How the Best Rides at Universal Studios Work

Universal Studios is a bizarre root word park that welcomes over seven million people a year . of late , the great draw is a sprawling reproduction of Harry Potter ’s earth , though it ’s long been famous for making holidaymaker feel like they ’re characters in one of Universal ’s many hit movies . The technology involve in these spectacles , however , has remained a mystery — until now .

The theme park recently invite journalists to Orlando for the first ever behind - the - scenes tour of Universal Studios , including democratic attractions like The Simpsons Ride and all thing Harry Potter - refer . It was a rarified chance to peek behind the drapery , and to wander behind the unmarked doors that nobody open up . The rides are fun , sure . Finding out what make the ride beat , however , is a the pits of an escapade .

Full revealing : Universal Studios Florida flew me to Orlando for said behind - the - scene tour and put me up in the Hard Rock Hotel . ( Very alloy . ) I got a free pass to the park and two ill-chosen dinner party as part of the batch . I had to bribe my own Duff ’s beer .

Illustration: Sam Woolley

Illustration: Sam Woolley

Universal Creative Studio , the team of engineers and designer that build the rides , let a small mathematical group of reporter ( sans tv camera or smartphones ) explore the park after the tourist had left . They work on the lights inside the rides , so that we could walk along the racecourse and see how the magic pass off . About halfway through eight - hour - long circuit , one of the Mungo Park ’s top engineers shake his oral sex and whisper unironically , “ I ca n’t believe we ’re show up you this . ”

Third Best: The Simpsons Ride

Of all the attractions at Universal Studios , Springfield is certainly the most exciting to Simpson fanatic . you could drink a Duff ’s beer at Moe ’s , or drive in Homer ’s car in front of a massive , 80 - understructure - marvellous OMNIMAX screen as 3D version of Krusty and Friend come jump out at you .

The Simpsons Ride consist of two identical dome - shaped theater , the graduated table of which are mind - boggling . rider enter a lowly room and hop into a car that seats two quarrel of four people . When the ride starts , the railway car ascends into darkness , and you ’re directly immersed in four - and - a - half mo of nonstop legal action , full of your favorite Simpsons theatrical role and a jumbo , radioactive Maggie who saves the day . You ride a rollercoaster at Krustyland without actually moving onwards , but it really feel like you ’re riding a rollercoaster .

That said , all of this magic looks absolutely tinny with the lights on . When the ride start , the motorcar lurch , and the fog hushing . scatty the exactly programmed motility , the monumental picture on the screen would give anyone vertigo , but laid bare , the drive ’s mechanics seem obvious .

Illustration: Sam Woolley

Second Best: Revenge of the Mummy

The next best stop was Revenge of the Mummy . This is the variety of drive where you see small children scream as they ’re walk out , so you know it ’s serious . Just like the Mummy pic , the ride is a whacky mixing of repulsion and thrill . Unlike the movies , which suck , this ride does not .

As with most of the ride at the parkland , Universal Studios figure out closely with Stephen Sommers , director of the Mummy movies , to produce Revenge of the Mummy . As our tour pathfinder explicate , Sommers wanted the ride to embody the best of his two favorite case of attractions : haunt houses and rollercoasters .

At first , the ride feels almost camp . Then you plump into swarthiness and the way catches on fire — actual fire , licking at the ceiling and tearing up the wall . The fire is searingly blistering , unlike most meek amusement park special burden . It ’s downright puzzle to figure out how the technologist attract this one off without burning the whole piazza down .

Photo: Universal Studios

When the group of reporters and Universal engineers walked through a side door during the tour , we could see the curling rails of the rollercoaster that was tightly wound in a infinite about the size of a ballroom . Everything was black and coated in what looks like fervor retardation froth . Even with flood lighting the way , the Mummy ’s bowel are spooky .

Using an effect first pioneer for the motion-picture show Backdraft , applied scientist explained , Universal Studios created a check burn with nothing more than a bit of methane and some fans to organize the flames . They call it “ brain fire , ” a name that makes immediate sentiency once you ’ve catch the cerebral whorl of flames hugging the ceiling . The system of rules is so carefully moderate , in fact , that railroad engineer even ok - melodic phrase the fire to make it just red-hot enough to feel unnervingly intense , but not so hot that it would make tourists uncomfortable .

Absolute Best: Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey

It was nearly midnight by the time the group made it to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter . The newest addition to the park , it ’s cordoned off to a remote recess of Universal Studios Florida and shared with its sister park , Universal Islands of Adventure . The Wizarding World ’s attractions are so immersive that you could spend the better part of a sidereal day exploring them all .

Harry Potter and the Escape From Gringotts , which opened in 2014 , is the newest J.K. Rowling - approved drive at the park . It ’s not the good one , though — at least in terms of technical marvels . For the real deception , you have to hop on the Hogwarts Express , a full scale replication of the train that carry Harry and his admirer from London to wizard school . When you get off , you ’re in the middle of a fairy taradiddle hamlet . The tiny town is a wondrous designed Reconstruction Period of Hogsmeade , and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry peers down onto the small town , a castle on a hill that await much larger than it really is .

The illusion that you ’re visiting Harry Potter ’s schooltime is only part of the playfulness . Whether or not you ’ve register the books or attend the movies , it ’s a flack marching up the Harlan F. Stone stairs of the shoal . Once inside , the walls are lined with gimmicks like paintings that talk but capriciously front like real oil house painting . ( I ’m just spitballing , but I ’m middling certain the trick is turning a LED screen on its side and slapping a special matt finishing that render and antiqued look . ) There are also classrooms full of curiosities , including the best animatronic robot I ’ve ever seen . These include small-scale characters from Harry Potter that appear like they just stepped out of the movie .

Illustration: Sam Woolley

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey , the ride at the end of the line of reasoning , dwell of a serial of benches that resemble church building pews with large responsibility restraints . Once seat and secured , you will plausibly experience sick immediately . The drive moves between physical sets and immersive video experiences as the bench seem to float in midair , sometimes flip almost upside down , all while move sideways on the tracks .

The effect is otherwordly , and it ’s impossible to fancy out how Universal pulled it off . How do riders move from the brick and mortar diversion of Hogwarts into an almost practical realness berth so seamlessly ? And how do the benches swing in so many direction while the screen delay absolutely centered ? Even when the group see the ride with the lighting on , it was still a bafflingly remarkable feat .

Thierry Coup , a aged vice president at Universal Studios and seasoned amusement parking area designer , explained that they ’d developed the construct for the drive before visualise out the technology that would power it . The design team wanted the benches to swim seamlessly through practical and optical effects , but the engineering squad had bother figuring out how to do it . An other cartoon necessitate installing screen door in front of each bench that tantalize along the tracks in tandem , not unlike how ironical cleanser form hanging shirt that move along a cut for leisurely access .

Photo: Universal Studios

Then , someone suggested a series of luggage carrousel . This would signify that the bench would travel through more traditional , physical scene before being spun onto a carousel that plopped a immense , half - bonce silver screen in front of the riders . ( envisage walking through a park , hop on a carousel for one rotation , and then hopping off and walk to the next carousel . ) Each workbench would get its own projector that could fill the half - domed stadium - forge covert with visual effect as green - leaver spin around the merry-go-round before the bench return to the bushel tracks .

This is the part that makes you wan . When the setup was exposed in the light , it ’s easy to see how the most adventuresome minute of the ride happen on these merry-go-round , as the benches swing around in front of the half - casing screen all while spinning in a circle the whole time .

BONUS — Skull Island: Reign of Kong

The group ’s last stop was a construction site . Mike West , the executive producer at Universal Creative that ’s superintend Skull Island : sovereignty of Kong , run across us at a back entrance . Our tour guides handed out heavy hats and brightly colored vests and flashlights that lit the way on a drear leafy path towards the New Universal Studios attractiveness .

watch an amusement park ride under construction is a bummer . There ’s a maze where visitors will finally wait in descent , ended with half land up airscrew display that boast creepy skulls and tribal artefact . At the ride ’s boarding country sit a predominate truck with enough bench seating for a duet dozen tourists to go on a choreographed safari through a fake island horror show . Unlike every other ride at Universal Studios , there were no cart track on Skull Island : Reign of Kong . The truck was n’t affix to anything .

“ We ’ve said as much as we can say about this drive , ” said Mr. West , the executive director , adding only that the truck would move through the ride environment in an entirely unexampled way . The 40 - pes - prospicient motortruck , which resemble a military personnel department toter from World War II , had a series of detector in the corners and a board of what appeared to be wi - fi router strung along the roof . Although the Universal team would n’t admit it at the fourth dimension , the motortruck is largely autonomous . There is no track , and the serial of sensors along the top of the motortruck look just like LIDAR sensor I ’ve seen on ego - push back railway car . Plus , each of the tires can channelise themselves so that the truck can pull crazy maneuvers during the drive .

Photo: Universal Studios

The green engineers were demure about what would come after the young Kong ride . Some Universal parks have already incorporated practical reality headsets into rides , and engineers hint that full - fledged hologram were also in the word of mouth . While these perfectly futurist experiences are still a few years away , the idea of using near future technology like ego - driving cars as a gimmick is fairly fun . Just imagine how Midwestern tourists would brag to their friend at home about tantalize in a motortruck that aim itself . They ’d think it was half-baked !

entertainment parksHarry PotterRidesThe MummyThe SimpsonsUniversal Studios

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