Written by Kevin Baxter
Published: September 24, 2004 at 7:40 PM
Of course this trip was all about Revenge of the Mummy, so there were lots of things people haven't seen yet. Like these gorgeous statues outside the ride entrance.
Another thing Universal does that I really like are these "practice" seats in the queue. They are intended for riders who might be afraid they won't fit on the ride. They also make for great photo ops, if you get in close enough and make your model act appropriately scared.
I always see new characters when I go to USH. Last time I saw Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the dragon and SpongeBob, all of whom I've never seen there. I also saw Frankenstein's monster, who I haven't seen since he used to terrorize the tram loading process DECADES ago. This time there was Patrick, who hung out with SpongeBob, and Donkey, who had a great waffle cart set and Eddie Murphy's recorded voice. Very well done.
I waited around for the Special Effects Stages show, which didn't start until 11:30, just to see how they incorporated the new films.
In the second stage, I thought they might transform Fluffy (the robotic creature) into the Werewolf from Van Helsing but they didn't. There was a bit about how that movie created its monsters, but not enough. The final stage is the sound stage and it is the easiest to add new movies, as long as they have scenes with the required sound effects. Here they not only had long scenes from Van Helsing and Riddick but a couple from Peter Pan too, which got major applause from the audience, about 80% of whom were foreign. (Must've been more popular overseas.)
As I said, I had waited for this show, and since there isn't much to do down here if you don't feel like riding the two rides or seeing Backdraft, I stepped into the Lucy exhibit.
Wandering around, I noticed that this Universal tries to make up for its okay attraction roster with lots of photo ops.
Finally, make sure to stop on your way to the Studio Tour for some fantastic shots of the backlot.
At the pace USH is improving, hopefully I will return next year. But they have to encourage me!!! Hint hint...
My two pennies... Gimme yours!
Anyhow, I rode JP and it was okay. Same as it ever was. It's a fun ride, but after IOA opened, it kind of lost its luster.
The primary host on the Special Effects show is an actor and improv comedian from....(drum roll) Orlando, Florida. He used to be a regular at Orlando's SAK comedy club (which produced Wayne Brady...more trivia). For those who've only known Orlando, this would be the equivalent of taking one of the comedians from Pleasure Island's Comedy Warehouse and placing him/her as a guide on the Great Move Ride. That's really the only comparison since I can't for the life of me think of any shows Disney has any more that are similar to the special effects show. I do know that Disney has professional improv actors for its Millionaire shows, but that's about it.
Another thing I like is the way that professional actors get marquee billing at the Waterworld show. We see their headshots with a roster of their film and stage work. At Orlando's MGM show Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, all the professional stunt actors don't get nearly that type of billing. And, yes, there are some pretty impressive talents there. For example, the alien from M. Night Shymalan's "Signs" is the big Nazi guy who beats up on Indy. Many of the street-scene tumblers are trained competitive gymnasts who've done alot of film work. I'm not saying that the show is all about them, but it's interesting to know. I guess at USH, it just adds a level of credibility when we hear the pedigrees of the actors.
The Frankenstein and Van Helsing characters have been "laid off," since the busy summer season is done. But the Marx brothes are still goin nuts, marilyn monroe still makes me swoon, and all those other characters are still keeping guests entertained.
I LOVE the backlot tour here. It actually is a backlot, and it actually has working films being made--which makes sense, since it's the largest studio backlot in the world.
More trivia: although much of the Creature from the Black Lagoon scenes were filmed at USH, the majority of the outdoor/on-the-river scenes were filmed at another, lesser known theme park. You know which one? Silver Springs in Florida. For those of you driving to Orlando, stop at Silver Springs in North Florida, just off the the I-75 interstate. It's a great little park, VERY pretty. Not much in the way of thrill rides, but fun glass-bottom boat tours of the Black Lagoon.
And although we all Love Lucy, I'm with Kevin. Put out that Backdraft fire already and update this spot. ESPECIALLY since it requires traveling down a mile of escalaters. For those who don't know, USH is split into the upper lot and the lower lot. The lower lot has the Mummy, Jurassic Park, Backdraft, special effects show, and the Lucy tribute.
And Kevin, are you sure that the Donkey is all pre-recorded? He seemed to respond to guests when I saw him. Maybe it's just LOTS and LOTS of recorded phrases.
I actually like the Universal Studio Park in Hollywood better than the Universal Studio Park in Orlando (this does not include IOA, just the two studio parks).
I am 99% sure it was Eddie Murphy's voice. I'm really good with voices and can usually catch a copycat. (I KILL at Name The Commercial Voiceover Actor!) But I didn't stick around forever to hear whether they were taken from the films or what. The little bit I saw had Donkey blathering on, but it wasn't directly at anyone.
Either way, it would have to be recorded. Someone would just have to pick what Donkey was going to say.
It is nice to see USH getting some love, but as many people have said on here, it isn't an every-year park. Not even every-other-year. I think the Mummy coaster may have dropped it to a five-year park, which is quite an advance, as before it was at least a seven-year park. Put a Men in Black style ride right there in the Lucy/Backdraft area and this park would drop to two years, at least.
What about Jurassic Park? Nobody mentions it anymore. And how about the Mummy. What rides did you do?