I’m about to head off on a much-needed, much-anticipated weeklong vacation with my wife. We had often discussed celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary with a trip to Universal Studios Resort in Orlando. Last year, when the anniversary came around, we weren’t quite ready to head to a crowded Orlando resort in the midst of COVID. I still don’t know that I feel quite comfortable, but we’re masked and vaxxed, and the case numbers are coming down enough where I think I’m okay with it.
Publication will be a bit sporadic until I’m back. A new series, just in time for Lent, will start Wednesday, and I’ll have the final installment in my Franchise Friday on Batman movies with Batman and Robin on March 4. I’ll eventually see and discuss Matt Reeves’ The Batman, but that might be a week or so behind; I’m sure it will still be part of the conversation for a bit. This Monday and next Monday likely will have no posts, unless I can find some time upon my return.
I’m excited to get away. It’s the first long vacation my wife and I have taken without kids in nearly a decade. And I’ve only been to Universal Studios once, back when I was a freshman in high school. The park has changed completely in the nearly 30 years since, and it’s going to feel like visiting for the first time (when I visited, Island of Adventure and City Walk were both years away, and the most popular rides were Kongfrontation, Back to the Future and Jaws). My wife is a huge Harry Potter fan. And while I like the Harry Potter movies and look forward to seeing all those attractions, I’m looking forward to visiting the Simpsons section of the park, riding the new Jurassic World roller coaster and trying out the Spider-Man ride I’ve heard about for years.
Movies and amusement parks are a natural combination. Many films, of course, are compared to roller coasters. And as amusement parks seek to become more immersive and pull visitors into engaging and emotional stories, partnering with film and television is a no-brainer. When I was younger, we visited Kings Island every year. For a spell, they were owned by Paramount Pictures, and all the rides were themed to Paramount movies. There was a suspended Top Gun rollercoaster, a drop tower inspired by the Wesley Snipes flick Drop Zone, and even a Tomb Raider indoor ride that was more thrilling than anything the movie offered. And yet, those rides can’t compare to the total immersion offered at Disney or Universal.
I’m curious what movie-themed amusement park rides and attractions people love the most. What makes a good movie ride? Is it the thrills? The immersion? Does it have to capture the tone or feel of the work in question? Before I turn it over to you all, I’ll just say that my favorite was probably the Back to the Future ride they used to have at Universal Studios Florida. It was a simulator attraction that seated riders in their own DeLoreans, which were lifted up to a 180-degree dome screen and took them on an adventure with Doc Brown. I think about this ride all the time. It was fun and thrilling, it told a good story, and it captured the tone of Back to the Future perfectly. I’m kind of bummed it’s gone and I won’t be able to ride it (but it’s been turned into a Simpsons ride, which uses the same technology, so that’s a fine tradeoff, I’d assume).
So, before I head off on vacation, I’ll hand it over to you:
What is your favorite movie-based ride or attraction, and why?
I really like the Indiana Jones ride in Disneyland and the Star
Wars rides at Galaxy’s Edge in Disney World.