Universal Studios Florida
Location | Universal Orlando Resort, Orlando, Florida, U.S. |
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Coordinates | 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 |
Theme | Show business and Universal entertainment |
Slogan | Let Yourself Woah (as Universal Orlando Resort) |
Owner | NBCUniversal (Comcast)[1] |
Operated by | Universal Parks & Resorts |
Opened | June 7, 1990 |
Operating season | Year-round |
Attractions | |
Total | 18 |
Roller coasters | 4 |
Website | Official website |
Universal Orlando |
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Theme parks |
Water parks |
Resort hotels |
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Entertainment district |
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Universal Studios Florida is a theme park located in Orlando, Florida. Primarily themed to movies, television, and other aspects of the entertainment industry, the park opened to the public on June 7, 1990. It is owned and operated by NBCUniversal and features numerous rides, attractions, and live shows. Universal Studios Florida was the first component of the larger Universal Orlando Resort to open, and it ranked eleventh in the world and sixth in North America for attendance among amusement parks in 2019, hosting approximately 10.9 million visitors.
In addition to the theme park aspect, early design focused on providing guests with a behind-the-scenes look at film and television, with a significant portion of the park operating as an active production studio. As producers and filmmakers showed a lack of interest in filming on site in Orlando, Universal's approach evolved, transitioning to a first-person perspective for its heavily themed rides, areas, and attractions. The resort eventually expanded with the introduction of two additional theme parks, Universal's Islands of Adventure in 1999 and Volcano Bay in 2017, as well as the restaurant and retail epicenter Universal CityWalk that also opened in 1999.
History[]
In 1982, Universal contemplated the idea of opening an amusement park in Florida to compete with Disney.[2][3] They considered building a larger, more immersive version of their Studio Tour tram ride located in Hollywood, retaining the studio backlot tour theme to set it apart from what Disney was offering at Disney World.[2] However, Universal abandoned the idea after attempts to partner with a skeptical Paramount Pictures failed to materialize.[2] They continued to focus on their Universal Studios location in Los Angeles, planning an upgrade to Studio Tour with a new, massive scene based on the 1976 film King Kong.[2] It opened in 1986 as King Kong Encounter and became an instant hit with guests, which prompted Universal to revisit the notion of building a Florida theme park.[2]
That same year, former Disney Imagineer Peter Alexander, who worked on the life-size King Kong animatronic and was now an executive at Universal Creative, met with his friend and renowned director Steven Spielberg to discuss the creation of a Back to the Future simulator ride.[2][3] Star Wars creator George Lucas, who recently helped Disney design the well-received Star Tours attraction at Disneyland, had previously boasted to Spielberg that Universal was incapable of building such a ride.[2][3] Spielberg and Alexander gladly accepted the challenge and began working on the ride's concept.[2][3] Universal was already working on the design for its backlot tram tour attraction in Florida, which would include multiple scenes depicted at the Hollywood location.[4]
In 1987, Disney CEO Michael Eisner, previously the CEO at Paramount when Universal pitched their Florida park idea several years earlier, announced intentions to create their own studio backlot tour at Walt Disney World.[2][4] The new area, to be called Disney-MGM Studios, was a preemptive move to counter Universal's planned introduction into the Orlando market.[2][4] Although Universal publicly announced their Florida park intentions prior to Eisner's announcement, Disney was in a better position to fast-track construction and open sooner.[4] This forced Universal to rethink their approach and abandon the tram tour concept.[4] Instead, they opted to build standalone attractions while retaining the overall studio backlot theme.[4] Their projected opening day lineup would include Kongfrontation, Jaws, and the Speilberg and Alexander collaborative project, Back to the Future: The Ride. A large theme park with separate attractions was a new concept for Universal, and their creative team ran into multiple obstacles during development and testing.[3] Among the casualties from the early troubles was the Back to the Future ride, which had its opening delayed by nearly a year.[3]
The park was built for an estimated $630 million, with 50% ownership in the hands of MCA Universal and 50% belonging to leisure company The Rank Organisation.[5] While under the ownership of Seagram, MCA Universal would again partner with The Rank Group (corporate successor to The Rank Organisation) a decade later in the $2.5 billion major expansion of Universal Studios Florida.[6] The expansion included the addition of Universal's Islands of Adventure, Universal CityWalk, and several hotels.[6] In 2000, The Rank Group sold its 50% stake to Blackstone Capital Partners for $275 million,[7] who in turn sold it to NBCUniversal for $3.165 billion, giving the company 100% ownership of the resort.[8]
For a brief time, Universal Studios Florida originally featured a tram ride attraction, also called Studio Tour, that visited the production set facilities that were once in use at the park for television shows. It was discontinued in 1995.[citation needed]
Development[]
Many of the attractions over the years were developed in close collaboration with directors, producers, and actors from the film they were based on. In many cases, actors reprise their roles, contributing new dialogue and footage to fill pre-show queues and action sequences within the attraction itself. Examples include Rip Torn and Will Smith for Men in Black: Alien Attack, Brendan Fraser and Arnold Vosloo for Revenge of the Mummy, and multiple members of The Simpsons cast for The Simpsons Ride. Steven Spielberg assisted with the development of 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.[9]
Production facilities[]
Universal Studios Florida was originally designed to function as both a theme park and working production studio. Several movies, television series, commercials, music videos, and other forms of media have been produced on site throughout its history. Nickelodeon Studios was one of the early pillars behind the working studio concept, and it was featured in various locations throughout the park in the form of soundstages.[10] Popular kids' shows such as Double Dare were produced on location, and guests could tour the facilities for a behind-the-scenes experience.[10] Film production also occurred on site, and various sets could be explored by guests riding the park's Production Studio Tour.[10] Psycho IV: The Beginning was the first film to be produced at the Florida park location while it was open to the public,[10] and visitors during the park's first month of operation were able to get a glimpse of live production.[11] In 1991, John Landis was forced to move from Universal Studios Hollywood to Universal Studios Florida to finish filming the comedy film Oscar, after a disgruntled employee set fire that destroyed most of the set at the Hollywood location.[11]
Disney heavily invested in the same working studio concept, but shortly after Universal Studios Florida opened, filming at the parks and even in the state was becoming less attractive to producers concerned about the logistics, expenses, and limited available resources.[10] Consequently, Universal ended the Production Studio Tour only five years into the park's history in 1995, and Nickelodeon's TV production moved to California in 2005.[10] Smaller shows and commercials continued to be produced, but the backlot studio concept was becoming less of a draw for visitors.[10] Universal gradually moved away from the fourth wall convention in the design of new attractions, with cast and crew directly addressing guests. Instead of witnessing how a film was made, the experience was increasingly being designed to transport guests into the middle of the action.[10] The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, with the completion of Hogsmeade in 2010 and Diagon Alley in 2014, accelerated this transition and reflects the park's modern strategy and approach.[10]
Despite the evolution and growing emphasis being placed on the theme park aspect, some soundstages at Universal Studios Florida remained active. Wheel of Fortune was relocated to the park in 1999 to help promote the upcoming debut of Islands of Adventure.[citation needed] Nickelodeon returned temporarily in 2008 for the shooting of My Family's Got Guts. The 2010–11 season of RTL Group's Family Feud was filmed on site, coinciding with the show's debut of new host Steve Harvey – although the show would relocate in 2011 to Atlanta, Georgia. The revival of Howie Mandel's Deal or No Deal in 2018 was filmed in Soundstage 21 for CNBC.[12] Local and national commercials were also being shot at various soundstages.[citation needed]
Branding[]
Slogans marketed by Universal Studios Florida over the years include: 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).
Park timeline of events[]
Areas and 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, 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 July 2014.
Production Central[]
Attraction | Year opened | Manufacturer | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Despicable Me Minion Mayhem | 2012 | Intamin | A computer-animated 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.[48][49]
New York[]
Attraction | 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. |
The New York section of the park 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 Häagen-Dazs which are commercial franchises. There are also two merchandise shops: Sahara Traders and Rosie's Irish Shop. The first two feature merchandise related to attractions within this area.[48][50] 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[]
Attraction | 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[]
Diagon Alley is the second half of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
Attraction | 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".[51] 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.[52]
World Expo[]
Attraction | 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[]
Attraction | 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[]
Attraction | 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. | |
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 an interactive area where guests can shoot soft foam balls out of cannons. | |
DreamWorks Destination | 2021 | A stage show and character experience featuring various characters from DreamWorks Animation. | |
E.T. Adventure | 1990 | Universal Creative | A dark ride based on the film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, where guests ride on a suspended, bicycle-themed ride vehicle. The chase scene from the movie is reenacted, which transitions into scenes of E.T.'s homeworld, the Green Planet. Sally Corporation and Birket Engineering assisted with the design and manufacturing of the ride's animatronics. |
Fievel's Playland | 1992 | A children's playground based on the animated film An American Tail, which includes a 30-foot (9.1 m) spider web climbing attraction and a 200-foot-long (61 m) water slide. | |
Woody Woodpecker's Nuthouse Coaster | 1999 | Vekoma | A Woody Woodpecker-themed family roller coaster manufactured by Vekoma. |
Hollywood[]
Attraction | Opened | Description |
---|---|---|
Universal's Horror Make-Up Show | 1990 | A live stage show themed as a behind-the-scenes presentation of special effects used in horror films. A pre-show allows guests to walk through and view various set pieces and props from various films such as the Universal Classic Monsters series and Hellboy II: The Golden Army. |
Marilyn and The Diamond Bellas | 2020 | A live-action musical show located outside near 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.[48][53]
Lagoon[]
Attraction | Opened | Description |
---|---|---|
Universal Orlando's Cinematic Celebration | 2018 | A nighttime lagoon show in Universal's Central Park accommodating up to 6,500 guests.[54] The show features 40-foot (12 m) panoramic water curtains used as projection screens, fireworks, projection mapping onto surrounding buildings, and over 120 water fountains.[54][55] Some of the scenes depicted include footage from film franchises such as Jurassic World, The Fast and the Furious, and Harry Potter.[54] |
Retired attractions[]
Retired attractions include Kongfrontation, Back to the Future: The Ride, The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera, Jaws and T2-3D: Battle Across Time. Universal Studios also housed other unique attractions that are now retired, like Nickelodeon Studios and the interactive film and live-action show Alfred Hitchcock: The Art of Making Movies (attraction). 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 completely demolished 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 over 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 and live show in 2007. In 2021, the Blue Man Group show would also be retired, leaving the original Nickelodeon Studios building empty for the first time since opening [56]
Character appearances[]
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
|
Seen in Woody Woodpecker's KidZone
|
Seen in New York
|
Seen in San Francisco
|
Seen in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley
|
Former characters[]
- Andy Panda
- Barney the Dinosaur, BJ and Baby Bop (A Day in the Park with Barney)
- Chilly Willy
- Woody and Winnie Woodpecker
- Curious George and The Man with the Yellow Hat
- Fievel from An American Tail
- Tony Toponi from An American Tail
- Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale
- Yogi Bear and Boo-Boo Bear
- Fred Flintstone, Wilma Flintstone, Barney Rubble, and Betty Rubble.
- George Jetson
- Doug Funnie
- Ren and Stimpy
- Crash Bandicoot
- Spyro
- Rocko from Rocko's Modern Life
- Tommy Pickles and Chuckie Finster from Rugrats
- Eureeka, Magellan and Batly from Eureeka's Castle
- Eliza and Donnie Thornberry from The Wild Thornberrys
- Jimmy Neutron from The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius
- Lord Farquaad
- Abbott and Costello
- Chico Marx, Harpo Marx and Groucho Marx
- Mae West
- Laurel and Hardy
- Ghostbusters
- Marty McFly
- Harry Henderson from Harry and the Hendersons
- Bill & Ted (only during Halloween Horror Nights)
- E.B, Mr. Bunny, Carlos, Phil, and the Pink Berets from Hop
- Everest from Abominable
- The Lorax
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.[59] 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.[60]
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.[61]
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.[62]
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.[63] 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[]
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.[64]
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.[65]
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[]
Universal offers an optional, pay-per-person pass known as Universal Express, which gives guests access to shorter lines at many attractions throughout its theme parks. The cost for Universal Express is in addition to the cost of park admission, and there are limited quantities available each day. Guests with Universal Express are given priority boarding status and enter a separate line queue at attractions that support it. The standard Universal Express pass allows guests to access the Universal Express line once per attraction, while the more expensive Universal Express Unlimited has no such restriction.[66]
Attendance[]
2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Attendance | 6,231,000[67] | 5,530,000[68] | 5,925,000[69] | 6,044,000[70] | 6,195,000[71] | 7,062,000[72] | 8,263,000[73] | 9,585,000[74] | 9,998,000[75] | 10,198,000[76] | 10,708,000[77] | 10,922,000[78] |
Worldwide rank | 11th | 13th | 13th | 14th | 16th | 16th | 11th | 10th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 11th |
Closures[]
The park has had some unscheduled closures. These included:
- September 15, 1999, due to Hurricane Floyd
- September 11, 2001, after the terrorist attacks
- August 2004, due to Hurricane Charley
- October 7, 2016, due to Hurricane Matthew
- September 10–12, 2017, due to Hurricane Irma
- March 16 – June 4, 2020, due to COVID-19 pandemic[79][80]
See also[]
- Incidents at Universal parks
- List of Universal Studios Orlando attractions
- List of former Universal Studios Florida attractions
- Universal's Islands of Adventure
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External links[]
- Universal Studios Florida
- Universal Parks & Resorts attractions by name
- Former Universal Studios Florida attractions
- Universal Parks & Resorts
- Amusement parks in Orlando, Florida
- Backlot sets
- Television studios in the United States
- 1990 establishments in Florida
- Tourist attractions in Greater Orlando
- Tourist attractions in Orange County, Florida
- Amusement parks opened in 1990
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