GLaDOS
Well-Known Member
It won't take Fear Factor.
And even if it did...you'd really complain about losing that terrible show?
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Jaws closing?
- Thread starter dave&di
- Start date
It won't take Fear Factor.
And even if it did...you'd really complain about losing that terrible show?
SMS55
Well-Known Member
They were supposed to be aimed at children, Michael Bay just did a poor job at it. The target crowd for it was the under 40 crowd. I am in my early 30's and I was 8 when the Transformers first came on tv. Back then most of us loved them. For me it's a trip down memory lane. If you ask kids today who Optimus Prime and Bumble Bee not only will they answer you, they probably have one of each. Walk into the Toys R Us or the toy department at Wal-Mart and Target and notice how many different kinds of Bumble Bee there are.
RSoxNo1
Well-Known Member
My 5 year old nephew's favorite characters are Cars, Spider Man, and Transformers. 2012 is a great year for theme parks for him.
Crockett
Banned
There could be prequels.
J.K. Rowling has only said she is finished with Harry Potter.
JustInTime
Well-Known Member
I only know because I was extremely upset they put an Olivander's in the park. But I just re-read all 7 books and I caught that part in passing. I want to say Neville had to get one there. Perhaps in the 5th book? It was hardly even a sentence. But I was a lot more pleased when I found out.
Wow. I bet I seem like a loser! LOL!
donvincenzo
Member
I'm not knocking or cheering their decision one way or the other. Just an observation on how, with the closure of three attractions, Universal has completely erased any memories I have of what that park was growing up. Any old recollections I have of Universal in the 90's are gone.
I was born in 1989, so I grew up watching a TON of Nickelodeon in the 90's. At the end of essentially every live-action show, you always heard the "... was recorded in front of a live audience at Nickelodeon Studios in Orlando at Universal Studios Florida." You'd see the blue and orange studios and the spinning globe. And I remember seeing commercials like this one...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDOt_8Ng3rw
...and always wanting to go there. By the time I was 10 years old, I had been to Disney four times (and loved every minute of it, of course) but I always wanted to go to Universal. And in my mind, Universal was Back To The Future, King Kong, Jaws, and Woody Woodpecker. That was the mental image I had. I ended up going to Universal a few times when I was a pre-teen, because my grandmother moved to Florida and my aunt, who's only a few years older than me, took me. I enjoyed it, got to ride all the "classic" Universal rides. But even then, it wasn't quite what I had pictured growing up.
Nickelodeon Studios was definitely a letdown at that point. Perhaps I had gotten too old for it, but it just didn't have, I don't know, the charm it had in the 90's, something was missing.
Anyways, now that I've rambled on, I just feel like with the closure of Jaws in addition to Kong and BTTF, it's as if the park has been gutted and built from scratch from what I grew up on. The thing's left that I feel like I have memories with are E.T. and Beetlejuice (lol). And maybe the Fievel playground, I think that's still open.
So like I said, I'm not knocking them, I haven't been to one of their parks in almost 10 years so I can't be one to complain. In my mind's eye it just seems like a COMPLETELY different park. Disney will always be changing, but I think certain staples will always remain. I'm not talking pure nostalgia like COP, but the quintessential Disney ride, Pirates, Haunted Mansion, I think they will always be there. Enhanced, yes, but always there. Universal, not so much. Perhaps it's different because the park is only 20 years old, but still, I guess nothing is safe there. Does anybody get what I'm saying?
I was born in 1989, so I grew up watching a TON of Nickelodeon in the 90's. At the end of essentially every live-action show, you always heard the "... was recorded in front of a live audience at Nickelodeon Studios in Orlando at Universal Studios Florida." You'd see the blue and orange studios and the spinning globe. And I remember seeing commercials like this one...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDOt_8Ng3rw
...and always wanting to go there. By the time I was 10 years old, I had been to Disney four times (and loved every minute of it, of course) but I always wanted to go to Universal. And in my mind, Universal was Back To The Future, King Kong, Jaws, and Woody Woodpecker. That was the mental image I had. I ended up going to Universal a few times when I was a pre-teen, because my grandmother moved to Florida and my aunt, who's only a few years older than me, took me. I enjoyed it, got to ride all the "classic" Universal rides. But even then, it wasn't quite what I had pictured growing up.
Nickelodeon Studios was definitely a letdown at that point. Perhaps I had gotten too old for it, but it just didn't have, I don't know, the charm it had in the 90's, something was missing.
Anyways, now that I've rambled on, I just feel like with the closure of Jaws in addition to Kong and BTTF, it's as if the park has been gutted and built from scratch from what I grew up on. The thing's left that I feel like I have memories with are E.T. and Beetlejuice (lol). And maybe the Fievel playground, I think that's still open.
So like I said, I'm not knocking them, I haven't been to one of their parks in almost 10 years so I can't be one to complain. In my mind's eye it just seems like a COMPLETELY different park. Disney will always be changing, but I think certain staples will always remain. I'm not talking pure nostalgia like COP, but the quintessential Disney ride, Pirates, Haunted Mansion, I think they will always be there. Enhanced, yes, but always there. Universal, not so much. Perhaps it's different because the park is only 20 years old, but still, I guess nothing is safe there. Does anybody get what I'm saying?
hrcollectibles
Active Member
You can also throw in the original studio tour, Alfred Hitchcock The Art of Making Movies and Ghostbusters Spooktacular as rides/attractions that I miss. I figured with the Harry Potter expansion they would just keep that in Islands of Adventure and perhaps bring the Transformers ride or King Kong back to Universal Studios in place of Jaws (which I will sorely miss).
scbb11Sketch
Active Member
Man, you nailed it on the head. I feel the same way. Everything from Nickelodeon to Back to the Future and King Kong and Jaws; those were the attractions that defined the park and what I associate Universal Studios with. I went to the Nick studios when I was younger and was a little underwhelmed as well, but I think it was because over the Christmas holiday there were no shows being filmed. So tours of empty soundstages weren't really what I had imagined seeing there.
I liked having a park with the classic movies. The Back to the Future franchise is still immensely popular and there's no reason why they couldn't have spiced up that property for today's audiences. As much as I love the Simpsons, it hasn't been the same since like season 8, and didn't warrant an entire attraction. Jaws is one of those movies that will always be a classic, and even if you haven't seen it, you still know about it. You still know the premise, you still recognize the iconic music that is part of pop culture.
From a designer's point of view, I have to say that the pure idea of connecting the parks in the way that's being suggested is genius. It's design genius, marketing genius, and if pulled off, engineering genius. But if they have to get rid of an historic ride and historic movie series from the park that it helped to shape, that's a shame. The idea would have been even more ingenius if they could have kept Jaws and gutted some bare corner of the park.
Bairstow
Well-Known Member
When it comes to theme park attractions, I don't think that nostalgia alone is a valid reason not to gut or remove something.
Art, on the other hand, is.
Something like Haunted Mansion or Pirates of the Caribbean are significant works of art, with multiple disciplines including painting, music, and architecture represented.
Universal's original attraction lineup, on the other hand, didn't really accomplish that. They were designed to mimic as closely as possible scenes from the movies they were based on, and towards that capacity they went out of their way to be as straightforward and "realistic" looking as possible.
There's not really a lot of art to any of those things that I think is worth saving, except maybe for "E.T."
Good riddance to most of them, says I, if they hadn't built anything worth saving yet.
Art, on the other hand, is.
Something like Haunted Mansion or Pirates of the Caribbean are significant works of art, with multiple disciplines including painting, music, and architecture represented.
Universal's original attraction lineup, on the other hand, didn't really accomplish that. They were designed to mimic as closely as possible scenes from the movies they were based on, and towards that capacity they went out of their way to be as straightforward and "realistic" looking as possible.
There's not really a lot of art to any of those things that I think is worth saving, except maybe for "E.T."
Good riddance to most of them, says I, if they hadn't built anything worth saving yet.
dxwwf3
Well-Known Member
I agree. BTTF The Ride, to me, was by far the most iconic of the original era attractions and now that it's gone, nothing is too sacred to not be replaced. I rode Jaws for the first time in the late 90's and thought it felt old, dated and needed to be replaced then.
ET Adventure isn't the best attraction in the park, but I do feel that it should stick around for a long, long time. Now I do feel that the effects and AA's should be updated with a lengthy rehab, but not a total replacement.
dxwwf3
Well-Known Member
I think the first half is what needs to have the technological updates the most. The escape scene is great, but the static figures and primitive effects need to see an overhaul.
disneyrcks
Well-Known Member
My question is what makes HP less than any other fantasy story that we see at WDW? In my opinion parents and WDW, DL that is what keeps the Disney movies relevant. Why can't Harry Potter be the same? I have never read the books but the movies were incredibly immersive and entertaining. Can we really determine that the children of our generation will not pass Harry Potter onto their children?
cheezbat
Well-Known Member
I totally agree with you. Too bad the corporation doesn't see it the same as us. lol
Even though the Simpsons ride is a decent and newer ride, it's not going to stay forever. The ride system may be used for years to come...even long after the Simpsons is gone. What's to say there won't be a new Back to the Future trilogy in twenty years? Maybe then they'll put a new BTTF ride in where it belongs! That ride was by far THE definitive attraction for me. I rode it again and again and again. Loved it every time. The music, the preshow videos, Christopher Lloyd, hopping into an actual 8 passenger Delorean...loved it all!
I think they'll move the shark photo op elsewhere in the park, just like they did with the BTTF train and Delorean...
I'm still hoping to see King Kong make his return to Universal too...Hollywood's got burned down so they built a whole new attraction. The ride concept and technology is there...bring a longer, better version to Florida already!
The classics may not all be there anymore, but I don't think that means we'll never see new incarnations added. Heck, Hollywood is on a remake/reboot craze lately. Everything is being redone nowdays. Maybe Jaws will make a comeback down the road too.
Just trying to be somewhat positive in a time where I'm sad at another loss.
Prototype82
Well-Known Member
rip ride rocket is practically brand new. Jaws is two decades old.Or even Disaster or Rip Ride Rocket. ( I would trade them for Jaws)
JafarMaleficent
Active Member
Yes but rockit is also a giant metal death trap.keep jaws and keep Potter out of the studios. I have confidence this is gonna br a great expansion though. I just hope its not HP.
c-one
Well-Known Member
I think Universal is setting an interesting precedent with the HD rehab of Spiderman. I think some of the original attractions could have been salvaged with this -- specifically talking about Back to the Future, which was the only true classic from Universal Studios 1.0 (well, maybe ET as too). Admittedly, it looked pretty dated and low-tech by the end, but that franchise is still popular (and awesome!), so with a little TLC that ride could have been brought into the 21st century. The Simpsons Ride is terrible -- especially the CGI versions of 2D characters. Blech.
Like I said in another thread (I think), completely-original attractions do, as a general rule, stand the test of time better than movie franchise attractions. When Universal Studios was built, the movies the rides were based on were still relatively fresh and relevant -- Jaws, Back to the Future, E.T., Ghostbusters. (Granted, King Kong and Earthquake were both old news by that point.) Some of these movies live on better than others. Back to the Future, for example, still seems pretty popular. But does anyone care much about Jaws anymore? Or Twister? Will anyone remember The Mummy in ten years? I do fear for the future of E.T., because that's a family-geared ride that's based on a movie that I don't think younger people are interested in anymore. Would be a shame, because that's a great ride, as utterly bizarre as it is.
I think Universal's recent moves have been towards franchises that seem more timeless, if for no other reason than that they're proven to be long-lasting already -- Harry Potter, and The Simpsons.
Like I said in another thread (I think), completely-original attractions do, as a general rule, stand the test of time better than movie franchise attractions. When Universal Studios was built, the movies the rides were based on were still relatively fresh and relevant -- Jaws, Back to the Future, E.T., Ghostbusters. (Granted, King Kong and Earthquake were both old news by that point.) Some of these movies live on better than others. Back to the Future, for example, still seems pretty popular. But does anyone care much about Jaws anymore? Or Twister? Will anyone remember The Mummy in ten years? I do fear for the future of E.T., because that's a family-geared ride that's based on a movie that I don't think younger people are interested in anymore. Would be a shame, because that's a great ride, as utterly bizarre as it is.
I think Universal's recent moves have been towards franchises that seem more timeless, if for no other reason than that they're proven to be long-lasting already -- Harry Potter, and The Simpsons.
cheezbat
Well-Known Member
ET is going on 30 years old as a movie...alot of kids don't know who he is...but with the ride it gives kids something to remember. While it's a classic dark ride, it needs some major sprucing up. It looks like it was built in 1985, and hasn't been updated ever. lol I wouldn't like to see it leave, and with as adamant about it as Spielberg is about it, I don't see it going anwhere soon.
As for Back to the Future, I personally think a complete redo would be awesome. HD screens with a modernized future and a crazy ride getting lost all through history...and Doc Brown of course! I grew up with it and love that franchise. Younger people do know about it. It's still considered cool.
Jaws may be outdated...and I guess Kong was too...but there's something about the Universal giant monsters. It's like you have to have at least one of them at the park, or something is really missing.
As for other properties: Hitchcock is long gone. I enjoyed it but even when I visited in the 90's it didn't have the long lines. Ghostbusters is still a fun franchise, but really should have been a shooter style dark ride. A ride would have stood the test of time over a show. Nickelodeon...when it became nothing but cartoons and there was no live shows like Slime Time Live left, well, that was the end of it's run. As for Earthquake, it got a much needed update. I think the Disaster overlay gave the attraction at least another five years on it's life. And last but not least, Beetlejuice...he's got another movie coming out, and YES Michael Keaton is returning! That'll keep him in the park for years to come too I'm sure.
RSoxNo1
Well-Known Member
I regard Back to the Future as the best popcorn movie of all time. I absolutely love the franchise, but I was not disappointed to see that ride go away. I think The Simpsons is a fantastic replacement for it, especially from a queue standpoint. All of the video in the queue now is great, and a huge improvement over what was their previously.
Having said that, had they opted to go the Star Tours route and re-done Back to the Future with a splicing story line that could have been a significant improvement as well. I just found that by the end of Back to the Future's life it was too intense/vomit inducing to appreciate what was good about the ride.
Having said that, had they opted to go the Star Tours route and re-done Back to the Future with a splicing story line that could have been a significant improvement as well. I just found that by the end of Back to the Future's life it was too intense/vomit inducing to appreciate what was good about the ride.
Bairstow
Well-Known Member
Ghostbusters is the one Universal attraction where the replacement is clearly inferior to the original.
Speaking of a shooter dark ride, did such things even exist when Ghostbusters was put in?