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Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2011 5:56 pm Post subject: Universal Studios Orlando gearing up and shaking up its park
Universal Orlando tears downs it’s relic for something new (Transfor? Maybe) and is the Simpsons ride in trouble
That’s right folks. Universal Studios Orlando has finally torn down it’s much abandoned waste of space old Hard Rock Cafe of the 90’s. Leaving room with what could possibly could be a new attraction. But what attraction could it be? Well, strong rumor points to Transformers.
A while back Steven Spielberg was quote by Orlando Sentinel that Transformers was indeed coming to Flordia.
Quote:
“I always like to hear that people are still coming to the attractions we already have in the park. I know everybody’s going to Harry Potter right now. But we think Transformers is going to pretty amazing. We’ve been working on that for about three years now. It should be ready soon. I don’t have an announcement, yet, but it should be coming there soon,” Spielberg said.
@Orlando Sentinel Theme Park Ranger interview with Spielberg
Later, it was confirm that Mr. Spielberg was miss quoted and there were not plans to bring Transformers to Orlando, YET! Keep that in mind, they used the word - yet. Other way of saying they haven’t rule it out for the park which lead to this video right here.
What you see was the old Hard Rock Cafe being demolished after a long span of time of being empty for 10 plus years. With all this extra room what could Universal plan for this area. Well, guess what? There is something brewing down there.
http://orlandoparksnews.blogspot....ws+%28Orlando+Theme+Parks+News%29
This link will take you to the demolish pictures of the old Hard Rock Cafe, but what’s interesting is a camera had been place in the demolished area. Why, do they need a camera, and what could this mean? Well, guess what attraction also had a camera when it was getting built.
No, No! Harry Potter isn’t coming to the studio side of the resort. But unusually where there’s a camera, there’s an attraction. Which leads to Transformers for Orlando. But, hey wait, didn’t they say that Universal Orlando wasn’t getting Transformers ride because it’s too similar to Spider-man the ride at IOA. Yes, they did, but this is where it gets interesting.
The Sally Corporation CEO John Wood had hinted that they were working on a major attraction for a blockbuster franchise for one of the major Orlando players. Now before, everybody jumps up and down. They are a lot of new attraction coming in Orlando in the next few years. If you have read Screamscape or kept up with your theme park news feed. You heard that Sea World, Busch Gardens, Disney parks, Fun Spot(yes, I know), Legoland, and Kennedy Space Center have all announced or gear up for new attraction even since Harry Potter has kick up tourism in Orlando in quite sometime. But if you think about it, if a Transformers ride would come to Orlando, but not be a carbon copy of Spider-man the ride. What could make it different enough, then adding interactive conponet in a dark ride setting. Which lead me to believe that the Transformers ride could be a shooting ride by the Sally Corporation. As, you know Sally Corp, has always done top notch shooting up dark ride experiences which could tip this as different enough of a ride for Universal Orlando. NewsParcs did an interview with CEO John Wood of Sally Corporation. When ask what new projects they are working one this was a quote that rise Transformers fans eyebrows.
Quote:
JW: We have our biggest project that we can’t talk about unfortunately, but this is really going to be a blockbuster! It’s an interactive dark ride with a major intellectual property involved with it, a major location and a major park. We think it’s going to be the top of the industry, we will know for a year, but we are working to integrate some what you know. It’s actually slated for Christmas 2012.
We also are working on a couple of ride attractions in India, for a new park there. We have a lot to do and as a manufacturer, next year could be a record year for us.
While no mention of Transformers or Universal Studios Orlando in John Woods quote. Many fans are thinking that this could mean that a different type of Transformers ride could come to Universal Orlando a la Toy Story Mania at the Disney parks something that is projected digitally. So could we see something like this?
Like Homer Simpsons luck, there’s been some news about The Simpsons lately. Recently the show has been in talk about budget cuts and negotiation of voice actors salaries. Trouble brewed when sudden talk about the Simpsons coming to a end abruptly started to circulate. But deals were made and things got back to normal sort of. News came that a deal was made with the voice actors and production cuts to be effective soon. Which lead to the final an most important part of the deal, which is The Simpsons will come to a end soon.
Now this leads to this question. Could the Simpsons ride be on it’s way out? While to show has reach a deal for maybe two more seasons, could Universal eye the Simpsons ride again for something more current and popular. For example, like
or could we see a return of a classic ride for a new generation like a Back to the....?
This has been wild rumors, so go chat it up or poo poo this idea.
After my most recent trip out there I can safely say Universal has raised the bar. I would like to see the Transformers ride if it had the interactive angle to it.
Unlike many IPs Transformers (like the recent films or not) are blocknuster fodder material and definately represent over the top action. In a similar vain to MIB, I can see this IP holding out long after the films have died away (if WaterWorld show can why not Transformers).
Plus if it is done as a digital show, updating it with newer characters, or even a full IP changout later would not be particularly difficult (compared to a complete overhaul and rebuild that is). If the go the full way and combine similar technolgies of Spiderman/Harry Potter with a shooter, then yes changeovers would be very difficult, but updating the digtial content would still be a possibility. Add in a possible 3D element with the shooter style and the trifecta could have Universal hitting another one out of the park. I guess we will just have to wait and see what SALLY gives us.
This does seem the most logical approach. Kong would be cool however the general complaint is the wait time for such a short ride. It seems more like a tech demo than a ride.
I personally would like to see it evolve to something bigger like, "KONG, Escape From Skull Island". Make it a full experience, have Jack Black (if we must) as the director of the feature and incorporate the dinos, bugs, natives and of course an initial fight with Kong and then him protecting the "extras" from the T-Rex as they race to get back the the boat. Pull a Harry Potter if you want, bring in the actors from the film. As long as we don't make it a shooter and start killing dinos (alah Jurassic Park 3) then this too would be a fun and easy to update option for future enhancments, plus it gives the Weta Digital boys a bit more work.
Again I guess we will just have to wait and see.
D
_________________ Sometimes you eat the bear, sometimes the bear eats you... But always dress for the hunt! Kungaloosh!
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