From today's Orlando Sentinel:
What's scariest at Universal? The slow decay.
Mike Thomas
Jaws has lunged out of the water yet again here at Universal Studios. Alas, I am not terrified.
Poor old guy.
Maybe it's just because I'm old, too. But his skin looks worn. Teeth that had been white daggers of death now appear decayed with gingivitis.
Jaws is a Walter Brennan shark these days, impotently yelling at the tourists to stay out of his front yard.
Meanwhile, over at Back to the Future, more tourists bounce around in aging DeLoreans, chasing Biff around on a screen that has what looks like holes in it.
This is sad indeed. The once mighty Universal Studios, the park that put Disney-MGM Studios to shame, is being neglected to death.
It not only has fallen far behind Disney's movie park, it has slipped to second-tier status among all the major parks. I fear it is only a matter of time before neighboring Islands of Adventure is dragged down with it.
My purpose here is not to denigrate Universal. I have long trumpeted these parks. This column is intended as a wake-up call to save them from becoming Six Flags over Orlando.
Universal has had too many owners, none of them committed to the theme-park business. And so it seems there has been no long-term strategic planning, no continuing investment in upgrades.
Consider these movies on which rides are based: Earthquake came out in 1974 and Jaws in 1975.
Back to the Future, which featured Michael J. Fox as a teenager, came out 20 years ago. Terminator 2 came out 15 years ago.
This is your dad's theme park.
Once, its rides were top-of-the-line. But now when you go in Twister, the cables that swing a cow through the air are painfully visible. It looks like an Ed Wood production.
The only major ride Universal has opened in five years is the Revenge of the Mummy roller coaster.
The big new show, Fear Factor Live, is based on a television series slipping into the abyss of ratings.
It is no surprise that attendance has been steadily declining since 2004, despite numerous ticket discounts.
Meanwhile, down I-4, Disney is decked out in all its Christmas splendor with new attractions galore.
The Osborne Family's Spectacle of Lights at MGM-Studios is stunning. The Fantasmic show is the best I've ever seen. The Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show is a blast.
A new production at Animal Kingdom, Finding Nemo -- The Musical, is ingenious. It is Broadway quality. This follows the addition of a top-notch new coaster, Expedition Everest.
After adding the popular Soarin' ride at Epcot, Disney followed with a Nemo ride for the kiddies.
Combined with all this new stuff are multiday passes that basically give tourists free admission after four days so they can see it all.
Why leave Disney property?
Disney is out to bury Universal, and Universal is not fighting back.
Universal can surrender, put in a Publix at CityWalk and convert its parks to a new urbanism, condo/roller coaster mixed-use development.
Or it can overhaul the Studios park and upgrade Islands of Adventure, bringing both up to 2006 standards.
Cutting back and extracting more profits is not a viable long-term strategy, not when there is a Mouse nearby that is much scarier than any shark.
Mike Thomas can be reached at 407-420-5525 or mthomas@orlandosentinel.com.
What's scariest at Universal? The slow decay.
Mike Thomas
Jaws has lunged out of the water yet again here at Universal Studios. Alas, I am not terrified.
Poor old guy.
Maybe it's just because I'm old, too. But his skin looks worn. Teeth that had been white daggers of death now appear decayed with gingivitis.
Jaws is a Walter Brennan shark these days, impotently yelling at the tourists to stay out of his front yard.
Meanwhile, over at Back to the Future, more tourists bounce around in aging DeLoreans, chasing Biff around on a screen that has what looks like holes in it.
This is sad indeed. The once mighty Universal Studios, the park that put Disney-MGM Studios to shame, is being neglected to death.
It not only has fallen far behind Disney's movie park, it has slipped to second-tier status among all the major parks. I fear it is only a matter of time before neighboring Islands of Adventure is dragged down with it.
My purpose here is not to denigrate Universal. I have long trumpeted these parks. This column is intended as a wake-up call to save them from becoming Six Flags over Orlando.
Universal has had too many owners, none of them committed to the theme-park business. And so it seems there has been no long-term strategic planning, no continuing investment in upgrades.
Consider these movies on which rides are based: Earthquake came out in 1974 and Jaws in 1975.
Back to the Future, which featured Michael J. Fox as a teenager, came out 20 years ago. Terminator 2 came out 15 years ago.
This is your dad's theme park.
Once, its rides were top-of-the-line. But now when you go in Twister, the cables that swing a cow through the air are painfully visible. It looks like an Ed Wood production.
The only major ride Universal has opened in five years is the Revenge of the Mummy roller coaster.
The big new show, Fear Factor Live, is based on a television series slipping into the abyss of ratings.
It is no surprise that attendance has been steadily declining since 2004, despite numerous ticket discounts.
Meanwhile, down I-4, Disney is decked out in all its Christmas splendor with new attractions galore.
The Osborne Family's Spectacle of Lights at MGM-Studios is stunning. The Fantasmic show is the best I've ever seen. The Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show is a blast.
A new production at Animal Kingdom, Finding Nemo -- The Musical, is ingenious. It is Broadway quality. This follows the addition of a top-notch new coaster, Expedition Everest.
After adding the popular Soarin' ride at Epcot, Disney followed with a Nemo ride for the kiddies.
Combined with all this new stuff are multiday passes that basically give tourists free admission after four days so they can see it all.
Why leave Disney property?
Disney is out to bury Universal, and Universal is not fighting back.
Universal can surrender, put in a Publix at CityWalk and convert its parks to a new urbanism, condo/roller coaster mixed-use development.
Or it can overhaul the Studios park and upgrade Islands of Adventure, bringing both up to 2006 standards.
Cutting back and extracting more profits is not a viable long-term strategy, not when there is a Mouse nearby that is much scarier than any shark.
Mike Thomas can be reached at 407-420-5525 or mthomas@orlandosentinel.com.
