The Official Line: Experience death-defying stunts and breathtaking feats as we enter the midst of a live sea war spectacular. There are loud explosion noises, pyrotechnics, large flame effects and performers in close proximity to the audience.
WaterWorld is the must see show at USH. I hold this opinion even after seeing this show hundreds of times. I worked in Show Control for this show and, along with the Special Effects Stage, this is the show I saw the most. Along with I still think it is a fantastic show and well worth seeing each time you visit.
The stunt show is based on the odd film Waterworld with Kevin Costner. In some ways this show picks up where the film leaves off. Well, sort of. For the 12 or 13 of you who saw the original classic, Helen does find "dry land", ditches the little girl and comes back to the Atoll where all of her buddies live. However, what she does not realize is the Deacon, the bad buy who dies in the first film but is reincarnated for the stunt show, has followed her. Madness and mayhem ensue and by the end just about everybody is dead with most dying in a grizzly way. What could be more entertaining then that?
You have to admire the real who make up. All of the cast work as professional stunt people and are frequently featured in movies and television. For many, they use this show as a steady paycheck between film projects and to keep up their skills. They are all extraordinary athletes that are very experienced and can really hurt themselves if something were to go wrong. The crew and stage managers also highly trained since they are carting pyrotechnics all over a hot metal set. I had a chance to see the pool when it was drained and it is an amazing piece of architecture. Some spots go down a low as 30 feet below the surface.
The queue is designed for guest torture. The places you are most likely to stand if you get there early are not in the shade or near the misters. If you open an umbrella, even in the rain, a show controller will hurl their bodies upon yours and tackle you, beat you senseless then take it away from you. There is a front door that goes through the tower and a back door. Both get you to the grandstands and excellent seats.
There are two types of seats. The green seats are within the "splash" zone and you will get wet. How wet? In some cases you will want to buy a souvenir towel on the way out. The one spot where you will generally get really blasted is the first couple of rows at aisle 2, grandstand 3 all the way around to the other side. Those seats are not protected by any of the set pieces and the guys on the jet skis have a certain something about making a point to those sitting in that section. Another good spot include the lower rows at the intersection of grandstands 1 and 2.
If you want to stay dry sit in a silver seat. I prefer the seats toward the top of the grandstands. And it is best to avoid going all the way around toward grandstand 3. Late in the afternoon the sun can be blinding.
One request. Please do not ask the Show Control folks if you can leave your sleeping baby inside of the stroller while you go to watch the show from the grandstands. Yes, this does happen more often then you can possibly image. With all of the explosions, your kid would not be sleeping for very long. Plus, if you are sitting in a wet zone with an infant be prepared to have one angry baby when you get splash with water fired at you at the velocity of a jet ski.
The Stuff Between
Two hidden treasures exist between WaterWorld and Shrek 4-D. During certain times of the day a couple of people who are very much from New York hang out of the windows above and talk with passing guests. The actors are excellent improv artists and get off some pretty funny lines. Not easy to find a seat but if you can relax and take in a bit of the show. Just beyond is an interactive Donkey audio-animatronics that is also good for a few laughs.
Shrek 4-D
The Official Line: This is a 4-D movie presented in theatre-style seating. The presentation will involve strobes and other localized effects. The seats will exhibit tilting and jarring movements coordinated with dramatic action-packed events of the movie.
Shrek was a big hit and it must have seemed obvious that there was a lot of merchandise to be moved if the park had the right attraction. So, when in doubt make a 4-D experience. 4-D combines a 3-D film with in-theater effects. In the case of Shrek 4-D this includes a very funny well made film, weird moving seats, and water tossed occasionally in to your face.
The storyline for Shrek 4-D bridges the gap between the first two Shrek movies. The posters around the queue area are some of the funniest bits and well worth taking some time to scout out. You grab a pair of 3D glasses as you pass through the turnstiles and funnel into a dark dungeon. Dark. Come in from the daylight and you will be tripping over people.
Hanging on the wall are the three little pigs, Pinocchio, and the Magic Mirror. What comes next is a very clever, rather funny pre-show set up. One thing that Universal does do much better then Disney is Post-Modern humor. When Disney tries to be hip and clever it never seems to work out. Universal is best when tongue is firmly planted in one cheek. This pre-show is a great example.
I can see it now. During a meeting at Universal Creative the boss turned to his minions and said, "Folks, Dreamworks wants a 3-D movie for the Shrek franchise. We know we are going to squirt water at them and I want to do something unique but I don't really what else to do." Somebody from the back shouted out, "Make the seats move! We have the technology and it really doesn't fit anywhere else." And the idea of featuring moving seats at Shrek 4-D was born.
The movie is very entertaining and the digital projection is crisp and bright. The script if very funny and the action wonderfully rendered. They take full advantage of 3-D filmmaking, even poking a bit of fun at the genre. The moving seats are more of an annoyance as they are a benefit. The movement reminds me of being a small child sitting on the knee of an adult who thinks they are being playful by bouncing you up and down on their knee but what they are really doing is just being irritating.
The show does not run continuously most days so be sure to check your show schedule. The identical attraction in everyway exists in Florida as well.
Next week we will wrap up our tour of USH with the rest of the Upper Lot. What are your thoughts?
New Book Explores Walt Disney and His Prized EPCOT Project
PASADENA, Calf.–In the middle of Central Florida swamplands and ranch property, Walt Disney aspired to build the greatest American city ever conceived--EPCOT. While Disney would die before realizing this epic achievement, he still left behind the blueprint for one of the boldest and most unique projects ever proposed on American soil.
Walt and the Promise of Progress City is an amazing new book that explores how Walt Disney—the master of fiction—was determined to bring new life to the non-fiction world of city design and development and, in doing so, fundamentally improve the Great American way of life.
This 374-page paperback by Sam Gennawey explores Walt Disney's vision for a city of tomorrow, EPCOT, and how this great city would be a way for American corporations to demonstrate how technology, creative thinking, and hard work could change the world. Quite simply, Disney saw this project as a way to influence the public's expectations about city life, in the same way his earlier work had redefined what it meant to watch an animated film or visit an amusement park.
Gennawey, a professional planner and highly-respected theme park and attractions industry expert, also breaks new ground in detailing the process through which meaningful and functional spaces have been created by Walt Disney and his artists as well as how guests understand and experience those spaces.
Gennawey has spent years researching the history of EPCOT and Walt Disney's love for city planning while interviewing a wide variety of key players familiar with Walt and his vision for EPCOT.
"Walt and the Promise of Progress City explains how the architecture and design of Disney theme parks is so successful," explains Len Testa, Co-Author, The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. "Far from being a lucky accident, Sam Gennawey shows that Walt's interest in urban planning led Disney Imagineers to draw upon established architecture theory to build one of the most popular, successful urban landscapes of the 20th century."
Walt and the Promise of Progress City (ISBN 978-0615540245) is published by Ayefour Publishing at a list price of $19.95 for the book version and $9.95 for the Kindle version. More information can be found at www.ayefourpublishing.com.
