A few corrections: MarcM143 pointed out that I called the Jurassic Park Ford Explorer a Jeep. A few other people have corrected me on the Beasaur as well. It's not a real dinosaur but is instead meant to be a play on words, as in "Be-a-Saur". The exhibit used to be interactive and allow you to control the creature to a limited extent.
Hey Poseidon when I was at the discovery center I asked the staff why the the dinosaur statues have cut-outs on their sides such as the Be-A-Saur, apparently they were taken from a museum where you could press buttons on the cut-out areas.
Back when Jurassic Park came out, the term SUV wasn't in popular use, and people just called them all "Jeeps" like we call all nose tissues "Kleenex". I noticed it was a Ford, but I didn't even consider that you'd make a mistake calling it a "Jeep" that way
I paused the video halfway. Universal announced a refurbishment for Islands of Adventure’s Jurassic Park: River Adventure a few months ago. I don’t know when and it’s supposed to be for a year.
@@chompythebeastthat’s not true we called them Ford Explorers, no one called them jeeps. Maybe on the east coast I don’t know but definitely not on the west coast. The only thing we called jeeps was Jeeps. We didn’t call Suzuki samurai geo trackers or land rovers Jeeps either we called them by their names or called them 4x4s if they were 4x4s
I’m sure they are letting it just to such a great state of disrepair to make the cost of rethemeing to Jurassic World more justified. “Oh with just an extra 20 million we can retheme it instead of just refurbished.”
@@ThemeparkfishI agree. What’s the point of trying to maintain some of the Dinos, when you can “possibly” get a full retheme. They can cosmetically (structure and paint) the whole island to fit Jurassic world too
I grew up going to universal Hollywood and I still think the car falling off the roof scene is one of the most mind blowing effects ever in a ride. I’m so glad I got to experience it before it was decommissioned.
I liked the original Hollywood version of "Jurassic Park" The ending was suspenseful with the computer voice lady counting down the seconds before life support systems will fail and the big Trex hidden by a 40 foot waterfall. New riders didn't know the Rex behind it would surprise them.
Same, that ride was also the first time I remember seeing "I survived" tee shirts themed to these sorts of rides. In fact I remember seeing the "I survived Jurassic Park The Ride!" shirts on folks in Washington State years later
By FAR the best part was the radio message of a panic-stricken park ranger screaming over the radio “IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, IT’S IN THE BUILDING! *ITS. IN. THE. BUILDING!!!”* right before the Res appeara
I actually prefer for IoA to keep the River Adventure as being Jurassic Park themed. That way there's a reason to visit both versions, much like how the two Mummy rides are different. Also, I don't really think the Hollywood version is an upgrade. Unless you consider more screens and a floating Indominus Rex an upgrade.
At least to me the IoA version is enjoyable to everyone, even if they haven't seen Jurassic Park what's happening is obvious. The Hollywood version with Jurassic World has a lot of context clues from the movie. Also I really enjoyed Poseidons Fury and wish they reopened it, but I thinj I might be in a minority there...
Jurassic World, as a ride, is definitely an upgrade. It's a bitter pill to swallow but it is the truth. Unless you are coming from strictly an IP standpoint which I get JP > JW all day every day. Still I'm actually happy they haven't fixed IoA and I hope they don't. It gives USH something original and unique for guests.
I'm sorry to "Erm actually >:3" you here, but the Indominus Rex animatronic that was a floating head was actually a placeholder for the actual ending show scene in which it walks in to attack the floating T-rex. The placeholder has been moved to the entrance of the lift behind the dino facts. The Indominus Rex animatronic in the final scene walks in, looks and roars at the riders and turns to the T-Rex, which is meant to be the beginning of their fight. A Blue animatronic shows up as well right before that scene. As for the screens, I can't really defend those, it's up to personal preference, but I do have to say that I personally preferred when this was one of the few attractions in Hollywood to have no screens. It's one of the few kinda thrill rides that I can stand due to motion sickness, so I've come to adore the ride and its animatronics.
Personally, I would want it to stay Jurassic Park and just get a referb and maybe some new additions. Not only do I like Jurassic Park more than World, but I also like the idea that the Orlando park and the California park have different things to see.
That's true, I do like that certain things are unique to each which I why I keep coming back to Hollywood. Still, the land can't keep limping on forever.
@@PoseidonEntertainment yeah. As much as I hate to say, we really gotta take our nostalgia glasses off and look at it from a business perspective. I wish Jurassic Park could stay and get a big-time refurbishment but it’s clear that a Jurassic World overhaul would be the way forward for Universal.
@@knyte8706nostalgia glasses to keep an IP of a movie that was a masterpiece and not want it replaced with the joke that JW is ? Most people with taste and a working brain don't want to ride Chris Pratt and the raptor squad the ride with a shit load of screens. Comparing that to no super star to save you but just you and the dinos face to face in the unrestricted zone. All they need to do is update the ride but still keep it JP themed. In JP the ride you got various carnivores wanting to tear you apart. In the JW it's just you and in irex which is Fucking lame.
Fun fact: I actually used to work at this ride. It's so sad to see it in the state it is now, but admittedly, it wasn't that much better off when I was working there. I spent almost two years at this ride, and it still blows my mind just how much Universal doesn't take care of some of its attractions. The "pig raptor" as I called her (the electrified raptor) has never worked as long as I have seen her. The falling raptor cage only works sometimes. The taco's faces look like they're falling off.. and that pretty first lady you see? I still remember when he new was literally ripped open. I also worked there when (not this year, but a few years ago), the splash-down river filled was filled with mud for days, and for some reason they were still letting us load guests onto the ride. They insisted that the water "wasn't dirty and just needed to be cycled through with the boats." It was BROWN. Even with the addition of Velocicoaster, this area has been falling apart for so long now. I even remember moving to Florida and going on this ride for the very first time in 2013 (how time flies) and being disappointed that it wasn't as good as California's River Adventure. And that was BEFORE California updated.
Random question, but a JP worker mentioned how they had to walk through the entire ride before closing to maintain that everything was functioning. Is that something you ever had to do?
I'll always have a soft spot for the ride, but your comment is right. I went on it recently, and the Ultrasaurs are flat-out missing. The T-Rex has less movement. The Hadrosaur's head is permanently out of the water.
@@TheDogGoesWoof69 That is a completely incorrect assumption about that being where people who get out of prison going first. Also, that WAS racist if you're implying that the people coming out of prison are a specific race. That is racist as hell. Also, NEITHER of those things have ANYTHING to do with them fixing the ride. This comment straight up didn't even need to be made.
I have a great nostalgia for the ride, as I was there the day they opened it to the public; so I saw all the effects in their prime. Yet I think it's time it was replaced, because It's just depressing to look at now. I went recently for the velo-coaster and the river ride is just a hollow shell of what it once was. If Universal tore it down and rebuilt something even close to the Beijing dark ride, people would look past it.
@@MoonBunniess Of course it's someone named "UltraMaga" It's just another word for the KKK nowadays and these idiots think it's something they should be out and proud about.
Being an LA native that went to USH a lot over the last 20 years, it's clear to me why the Mosasaurus screens replaced the Ultrasaurus animatronics. The Ultras looked great when I first saw them back in 2002, but by the time Universal was getting ready for the Jurassic World retheme, the Ultras necks moved incredibly slow and they were showing their age from years of being in the water and getting rained on. I heard from a friend who worked at USH that the Ultras break down a lot faster than the other dino animatronics because of the machinery to make their necks move, and that was part of the reason (along with the Mosa being one of the big moments of JW the movie) why they were removed entirely. Had they kept the Ultras, they would have looked just as creaky and broken down ten years from now as they did in 2018. It's funny because I hate the Jurassic World movies, but the ride is fantastic. They even added a B-mode to the Indominus Rex animatronic if the boat has to stop before the big drop. If the boat stops, the I-Rex stops roaring and starts sniffing around for the boat, because in the movie it only detects prey when it is moving. That's some smart ride design.
I figured as much myself. Anything that long, slender and vertical tends to break down in animatronics. Easy enough replacement though, add triceratops instead. There are other herbivores.
I wish they’ve just rebuilt the ultrasaurs, or just re did the mosa area but better, or like everything, same layout sure but like completely change everything to the ride. It just feels lacking a lot to me. the only thing I like from it is the ending, the scenery is fantastic and the dinosaurs with their movements is just amazing,but I hate it cuz it felt so abruptly transported into the story your supposed to experience and take in sense the beginning. The mosa doesn’t really do that and I wish that part was added where the first and newly placed indominus is. I wish they added that indominus Rex in the paddock where it broke out to add suspense because that part is so empty and so not suspenseful. I hope they just do a major refurbishment to this Jurassic park ride. I don’t want to see it go lol
I agree. The Jurassic World ride is so fantastic. And, even though the Mosasaurus screen isn’t my favorite, I honestly do prefer it to a dilapidated animatronic.
Glad I was born in 1990, I've been able to enjoy all of our amusement parks when they were in their prime. No full parks at Disney or ridiculous ticket prices, everything worked at Universal, and the King Kong and Jaws rides were still there
lucky!! my parents just made enough money to be able to afford universal tickets and I was really excited for the Jurassic rides ever since I was a little girl, so this video kinda disappointed me. wish I could’ve gone when I was younger
@@jess.van7 yeah I loved the 90's, going to arcades was so much fun, and I actually had friends and interacted with people. I really miss the times, and the family members
It’s so heartbreaking. I love this ride and Jurassic Park is one of my favorite movies. The rest of the land is amazing and I’d rather not see it fully converted to Jurassic World.
Ah, see I think there's a lot of area for improvement. The Discovery Center could use an overhaul on its bottom floor and you could add more interactive elements to Camp Jurassic.
100% I've gone the last two years to IoA solely for Jurassic Park and the river adventure. What next? Take down the JP gate that separates the area from Hogsmeade? a total shame if they retheme
@@primarytrainer1 😭😭😭 we should start a protest if they decide to change Jurassic park into stupid Jurassic world. I think it’s so cool that even the younger generations loved Jurassic park more than the newer ones. They don’t make movies like they used to
Sad to see the degradation through the years. I'll always remember going on this ride with my Dad and little brother in 2004, my Dad saying there was "no big falls" to get me to go on it. That final fall scared the hell out of me as a kid, but I'll always remember it ending in me with a huge smile laughing at how fun it was with my Dad, as my little brother cried hysterically lol.
God, I love how gullible kids are. Your dad said there werent any big falls, so you just ignored the screaming, splashing, plummeting boats of people and hopped on the ride w/out a clue (this isnt meant to be mean, we all do the same thing when we’re kids)
Yes my first time riding it my dad said there would be no big falls and he got me to ride it. Then years later when my little sister didnt wanna ride it i had to lie to her to get her to go. Crazy how much power people can have over kids.
The restraint system was so loose when I last rode that some drunk guy stood up before the drop, slapped the T.Rex as the boat went down, and was removed from the park by security. I was that drunk guy… 😔
This reminds me of the last time i rode Islands of Adventure’s version of the ride, about a year ago. Right before we got to the final drop, we stopped in place at the giant T-Rex animatronic. This lasted until the Dino stopped in its place and seemingly shut itself off, like it suddenly lost its will to live. Everybody started cheering saying “we killed the dinosaurs!” and the ride didn’t get back working for a good two minutes.
I really loved that in the first Jurassic World movie there was this abandoned site of the old park where it was almost completely shattered by dinosaurs and time, maybe they can rebrand this whole attraction (or even the park) as a retro abandoned Jurassic Park where you are free to explore the river but naive at the presence of dinosaurs. Idk, for me it would be really cool to explore that abandoned park that the movie briefly showed
Same. Every time we go to Universal, it’s always the part I get excited for the most. Even when exiting Toon Lagoon and seeing signs for stuff up ahead, just seeing a “Jurassic Park ➡️” sign gets me insanely hyped. And I’ve never thought the theming felt lackluster at all, it feels like a slice of the movies brought to life.
It’s such a pity that it hasn’t been refurbished. I rode it with my family last December (no wait time at all mind you, nobody else was riding it!) and even with the issues it was STILL one of the coolest ride experiences there is. It deserves to be spoken of in the same breath as Pirates of the Caribbean and The Forbidden Journey, at least in my opinion.
They really have to announce the retheme of Jurassic park river adventure to Jurassic world after villain con minion blast opens next door, which is universal studios
I was there in Dec. 2022, and it was there, but it looked like it’s neck was snapped. I remember turning to my friends and saying, “oh my god they murdered the dinosaur.”
You’d swear with how poorly the animatronics operate nowadays that they haven’t seen maintenance since the ride first opened. Definitely a shame since this ride IMO is a staple of the park and always something I look forward to going on. Hopefully they give it some TLC in the near future.
Personally, dark rides are always my favorite and when you add water, even better. When you combine dinosaurs it’s perfection to me. It’s sad what has happened to this ride and land over time. It definitely could use some refreshing and new ideas. It has a ton of potential
I actually like the Mosasaurus screen area, I think mixing screens + animatronics and sets is the best way to make screens more believable and achieve some things animatronics wouldn't be able to do. To be honest, Jurassic World ride just need more dinosaurs, and is such an "easy" improvement. You don't need animatronics, just make a few dinosaurs statues, put them on sleeping positions and/or cover them with a lot of vegetations to make them some sort of game for guests to find them.
I think the issue with screens is that they work far, far better as a means to supplement existing animatronics or practical effects than as the intended primary visual. They’re great for adding details that would be difficult to achieve with animatronics or the like, such as background ambience or looming shadows. Things that don’t really need to give riders a sense of depth to sell what they are. On their own, though, they just feel flat, and especially lifeless when it comes to rides like this where the main selling point is the dinosaurs. Also, you have to take into account that using only screens, or even just primarily screens, gives the ride a very obvious single point of failure that can completely ruin immersion. When the main screen stops working, the entire set stops working, like going to a movie theater only for it to stop working halfway through. The main thing you were supposed to be looking at is gone, either replaced with nothing or some kind of logo or error screen, and all the additional details in the world can’t do much if the thing they were adding to isn’t there. It’s not nearly as big of an issue when the screens are just used to supplement the rest of the scene; there’s plenty of rides that have failsafes for this exact reason, because hiding a minor screen error is much more plausible than having to make up for the central part of the ride being broken. And you just know a big theme park wants to avoid having to shut down rides at all, because a nonfunctional ride means less throughput means less profit. When an animatronic stops working, on the other hand, it at least still offers some amount of value even as a stationary object; you can still tell what it is, and it doesn’t necessarily stand out as “oh that’s broken” unless there’s a clear visual issue with it(I.E. rips or tears, pieces broken off or almost broken off, leaking hydraulics, being covered by a large and conspicuous box…) since, y’know, statues are pretty common even in set design. Rather than just flickering off and suddenly having a very noticeable absence, usually it’s a slow decline that is obvious when looked back on but not so much in the moment; the movement is more stiff or jerky, or it wobbles a little more than it should. There’s still the backgrounds and potentially other animatronics or set pieces that give a sense of immersion, like sound design and other practical effects. Heck, this is one of the situations where screens can be really useful; I know there are various cases where, when an animatronic fails, it’s covered by a screen showing what the animatronic would have done, or even following an alternative B-mode for the ride. The trade off is that repairing an animatronic or non-functional portion of a set is more expensive and more time-consuming than resetting a screen. The way I see it is that, for immersive rides like this, physical sets/animatronics and practical effects are like the main course. Screens are better used as side dishes to either get you exited for or elevate that main course experience. Having a nice burger or fried chicken with a side of fries and dipping sauces just feels more satisfying than having only the fries and sauces as your full meal, no matter how well cooked and presented they are. On the other hand, having good fries can do wonders to make up for a lower quality burger or chicken that didn’t come out how you were hoping. Sure, just fries can be nice every once in a while as a snack or what have you, but if what’s being advertised is a full meal, you’re probably going to be expecting something more substantial. Another analogy is that screen being used for rides are like CGI in shows and movies. They can be incredible for taking something good and making it great, especially when it’s used subtly, or in a way where the fact that it stands out from the non-CGI stuff is used to really give something a unique feel from the rest of the work. On the other hand, the more CGI there is, the easier it is to tell it’s CGI- and the more bad CGI stands out like a sore thumb.
I agree they need more Dinos and vegetation. That whole area at the beginning before the mosasaurus tank should be perfect for hanging plants and vines. Wisteria maybe
I don’t know, I always thought that having river adventure for the fans of the old movies and velocicoaster for the fans of the new movies was always the right move. I also have considered river adventure a must ride because of how it has a good escalation of stakes in its story similar to the movie; so it really feels like you’re at the park when things go wrong. Yes it’s clear that it needs updating and some aspects of the ride could be improved like you said, but I don’t think a retheme to Jurassic world is the way to go.
@@PoseidonEntertainment yes, sorry I didn’t mean to imply that the Jurassic world version of the ride was bad or inferior. I just meant that I still get enjoyment out of the execution of the story on river adventure even if parts of it are in need of an update.
I was at Universal Hollywood just a couple days ago and the Indominus rex just stood still like a statue. The light came on next to it to reveal a standing dead dinosaur which was honestly scarier than if it worked properly.
As much as I absolutely believe Jurassic World: The Ride would fit in well within the Islands' Jurassic Park, I feel like a whole retheme of River Adventure or indeed the entire island should be more of a last resort option. As mentioned in the video, the Islands is very much a kitchen sink-style park. Each of the islands look distinct yet complimentary to each other. What I think works for Jurassic Park in its current state is having the visual juxtaposition of Velocicoaster and the Discovery Center standing side-by-side from across the lagoon. In my opinion, it adds to the timelessness of the park as a whole, coming from someone who has only seen the first JP and JW films anyway. What I'm trying to say is Jurassic World already has its own headliner representative on the island, so I think a better option would be to just renovate River Adventure and the Discovery Center, keep them both faithful to the original Jurassic Park film, but add in more of the special effects and technology one would expect from Universal's recent renovation efforts, like they did with Marvel Super Hero Island years ago. Striking a balance between both Jurassic franchises, while honestly not leading to good visual consistency, would at least bring appeal to fans of either or both.
You do make a good point about keeping it timeless. As much as I wish Kongfrontation, Jaws and Earthquake were still around, I just like that the parking garages still have themed sections to some of those properties.
I am unabashedly a Universal ass-kisser. They’re my extreme bias. But, god, am I so grateful you’re covering this. As the Disney parks are declining, its easy for people (and, of course, myself) to get over excited and start pointing fingers at Universal to hold up the mantle. But no! Universal needs some desperate fixing as well. Love your videos as always, and here’s to a better Universal! 🤙
I visited Universal Studios Japan just a few weeks ago, and 2 things stood out to me that I hadn’t experienced at any other Universal park. One, the attention to detail of the Jurassic Park land and upkeep of the attractions was second to none, and two, I found it absolutely hilarious that the ride safely video that plays in the queue and loading area of River Adventure was the *EXACT same* version from when it opened - that of a white guy in full Jurassic Park ranger uniform giving the entire speech in Japanese and recorded on a camera from 2001. It’s so hilariously retro that it has a special of adorable charm about it which I couldn’t help but giggle at every time it played😁
I didn't know the Osaka park was maintained so well. As far as I can determine, it's still owned and operated by Universal so I guess it's a Japan thing rather than an OLC thing.
The Jurrassic Park Ride in Beijing is on another level. The fact that the Indominus Rex actually chases you for a few seconds is really amazing and something Universal Florida should do to make up for the poor state that the River ride is in/
River Adventure is just such a cultural touchstone/nostalgia trip that I ride it every time I go not in the winter, and I feel like I would miss it in the same way that I miss Jaws, Shrek, and Dueling Dragons. Don't get me wrong, Hagrids is great and Gringotts has neat theming, but in a park that is shifting so much and opening a new park soon, I think it's important to maintain the integrity of the original parks, let we become Epcot-y
I do agree that it falls in with many of those original USF attractions. Still, I think the JW retheme very much preserves the spirit and feel of the ride while improving on it.
When the gates would open at the original Universal Hollywood Ultrasaur Lagoon it was so majestic with the actual natural landscape and mountains adding to the experience. It really felt like you were on one of the Jurassic Park islands. And with the original narration before the gates opened, it would give me goosebumps. Now it's just a ride.
I’m not going to lie- I was JUST at Universal a few days ago and rode the River Adventure twice. It is my favorite ride, I love it so much- it still manages to scare and terrify. I love everything about it- if this ride ever goes down I will be so upset
It’s really a shame that universal Hollywood hasn’t announced that they are doing any special event for Jurassic Park 30th anniversary. Which is really weird since a majority of the first JP was filmed there. I hope they do bring all this stuff to LA because me and a lot of other fans can’t go to Florida.
@@corey8923 they filmed some of the most iconic scenes at the universal backlot. Both the tree for my bed scene and most of the night and Interior scenes were also filmed there. Not to mention how a majority of the sequels were filmed at universal as well. So no lol, you are incorrect.
I tried to break the single day ride record for this ride in like 2019ish right before covid. At the time the record was 62, I don’t know if that’s changed. Started off with a good stride, did like 40 rides over the course of 8 hours, then some lady dropped her phone in the ride, and it closed for atleast a half hour. I got some lunch. I didn’t beat the record. But the staff did let me do my last ride (57) alone that day. Great memory. I love this ride, but you’re absolutely right the ride was aging heavily in 2019 and I imagine it’s only gotten worse over the last four years.
Part of the problem with this ride is that universal is stuck in a weird spot trying to decide whether or not they want to do the Jurassic world upgrade or fix the original. They’ve been going back and forth on this for years, even going as far as telling technical staff not to waist resources on the ride because it would be changed to JW. But as of now they seem like they are pulling the trigger on fixing the original and staff are currently working to fix everything!
My biggest problem with the Mosasaurus show scene is the proportions and layout. It just doesn’t make sense from a physical/engineering standpoint. You have this massive lagoon on both sides and a “tunnel” going through it but then it just opens up at the end? It just doesn’t make sense physically. I think the transition to the next show scene could have been better to sell the idea you’re in a tunnel.
"Someone who cares for the attraction quality over attraction IP" Universal has you right where they want you. Something I've notice Universal has done over the last decade is when they have the intention of replacing a ride but don't want to face fan backlash they simply abandon the ride. They allow it to get so bad that even the biggest fans turn on it to the point where they welcome a replacement. I agree with you that cohesive theming is very important at a theme park and it bugs me that Velocicoaster is themed to World. I Really would've preferred the same ride but with the Park theme. Jurassic Park has stood the test of time and id say Jurassic World turned out to be quite disappointing. Especially when you look at the trilogy as a whole. Just look at the guests around the resort as evidence. I was there for 5 days during HHN last year and I saw at least a dozen Jurassic Park shirts every day and not one single Jurassic World shirt. Shut that bad boy down for a year if needed and give it the Jurassic PARK ride it deserves
I hope the fans don’t fall for it this time and give them backlash, I was to see a refurbishment. So I so hope universal does that and adds more to the land to attract more people.
Facts bro. Jurassic PARK is too classic it just can't leave imo. It just needs a massive refurbishment. Maybe they can add some kind of awning over most of the outdoor animatronics except the giant one at the beginning. I love camp Jurassic too and don't want that to be rethemed either.
You claim to care about theming, yet fail to recognize that the thematic concept behind VC wouldn't make any sense to exist in a JP theme. Without JW, there is no VC, simple as that. Additionally, whether you like it or not, Universal has already make their commitment to JW clear by making VC in the first place.
@@dasoupsoup I wish they would do a 50/50 you know? Like maybe move raptor encounter closer to velocicoaster somehow and have that area be Jurassic world and the rest of the land will be Jurassic park. I feel like it can be done
@@graffiti.777 I guess they could keep it 50/50 the way it is, but it wouldn't be very thematically cohesive. My intuition says the long term plan is to completely change to JW eventually.
I think it's a situation similar to how they won't touch ET because of Spielbergs wishes, he put a lot of work into this ride too, it had 3x the budget of the movie itself, a major passion project
While that is a fair point-- Universal can definitely refurbish the ride without compromising any of Spielberg's work and vision. I feel like they owe it to his vision (if that is the case) to ensure the ride is operating how it was originally designed to work.
@@abeiradapraia it comes back to what he said in the video about them not wanting to Invest in the ride, I'm sure if they completely refurbed it with cheaper but better modern electronics and animatronic tech it would still cost about 1 blockbuster film to do
Some cool things about this land I didn't hear mentioned. When you are walking around the land you will hear dinosaurs moving around as well. I have hear large dinosaurs thuding around and around the camp jurassic area you can hear raptors running, hissing, can sometimes calling to each other. It actually scared my niece when we're were in the back of the play area alone so I turned it into a game of "running away from the raptors" which she ended up loving and talked about all week Also with the raptor hatching/adoption thing if you bring back your adoption certificate they will give you an update on how your raptor is doing. We don't live in Florida so we only got an update after a week, but I wonder how long they have updates for
Not sure about a re-theme, but it definitely needs some kind of restoration. As much as I understand WHY Wizarding World gets more love, I really struggle to get over how immersion breaking Orlando's weather is. Meanwhile, the humidity and tropical nature of Florida lends itself perfectly to what I would expect a dinosaur park to be. Hell, we already got lizards galore running around naturally. I wonder if it would help to be more clever about the animatronic placement. The water must do massive wear and tear on those things but you could probably keep more still models in there while having the active moving ones above. Perhaps mix some fake foliage and rocks with the real to help shelter them better. Not too unrealistic to have them peeking out from under rock ledges to be more hidden and 'avoid the sun' as it were.
lolol I cannot wait to watch this video! Jurassic Park River Adventure was my first job ever at the age of 16, part time, while still in high school (which was literally directly across the street from the Jurassic Park building). Basically in about 50% of my classes all day long all you could hear was the sound of people screaming/dinosaur roars/ the Jurassic Park theme song playing over and over. I'm excited to see what you've put together here. I will just say, when I was working here in 2004 through 2006 or 7 (I can't remember lol) the ride was already falling apart. Part of this problem I believe was because the ride was originally made by a different manufacturer and didn't quite work out as planned so they had a completely different company finish the attraction and it was just a nightmare to be honest, with a lot of the different systems not playing well together and everything just feeling very piecemealed and crappy. I mean the building was falling apart behind the scenes when I was working there even. The employee break room was infested with roaches and mold. Walking to the different stations where we worked along the ride path was a scary nightmare. One of the stations (called "spillway" - a little booth to the right of the final T-Rex scene before the big drop) was absolutely disgusting inside with the drywall rotting and mold everywhere and just dust everywhere and I hated going in there because it was just breathing in so much nasty dust and drywall crap. I'm surprised this ride has lasted as long as it has. Also I don't know why they never updated this version to become Jurassic World like they did at other installations at other Universal parks. Anyway, can't wait to watch this and I'll report back lol.
Universal definitely has plans for a Jurassic World overhaul, just probably not until all their other major projects are completed or close to completion (i.e. Epic Universe, Kids Zone construction, Poseidon’s Fury/Lost Continent). If you listen at the very end of the Velocicoaster when the ride slows just before entering the station, audio plays of Claire (Bryce Dallas-Howard) calling Owen (Chris Pratt) to inform him that there is a problem over at “River Adventure” (she literally says the ride’s name), suggesting that something like Hollywoods version of the ride is happening at River Adventure. So I think there is a plan for a Jurassic World overhaul, just probably not anytime soon. We could probably see that happening when crowds migrate to Epic Universe, allowing for a major attraction in IOA to be closed for a significant time, as well as re-theming an entire area without a huge impact on capacity and guest experience. I can see Universal wanting to open Epic, but within a year after opening the park, opening the new Kids Zone to draw people back to USF to not overcrowd the new park, and then opening the new Jurassic World River Adventure and land to draw people back into IOA. Let’s face it, Epic Universe will definitely cannibalize attendance at both existing parks, so adding new lands to both Universal and IOA will help peak interests and bring people back into both parks. So the plan is definitely there; it’s just a matter of when.
Quick correction- the third dinosaur is not a “Beasaur,” the name of the attraction is “Be-A-Saur” where park goers can enter the statues from beneath and don periscopes that control some of the statue’s movements, as well as broadcasting their voices pitched-down!
I got to go opening year in 1999 when I was like 7, and it was one of the best experiences of my childhood. The poor state of this ride greatly saddens me. Especially with the T-rex being lit at the end and then the lighting/animation being too early.
I really don’t want it to get updated to Jurassic World. Dinosaurs are always cool, but there’s something special about Jurassic Park that isn’t special about Jurassic World… plus I just KNOW they’d do screens. 🙄
I went to universal Florida for the first (and only) time back in like 2019, and Jurassic Park was what I was most excited for. I made my family spend way too long there for my own entertainment, taking in all the little details. The park had a good amount of visitors but the Jurassic Park area was almost empty. Half the trivia things were broken, and there was some trash on the ground. Honestly I remember thinking it kinda sucked that it wasn’t taken care of, but at the same time how run down and empty it was made it feel creepy like it was after the dinosaurs had run rampant in the park and that was kinda fun. I lost my mind getting to see a baby dinosaur hatch though. I knew to expect the ride would be in need of maintenance, just from being interested in theme parks and watching channels like yours. Some of the figured were rough but everything was there. It was such an odd combination of some rough, some impressive elements, but again it felt like a 90s relic and had a little creep factor I liked. Getting closer and closer to the T-Rex and the drop is probably one of my favorite things I’ve ever experienced on a ride. I just freaking love dinosaurs man.
The whole 90’s feel and creepiness is what made me fall in love with the ride and series more and made me go watch the rest of the Jurassic park movies before world. It made me feel apart of the story and I remember being so said that USH was gonna be replaced by world. I hope they keep this ride up and do that refurbishment. I want to go to Florida and ride the ride and have newer people experience what I felt.
You and me both! I always do all the little things the area has to offer because I love dinosaurs so much! But if you could see River Adventure now, yeesh.😅😅
Having been to universal studios Hollywood all my life, and on the Jurassic Park ride countless times, I prefer the old ride over the Jurassic World one. Despite the age, the old ride had a lot more detail and care into it. The new ride is just "Hey guys, the movie!" with too many screens of actors talking, covering up industrial sets with smooth blank walls and screens of Chris Pratt on loop. Biggest gripe would be the upper level too, while you say it remains unchanged, I say it's the biggest change of the whole experience. Obviously the animatronics age showed by not working, but the last time i rode on it a few months before they closed it down to redo it, they were working. Raptors breaking down from the pipes and charging the fence. The other big thing was that actual climb up onto the second floor. Currently there's a ton of things lighting up the tunnel, TV screens again. Before there was very little lights, with the back end going up seemingly infinitely, which is now covered by the signs and screen, again. Aside from that the whole ride went from people riding the boat into the dinosaurs world, to dinosaurs in industrial buildings in a humans world. Pretty simple theming and context as apposed to Jurassic Worlds all jungle theming even on the upper parts. I'm actually glad to know Florida still has the old style of it, as one day soon I can go there and ride it. Anyways love your stuff. 👍
I'm not sure if I really agree. There was already a lot of industrial piping and equipment for theming, but I don't really find it that compelling. I also think that the idea of riding into the Tyrannosaurus Kingdom is unique and really interesting. I understand why you don't like the brutalist architecture, but it fits thematically and the new version of the ride adds more animatronics than it takes away.
If I had to watch Chris Pratt on loop doing stupid comedy bits in an hour long line queue for the ride I would lose my mind. Gotta revisit Universal Orlando soon before they ruin the old ride. Hopefully one animatronic is working. Lol
@@PoseidonEntertainmentit’s more to the theme but man, the Jurassic world ride is just telling and not showing. the whole beginning of the mosa is just a wow moment the first time, then once u ride it again it’s eh as there nothing else to really look at, and the whole middle part is the same as River adventure, nothing new. I wish they put more care and love into it and made the ride JURASSIC WORLD. But it doesn’t feel like that until the very end once your into the T. rex enclosure. It was very disappointing to me to see, i remember riding it when it wasn’t actually done because of the awesome full scale indominus Rex wasnt done and placed yet, that whole indominus paddock was and still empty feeling with no suspense (not counting the raptor enclosure as it was already there before) I only go on it for the end only, funny thing too, every time I’ve gone the line is so short lol, but maybe I go on good days.
@@PoseidonEntertainment Little late, but there are other things I prefer of the old version of the ride over the new one. Other main bit being your entrance through the wooden gates. With the narrator giving a better performance, and the original theme playing as breach the gates. Then there is the performance of the other actors radio chatter which I find more captivating as apposed to the new one which just has the two main actors sitting in front of a screen going "Hey, it's me from the movie." Though, I understand now. As I am looking at it through the context of Hollywoods Jurassic area being smaller vs Orlando which has elements of both the original and newer series. Ultimately I get dragged back by the fact the older movies are much better than the newer ones, and nostalgic memories of growing up riding the ride from my earliest memory to the most very last time I rode it. The original is 30 years old, older than I am and much older than the audience of today. Ultimately if the choice was plowing it down or re-themeing it to the newer ones I understand the reason. But I do think they should take more opportunities to improve on the newer version. if they ever do that is.
@@PoseidonEntertainment Also think the smallest detail I don't think anyone has ever noticed, was in the original ride they had a Mickey Mouse ears hat floating near the attacked raft. Super small detail, but it was always fun taking first timers on it and pointing it out and having them laugh about it.
If they wanted to enclose the lagoon while updating it to Jurassic World, they should make it a cave with the Parasaurolophus Lux. They could have the gate open and reveal a mostly dark cave, with the Parasaurolophus Lux starting to glow as you enter. This would keep the impact of the reveal while still fitting the Jurassic World theme.
First and only time I've been to Universal was right after Velocicoaster opened and the fact the Visitor Center and the gate were the ones from the movie was magical. I'm so happy it still exists as Jurassic Park instead of Jurassic World because I have no attachment to those movies. But seeing the murals like the first movie and the actual bones (supposedly) they used in the film that hang from the ceiling and all that was so so so cool. Though River Adventure definitely showed it's age, I can't deny that. We rode it 2 or 3 times because it had low wait times, and I think getting beyond finally riding the scary ride I used to see commercials for all the time, I can see why it's not as well loved by guests. Also I do see your point the inconsistent theming of Park vs World is very conflicting.
Not gonna lie, the Tribute store is very pog and I can see myself staying inside for hours because of the sheer amount of detail and seeing how far Jurassic Park has come since its release. ✨ The land is in desperate need of refurbishment, especially since the Universal Studios Hollywood refurbishment shows that Universal is capable of giving these poor dinosaurs a much needed glow up. 😭
@@notsojoeroganand that series is just bad. Don't get me wrong I haven't seen jurassic park, but atleast THAT wasn't something I was forced to watch (i think almost twice) in school -_-.
The main thing is I think Universal intentionally wants Orlando to keep its Jurassic Park theme to a extent. But that means they’re stuck in a middle ground of not willing to change, while also not willing to spend the extra money to fix the JP area for likely little return. I hope they can keep the JP theme though.
If it gets rethemed to JW from JP, I’ll miss the old theming. JP just had this scarier more horror oriented feel, like the horrified screaming right before the T Rex reveal.
I'll admit that the ride-through videos I've seen of the Jurassic World retheme of the USH version is impressive, and I'll bet that it's a lot of fun to go on. Still, there's something about the memory from dozens of past visits throughout the years about that last section of the ride where the alarms go off, the Siri-sounding voice starts counting down to total destruction, and the voice of a worker screaming, "It's in the building! I repeat -- it's in the building!!" never fails to give me goosebumps. The leadup to the reveal of Rexy and her roaring down just INCHES away from the boat the second before that final drop is a type of thrill that can't be replicated with the new ending scene. If nothing else, I would want that one scene to remain for IOA's version. That's the reason I always wanted to go on the Jurassic Park ride if I was in the Hollywood theme park.
Thank you for touching base on Universal Hollywood! I went as a kid so many times and recently visited again after the Jurassic World update.. and I love being able to see and relive the memories I had when it was Jurassic Park through your video
It’s sad that it’s likely a complete re-theme would be what it takes to get them to pay attention to this portion of the park. I like Jurassic park a lot better and I think its color scheme and aesthetic also fits the park a lot better than the sleek , ultra clean Blue and gray look of World. I can’t do anything to stop it , if it does happen, but idk for once I want a classic attraction to stay themed around the classic instead of the sequel, reboot, etc. even if it’s a small portion of the Jurassic world ride the use of screen scares me, they have a overeliance now days instead of making a physical dark ride.
I went on it about 6 months ago, my mom and I thought it was just the day we were on it but the ride was in complete disarray - the ultrasaur’s neck looked snapped, like at 14:11 (leaving its head half submerged in the water, poor guy), there were like- two dinosaur animatronics left before the raptor area (even the *raptors* were sparse), and the t-Rex was completely out in the open and spotlighted before the reveal was even supposed to happen. It was honestly hilarious, but it’s terrible to learn that the ride is just consistently like this.
The large rumor is that Universal offered USIOA the money to make the make the JW switch for river adventure, and they opted for velocicoaster instead. I believe they made the right decision. Disney I think cemented this idea. If you have multiple attractions in the US, change one, and leave the other intact. River adventure deserves a refurbishment, but beyond that I don't think much help is needed.
River Adventure was always my favorite along with Ripsaw falls. I would love to see an overhaul of it. Took my wife a few years ago and she was underwhelmed by how much it was falling apart. I still remember going as a kid and being in awe of the animatronics. We gotta bring that back.
I actually worked on this side of the park replacing the skins of the Dino’s, changing out water anodes in the water pits that pop out the Dino’s, and a ton of other parts of the park. This and working in the Hagrid ride was my favorite jobs. But I’ve worked at all the parks working 3rd party. If you ever have questions, I’ll answer what I can without compromising the NDA I had to sign.
Great! As a ride attendant at my Local Park (Drayton Manor) I can relate to how fun the job can be sometimes. Would you prefer if the park would just give the ride a huge TLC project without retheming it to JW or change it to Jurassic World?
I worked at River Adventure myself in high school for several years. Also, there was some new federal law that was passed a few months ago that basically makes NDAs that you've signed for previous employers null and void and you can basically say whatever the hell you want now without any repercussions. :)
Last time I went with my family (2021) we tried to go into Camp Jurassic and we were told you are not allowed to go in unless you had a child with you. They had a person at the entrance to Camp Jurassic. Probably why its so underrated.
I wasn't really a fan of the new Hollywood version at first, but I have to say it's grown on me. There are effects I miss from the original version, but it still has a similar feel to that while adding new elements all over. And they've been updating it frequently since it opened!
Fun Fact: The reason Pteranadon Flyers is height restricted to only those with children is because the ride queue area is small and cannot hold much standing capacity. So It's restricted to a small audience to avoid big wait lines that would have to snake out the door of Camp Jurassic.
That is a super weird and upsetting reason to restrict the ride, I always thought it was because it was made for children and needed a guardian to ride with them. You mean to tell me as an adult I could have been riding the pteradons the entire time??
@@amarie1693 yup! There's a joke with employees to steal each other's kids to go on the ride because it's completely capable to carry adults. But you need a kid to go because go the small queue.
I agree with the River adventure needing a major facelift, update, ect BUT instead of Jurassic World I think a MAJOR thing it could do is - like you said, we could expand into more of the now nothing that is Lost Continent but make the river adventure bigger and grander in the original movies. Keep it Jurassic Park - but make more use of new technology we now have access to within the refresh. I guess I've forgotten what's been missing as I just enjoy the ride as it is, but it is starting to show it's age in ways that can't be fixed in yearly refurbs. 25 years can do that in the Florida sun, especially with water.
The Jurassic Park name and branding is just too iconic to completely throw out. Since Park and World are both a part of the same greater franchise, why can’t elements of both coexist? There’s no reason they can’t add some of the new World Dinos to the River adventure. I think it’s a similar debate to the one we all have with Galaxy’s Edge. With that land, it was a mistake to solely focus on the new films and to completely exclude elements of the more iconic original films.
Seeing what Universal has done with their theme parks though, I can't say that I really care what IP is used. I really like the Wizarding World but I'm not at all a fan of the films. Same with Jurassic World or Secret Life of Pets. Their attraction design is shining through mediocre IP. I trust that a Jurassic World overhaul in Islands would be really good.
I had that playset and t-rex! That's so cool to see it again. The fact they used a rubber skin with mostly seamless joints for it made it even cooler. Glad I got to do the ride in 2002.
i went on river journey a couple of times and it has gotten worse over time but after seeing this video, i'm honestly scared to see the state that it is next month. i hope that universal studios considers reconstructing the ride as it still has potential.
aw it’s really unfortunate to hear about the state of river adventure. i’ve only been to islands of adventure once in elementary school but my family absolutely loved this ride and i still have a pretty clear memory of it after all these years, hopefully it gets a restoration or they at least do something else cool with it
I got to ride this last year and you could tell it was in MISERABLE shape and that’s heartbreaking bc this is one of my favorite rides and I’m so glad it wasn’t converted to Jurassic World
they should go ahead and just build one big dinosaur theme park. the premise of jurassic world was that they finally made a functional dinosaur resort, so do that. put up a hotel, a museum a few restaurants and shops, and cram it with animatronics
although i do agree Jurassic Park needs a major refurbishment, I don’t think a Jurassic World Overhaul is the right way to go. I think personally Universal should go under a major refurbishment on the ride like they are with Uni Japan and honestly Rechange the story of the ride with remade animatronics, better sound effect and score and new inclusions as well. I’m not opposed to a jurassic world land as although not many are a Fans but i’ve enjoyed all 3 Jurassic World Films, i think a Jurassic World Land would be better if there’s room for Expansion in Epic Universe as not only does it leave fans happy not having the ride and land converted, but both parks can have a jurassic offer for the fans. I think the major refurbishment in orlando is fine especially since last time i went, Velocicoaster holds up the land fine and the absence of River Adventure wouldn’t really affect the land in regards of guests
I hope they fix everything up at River Adventure, but please KEEP IT THE BEST MOVIE OF THE FRANCHISE CLASSIC JURASSIC PARK not jurassic world! Have seen videos of hollywood version of river adventure and much prefer orlando’s. The rest of the land is pretty awesome and our entire family loves it. Discovery center, dino meet and greets, camp jurassic, photo ops, etc, are awesome. Ok to bringing back a triceratops meet. The tribute store is amazing and worth staying a full year tho i know they need to rotate the store for hhn etc.
With the rumours about the Dinosaur area in Disney’s Animal Kingdom being replaced, an update to Jurassic Park would be a good way to capitalize on having dinosaurs. I don’t feel like rebranding to Jurassic World would a good idea though, since the hype around that movie is fading. Jurassic Park is now considered a timeless classic and will have better staying power than World. If they wanted to rebrand to World, then I feel like they missed their opportunity to strike when the iron was hot.
Honestly, the retheme to Jurassic World feels inevitable at this point. Personally I think the only reason it hasn't been announced yet has less to do with the area itself not being as big a draw (it's still considered a signature attraction for the park) and more to do with the fact that Universal Orlando already has alot of balls in the air. The overall Jurassic Park/World franchise is worth billions, but right now the focus is on renovating the Studios side and getting Epic Universe up and running by 2025. I wouldn't be surprised to see an announcement for a Jurassic World retheme on the tail end of the current Jurassic Park 30th celebrations once the Minions expansion is completed and the Kids Zone retheme seriously gets underway. They'll need something to draw people into those multi-day, multi-park passes after Epic Universe opens besides more Harry Potter and Minions.
It does seem that they have little to offer if they don't want Epic to cannibalize their other parks. I'm sure they're betting on Hagrids and Velocicoaster still being popular, which I'm sure they will be, but will it be enough?
A cool way to update the theme would be to make the Jurassic Park ride seem old and abandoned on purpose. That way it resembles the Jurassic Park we see in Jurassic World. I say this because I really love having a JP ride at one park and a JW one at the other, but I don't love how Orlando now has the Jurassic Park area but then you get to Velocicoaster and suddenly you're in Jurassic World. There should be cohesive theming.
I felt so lucky going as a kid and getting to name a velociraptor and get my own certificate. Of course I completely panicked and didn't know what to call it so I just defaulted to my friend's name
Personally, I think removing everything Jurassic Park themed from the Jurassic section of Universal Florida would be an awful decision and be like some sort of erasure of the source material. In order to avoid that, my idea is that they could rebrand the Discovery Center to be the rusted, aged, and overgrown version shown in Camp Cretaceous (sorry to bring that show up) with effects like certain paint combos, fake plants, and dim lights on the inside to simulate how power does not run in that area of Island Nublar anymore…Speaking of Camp Cretaceous, they could rebrand the Camp Jurassic attraction to be based off of the treehouses in that show to appeal to little kids who watch it. It’ll make sense since apparently it’s canon. I’m not so sure about the river adventure’s fate but those are just my other ideas.
I was always scared to ride the Hollywood version as a kid. But one time I actually dreamed it with perfect detail without having ever ridden it. I was blown away how accurate my dream was when I finally did. After the Knott's Berry log ride, I was terrified of drops growing up because of the intense pain. I was happy I got to experience it back then if only just a dream. It ended up being super fun in real life.
Just visited the park last week and almost all the elements of the river ride were back and functioning. The dinosaur that knocks the boat off track was the only element conspicuously missing. It remains one of my favorite attractions. :)
I remember when I went on the River Adventure ride before Jurassic World was a thing. I loved it, especially when it looked like the T-Rex was going to eat us.
Was at Universal a couple years ago. Loved the Jurassic Park area. My favorite part was the Raptor Encounter. If they were going to incorporate Jurassic World I'd rather be able to ride in one of those Geospheres.
There have been so many rumors about them trying to do something like that but it just doesn't work out. Apparently, this is what the ride in Beijing was supposed to be before just resorting back to the SCOOP vehicle.
Allegedly, the only reliable way to make a Gyrosphere vehicle was with a suspension system, but the suspended elements would interfere with the large dinosaur animatronics so they had to abandon it.
Nice video essay! River Adventure was great because it felt like an in-universe attraction. I don't like that they've themed inside the Water Treatment Facility as though it's outdoors and night-time, because that makes very little sense inside a water treatment facility. The ride makes other similar mistakes, like having the Gyrosphere just perched on a tiny bit of concrete... where was that Gyrosphere headed? 3ft away? - It feels more like a showpiece rather than actual disaster that's unfolded. It breaks the immersion and cheapen the experience. Definitely get rid of the screen-based Mossosaur. When I was a kid, seeing a 20ft Ultrasaur towering above you was mind-blowingly magical. Watching a screen is something I can do at home. However - I totally think they should refit the murals in the Visitor's Center with rear projection to have the silhouette of Veloceraptors on the hunt, as per the movie. They should also have a "When Dinosaur's Ruled the World" banner. I can't believe they've never done that. I personally wouldn't be pleased if they redid the whole park as Jurassic World. The World aesthetic is ugly by design - to mock theme parks obsession with cash over quality - and I'd be sad to see the iconic buildings like the visitor center interior disappear... but I accept it may be the only way to convince money-grubbing execs to invest into the Jurassic Island.
I have intense submechaniphobia and seeing the state of the animatronics in the water made me horrified. I rode this ride about 8 years ago and even then the animatronics sent shivers down my spine but looking at them now made me physically sick to my stomach. I really hope this ride gets a overdue and well deserved reserved restoration.
what have we learned from all of this? animatronics and constant movement, temperature effects, and submersion in water do not mix. That jurassic jeep sliding off of the wall is a good example of how running these mechanics day in and day out is not sustainable as everything begins to wear out rapidly. Decades have passed and all of these mechanic features still have no long term sustainable fixes. They've painted some dinos, moved them around, and removed others completely, while some stayed with visible signs of decay and limited range of motion. So many original great ideas that were lost to a lot of the bs from the new movies, combined with the lack of continuous repair needed to optimally let this ride function with all features looking good and not just having floppy raptors and broken necked brachiosaurs continue to be "satisfactory" and left to perform despite showing these signs of wear and tear. The mosasaur screens, while clever, are lazy especially considering the exit ruining the illusion that he is indeed inside a tank as the screen cuts off right where the wall clearly ends. The dilophosaurus were amazing but like many of these animatronics, are too complex for day in/out entertainment and continue to be less fancy in their movements whether intentional at this point to preserve what's left or unintentional from time/elements. Some say the t-rex before the drop is no longer terrifying and you can see where the puppet-like ragdoll legs begin, which ruins the illusion of a scary beast. Yikes. So much potential wasted
This has personally been my favorite land at the park since we have started going. I love the feeling of the Jungle and all the wooden features is nice. I know also that the way this area was designed was to be separate Jurassic Park Orlando tie in with the parks all around the world from the movie. While I love River Adventure, I have come to the conclusion that the only way it gets the love it needs is with the JW retheme and now that after a couple years they finished it all the way I would be okay with. Just not with the opening scene replacing gates. As far as the way of the entire land retheme to JW I feel like it would be fine as you said a majority of it could just be paint. The bigger question is how does the entire retheme work out as the current "Park" is its own destination in orlando, and if they retheme to World does the land now exist in Isla Nublar thematically or does it stay Orlando as the Velocicoaster queue scenes would indicate Nublar. In the end I am a huge fan of this area of the park and want what is best for it and would hate to see JP taken away for World but if that is what it takes to keep the overall feel of the area alive and well then so be it. Awesome video and I enjoyed it!
I really don't care that this version of JP is located in Orlando. If anything the idea seems a bit too contrived. I just think of it as an alternate version from the book and movie. I don't think a Jurassic World retheme would need to necessarily fit the version from the film either.
@@PoseidonEntertainment this is a fair assessment. My bigger question, is how do you retheme to Jurassic World when so much of the structures facades are wooden at JP and in World movie they are so much metal and overall more modern design. But I guess you could clear that by just going with this is an offshoot comparable but not what is in the movie
i remember back in 2007 when all the effects still worked :( i was super young, but i’ll never forget how terrified i was of the jeep falling down the side of the building!!! i did the disney college program from january - june this year, and i went to universal the day before i moved in. almost all the dinosaurs were static :(
A few corrections:
MarcM143 pointed out that I called the Jurassic Park Ford Explorer a Jeep.
A few other people have corrected me on the Beasaur as well. It's not a real dinosaur but is instead meant to be a play on words, as in "Be-a-Saur". The exhibit used to be interactive and allow you to control the creature to a limited extent.
Hey Poseidon when I was at the discovery center I asked the staff why the the dinosaur statues have cut-outs on their sides such as the Be-A-Saur, apparently they were taken from a museum where you could press buttons on the cut-out areas.
Back when Jurassic Park came out, the term SUV wasn't in popular use, and people just called them all "Jeeps" like we call all nose tissues "Kleenex". I noticed it was a Ford, but I didn't even consider that you'd make a mistake calling it a "Jeep" that way
I paused the video halfway. Universal announced a refurbishment for Islands of Adventure’s Jurassic Park: River Adventure a few months ago. I don’t know when and it’s supposed to be for a year.
They made tons of money but the maintenance is poor
@@chompythebeastthat’s not true we called them Ford Explorers, no one called them jeeps. Maybe on the east coast I don’t know but definitely not on the west coast. The only thing we called jeeps was Jeeps. We didn’t call Suzuki samurai geo trackers or land rovers Jeeps either we called them by their names or called them 4x4s if they were 4x4s
If Universal Studios Japan can do a major restoration project of their Jurassic Park River Adventure, hopefully so can Islands of Adventure’s version.
I hope that happens tbh.
I’m sure they are letting it just to such a great state of disrepair to make the cost of rethemeing to Jurassic World more justified. “Oh with just an extra 20 million we can retheme it instead of just refurbished.”
@@Themeparkfish I mean, maybe that's how you have to sell things to Comcast.
@@ThemeparkfishI agree. What’s the point of trying to maintain some of the Dinos, when you can “possibly” get a full retheme. They can cosmetically (structure and paint) the whole island to fit Jurassic world too
iirc UO has the only original one left. id rather it be restored to the state it was in opening year
I grew up going to universal Hollywood and I still think the car falling off the roof scene is one of the most mind blowing effects ever in a ride. I’m so glad I got to experience it before it was decommissioned.
It really was amazing! The sparks flying and the feeling of it landing right next to you made it so cool
As a kid, I enjoyed looking over the railing of the upper lot and seeing it in action.
I remember this omg. I completely forgot about that part
I wish I grew up privileged.
Same that part was fire especially seeing it as a kid
I liked the original Hollywood version of "Jurassic Park" The ending was suspenseful with the computer voice lady counting down the seconds before life support systems will fail and the big Trex hidden by a 40 foot waterfall. New riders didn't know the Rex behind it would surprise them.
Same, that ride was also the first time I remember seeing "I survived" tee shirts themed to these sorts of rides. In fact I remember seeing the "I survived Jurassic Park The Ride!" shirts on folks in Washington State years later
By FAR the best part was the radio message of a panic-stricken park ranger screaming over the radio “IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, IT’S IN THE BUILDING! *ITS. IN. THE. BUILDING!!!”* right before the Res appeara
One of my greatest pleasures at the park is watching new people get surprised by something....like getting completely soaked on the Bilge Rat Barges
I actually prefer for IoA to keep the River Adventure as being Jurassic Park themed. That way there's a reason to visit both versions, much like how the two Mummy rides are different.
Also, I don't really think the Hollywood version is an upgrade. Unless you consider more screens and a floating Indominus Rex an upgrade.
At least to me the IoA version is enjoyable to everyone, even if they haven't seen Jurassic Park what's happening is obvious. The Hollywood version with Jurassic World has a lot of context clues from the movie.
Also I really enjoyed Poseidons Fury and wish they reopened it, but I thinj I might be in a minority there...
Jurassic World, as a ride, is definitely an upgrade. It's a bitter pill to swallow but it is the truth. Unless you are coming from strictly an IP standpoint which I get JP > JW all day every day. Still I'm actually happy they haven't fixed IoA and I hope they don't. It gives USH something original and unique for guests.
They swapped the "floating head" Indominous Rex out for a full animatronic about three months after re-opening.
@@bryan81584 That was my favorite part of the ride. Seeing the brachiosaur's silhouettes through the mist, was awe inducing like the movie.
I'm sorry to "Erm actually >:3" you here, but the Indominus Rex animatronic that was a floating head was actually a placeholder for the actual ending show scene in which it walks in to attack the floating T-rex. The placeholder has been moved to the entrance of the lift behind the dino facts. The Indominus Rex animatronic in the final scene walks in, looks and roars at the riders and turns to the T-Rex, which is meant to be the beginning of their fight. A Blue animatronic shows up as well right before that scene. As for the screens, I can't really defend those, it's up to personal preference, but I do have to say that I personally preferred when this was one of the few attractions in Hollywood to have no screens.
It's one of the few kinda thrill rides that I can stand due to motion sickness, so I've come to adore the ride and its animatronics.
Personally, I would want it to stay Jurassic Park and just get a referb and maybe some new additions. Not only do I like Jurassic Park more than World, but I also like the idea that the Orlando park and the California park have different things to see.
That's true, I do like that certain things are unique to each which I why I keep coming back to Hollywood. Still, the land can't keep limping on forever.
@@PoseidonEntertainmentHollywood has Jurassic world and Orlando has Jurassic Park seems fair to me
@@PoseidonEntertainment yeah. As much as I hate to say, we really gotta take our nostalgia glasses off and look at it from a business perspective. I wish Jurassic Park could stay and get a big-time refurbishment but it’s clear that a Jurassic World overhaul would be the way forward for Universal.
@@knyte8706nostalgia glasses to keep an IP of a movie that was a masterpiece and not want it replaced with the joke that JW is ? Most people with taste and a working brain don't want to ride Chris Pratt and the raptor squad the ride with a shit load of screens. Comparing that to no super star to save you but just you and the dinos face to face in the unrestricted zone. All they need to do is update the ride but still keep it JP themed. In JP the ride you got various carnivores wanting to tear you apart. In the JW it's just you and in irex which is Fucking lame.
@@knyte8706that’s what they thought about “new Star Wars” how’s that working out?😏😎🤣
Fun fact: I actually used to work at this ride. It's so sad to see it in the state it is now, but admittedly, it wasn't that much better off when I was working there. I spent almost two years at this ride, and it still blows my mind just how much Universal doesn't take care of some of its attractions. The "pig raptor" as I called her (the electrified raptor) has never worked as long as I have seen her. The falling raptor cage only works sometimes. The taco's faces look like they're falling off.. and that pretty first lady you see? I still remember when he new was literally ripped open.
I also worked there when (not this year, but a few years ago), the splash-down river filled was filled with mud for days, and for some reason they were still letting us load guests onto the ride. They insisted that the water "wasn't dirty and just needed to be cycled through with the boats." It was BROWN.
Even with the addition of Velocicoaster, this area has been falling apart for so long now. I even remember moving to Florida and going on this ride for the very first time in 2013 (how time flies) and being disappointed that it wasn't as good as California's River Adventure. And that was BEFORE California updated.
Random question, but a JP worker mentioned how they had to walk through the entire ride before closing to maintain that everything was functioning. Is that something you ever had to do?
I'll always have a soft spot for the ride, but your comment is right. I went on it recently, and the Ultrasaurs are flat-out missing. The T-Rex has less movement. The Hadrosaur's head is permanently out of the water.
@@TheDogGoesWoof69 That is a completely incorrect assumption about that being where people who get out of prison going first.
Also, that WAS racist if you're implying that the people coming out of prison are a specific race. That is racist as hell.
Also, NEITHER of those things have ANYTHING to do with them fixing the ride. This comment straight up didn't even need to be made.
I have a great nostalgia for the ride, as I was there the day they opened it to the public; so I saw all the effects in their prime. Yet I think it's time it was replaced, because It's just depressing to look at now. I went recently for the velo-coaster and the river ride is just a hollow shell of what it once was. If Universal tore it down and rebuilt something even close to the Beijing dark ride, people would look past it.
@@MoonBunniess Of course it's someone named "UltraMaga"
It's just another word for the KKK nowadays and these idiots think it's something they should be out and proud about.
Being an LA native that went to USH a lot over the last 20 years, it's clear to me why the Mosasaurus screens replaced the Ultrasaurus animatronics. The Ultras looked great when I first saw them back in 2002, but by the time Universal was getting ready for the Jurassic World retheme, the Ultras necks moved incredibly slow and they were showing their age from years of being in the water and getting rained on.
I heard from a friend who worked at USH that the Ultras break down a lot faster than the other dino animatronics because of the machinery to make their necks move, and that was part of the reason (along with the Mosa being one of the big moments of JW the movie) why they were removed entirely. Had they kept the Ultras, they would have looked just as creaky and broken down ten years from now as they did in 2018.
It's funny because I hate the Jurassic World movies, but the ride is fantastic. They even added a B-mode to the Indominus Rex animatronic if the boat has to stop before the big drop. If the boat stops, the I-Rex stops roaring and starts sniffing around for the boat, because in the movie it only detects prey when it is moving. That's some smart ride design.
I figured as much myself. Anything that long, slender and vertical tends to break down in animatronics. Easy enough replacement though, add triceratops instead. There are other herbivores.
I wish they’ve just rebuilt the ultrasaurs, or just re did the mosa area but better, or like everything, same layout sure but like completely change everything to the ride. It just feels lacking a lot to me.
the only thing I like from it is the ending, the scenery is fantastic and the dinosaurs with their movements is just amazing,but I hate it cuz it felt so abruptly transported into the story your supposed to experience and take in sense the beginning. The mosa doesn’t really do that and I wish that part was added where the first and newly placed indominus is. I wish they added that indominus Rex in the paddock where it broke out to add suspense because that part is so empty and so not suspenseful.
I hope they just do a major refurbishment to this Jurassic park ride. I don’t want to see it go lol
I agree. The Jurassic World ride is so fantastic. And, even though the Mosasaurus screen isn’t my favorite, I honestly do prefer it to a dilapidated animatronic.
Ok that B-mode is actually brilliant
B mode?? That’s fucking brilliant
Glad I was born in 1990, I've been able to enjoy all of our amusement parks when they were in their prime. No full parks at Disney or ridiculous ticket prices, everything worked at Universal, and the King Kong and Jaws rides were still there
You missed out on Backdraft and Back to the Future. Those were awesome.
@@Nutmeg142 I remember Back to the Future, it was were they put the Simpsons ride. I didn't remember it until you said something
lucky!! my parents just made enough money to be able to afford universal tickets and I was really excited for the Jurassic rides ever since I was a little girl, so this video kinda disappointed me. wish I could’ve gone when I was younger
The 90’s were just the best time. Wish we could go back
@@jess.van7 yeah I loved the 90's, going to arcades was so much fun, and I actually had friends and interacted with people. I really miss the times, and the family members
It’s so heartbreaking. I love this ride and Jurassic Park is one of my favorite movies. The rest of the land is amazing and I’d rather not see it fully converted to Jurassic World.
Jurassic world was awful I really hope they don’t make that decision either 😢
Ah, see I think there's a lot of area for improvement. The Discovery Center could use an overhaul on its bottom floor and you could add more interactive elements to Camp Jurassic.
100% I've gone the last two years to IoA solely for Jurassic Park and the river adventure. What next? Take down the JP gate that separates the area from Hogsmeade? a total shame if they retheme
@@primarytrainer1 😭😭😭 we should start a protest if they decide to change Jurassic park into stupid Jurassic world. I think it’s so cool that even the younger generations loved Jurassic park more than the newer ones. They don’t make movies like they used to
Get rid of that potter all Roger her and make Jurassic enormous.
Sad to see the degradation through the years. I'll always remember going on this ride with my Dad and little brother in 2004, my Dad saying there was "no big falls" to get me to go on it. That final fall scared the hell out of me as a kid, but I'll always remember it ending in me with a huge smile laughing at how fun it was with my Dad, as my little brother cried hysterically lol.
God, I love how gullible kids are. Your dad said there werent any big falls, so you just ignored the screaming, splashing, plummeting boats of people and hopped on the ride w/out a clue (this isnt meant to be mean, we all do the same thing when we’re kids)
@@virginiad.1911Sounds more like a lack of environmental awareness, as well as gullibility.
Yes my first time riding it my dad said there would be no big falls and he got me to ride it. Then years later when my little sister didnt wanna ride it i had to lie to her to get her to go. Crazy how much power people can have over kids.
The restraint system was so loose when I last rode that some drunk guy stood up before the drop, slapped the T.Rex as the boat went down, and was removed from the park by security. I was that drunk guy… 😔
@@davemccage7918 lmao what a story for your grandkids
This reminds me of the last time i rode Islands of Adventure’s version of the ride, about a year ago. Right before we got to the final drop, we stopped in place at the giant T-Rex animatronic. This lasted until the Dino stopped in its place and seemingly shut itself off, like it suddenly lost its will to live. Everybody started cheering saying “we killed the dinosaurs!” and the ride didn’t get back working for a good two minutes.
I dream to have this experience.
Lmao
I really loved that in the first Jurassic World movie there was this abandoned site of the old park where it was almost completely shattered by dinosaurs and time, maybe they can rebrand this whole attraction (or even the park) as a retro abandoned Jurassic Park where you are free to explore the river but naive at the presence of dinosaurs.
Idk, for me it would be really cool to explore that abandoned park that the movie briefly showed
Dude, the Jurassic park section is literally my favourite place in the parks. more people need to give it more love
Exactly!
It feels more alive than any ride that uses screens
@@Drag0n_Bolt absolutely dude
Same. Every time we go to Universal, it’s always the part I get excited for the most. Even when exiting Toon Lagoon and seeing signs for stuff up ahead, just seeing a
“Jurassic Park ➡️” sign gets me insanely hyped. And I’ve never thought the theming felt lackluster at all, it feels like a slice of the movies brought to life.
It’s my favorite too
It’s such a pity that it hasn’t been refurbished. I rode it with my family last December (no wait time at all mind you, nobody else was riding it!) and even with the issues it was STILL one of the coolest ride experiences there is. It deserves to be spoken of in the same breath as Pirates of the Caribbean and The Forbidden Journey, at least in my opinion.
the first scene has been like that for months! the ultrasarus hasn't been in there in a while
Right! and even when it was it was more like a crooked-neck-asarus
I don't know how it came out worse after its winter refurb.
yup!! was like that when i was there back in march
They really have to announce the retheme of Jurassic park river adventure to Jurassic world after villain con minion blast opens next door, which is universal studios
I was there in Dec. 2022, and it was there, but it looked like it’s neck was snapped. I remember turning to my friends and saying, “oh my god they murdered the dinosaur.”
You’d swear with how poorly the animatronics operate nowadays that they haven’t seen maintenance since the ride first opened. Definitely a shame since this ride IMO is a staple of the park and always something I look forward to going on. Hopefully they give it some TLC in the near future.
I KNOW like…i mean it cant be that hard to have maintenance crews work at night like once a year for each ride to fix it up??
Personally, dark rides are always my favorite and when you add water, even better. When you combine dinosaurs it’s perfection to me. It’s sad what has happened to this ride and land over time. It definitely could use some refreshing and new ideas. It has a ton of potential
I actually like the Mosasaurus screen area, I think mixing screens + animatronics and sets is the best way to make screens more believable and achieve some things animatronics wouldn't be able to do. To be honest, Jurassic World ride just need more dinosaurs, and is such an "easy" improvement. You don't need animatronics, just make a few dinosaurs statues, put them on sleeping positions and/or cover them with a lot of vegetations to make them some sort of game for guests to find them.
I think the issue with screens is that they work far, far better as a means to supplement existing animatronics or practical effects than as the intended primary visual. They’re great for adding details that would be difficult to achieve with animatronics or the like, such as background ambience or looming shadows. Things that don’t really need to give riders a sense of depth to sell what they are. On their own, though, they just feel flat, and especially lifeless when it comes to rides like this where the main selling point is the dinosaurs.
Also, you have to take into account that using only screens, or even just primarily screens, gives the ride a very obvious single point of failure that can completely ruin immersion. When the main screen stops working, the entire set stops working, like going to a movie theater only for it to stop working halfway through. The main thing you were supposed to be looking at is gone, either replaced with nothing or some kind of logo or error screen, and all the additional details in the world can’t do much if the thing they were adding to isn’t there. It’s not nearly as big of an issue when the screens are just used to supplement the rest of the scene; there’s plenty of rides that have failsafes for this exact reason, because hiding a minor screen error is much more plausible than having to make up for the central part of the ride being broken. And you just know a big theme park wants to avoid having to shut down rides at all, because a nonfunctional ride means less throughput means less profit.
When an animatronic stops working, on the other hand, it at least still offers some amount of value even as a stationary object; you can still tell what it is, and it doesn’t necessarily stand out as “oh that’s broken” unless there’s a clear visual issue with it(I.E. rips or tears, pieces broken off or almost broken off, leaking hydraulics, being covered by a large and conspicuous box…) since, y’know, statues are pretty common even in set design. Rather than just flickering off and suddenly having a very noticeable absence, usually it’s a slow decline that is obvious when looked back on but not so much in the moment; the movement is more stiff or jerky, or it wobbles a little more than it should. There’s still the backgrounds and potentially other animatronics or set pieces that give a sense of immersion, like sound design and other practical effects. Heck, this is one of the situations where screens can be really useful; I know there are various cases where, when an animatronic fails, it’s covered by a screen showing what the animatronic would have done, or even following an alternative B-mode for the ride. The trade off is that repairing an animatronic or non-functional portion of a set is more expensive and more time-consuming than resetting a screen.
The way I see it is that, for immersive rides like this, physical sets/animatronics and practical effects are like the main course. Screens are better used as side dishes to either get you exited for or elevate that main course experience. Having a nice burger or fried chicken with a side of fries and dipping sauces just feels more satisfying than having only the fries and sauces as your full meal, no matter how well cooked and presented they are. On the other hand, having good fries can do wonders to make up for a lower quality burger or chicken that didn’t come out how you were hoping. Sure, just fries can be nice every once in a while as a snack or what have you, but if what’s being advertised is a full meal, you’re probably going to be expecting something more substantial.
Another analogy is that screen being used for rides are like CGI in shows and movies. They can be incredible for taking something good and making it great, especially when it’s used subtly, or in a way where the fact that it stands out from the non-CGI stuff is used to really give something a unique feel from the rest of the work. On the other hand, the more CGI there is, the easier it is to tell it’s CGI- and the more bad CGI stands out like a sore thumb.
I agree they need more Dinos and vegetation. That whole area at the beginning before the mosasaurus tank should be perfect for hanging plants and vines. Wisteria maybe
I don’t know, I always thought that having river adventure for the fans of the old movies and velocicoaster for the fans of the new movies was always the right move. I also have considered river adventure a must ride because of how it has a good escalation of stakes in its story similar to the movie; so it really feels like you’re at the park when things go wrong. Yes it’s clear that it needs updating and some aspects of the ride could be improved like you said, but I don’t think a retheme to Jurassic world is the way to go.
I don't think the pacing in escalation is any different between the two though. Things only go wrong once you hit the Parasaurolophus
@@PoseidonEntertainment yes, sorry I didn’t mean to imply that the Jurassic world version of the ride was bad or inferior. I just meant that I still get enjoyment out of the execution of the story on river adventure even if parts of it are in need of an update.
@@backinthepack4180 Ahh, I see your point
I was at Universal Hollywood just a couple days ago and the Indominus rex just stood still like a statue. The light came on next to it to reveal a standing dead dinosaur which was honestly scarier than if it worked properly.
They put a dark curtain to cover the broken Dino.
As much as I absolutely believe Jurassic World: The Ride would fit in well within the Islands' Jurassic Park, I feel like a whole retheme of River Adventure or indeed the entire island should be more of a last resort option. As mentioned in the video, the Islands is very much a kitchen sink-style park. Each of the islands look distinct yet complimentary to each other. What I think works for Jurassic Park in its current state is having the visual juxtaposition of Velocicoaster and the Discovery Center standing side-by-side from across the lagoon. In my opinion, it adds to the timelessness of the park as a whole, coming from someone who has only seen the first JP and JW films anyway.
What I'm trying to say is Jurassic World already has its own headliner representative on the island, so I think a better option would be to just renovate River Adventure and the Discovery Center, keep them both faithful to the original Jurassic Park film, but add in more of the special effects and technology one would expect from Universal's recent renovation efforts, like they did with Marvel Super Hero Island years ago. Striking a balance between both Jurassic franchises, while honestly not leading to good visual consistency, would at least bring appeal to fans of either or both.
You do make a good point about keeping it timeless. As much as I wish Kongfrontation, Jaws and Earthquake were still around, I just like that the parking garages still have themed sections to some of those properties.
I am unabashedly a Universal ass-kisser. They’re my extreme bias. But, god, am I so grateful you’re covering this. As the Disney parks are declining, its easy for people (and, of course, myself) to get over excited and start pointing fingers at Universal to hold up the mantle. But no! Universal needs some desperate fixing as well. Love your videos as always, and here’s to a better Universal! 🤙
I visited Universal Studios Japan just a few weeks ago, and 2 things stood out to me that I hadn’t experienced at any other Universal park. One, the attention to detail of the Jurassic Park land and upkeep of the attractions was second to none, and two, I found it absolutely hilarious that the ride safely video that plays in the queue and loading area of River Adventure was the *EXACT same* version from when it opened - that of a white guy in full Jurassic Park ranger uniform giving the entire speech in Japanese and recorded on a camera from 2001. It’s so hilariously retro that it has a special of adorable charm about it which I couldn’t help but giggle at every time it played😁
I didn't know the Osaka park was maintained so well. As far as I can determine, it's still owned and operated by Universal so I guess it's a Japan thing rather than an OLC thing.
I wonder how much black mold is growing all around there
The Jurrassic Park Ride in Beijing is on another level. The fact that the Indominus Rex actually chases you for a few seconds is really amazing and something Universal Florida should do to make up for the poor state that the River ride is in/
Can't compete with China.
River Adventure is just such a cultural touchstone/nostalgia trip that I ride it every time I go not in the winter, and I feel like I would miss it in the same way that I miss Jaws, Shrek, and Dueling Dragons. Don't get me wrong, Hagrids is great and Gringotts has neat theming, but in a park that is shifting so much and opening a new park soon, I think it's important to maintain the integrity of the original parks, let we become Epcot-y
I do agree that it falls in with many of those original USF attractions. Still, I think the JW retheme very much preserves the spirit and feel of the ride while improving on it.
@@PoseidonEntertainmentthat's getting rid of classic historical ride and ruining the point of the land
@@Drag0n_BoltDisney has entered the chat
It's hilarious you say Epcot-y knowing the original plans for Epcot
@@notsojoerogan Disney have ruined itself
When the gates would open at the original Universal Hollywood Ultrasaur Lagoon it was so majestic with the actual natural landscape and mountains adding to the experience. It really felt like you were on one of the Jurassic Park islands. And with the original narration before the gates opened, it would give me goosebumps. Now it's just a ride.
I’m not going to lie- I was JUST at Universal a few days ago and rode the River Adventure twice. It is my favorite ride, I love it so much- it still manages to scare and terrify. I love everything about it- if this ride ever goes down I will be so upset
It’s really a shame that universal Hollywood hasn’t announced that they are doing any special event for Jurassic Park 30th anniversary. Which is really weird since a majority of the first JP was filmed there. I hope they do bring all this stuff to LA because me and a lot of other fans can’t go to Florida.
Yeah, that is kind of odd.
Incorrect. The majority was filmed in Hawaii and Burbank.
@@corey8923 they filmed some of the most iconic scenes at the universal backlot. Both the tree for my bed scene and most of the night and Interior scenes were also filmed there. Not to mention how a majority of the sequels were filmed at universal as well. So no lol, you are incorrect.
I tried to break the single day ride record for this ride in like 2019ish right before covid. At the time the record was 62, I don’t know if that’s changed. Started off with a good stride, did like 40 rides over the course of 8 hours, then some lady dropped her phone in the ride, and it closed for atleast a half hour. I got some lunch.
I didn’t beat the record. But the staff did let me do my last ride (57) alone that day. Great memory. I love this ride, but you’re absolutely right the ride was aging heavily in 2019 and I imagine it’s only gotten worse over the last four years.
Part of the problem with this ride is that universal is stuck in a weird spot trying to decide whether or not they want to do the Jurassic world upgrade or fix the original. They’ve been going back and forth on this for years, even going as far as telling technical staff not to waist resources on the ride because it would be changed to JW. But as of now they seem like they are pulling the trigger on fixing the original and staff are currently working to fix everything!
Ah, insider knowledge? Hopefully that's the case.
My biggest problem with the Mosasaurus show scene is the proportions and layout. It just doesn’t make sense from a physical/engineering standpoint. You have this massive lagoon on both sides and a “tunnel” going through it but then it just opens up at the end? It just doesn’t make sense physically. I think the transition to the next show scene could have been better to sell the idea you’re in a tunnel.
I agree, it's weird. I like the ride enough that I ignore it, but this scene could have been executed a lot better physically.
"Someone who cares for the attraction quality over attraction IP" Universal has you right where they want you. Something I've notice Universal has done over the last decade is when they have the intention of replacing a ride but don't want to face fan backlash they simply abandon the ride. They allow it to get so bad that even the biggest fans turn on it to the point where they welcome a replacement. I agree with you that cohesive theming is very important at a theme park and it bugs me that Velocicoaster is themed to World. I Really would've preferred the same ride but with the Park theme. Jurassic Park has stood the test of time and id say Jurassic World turned out to be quite disappointing. Especially when you look at the trilogy as a whole. Just look at the guests around the resort as evidence. I was there for 5 days during HHN last year and I saw at least a dozen Jurassic Park shirts every day and not one single Jurassic World shirt. Shut that bad boy down for a year if needed and give it the Jurassic PARK ride it deserves
I hope the fans don’t fall for it this time and give them backlash, I was to see a refurbishment. So I so hope universal does that and adds more to the land to attract more people.
Facts bro. Jurassic PARK is too classic it just can't leave imo. It just needs a massive refurbishment. Maybe they can add some kind of awning over most of the outdoor animatronics except the giant one at the beginning. I love camp Jurassic too and don't want that to be rethemed either.
You claim to care about theming, yet fail to recognize that the thematic concept behind VC wouldn't make any sense to exist in a JP theme. Without JW, there is no VC, simple as that. Additionally, whether you like it or not, Universal has already make their commitment to JW clear by making VC in the first place.
@@dasoupsoup I wish they would do a 50/50 you know? Like maybe move raptor encounter closer to velocicoaster somehow and have that area be Jurassic world and the rest of the land will be Jurassic park. I feel like it can be done
@@graffiti.777 I guess they could keep it 50/50 the way it is, but it wouldn't be very thematically cohesive. My intuition says the long term plan is to completely change to JW eventually.
I think it's a situation similar to how they won't touch ET because of Spielbergs wishes, he put a lot of work into this ride too, it had 3x the budget of the movie itself, a major passion project
While that is a fair point-- Universal can definitely refurbish the ride without compromising any of Spielberg's work and vision. I feel like they owe it to his vision (if that is the case) to ensure the ride is operating how it was originally designed to work.
@@abeiradapraia it comes back to what he said in the video about them not wanting to Invest in the ride, I'm sure if they completely refurbed it with cheaper but better modern electronics and animatronic tech it would still cost about 1 blockbuster film to do
Some cool things about this land I didn't hear mentioned. When you are walking around the land you will hear dinosaurs moving around as well. I have hear large dinosaurs thuding around and around the camp jurassic area you can hear raptors running, hissing, can sometimes calling to each other. It actually scared my niece when we're were in the back of the play area alone so I turned it into a game of "running away from the raptors" which she ended up loving and talked about all week
Also with the raptor hatching/adoption thing if you bring back your adoption certificate they will give you an update on how your raptor is doing. We don't live in Florida so we only got an update after a week, but I wonder how long they have updates for
I had no idea you could even do activities in camp jurassic, I thought it was only the pteranodon flyers existed there
Not sure about a re-theme, but it definitely needs some kind of restoration. As much as I understand WHY Wizarding World gets more love, I really struggle to get over how immersion breaking Orlando's weather is. Meanwhile, the humidity and tropical nature of Florida lends itself perfectly to what I would expect a dinosaur park to be. Hell, we already got lizards galore running around naturally.
I wonder if it would help to be more clever about the animatronic placement. The water must do massive wear and tear on those things but you could probably keep more still models in there while having the active moving ones above. Perhaps mix some fake foliage and rocks with the real to help shelter them better. Not too unrealistic to have them peeking out from under rock ledges to be more hidden and 'avoid the sun' as it were.
It has always bothered me that Hogsmeade has snow on the buildings. Looking at it somehow makes the weather feel even hotter.
The sight lines drive me insane. I shouldn’t see Hogwarts while in Jurassic Park. It’s lazy!
lolol I cannot wait to watch this video! Jurassic Park River Adventure was my first job ever at the age of 16, part time, while still in high school (which was literally directly across the street from the Jurassic Park building). Basically in about 50% of my classes all day long all you could hear was the sound of people screaming/dinosaur roars/ the Jurassic Park theme song playing over and over.
I'm excited to see what you've put together here. I will just say, when I was working here in 2004 through 2006 or 7 (I can't remember lol) the ride was already falling apart. Part of this problem I believe was because the ride was originally made by a different manufacturer and didn't quite work out as planned so they had a completely different company finish the attraction and it was just a nightmare to be honest, with a lot of the different systems not playing well together and everything just feeling very piecemealed and crappy. I mean the building was falling apart behind the scenes when I was working there even. The employee break room was infested with roaches and mold. Walking to the different stations where we worked along the ride path was a scary nightmare. One of the stations (called "spillway" - a little booth to the right of the final T-Rex scene before the big drop) was absolutely disgusting inside with the drywall rotting and mold everywhere and just dust everywhere and I hated going in there because it was just breathing in so much nasty dust and drywall crap. I'm surprised this ride has lasted as long as it has. Also I don't know why they never updated this version to become Jurassic World like they did at other installations at other Universal parks. Anyway, can't wait to watch this and I'll report back lol.
Universal definitely has plans for a Jurassic World overhaul, just probably not until all their other major projects are completed or close to completion (i.e. Epic Universe, Kids Zone construction, Poseidon’s Fury/Lost Continent). If you listen at the very end of the Velocicoaster when the ride slows just before entering the station, audio plays of Claire (Bryce Dallas-Howard) calling Owen (Chris Pratt) to inform him that there is a problem over at “River Adventure” (she literally says the ride’s name), suggesting that something like Hollywoods version of the ride is happening at River Adventure. So I think there is a plan for a Jurassic World overhaul, just probably not anytime soon. We could probably see that happening when crowds migrate to Epic Universe, allowing for a major attraction in IOA to be closed for a significant time, as well as re-theming an entire area without a huge impact on capacity and guest experience. I can see Universal wanting to open Epic, but within a year after opening the park, opening the new Kids Zone to draw people back to USF to not overcrowd the new park, and then opening the new Jurassic World River Adventure and land to draw people back into IOA. Let’s face it, Epic Universe will definitely cannibalize attendance at both existing parks, so adding new lands to both Universal and IOA will help peak interests and bring people back into both parks. So the plan is definitely there; it’s just a matter of when.
Quick correction- the third dinosaur is not a “Beasaur,” the name of the attraction is “Be-A-Saur” where park goers can enter the statues from beneath and don periscopes that control some of the statue’s movements, as well as broadcasting their voices pitched-down!
Yikes,no idea it had gotten this bad. They really do need to refresh it like Hollywood did, especially for an anniversary year.
I got to go opening year in 1999 when I was like 7, and it was one of the best experiences of my childhood.
The poor state of this ride greatly saddens me. Especially with the T-rex being lit at the end and then the lighting/animation being too early.
I really don’t want it to get updated to Jurassic World. Dinosaurs are always cool, but there’s something special about Jurassic Park that isn’t special about Jurassic World… plus I just KNOW they’d do screens. 🙄
The rotten dinosaur just sitting in the water at 2:36
I went to universal Florida for the first (and only) time back in like 2019, and Jurassic Park was what I was most excited for. I made my family spend way too long there for my own entertainment, taking in all the little details. The park had a good amount of visitors but the Jurassic Park area was almost empty. Half the trivia things were broken, and there was some trash on the ground. Honestly I remember thinking it kinda sucked that it wasn’t taken care of, but at the same time how run down and empty it was made it feel creepy like it was after the dinosaurs had run rampant in the park and that was kinda fun. I lost my mind getting to see a baby dinosaur hatch though.
I knew to expect the ride would be in need of maintenance, just from being interested in theme parks and watching channels like yours. Some of the figured were rough but everything was there. It was such an odd combination of some rough, some impressive elements, but again it felt like a 90s relic and had a little creep factor I liked. Getting closer and closer to the T-Rex and the drop is probably one of my favorite things I’ve ever experienced on a ride. I just freaking love dinosaurs man.
I love dinosaurs too!!!!
The whole 90’s feel and creepiness is what made me fall in love with the ride and series more and made me go watch the rest of the Jurassic park movies before world. It made me feel apart of the story and I remember being so said that USH was gonna be replaced by world. I hope they keep this ride up and do that refurbishment. I want to go to Florida and ride the ride and have newer people experience what I felt.
You and me both! I always do all the little things the area has to offer because I love dinosaurs so much! But if you could see River Adventure now, yeesh.😅😅
The old footage of the ultrasaur rising up higher than all of those billowing trees mustve been incredible to see for the first time
Having been to universal studios Hollywood all my life, and on the Jurassic Park ride countless times, I prefer the old ride over the Jurassic World one. Despite the age, the old ride had a lot more detail and care into it. The new ride is just "Hey guys, the movie!" with too many screens of actors talking, covering up industrial sets with smooth blank walls and screens of Chris Pratt on loop. Biggest gripe would be the upper level too, while you say it remains unchanged, I say it's the biggest change of the whole experience. Obviously the animatronics age showed by not working, but the last time i rode on it a few months before they closed it down to redo it, they were working. Raptors breaking down from the pipes and charging the fence. The other big thing was that actual climb up onto the second floor. Currently there's a ton of things lighting up the tunnel, TV screens again. Before there was very little lights, with the back end going up seemingly infinitely, which is now covered by the signs and screen, again. Aside from that the whole ride went from people riding the boat into the dinosaurs world, to dinosaurs in industrial buildings in a humans world. Pretty simple theming and context as apposed to Jurassic Worlds all jungle theming even on the upper parts. I'm actually glad to know Florida still has the old style of it, as one day soon I can go there and ride it.
Anyways love your stuff.
👍
I'm not sure if I really agree. There was already a lot of industrial piping and equipment for theming, but I don't really find it that compelling. I also think that the idea of riding into the Tyrannosaurus Kingdom is unique and really interesting. I understand why you don't like the brutalist architecture, but it fits thematically and the new version of the ride adds more animatronics than it takes away.
If I had to watch Chris Pratt on loop doing stupid comedy bits in an hour long line queue for the ride I would lose my mind. Gotta revisit Universal Orlando soon before they ruin the old ride. Hopefully one animatronic is working. Lol
@@PoseidonEntertainmentit’s more to the theme but man, the Jurassic world ride is just telling and not showing. the whole beginning of the mosa is just a wow moment the first time, then once u ride it again it’s eh as there nothing else to really look at, and the whole middle part is the same as River adventure, nothing new. I wish they put more care and love into it and made the ride JURASSIC WORLD. But it doesn’t feel like that until the very end once your into the T. rex enclosure. It was very disappointing to me to see, i remember riding it when it wasn’t actually done because of the awesome full scale indominus Rex wasnt done and placed yet, that whole indominus paddock was and still empty feeling with no suspense (not counting the raptor enclosure as it was already there before) I only go on it for the end only, funny thing too, every time I’ve gone the line is so short lol, but maybe I go on good days.
@@PoseidonEntertainment Little late, but there are other things I prefer of the old version of the ride over the new one. Other main bit being your entrance through the wooden gates. With the narrator giving a better performance, and the original theme playing as breach the gates. Then there is the performance of the other actors radio chatter which I find more captivating as apposed to the new one which just has the two main actors sitting in front of a screen going "Hey, it's me from the movie." Though, I understand now. As I am looking at it through the context of Hollywoods Jurassic area being smaller vs Orlando which has elements of both the original and newer series. Ultimately I get dragged back by the fact the older movies are much better than the newer ones, and nostalgic memories of growing up riding the ride from my earliest memory to the most very last time I rode it. The original is 30 years old, older than I am and much older than the audience of today. Ultimately if the choice was plowing it down or re-themeing it to the newer ones I understand the reason. But I do think they should take more opportunities to improve on the newer version. if they ever do that is.
@@PoseidonEntertainment Also think the smallest detail I don't think anyone has ever noticed, was in the original ride they had a Mickey Mouse ears hat floating near the attacked raft. Super small detail, but it was always fun taking first timers on it and pointing it out and having them laugh about it.
If they wanted to enclose the lagoon while updating it to Jurassic World, they should make it a cave with the Parasaurolophus Lux. They could have the gate open and reveal a mostly dark cave, with the Parasaurolophus Lux starting to glow as you enter. This would keep the impact of the reveal while still fitting the Jurassic World theme.
First and only time I've been to Universal was right after Velocicoaster opened and the fact the Visitor Center and the gate were the ones from the movie was magical. I'm so happy it still exists as Jurassic Park instead of Jurassic World because I have no attachment to those movies. But seeing the murals like the first movie and the actual bones (supposedly) they used in the film that hang from the ceiling and all that was so so so cool.
Though River Adventure definitely showed it's age, I can't deny that. We rode it 2 or 3 times because it had low wait times, and I think getting beyond finally riding the scary ride I used to see commercials for all the time, I can see why it's not as well loved by guests.
Also I do see your point the inconsistent theming of Park vs World is very conflicting.
I went to the tribute store and absolutely loved it! Made me realize how much potential with Jurassic Park they still have on the table!
Not gonna lie, the Tribute store is very pog and I can see myself staying inside for hours because of the sheer amount of detail and seeing how far Jurassic Park has come since its release. ✨
The land is in desperate need of refurbishment, especially since the Universal Studios Hollywood refurbishment shows that Universal is capable of giving these poor dinosaurs a much needed glow up. 😭
I'm actually surprised that it wasn't themed to Minions which is what I fully expected, but this is much better.
@@PoseidonEntertainmenthonestly im down for a minion tribute store
@@papingosstudios161Tribute to minions? That franchise isn’t even half the age of the Jurassic Park franchise
@@notsojoeroganand that series is just bad. Don't get me wrong I haven't seen jurassic park, but atleast THAT wasn't something I was forced to watch (i think almost twice) in school -_-.
@@notsojoerogan hey dont need to Jurassic world got a tribute and thats not even old plus the minion store can happen for the minions land
The main thing is I think Universal intentionally wants Orlando to keep its Jurassic Park theme to a extent. But that means they’re stuck in a middle ground of not willing to change, while also not willing to spend the extra money to fix the JP area for likely little return. I hope they can keep the JP theme though.
If it gets rethemed to JW from JP, I’ll miss the old theming. JP just had this scarier more horror oriented feel, like the horrified screaming right before the T Rex reveal.
I'll admit that the ride-through videos I've seen of the Jurassic World retheme of the USH version is impressive, and I'll bet that it's a lot of fun to go on. Still, there's something about the memory from dozens of past visits throughout the years about that last section of the ride where the alarms go off, the Siri-sounding voice starts counting down to total destruction, and the voice of a worker screaming, "It's in the building! I repeat -- it's in the building!!" never fails to give me goosebumps. The leadup to the reveal of Rexy and her roaring down just INCHES away from the boat the second before that final drop is a type of thrill that can't be replicated with the new ending scene.
If nothing else, I would want that one scene to remain for IOA's version. That's the reason I always wanted to go on the Jurassic Park ride if I was in the Hollywood theme park.
Universal's scientists were so concerned with what they could build, they didn't stop and think about what they already had built.
Thank you for touching base on Universal Hollywood! I went as a kid so many times and recently visited again after the Jurassic World update.. and I love being able to see and relive the memories I had when it was Jurassic Park through your video
It’s sad that it’s likely a complete re-theme would be what it takes to get them to pay attention to this portion of the park. I like Jurassic park a lot better and I think its color scheme and aesthetic also fits the park a lot better than the sleek , ultra clean Blue and gray look of World. I can’t do anything to stop it , if it does happen, but idk for once I want a classic attraction to stay themed around the classic instead of the sequel, reboot, etc. even if it’s a small portion of the Jurassic world ride the use of screen scares me, they have a overeliance now days instead of making a physical dark ride.
I really dislike the blue and gray color scheme...
I went on it about 6 months ago, my mom and I thought it was just the day we were on it but the ride was in complete disarray - the ultrasaur’s neck looked snapped, like at 14:11 (leaving its head half submerged in the water, poor guy), there were like- two dinosaur animatronics left before the raptor area (even the *raptors* were sparse), and the t-Rex was completely out in the open and spotlighted before the reveal was even supposed to happen. It was honestly hilarious, but it’s terrible to learn that the ride is just consistently like this.
The large rumor is that Universal offered USIOA the money to make the make the JW switch for river adventure, and they opted for velocicoaster instead. I believe they made the right decision. Disney I think cemented this idea. If you have multiple attractions in the US, change one, and leave the other intact. River adventure deserves a refurbishment, but beyond that I don't think much help is needed.
River Adventure was always my favorite along with Ripsaw falls. I would love to see an overhaul of it. Took my wife a few years ago and she was underwhelmed by how much it was falling apart. I still remember going as a kid and being in awe of the animatronics. We gotta bring that back.
I still got that visitors compound action figure set. That thing was so great when I was a kid. Setup so many Jurassic parks in my backyard
Literally went to universal every year from 2010 to 2020, glad I was able to experience the ride and park so much while it was in its prime
I actually worked on this side of the park replacing the skins of the Dino’s, changing out water anodes in the water pits that pop out the Dino’s, and a ton of other parts of the park.
This and working in the Hagrid ride was my favorite jobs.
But I’ve worked at all the parks working 3rd party. If you ever have questions, I’ll answer what I can without compromising the NDA I had to sign.
Great! As a ride attendant at my Local Park (Drayton Manor) I can relate to how fun the job can be sometimes.
Would you prefer if the park would just give the ride a huge TLC project without retheming it to JW or change it to Jurassic World?
@@louiswright8282 They should probably update it all periodically. But that's not a me decision. 😆
What was your official title? What did you study? That’s awesome
I worked at River Adventure myself in high school for several years. Also, there was some new federal law that was passed a few months ago that basically makes NDAs that you've signed for previous employers null and void and you can basically say whatever the hell you want now without any repercussions. :)
Absolutely love all of your videos. Commenting to keep this getting recommended to people
Retheming Jurassic Park to Jurassic World would be like Disney making a Star Wars hotel based on the “sequel” trilogy.
…
Oh.
Last time I went with my family (2021) we tried to go into Camp Jurassic and we were told you are not allowed to go in unless you had a child with you. They had a person at the entrance to Camp Jurassic. Probably why its so underrated.
I wasn't really a fan of the new Hollywood version at first, but I have to say it's grown on me. There are effects I miss from the original version, but it still has a similar feel to that while adding new elements all over. And they've been updating it frequently since it opened!
Fun Fact: The reason Pteranadon Flyers is height restricted to only those with children is because the ride queue area is small and cannot hold much standing capacity. So It's restricted to a small audience to avoid big wait lines that would have to snake out the door of Camp Jurassic.
That is a super weird and upsetting reason to restrict the ride, I always thought it was because it was made for children and needed a guardian to ride with them. You mean to tell me as an adult I could have been riding the pteradons the entire time??
@@amarie1693 yup! There's a joke with employees to steal each other's kids to go on the ride because it's completely capable to carry adults. But you need a kid to go because go the small queue.
@@buniny I have seen people on the passholder page asking to ride with other people's kids. It's a bit weird but it is a unique credit.
I agree with the River adventure needing a major facelift, update, ect BUT instead of Jurassic World I think a MAJOR thing it could do is - like you said, we could expand into more of the now nothing that is Lost Continent but make the river adventure bigger and grander in the original movies. Keep it Jurassic Park - but make more use of new technology we now have access to within the refresh. I guess I've forgotten what's been missing as I just enjoy the ride as it is, but it is starting to show it's age in ways that can't be fixed in yearly refurbs. 25 years can do that in the Florida sun, especially with water.
Jurassic Park/World is such a huge IP, it really surprises me that Universal haven't spent the time and money to upgrade/improve the area.
The Jurassic Park name and branding is just too iconic to completely throw out. Since Park and World are both a part of the same greater franchise, why can’t elements of both coexist? There’s no reason they can’t add some of the new World Dinos to the River adventure.
I think it’s a similar debate to the one we all have with Galaxy’s Edge. With that land, it was a mistake to solely focus on the new films and to completely exclude elements of the more iconic original films.
Seeing what Universal has done with their theme parks though, I can't say that I really care what IP is used. I really like the Wizarding World but I'm not at all a fan of the films. Same with Jurassic World or Secret Life of Pets. Their attraction design is shining through mediocre IP. I trust that a Jurassic World overhaul in Islands would be really good.
I had that playset and t-rex! That's so cool to see it again. The fact they used a rubber skin with mostly seamless joints for it made it even cooler. Glad I got to do the ride in 2002.
i went on river journey a couple of times and it has gotten worse over time but after seeing this video, i'm honestly scared to see the state that it is next month. i hope that universal studios considers reconstructing the ride as it still has potential.
It's so bad. I don't understand how it came out worse after its most recent winter refurb.
I went on this ride maybe 20 years ago, or at least whatever version was around in the early 2000s. Im amazed its still around
I have the preferred pass to universal and each time going on this ride is entertaining to see what prop is missing or broken.
I remember going here as a kid almost a dozen times. Everytime we went to Universal we would go on this ride. What great memories!!
Also on the mummy the first animatronic hasn’t worked in months
I can't tell you how much I DON'T want Jurassic Park swapped for Jurassic World
aw it’s really unfortunate to hear about the state of river adventure. i’ve only been to islands of adventure once in elementary school but my family absolutely loved this ride and i still have a pretty clear memory of it after all these years, hopefully it gets a restoration or they at least do something else cool with it
I'm 21 and I've been to universal 2 times once in 2017 and once about 2 months back, Jurassic park is my personal favorite ride in the park
I got to ride this last year and you could tell it was in MISERABLE shape and that’s heartbreaking bc this is one of my favorite rides and I’m so glad it wasn’t converted to Jurassic World
they should go ahead and just build one big dinosaur theme park. the premise of jurassic world was that they finally made a functional dinosaur resort, so do that. put up a hotel, a museum a few restaurants and shops, and cram it with animatronics
although i do agree Jurassic Park needs a major refurbishment, I don’t think a Jurassic World Overhaul is the right way to go. I think personally Universal should go under a major refurbishment on the ride like they are with Uni Japan and honestly Rechange the story of the ride with remade animatronics, better sound effect and score and new inclusions as well. I’m not opposed to a jurassic world land as although not many are a Fans but i’ve enjoyed all 3 Jurassic World Films, i think a Jurassic World Land would be better if there’s room for Expansion in Epic Universe as not only does it leave fans happy not having the ride and land converted, but both parks can have a jurassic offer for the fans. I think the major refurbishment in orlando is fine especially since last time i went, Velocicoaster holds up the land fine and the absence of River Adventure wouldn’t really affect the land in regards of guests
I went on this ride alone in December.
At night time, there were no riders because it was slightly chilly.
It was awesome.
I hope they fix everything up at River Adventure, but please KEEP IT THE BEST MOVIE OF THE FRANCHISE CLASSIC JURASSIC PARK not jurassic world! Have seen videos of hollywood version of river adventure and much prefer orlando’s. The rest of the land is pretty awesome and our entire family loves it. Discovery center, dino meet and greets, camp jurassic, photo ops, etc, are awesome. Ok to bringing back a triceratops meet. The tribute store is amazing and worth staying a full year tho i know they need to rotate the store for hhn etc.
I'm going to disagree, I still think that Jurassic World is an improvement, even if the Mosasaurus needs to be reworked.
With the rumours about the Dinosaur area in Disney’s Animal Kingdom being replaced, an update to Jurassic Park would be a good way to capitalize on having dinosaurs. I don’t feel like rebranding to Jurassic World would a good idea though, since the hype around that movie is fading. Jurassic Park is now considered a timeless classic and will have better staying power than World. If they wanted to rebrand to World, then I feel like they missed their opportunity to strike when the iron was hot.
Honestly, the retheme to Jurassic World feels inevitable at this point. Personally I think the only reason it hasn't been announced yet has less to do with the area itself not being as big a draw (it's still considered a signature attraction for the park) and more to do with the fact that Universal Orlando already has alot of balls in the air. The overall Jurassic Park/World franchise is worth billions, but right now the focus is on renovating the Studios side and getting Epic Universe up and running by 2025. I wouldn't be surprised to see an announcement for a Jurassic World retheme on the tail end of the current Jurassic Park 30th celebrations once the Minions expansion is completed and the Kids Zone retheme seriously gets underway. They'll need something to draw people into those multi-day, multi-park passes after Epic Universe opens besides more Harry Potter and Minions.
It does seem that they have little to offer if they don't want Epic to cannibalize their other parks. I'm sure they're betting on Hagrids and Velocicoaster still being popular, which I'm sure they will be, but will it be enough?
@@PoseidonEntertainment looks like that'll be be the seven billion dollar question
Oh my god, Minions is Universal? If I return to the park and see one of those things I’m going to go ballistic and shove one into a trash can. 😂
A cool way to update the theme would be to make the Jurassic Park ride seem old and abandoned on purpose. That way it resembles the Jurassic Park we see in Jurassic World.
I say this because I really love having a JP ride at one park and a JW one at the other, but I don't love how Orlando now has the Jurassic Park area but then you get to Velocicoaster and suddenly you're in Jurassic World. There should be cohesive theming.
I felt so lucky going as a kid and getting to name a velociraptor and get my own certificate. Of course I completely panicked and didn't know what to call it so I just defaulted to my friend's name
Personally, I think removing everything Jurassic Park themed from the Jurassic section of Universal Florida would be an awful decision and be like some sort of erasure of the source material. In order to avoid that, my idea is that they could rebrand the Discovery Center to be the rusted, aged, and overgrown version shown in Camp Cretaceous (sorry to bring that show up) with effects like certain paint combos, fake plants, and dim lights on the inside to simulate how power does not run in that area of Island Nublar anymore…Speaking of Camp Cretaceous, they could rebrand the Camp Jurassic attraction to be based off of the treehouses in that show to appeal to little kids who watch it. It’ll make sense since apparently it’s canon. I’m not so sure about the river adventure’s fate but those are just my other ideas.
I was always scared to ride the Hollywood version as a kid. But one time I actually dreamed it with perfect detail without having ever ridden it. I was blown away how accurate my dream was when I finally did. After the Knott's Berry log ride, I was terrified of drops growing up because of the intense pain. I was happy I got to experience it back then if only just a dream. It ended up being super fun in real life.
Just visited the park last week and almost all the elements of the river ride were back and functioning. The dinosaur that knocks the boat off track was the only element conspicuously missing. It remains one of my favorite attractions. :)
I remember when I went on the River Adventure ride before Jurassic World was a thing. I loved it, especially when it looked like the T-Rex was going to eat us.
22:24 It still blows my mind how impressive that indominus rex animatronic is, and how it's an actual psychical animatronic.
Was at Universal a couple years ago. Loved the Jurassic Park area. My favorite part was the Raptor Encounter. If they were going to incorporate Jurassic World I'd rather be able to ride in one of those Geospheres.
There have been so many rumors about them trying to do something like that but it just doesn't work out. Apparently, this is what the ride in Beijing was supposed to be before just resorting back to the SCOOP vehicle.
Allegedly, the only reliable way to make a Gyrosphere vehicle was with a suspension system, but the suspended elements would interfere with the large dinosaur animatronics so they had to abandon it.
Nice video essay!
River Adventure was great because it felt like an in-universe attraction. I don't like that they've themed inside the Water Treatment Facility as though it's outdoors and night-time, because that makes very little sense inside a water treatment facility. The ride makes other similar mistakes, like having the Gyrosphere just perched on a tiny bit of concrete... where was that Gyrosphere headed? 3ft away? - It feels more like a showpiece rather than actual disaster that's unfolded. It breaks the immersion and cheapen the experience.
Definitely get rid of the screen-based Mossosaur. When I was a kid, seeing a 20ft Ultrasaur towering above you was mind-blowingly magical. Watching a screen is something I can do at home.
However - I totally think they should refit the murals in the Visitor's Center with rear projection to have the silhouette of Veloceraptors on the hunt, as per the movie. They should also have a "When Dinosaur's Ruled the World" banner. I can't believe they've never done that.
I personally wouldn't be pleased if they redid the whole park as Jurassic World. The World aesthetic is ugly by design - to mock theme parks obsession with cash over quality - and I'd be sad to see the iconic buildings like the visitor center interior disappear... but I accept it may be the only way to convince money-grubbing execs to invest into the Jurassic Island.
I have intense submechaniphobia and seeing the state of the animatronics in the water made me horrified. I rode this ride about 8 years ago and even then the animatronics sent shivers down my spine but looking at them now made me physically sick to my stomach. I really hope this ride gets a overdue and well deserved reserved restoration.
what have we learned from all of this? animatronics and constant movement, temperature effects, and submersion in water do not mix.
That jurassic jeep sliding off of the wall is a good example of how running these mechanics day in and day out is not sustainable as everything begins to wear out rapidly. Decades have passed and all of these mechanic features still have no long term sustainable fixes. They've painted some dinos, moved them around, and removed others completely, while some stayed with visible signs of decay and limited range of motion.
So many original great ideas that were lost to a lot of the bs from the new movies, combined with the lack of continuous repair needed to optimally let this ride function with all features looking good and not just having floppy raptors and broken necked brachiosaurs continue to be "satisfactory" and left to perform despite showing these signs of wear and tear.
The mosasaur screens, while clever, are lazy especially considering the exit ruining the illusion that he is indeed inside a tank as the screen cuts off right where the wall clearly ends.
The dilophosaurus were amazing but like many of these animatronics, are too complex for day in/out entertainment and continue to be less fancy in their movements whether intentional at this point to preserve what's left or unintentional from time/elements.
Some say the t-rex before the drop is no longer terrifying and you can see where the puppet-like ragdoll legs begin, which ruins the illusion of a scary beast. Yikes. So much potential wasted
This has personally been my favorite land at the park since we have started going. I love the feeling of the Jungle and all the wooden features is nice. I know also that the way this area was designed was to be separate Jurassic Park Orlando tie in with the parks all around the world from the movie. While I love River Adventure, I have come to the conclusion that the only way it gets the love it needs is with the JW retheme and now that after a couple years they finished it all the way I would be okay with. Just not with the opening scene replacing gates.
As far as the way of the entire land retheme to JW I feel like it would be fine as you said a majority of it could just be paint. The bigger question is how does the entire retheme work out as the current "Park" is its own destination in orlando, and if they retheme to World does the land now exist in Isla Nublar thematically or does it stay Orlando as the Velocicoaster queue scenes would indicate Nublar.
In the end I am a huge fan of this area of the park and want what is best for it and would hate to see JP taken away for World but if that is what it takes to keep the overall feel of the area alive and well then so be it. Awesome video and I enjoyed it!
I really don't care that this version of JP is located in Orlando. If anything the idea seems a bit too contrived. I just think of it as an alternate version from the book and movie. I don't think a Jurassic World retheme would need to necessarily fit the version from the film either.
@@PoseidonEntertainment this is a fair assessment. My bigger question, is how do you retheme to Jurassic World when so much of the structures facades are wooden at JP and in World movie they are so much metal and overall more modern design. But I guess you could clear that by just going with this is an offshoot comparable but not what is in the movie
i remember back in 2007 when all the effects still worked :(
i was super young, but i’ll never forget how terrified i was of the jeep falling down the side of the building!!! i did the disney college program from january - june this year, and i went to universal the day before i moved in. almost all the dinosaurs were static :(