A Deep Dive Into Classic Universal Studios Florida (Complete) 

Nicely done! FUN FACT: a friend of mine worked on the Kongfrantation ride and said the banana breath effect had to be turned off because the chemicals were melting Kong’s vinyl skin!

I miss Jaws. There has never been anything else quite like it. It did such a great job of being very immersive. I wish they could have found a way to add Diagon Alley while keeping Jaws.

As a original USF team member, I have a different recollection of the tram tour. I don't recall it being part of the opening day line up of attractions. I don't even think it was part of the plan. As I recall, it was added in reaction to guests not understanding Universal Studios Florida was planned as a full theme park, and wanting the Universal Studios Hollywood tram tour experience. Parking lot trams were put into service as tour trams in the park. This experience was ultimately not successful, as the park was not designed to accommodate such an experience.

I got picked out to hold the pink slime in the Ghostbusters pre show. It was a proud moment of mine.

I only experienced Twister once as a kid, and "intense" was an understatement for me 😂 the roof slamming back down still makes appearances in my nightmares

It’s crazy to me how at first Universal Studios Orlando Resort was just a small studio lot park with some incredible attractions like Kongfrontation and Jaws (well, when they worked lol), and is what it is now. The resorts are very well themed and some of the best I’ve ever stayed in Orlando, Citywalk is super nice for a night out with the fam, Islands is without a doubt the best theme park I’ve ever visited, Volcano Bay is the best water park I’ve ever been to, and now Epic Universe is on its way! The one that started it all is still there and while not the crown jewel of the resort, is still immensely fun and with some of my favorite attractions in Orlando. Love this park, flaws and all!

One of my favorite changes to Universal over the past few years - they completely embrace their legacy and celebrate their former attractions wherever they can. It means a lot to a fan of classic Universal

An hour and a half long deep dive into the Golden age of Universal Studios Orlando that only a weirdo like myself and others who like niche content about the world of IP licenses, shady corporate politics and theme park architecture is into? Oh yeah It's like an early Christmas!

Today's screen technology on rides is cool and all, but I'll always regret not being able to experience those ENORMOUS King Kong animatronics. It's just a different kind of thrill, and I love it.

just a few words about kongfrontation: it will definitely look stupid to people in 2022, but as a kid in the 90s, it was my favorite ride. i didn't realize it was at the time, but it's the ride i remember most fondly, and here's why: the theming really transported you to a nyc subway, and like poseidon said, it strongly conveyed a sense of imminent danger. the queue had a distinct smell that was absolutely perfect when combined with the true to life weathered walls and graffiti that you walked by. i remember the actors in the news clips on the little tv monitors in the queue being pretty convincing too, and the whole thing was just a master class in execution. obviously nobody was actually scared of the animatronic; that wasn't the point. but it's really difficult to convey something like this if you haven't experienced it. great video, cheers.

The Universal content on this channel is by far my favorite! Loved this deep dive on my third favorite Orlando park (Islands is my favorite and Animal Kingdom my second)!

One year, ‘01 or ‘02 Halloween Horror Nights ran a haunted house on the ground level of the entire Kong ride. It was So incredibly cool

You really found your niche. There’s enough people focusing on Disney that you can’t shake a stick without hitting one. Universal Orlando is my second favorite park after Disneyland and it’s only second because I have to take a 6 hour flight to get there. Any kind of Universal Orlando content I can get is appreciated. I know your channel is going to blow up!

Man that Alfred Hitchcock attraction looked and sounded AMAZING for a cinephile such as myself.

Ah, the nostalgia. I was lucky enough to visit in 1991 and again in 1998 so I got to experience all these attractions. Back to the Future, Kongfrontation and Jaws were definitely my favorites. Thanks for taking me back to better days!

Twister feels like it could've really benefitted from projection mapping technology, enhancing the tornado and the feel of flying debris.

As a 90s kid(and even further, A Florida kid), I really love and appreciate the depth you went into for this video. It warmed my cold millennial heart as the parks are like a second home to me. Universal Orlando is the first park I remember visiting as a child going through the struggles of my early life and my experiences there helped shape the adult I am today.

I just came back from Universal Studios last Saturday. While there I was remembering all the classic rides my kids have missed out on. Thank you for making this video.

Been waiting for this

I really really wish I was born just a bit earlier so that I could’ve rode these rides. The Hannah Barbara one looked the most fun

I grew up in orlando and basically grew up at universal and disney world. Been to both countless times and have seen both change. Its good to have experienced this park from the beginning

Right of the bat that commercial hit me nostalgically hard. Universal always just looked SO cool in the 90s; Disney was magical but Universal felt like it had edge.

Alfred Hitchcock Experience is probably the one I miss the most. An absolute love letter to film making with one of the best to ever do it. Nothing quite like it anywhere else.

I love your celebration of classic Universal studios, as it does not receive as much acclaim as it used to after HP took over. The older attractions are marvels in ingenuity and design, and definitely deserve to be remembered when discussing theme park history.

I'm one of the lucky few who has amazing memories of both the Hitchcock Experience and the Hercules and Xena show. I was probably only 8 or 9 when I saw them, but they made a huge impression on me! In the Hercules and Xena show my little brother was picked to be a centaur and I was picked to help control the dragon. It was an awesome experience that I still talk about!

This was an amazing video! Great job. As an MCA Recreation Services executive from the 1990s, this brought back some great memories. The one addition I can share is about the MCA Recording Studios attraction- this was not an attraction on motion picture sound recording as you mentioned… this was an attraction meant to showcase the MCA Music Entertainment division (at that time MCA was one of the largest music companies in the world)… the attraction allowed guests to record their own vocal tracks of music from the MCA music library. I miss many of the older original attractions at USF… but as you know… there have been so many corporate owners and JV partners at Universal Orlando that the various masters impacted varying degrees of bad decisions in desperate attempts to understand how to make money in the theme park industry.. remember Universal was owned by MCA, which was then bought by Matsushita/Panasonic of Japan, which was then sold to the Seagram Company and renamed Universal Studios, Inc. Seagram then sold Universal to French company Vivendi which kept the video game and music business and then sold what was left of Universal to NBC, which itself was eventually acquired by Comcast. The Orlando property itself had various joint venture owners though out the last 30 years… the first few years was a joint venture with Cineplex Odeon, that was then bought by the Rank Organization and that was sold to Blackstone. Count the number of corporate owners and JVs in the last 30 years and you can understand all of the changes.

This was an amazing video it is wonderful to see the roots of Universal Florida and amazed to see how it still growing .

Thank you for this wonderful trip down memory lane. I use to go every summer with my grandfather. Now that he’s gone seeing this just reminds me how he took me on every ride there with a smile on his face.

The Kongfrontation ride had the most amazing waiting in line experience ever, just so may little details of old New York down to a crazy amount of chewing gum on the floors and walls, which looking back was probably helped a lot by guests 😂

I like how Universal Studios is bringing back the Classic Monsters into Universal Orlando Resort

I love going back through and watching these! Fantastic job!

You make some great content! I've watched this video probably 3 times haha. Heading to Universal in late May for the first time in 15 years! Used to go as a kid so this video brings back a lot of nostalgia.

As someone with a deep fascination for the history of theme parks and their attractions, this is equivalent to an Oscar-winning movie! I'm absolutely fascinated by the way Universal has evolved as rides, attractions, shows and properties come and go over the years, like an ever-shifting medley of the cultural Zeitgeist of the relevant time periods. I had the pleasure of visiting Universal Studios Japan recently, where I experienced something rather peculiar and humourous: I chose to dine at 'The Lost World' restaurant, and I couldn't help but notice that the entire building was not only expertly themed to the Jurassic Park area it was in, but it also had a distinctly 90s/early 2000s aesthetic about it in the furniture, walls & ceiling fixings and overall architecture from when the park first opened. The intention of the theming was of course to make visitors feel they were in the 'real' Jurassic Park, but for me, I found it unintentionally hilarious that I genuinely felt I was back in 2001. Little things like these about Universal's parks make me love them more than any other in the world.

I went to Universal Hollywood in 1985, right before Kong, and later Earthquake. I didn't go again until 2006 in Florida, and luckily caught Back to the Future, Terminator, and Jaws before closing. So many rides, tours, and interactive shows missed... We bought a resale timeshare in Orlando, and have 6 nights booked this August. No more missing out!

This video brings back a lot of memories. Thanks.

This is a great video! We watch it every couple of months or so and we pick up on something new every time! Thank you for the great content!

Good stuff man, appreciate these in depth videos

The Pegasus mention just to show the clip was pure gold 😂😂

My family made one visit to this park around 1991 and I can't believe how clearly I remember some of these attractions. They might look hokey now, but they made a huge impact on me at the time. Thanks for this, it's brought back a lot of really cool memories.

Well worth the wait. Still one of my favorite video essays on the platform 👍

I’m from the UK and I first visited this park in 1996 and as a 10 year old I was quite blown away by the experience. Now some 26+ years later I have been a number of time and have seen how the park has changed. Still a great place but I do miss the legacy attractions like kongfrontation.

~Jump To A "Scene"~ 0:00 Intro 3:48 History Lesson on Universal Florida's Origin 14:36 Studio Tour 16:48 Nickelodeon 19:19 Hannah-Barbera 21:31 "Try it now Yogi!" 24:24 Alfred Hitchcock 28:10 Murder She Wrote 31:45 MCA Recording Studio+Other Attractions in Production Central 32:56 Kongfrontation 38:37 Ghostbusters+Streetbusters 43:47 Twister 46:05 "Hold on for your life" 49:04 Earthquake+Disaster 57:16 BeetleJuice 58:40 JAWS 1:03:36 The Wild Wild Wild West Stunt Show 1:05:00 Back To The Future 1:09:44 Swamp Thing Set+Men In Black 1:10:44 ET Adventure 1:13:33 Animal Actors 1:14:23 Bates Motel+Barney 1:15:59 Bates Mansion+Curious George & Fivel's Playland/Kidzone 1:17:27 Lucy-A tribute 1:19:33 Horror Make-up Show 1:21:34 T2-3D 1:26:08 Dynamite Nights+Cinesphere 360 1:28:14 Universal Florida Today+Closing Notes

so excited to watch this all the way through!! I last went to USF in 2000 and I cant wait to enjoy this nostalgia heavy video! :D

Hope to make it to Florida one day soon, maybe after epic universe opens

I've always wanted to visit Universal Studios Florida since its beginning (sigh, I am indeed that old), and now, by valve and by cuspid, I'm putting it on my Bucket List so I can finally check it out for myself. Thank you so much for this deep dive!

I used to be a pass holder at Universal Studios Japan when I lived nearby, and I honestly loved how retro it felt, from the original Jurassic Park ride, back draft, jaws, the universal monster show, terminator experience, (and for a while) back to the future. It reminded me a lot in a way of the idea of a park that was about movies not just rides. The park also felt eternally 90s and nostalgic. I'm sure it still does, though I havent been in a couple years. Though I still got a kick out of all the Japanese dubbing of the 90s safety videos or the intro to back draft nothing beats Kurt Russel in getting out of a backdraft and then explaining in Japanese about pyrotechnics. Jaws to this day is still my absolute favorite ride. I rode that so many times the skippers all knew me on sight. I'm heart broken I never got to ride Kong or Earth Quake the Big One.

I absolutely loved this walk down Universal Orlando memory lane! I also get a lot of push-back for my opinion on Rip Ride Rock-It. It reminds me of a last-minute achievement upgrade to finish a Roller Coaster Tycoon challenge. *Build a roller coaster with zero inversions and one drop in this small space near the parks entrance* Which brings me to the request for a deep dive on the history of Rip Ride Rock it and its bumpy story behind the ride's creation. Fabulous work, as usual!

Awesome video!

I appreciate your content so much! You do a great job!

I went to Universal in ‘97 at 7 yrs old. The only rides I distinctly remember was Jaws, T-2, and Hitchcock. I have vague memories of Back to the Future as well. Those attractions were next level in my 7yo mind.

omg im only 36 but i remember every single ride that you talked about and this really brougt my childhood up in a good way. we would go to florida every year when i was a kid and i was always short so my dad would always make sure i had my platform 90s spice girl sneakers (which is what i would wear anyway, duh) so i could reach all the height requierments for the rides..ive done disney through and through but my best memories are from universal studios...nikelodeon was timeless and im sad to see it go...THEY HAVE A TIME CAPSULE THEY BURIED THERE!!!! I WONDER IF THEY EVER DUG IT UP!!!! OMG DOES ANYONE ELSE REMEMBER!? wow nostalgia. i remember my grandma couldnt "experience" the 3d effects because she was blind in one eye. that always bummed me out...ah man so many memories me and my family made there. these memories are the best because it WAS when things really were the best. im sorry for anyone born post 1990. im serious things were just better then. i saw a kid do a video about nostalgia for the "2010 era" i was like ummm thats not that log ago. but damn. i guess things were just better as a kid...i havent been to universal in a long while...i know i went post island of adventure, i think i was around 18ish tops soo id say like 2008 and my memories are stilll so clear. maybe bcause ive been to the park many times. when i heard they killed king kong i was like oh hellll no. maybe that was my fave because i am from ny and that ride did an amazing thing recreating a ncy scheme but it felt like home, and for some reason i never smelt the bananna breath and i do feel slightly jipped now lol. i always felt like that ride had a weird smell, almost like pepto bismoal...thats what i remember...lmao..ahh man thank you for doing a great job ripping me back into 1993 when i could get my name written on a grain of rice and had it made into a cool necklace, who remember those?

Man, I really wish I could've visited Universal in its hey-day. I visited in 2012...and you could just tell that a lot of original magic was missing

Man this is incredible. I really appreciate the effort you put into making this video it’s amazing! Keep up the great work

the Terminator attraction was I think the first actual piece of 3D media I had ever seen in my life at the time and it blew my mind so hard, I have still yet to really see any 3D media that comes close to it

Best video yet. Hard works pays off, great job.

It breaks my heart that every ride I remember is gone now except for E.T.

Very comprehensive and Well Done video! Thank you!

Man, I don't get nostalgic often, but this brought back *SO* many memories to when my mom and dad took me to Universal Studios Florida in 1999. And, in retrospect, these rides & attractions are so much cooler than Disney's (we just went to Epcot instead of the whole but I remember way more of Universal's rides than Disney's). I never knew that Spielberg actually consulted for the design of the Back to the Future ride, and how could anyone forget Earthquake, Kong, and Jaws? The only regrets I have were not being able to get into Nickelodeon studios and doing more of the interactive movie making attractions. And no offense to the current park, this classic era is just so much better in every way and if it wasn't for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, then Universal probably would've went out of business a long time ago. But this is what happens when greed and corporate mergers ruin the fun. So happy that I experienced this when it was still this cool & my mom and dad were fortunate enough to take me then.

This is amazing content! So much research!!!

This video drew me to the realization that I've been on every single attraction in the park's history 😮

More awesome content from you guys. Love your videos

Fantastic documentary, sir!

Thank you for this video!!!❤ Your an awesome team!!!

Awesome Video! very informative! Love the Theme Park History.

I truly miss the “Ride the movies” era 😢still love universal though

I love rides like Jaws and the Jungle Cruise at the Disney parks. Having a staff member as a guide that is also playing a character adds so much to multiple ride-throughs and it's just really neat to have an actor instead of just a robot or voice

Love watching these videos while playing planet coaster

Thank you for this video, I last went to Universal Studios back in 1995 when I was just a boy, pretty much went on every ride/show so it was VERY nostalgic watching your video as I relived some lost memories.

if you were at the end of the line on twister you could see everything resetting back in place, or if you poked your head out the car on back to the future you could see the other car and the mechanism that holds the cars, kills the thrill a bit lol

Visited in 1992 and it was such a difference to today. But some great attractions I miss so thank you for this trip down memory lane!

Man I loved seeing the breakdown of Kongfrontation. I vividly remember how incredibly immersive it was as a child. Remains tied as my favorite ride of all time along with ExtraTERRORestrial at Disney.

Thank you, this is excellent.

My dad got to do the hitchcock scene and it was such a fun time when i was a kid.

just helping the algorithm and letting you know i love your videos :)

Whenever i have nothing to watch poseidon ends up uploading something. Its great

Quality video, as always

This was amazing, thank you so much! 😮😮😮😮😮

Love this park. Worked for this park. Best park combo in Florida

I worked at Universal and IoA in healthcare as an RN at First-Aid and roving throughout the park from '03-'05 and it was really interesting going through areas backstage, and all the places guest couldn't. I really never went to Universal at its beginning, as I'd just gotten out of the USN and was in college to be an RN. Some of these originals I remember, but there's so much that I never got to see. So much has changed since the pandemic, I most likely wouldn't recognize the park.

Incredible quality as always.

This deep dive was obviously a ton of work and I'm grateful for it. Love this extended background and learned so much! Now I have to ask though... can you do an Islands deep dive next??

I saw this video and my day is instantly 10x better This and bonelab releasing is a GREAT day

Excellent job my friend you've got a new sub

Never visited the place but this was great, I really enjoyed watching it.

Great video. Thank you.

Classic Universal Studios Florida was so different, and so great

I recently got to go on Jaws the ride at Universal Studios in Osaka Japan. It was a lot of fun! It's a bummer it's the only one left.

Thanks for all your hard work putting this together. As a kid I wanted to go to the old USF, but never made it. We went earlier this year and it was good, but the old Universal seemed like it was more authentic.

Thank you for making such a comprehensive look at what Universal Studios Florida used to be. As a kid in the 80’s and 90’s who was really into movies, both Disney MGM and Universal were places I saw from afar growing up in the Midwest. My family got down to Orlando 5 times from 1987 to 1997, and both parks and the area had such an enormous influence on me that I went to college for film and video production. Also watching how Orlando seemed to be growing into the “east coast Hollywood”, while not being quite as crazy as L.A. or New York City-wise, all I wanted was to live and work in Orlando. I ended up moving to Orlando in 1998, finishing school in 2000, and have lived here ever ever since. Sadly the professional industry was just on its way out around this time, and has exited even more since, leaving my dream in a perpetual state of failure, as I’ve now lived here for almost 25 years, and I’m very rooted and attached to the area, but without much of my industry. But I wish younger people today could experience this park in the way that I did. I missed its opening by 1 year being here in 1989, and finally was able to return in the spring 1994 when I was 14. For a kid that age, waiting 5 years was between ⅓ to half your life! So my anticipation was crazy. Universal didn’t disappoint me, and I just loved it all to death. Upon moving to Orlando, I got an annual pass and was at the park, and shortly thereafter both parks, at least once a week with a friend. Sadly I don’t really enjoy hardly any of the current rides or areas, maybe with the exception of the Potter areas/rides. It’s hard to describe how, for the time, just how amazing all of these original rides and attractions were. At least to me. And everything in the area was SO new, vibrant, and exciting. On top of not being as crazily crowded as it all is today. It used to feel more relaxing and exclusive in that respect, and I miss that. I showed up for final day of both the Kongfrontation ride, for which the entire crowd were given bananas for a “banana salute”, as well as the last day for Jaws. Both I miss an incredible amount. I can even remember walking through the base of Kongfrontation under the tram during Halloween Horror Nights. Back to the Future was always my favorite ride though, and I was so hurt when it closed for the awful Simpsons ride. I understand that technology changes, and many kids today aren’t as interested in movie franchises from the 80’s or before, but I still long to go back in time to the early 90’s and experience this park again the ways that I did.

Very well done. Having grown up in Orlando, working at Disney and friends working at Universal, the 1990s was truly a great decade for Orlando parks in general. I'm glad you covered the Hitchcock show. So veeeeery disappointed when they closed that one and Shrek just never held a candle to the original experience. to be fair the original land purchase was a narrow triangle of space hemmed in by neighborhoods and highways, so the only option for new things was to take something else out.

Amazing work! Nothing will ever top the Original line up.

high quality content ^tm

I always loved the Hana Barbara (spelling) animations, it’s interesting how widespread and cult following they got on Boomerang and Adult Swim. Which are two blocks on Cartoon Network of all places. Which I find funny considering their physical attachment to Nickelodeon studios

I loved this video. Thank you so much for these wonderful memories. I have to share this with my two now-adult children. The Nickelodeon segment will have special meaning for them. One was selected to taste-test Gak. (It was applesauce with food coloring!) and the other was chosen to be slimed. Jackpot! Two omissions: 1) I was surprised there was no mention of Fievel's Playland, which had climbing areas for kids and, most notably, a three-story tall water slide. 2) I was expecting a mention of the beautiful, original Hard Rock Cafe, which could be accessed directly from the park. This was a completely different structure than the present HRC that exists now in CityWalk.

I'll be honest, I will never EVER forget what they did to Jaws. I remember watching ride-through videos of that specific ride all the time on RU-vid, and always dreamed of going on it one day. But, then they replace it (along with the entire area) with Wizarding World, and I was like "Really?..." Sure, there's a Jaws section on the tram tour in Hollywood, but that's just what it is... A section.

I forgot how jankey the ET ride was! Why was I so impressed by that as a child?

Nostalgia overload

Definitely interesting with seeing how Universal was at it's beginning, versus now how it is. Especially seeing the tram footage of now where I walk past to work every day.

YES! INCREDIBLE! AN HOUR AND A HALF LONG VIDEO ABOUT CLASSIC UNIVERSAL. EXACTLY WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR! TIME TO PROCRTASTINATE

I'll never forget my trip to Universal Studios Florida. My time spent in the Wizarding World was truly magical. Hopefully I'll get to go again during the holiday season