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Universal Studios Hollywood

AstroDan said:
When does WWHP open? I'm hoping to visit California in 2016!
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Don't know the answer to WWHP, but if you are doing Universal Hollywood I reccomend the VIP tour if you like the behind the scenes of the movies stuff. We did it in 2012 and liked seeing in the prop store, walking through the Back to the Future square and similar. Also VIP includes continental breakfast, buffet lunch, parking and unlimited express pass once the guided part finishes.
 
I'm sure I'm not the first person to find this site, but it's been filling time quite nicely during night shifts and the insomnia that goes with them on days off.

I think I may have discovered a new candidate for "most bad taste attraction in a theme park". How would you like to take home a video of you surviving a plane crash?
http://www.thestudiotour.com/ush/attractions/airport77.php

Apparenly the main novelty of it was the technological marvel of video tape, rather than the stunt show itself. Bless.

It doesn't mention whether the tape you got to take home was VHS or Beta though.
 
Worth a post in here to revive this ailing thread. New night show for HPWW at Hollywood (only Hollywood for now, possibly being rolled out to Orlando later in the year). As usual, stunning.

 
Cinemassacre has just posted an interesting video on the history of "The Psycho House" on the Universal backlot...
 
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After being closed for the past 12 months the park have finally opened and rides reopened this week. This includes their new Secret life of pets dark ride, it was due to open just after they had to shut last year. Universal have done a decent Job and adds a much needed family friendly dark ride to the park, one that uses mainly physical sets, mixed with a few screens. Good to see a a lot of Universals recent additions have moved away from just being screen based. Its got a very well done queue line as well. I wouldn't be surprised to possibly see this ride added to the Studio park in Orlando. Either as part of a kids zone replacement or to replace Shrek (if they can fit it in) as their have been rumours Shrek could be the next ride on the chopping block, although their is a new Shrek movie coming soon so they might keep it longer.



They have also finally added the Indominus rex to the Jurassic World ride, as the proper animatronics where not ready when the ride launched in 2019, their are two one in the final with the T-rex and a second just before you head up the lift hill.



Super Nintendo land is well into construction now, it will only feature Mario Kart and food/retail. There wasn't room for the Yoshi ride, which is why they added the omnimover secret life of pets ride, think they got the better deal as the pets ride is much better than the Yoshi ride.
 
The Secret Life of Pets ride looks fantastic. I'm actually concerned given Universals track record of removing old IPs that it'll outlive the films and be hastily rethemed or removed sooner than it should.
 
Wow, I’ve got to say the dark ride looks fantastic! Not that that surprises me, given Universal’s past track record of building amazing dark rides, but it really does look great, with a lot of different animatronics and physical scenery as well as screens! I would definitely approve if that was to replace Shrek 4D in Universal Studios Florida. I think it would fit in really nicely there given that Despicable Me is across the path from that building; it could almost make for a nice Illumination (the animators who made Despicable Me and SLoP) subsection!

In terms of Jurassic World; great to see that they’re going back and adding to it! Controversially, with VelociCoaster now opening, I’d actually quite like it if the Jurassic World revamp made its way over to Florida some time soon; as much as I absolutely love JPRA in its current form, the new Jurassic World form looks amazing too, and I think it would really modernise the ride and make it fit in more with the new Jurassic World theme of VelociCoaster.

So overall; great stuff, Universal!
 
Tim said:
The Secret Life of Pets ride looks fantastic. I'm actually concerned given Universals track record of removing old IPs that it'll outlive the films and be hastily rethemed or removed sooner than it should.
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I thought the same, especially as the banal second Pets film didn't do great business at the box office. Nonetheless, Universal have kept Waterworld beyond the point of most of the park's core-audience ever having heard of it, never mind seeing it. A big dark ride full of adorable cats and dogs is surely timeless, and I must say, this looks great.

That I-Rex animatronic is absurd!
 
Out of interest, which animatronic is the Indominus Rex? Is it one of the huge dinosaur animatronics in the final scene of the ride before the drop?
 
Interestingly , the Indo that can be found before ascending the lift hill is the same one that was temporarily placed at the finale last year !

I can definitely anticipate this coming to Orlando sooner rather than later - especially with Epic Universe being delayed it gives them something else to advertise. Rumour has it that creative aren’t happy with how the screen portion turned out with the Mosasaur, so that part may not make it over
 
The Jurassic World finale is stunning - surely one of the finest examples of animatronic theming on any water ride?
 
I wasn't overly enamoured with this park when i visited in 2019, but the enhancements to Jurassic World look good - and as rides were needed badly, the Secret life of Pets is welcome. The Nintendo area will also add much needed capacity.

I recall this being the most expensive single day at a theme park I had ever had, needless to say the park wasn't worth it.
 
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I have been a couple of times, the most recent being in Oct 2019. I found the park much improved in 2019 with the addition of Harry Potter, improvements to Jurassic park and overall park improvements. The addition of the secret life of pets and mario will certainly make it even better. I agree about being expensive, food and drink was the most expensive I have had at a theme park. I remember a soft serve ice cream cost something like $7.50 and at the time the exchange rate was only $1.19 to the £1 so cost £6.30! More expensive than Disney and Universal Orlando.
 
We went to the Three Broomsticks for a beer. There were no prices, but being the US in a theme park, I fully expected to pay $10-12. It cost $15.50 (£12 at the time).

So, so expensive there given the quantity of attractions but, the again, it is Hollywood...
 
I have done a couple of west coast theme park trips now, i have always enjoyed the trips, although do prefer Orlando for a theme park hol. Next time i go to California, rather than being just theme parks would do some more non theme park stuff and visit other places outside of the LA area. Would attach Disneyland on though as really enjoy the Disneyland resort with a visit to Knotts. Not sure would bother too much about Magic Mountain, unless they add anything world class (unlikely unless sixflags change their approach) as having been a few times now happily give it a miss, I actually prefer the day at Knotts over Magic Mountain.

Will be a good few years though before a return, as hopefully Summer 2022 will be Orlando and would like to do an east coast America trip after this in 2023/24 as somewhere that's been on the list for ages and not got round to.
 
AstroDan said:
I wasn't overly enamoured with this park when i visited in 2019, but the enhancements to Jurassic World look good - and as rides were needed badly, the Secret life of Pets is welcome. The Nintendo area will also add much needed capacity.

I recall this being the most expensive single day at a theme park I had ever had, needless to say the park wasn't worth it.
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admittedly we did the VIP tour but I thought Universal Hollywood was a great tour round a working studio, with a small theme park attached when we visited back in 2012. As most of the rides were repeated at Orlando, I was much more interested in the studio tour than the rides.
 
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