After the news broke earlier this week that Universal Studios Hollywood would be closing its Fast & Furious – Supercharged experience, I promised a suggestion for what Universal might do with that space.
Universal is building a new Fast & Furious-themed roller coaster elsewhere in the park, to debut in 2026. And the park has promised a new Studio Tour encounter to replace Supercharged, though it provided zero details on what that would be, or where, or when it would be debut.
As I wrote earlier this week, Universal could choose to demolish the Supercharged show building as it revamps the Studio Tour. Universal is making changes throughout its Universal City property to accommodate both the growing theme park and the needs of a modern media production and distribution company. But let’s assume that the current Supercharged building stays. What can Universal put in there that would hit with fans?
Let me start by doing something that you probably should never do when creating a new attraction – and that’s to start with the ending. As I wrote in my post-mortem for Supercharged [Why Universal's Fast and Furious ride failed], the attraction relied way too much on screens – a no-no for a studio tour attraction that’s supposed to provide access to the real sights behind your favorite filmed entertainment. But the final room in Supercharged’s show building provides a dual curved screen that could work very well for a specific visual effect around the Studio Tour tram. So for that room, I suggest keeping the screens.
So what would the final scene in my revamped experience be? Imagine the Studio Tour tram, surrounded by video that makes the tram appear to be accelerating. Once the tram reaches a specific speed, lightning effects would fill the screens, and fog would surround the tram as it emerged from the speed tunnel.
You probably can guess what that specific speed would be. If you have not, it is this – 88 miles per hour. Yep, I am suggesting that Universal use the Supercharged building to bring “Back to the Future” back to the park.
But if the final scene in this new attraction is to bring us “Back to the Future” to the modern-day theme park, that means we must be returning from the past. That leaves us a choice of 1955 or 1885, if we are to keep with established timepoints in the franchise. For ease of decoration and storytelling, I will suggest that the “Back to the Future” encounter on the Studio Tour take place in 1885.
So how are we going to explain a time jump to 1885? This will require a rewrite of the Studio Tour script, but if Universal is willing to commit to maintaining it (unlike with Supercharged), the requirements for that should not be as burdensome to the tour as Supercharged’s Act 1 script was. In fact, I think that they would provide a nice additional note to the tour.
And that note is… history. The Universal back lot is the place where movie history remains alive. Fans can come on the Studio Tour to connect with the history of motion pictures and television. They are seeing the very sets that were used to create so many of their favorite movies and TV shows. And some say, the movie magic created here... lingers.
So when our tram drives into what looks like an abandoned old west barn set near the end of the tour route, we discover that movie magic has made history come back to life. The first room in the building should be decorated to an old west train roundhouse, with bandits attacking what they thought was going to be a cash-laden locomotive.
Universal could use some screens amid the practical sets here, as it does in the queue for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey or in The Bourne Stuntacular show. Ideally, a live actor on each side of the tram would help sell this attempted heist scene, with Pepper’s Ghost-projected actors in the wings calling them off. This is Mad Dog Tannen’s gang, and they decide they don’t want any part of this strange-looking locomotive. So when they leave to go get the dynamite to blow us up, the tour guide announces it’s time for the tram driver to get us out of there.
We drive into a darkened room, where we hear “Great Scott!” in the voice of Doc Brown. The lights come on, and we see animatronics of Doc Brown and Marty McFly, working on the familiar DeLorean in the roundhouse barn. Marty – being a 1980s Southern Californian, will recognize the tram as being from the Universal Studios Tour. But Doc will point out that we do not look like people who would want to spend the rest of our lives back in 1885.
Marty will ask how they could possibly install the time circuits in a vehicle this big? That is when our tour guide will come back on and explain that this is the very latest in Universal Studios technology, and that time circuits are already built into all of today’s Studio Tour trams. We just need enough open road to get the tram up to 88 mph.
Doc will say there’s plenty of space out back, directing us to pull through out of the barn. Doc and Marty will wave goodbye and wish us luck as we pull into the final scene, as described above.
As we exit the speed tunnel, the tour guide will say, “You have just gone ‘Back to the Future’ at Universal Studios Hollywood,” as a montage from the films plays on the tram screens and the theme song plays over its speakers.
C’mon, who wouldn’t want this as a conclusion to the Studio Tour?
To keep up to date with more theme park news, please sign up for Theme Park Insider's weekly newsletter.
And to help support Theme Park Insider while saving money on discounted theme park tickets, including at Universal Studios Hollywood, please follow the ticket icon links on our Theme Park visitors guides.
Personally, I love it. However I have concerns whether the IP is fresh enough to warrant that level of investment.
Great idea, but in addition to concerns about franchise freshness I also wonder if Kabletown would invest in a retheme in Hollywood that couldn't be easily brought to the east coast. An abandoned old west barn might look out of place between NY and San Francisco in Florida. I've seen online speculation that the building might be added to Diagon Alley in UF and become a Knight Bus attraction and there could be cost savings in replacing the family in both US parks with even more Harry.
I would love to see Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd cameos. Bring back Biff and Claire while you're at it.
BTTF is much beloved and has stood the test of time. I liked the BTTF Ride better than Simpson's Ride.
This sounds amazing! Mixes elements of two of my favorite extinct attractions- The Great Movie Ride and BTTF: The Ride!
This is heavy. And brilliant.
Hi Robert,
I love your idea for BTTF. I'm expanding it. First, the Promo: Image of a menacing Biff with clenched fist staring at F&F:Supercharged saying, "Why don't you make like a tree...and get outta here."
Rename the tram tour as "The BTTF Tram Tour." The tour is already about Hollywood's past, so BTTF fits perfectly and ties everything together. The load station is Doc Brown's Institute of Future Technology. The trams are the time machine. The doors already open up like the Delorean. Decorate the trams as a time machine and install a flux capacitor on the back of the tram. The tour guides are in character as Biff or Biffina or any other ancillary character in the franchise. Start the tour by going through a tunnel to "transport" us to the past. Each tour guide character would have their own narration and jokes on the tour making for endless repeatability. OR, SOMETHING GOES HORRIBLY WRONG as Biff hijacks the time Tram and we go through the backlot with Biff! The tour guide takes back the tram from Biff in the final show building and we meet Doc and Marty and transport back to present day. While emerging from the final show building, blast "Power of Love" and stop the music just before the unload station. A Huey Lewis cameo appears on the monitor seated in the high school gym wearing glasses. He looks to the judge to his left. Looks to the right. Pulls out his bullhorn. Stands and says, "You're music is just too damn loud." The End. Unload and let me get back in line to ride again!
This article has been archived and is no longer accepting comments.
Okay I’m sold. You had me at Back to the Future but your pitch really brought it home. And we didn’t have to forgive any crude models either ;)