Universal Joint Podcast: Jurassic World Ride Updates and Theme Park History

Universal Orlando Resort News

• 💡 Themed restrooms are being introduced at Islands of Adventure, with scents changing seasonally, like iced pina colada in summer and gingerbread in winter.
• 🚀 The Universal's Endless Summer Resort (Surfside Inn and Suites) is set to open on June 27th, 2019, offering value accommodations with exclusive guest benefits like early park entry.

Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure

• ✨ The announcement for Hagrid's ride featured Tom Felton and Alan Gilmore, highlighting the planting of a thousand trees for the dark forest setting.
• 🎬 A new advertisement showcases Hagrid's motorbike with flame effects and features Fluffy, the three-headed dog, raising anticipation for the ride's immersive elements.
• 🌙 The discussion speculates that the ride's effects might be enhanced when experienced after dark, due to the dense forest landscaping.

Jurassic Park Ride Revamp in Hollywood

• 🎬 Universal Studios Hollywood announced a 9-month refurbishment for the Jurassic Park ride, transitioning it to a Jurassic World theme.
• 🦖 The new ride will feature an original storyline set within the Jurassic World park, introducing new dinosaurs like the Indominus Rex and utilizing groundbreaking technology.
• 🌊 The core ride system and the iconic 84 ft waterfall will remain, maintaining the experience that has been known since 1996.

The Genesis of Jurassic Park

• ✍️ Michael Crichton initially wrote Jurassic Park as a screenplay in 1983 but deemed the effects impossible at the time.
• 📚 He later adapted it into a novel, which caught the attention of Steven Spielberg, leading to Universal acquiring the film rights for $1.5 million.
• 🎬 Spielberg's vision for the film, particularly the T-Rex scene, incorporated rain to mask potential imperfections between practical and CGI effects, inspired by Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

From Film to Theme Park Attraction

• 💡 Gary Goddard pitched the idea for the Jurassic Park ride, proposing a boat ride based on a scene from the book where characters float down a river, rather than a Jeep-based experience from the movie.
• 💰 Budgetary constraints led to the cutting of the pterodactyl dome from the original ride design.
• 🌴 For Jurassic Park: The Lost World, a large section of Universal's lower lot was cleared for a village set, but Spielberg's vision for the T-Rex to rampage through San Diego changed the film's ending and the planned construction.
• 🚗 The podcast touches on the evolution of theme park attractions, mentioning the potential for a driver sphere attraction and the use of abandoned theme parks like Six Flags New Orleans for filming.