The History of Twister… Ride it Out | Universal Studios Florida 

As a broke family, my mother somehow saved enough for us to go in the early 2000s. So glad we did and when we did. I got to experience Jaws, twister, back to the future, jimmy neutrons ride, and all the other gems.

Twister was a better attraction than the Jimmy Fallon ride is 🤢

It’s insane that we finally get a sequel to twister but the ride itself is gone. Universal must be kicking themselves

I always did love the preshow room for twister. Honestly I always found it more impressive than the actual show. Had so much character and sense of dread/excitment for it.

My favorite defunct attraction is Jaws. I only got to ride it once in late May/June of 1998. I was almost 5 and my parents took me with them on their honeymoon. I got to ride all the defunct rides because I was a pretty tall kid and my parents were with me. The only two rides I was actually scared on were Jaws and Alien Encounter at Disney. I really wish I could ride Jaws again as an adult.

A trick to get the most out of that final room was to position yourself in the front row and lean right up against the rail. This put you in a position to feel the wind storm MUCH more than people in the 2nd row and really added to the immersion of the storm and general mayhem going on around you. I always loved going on Twister and was sad to see it close.

For me the greatest time to go to universal was 2011-2012, forbidden journey had just opened, we still had jaws, twister, Poseidons fury, disaster, rip ride rocket was finally worked out and operating well, 13-14 year old me was old enough to appreciate the special effects and thrills those rides brought. Not to mention the HHN those years used the jaws and twister queues so it was pretty sweet.

Really enjoyed this ride as a kid. Once my dad passed away I was glad they still had this footage.

First time I went as a little kid I LOVED Twister movie but chickened out of going on the ride. I went to wait for my family in the gift shop and a worker noticed me standing alone and invited me to see the control room. It was a large control panel with a window overview of the set. They showed me how they set off the effects and it was amazing. I did eventually ride it years later cause we were out of time that day.

This was a ride that made me fall in love with weather as a kid.

Omg I remember a 10 year old me being terrified by the video footage of the real life tornados and walking through through the creaky house. That floor drop at the end took out me and my nana haha. My friends and I are going to see twisters in 4DX next week and Ill be thinking about twister "aftermath" the whole time

I use to be a lead at Twister and it was an amazing attraction to work at. Thank you for such a detailed video about this iconic attraction that is missed dearly!

I remember the Twister cup from when I went to Universal for the first time as a child in ‘99. It was such a cool cup to drink out of.

Twister was so great! Miss that ride! 🌪️🌪️🌪️🌪️🌪️🌪️🌪️

One of my favorite attraction from Universal was the Terminator attraction. That shit was cool AF for the time.

This ride freaked me out as a child !!!! I will never ever forget it. But now I love them parks

I luved Twister 🌀 at Universal Studios, was one of my favorites

The best defunct attraction at Universal Orlando has to be Ghostbusters. Bring them back! And in more than just a parade. We need more Ghostbusters!

Man… favorite defunct Universal attractions… I have several. When I was a kid, Kongfrontation is probably the main reason I wanted to visit Universal and it absolutely blew me away when I rode it for the first (and only) time. Same with the Hanna-Barbara ride, I was a Scooby Doo fanatic growing up and I went nuts when the ride went through the Scooby section. This was maybe 1998 or so? Maybe 99. By the time I came back and visited as a young adult, Kong and H&B were gone. Really miss T2 and Jaws, I rode those later when I visited as a young adult and had an annual pass. By that time, Harry Potter and Transformers had not opened yet but some of the original attractions like Kong, H&B, and Back to the Future were replaced with Mummy, Nickelodeon, and Simpsons. This was probably 2007-2008. The Beetlejuice show was a lot of fun as well! That was a great “rest your feet” show. Oh, and Twister was a favorite as well of course! Had to do that every time I visited until it eventually closed down.

I got to ride Twister… Ride it Out. It was so cool! I also got to ride Jaws the Ride, ET, T2-3D: Battle Across Time, Earthquake: The Big One, Kongfrentation and Back to the feautrue. I also go to go to Nickelodeon Studios.

This and BACKDRAFT! Man 90z were awesome

I remember crying on that ride, I was eight. 😂

Such a great breakdown, stoked I found this channel.

These "history of" videos are my favorite!! I am loving all the information and back stories, please keep em coming!! 😄❤

I never got to experience this attraction, but in recent years, I’ve realized how awesome this would have been to see in person. My first visit to universal was when I was 7 years old. I don’t know if I was too scared or my parents thought I would be too freaked out, but we definitely didn’t do it that trip. By the time I had my next visit, the attraction was long gone.

KEEP THE HISTORY VIDEOS COMING!!!

9:56 The hidden Mickey seems like Universal throwing shade at Disney lol. because it looks like a Disneyland park guest got run over by the car 😂

Bring these types of attractions back universal

There have been several prominent Theme Park RU-vid channels, each unique in their own way, but I just came across this video and, let me just say, your breakdown is amazing. Love how you add commentary WHILE you’re at the park. A little touch goes a long way and your enthusiasm shows. You just got a follow, keep up the great work!

Love this. I grew up going to Universal a lot and going on this ride. At the time the movie terrified me! Going on this ride on top of that really ingrained that fear. It really was a great attraction though and I really do miss it!

I just stumbled upon this video. I loved making theme parks with rtc and started studying how rides were made later on. I’m just now appreciating rides I never got to go on so I love this video. Twister was one of my favorite disaster movies as a kid so I didn’t know it had its own attraction

I grew up in Florida and went to Universal during a school field trip in the 6th grade, either 98 or 99. Got to ride Twister, Jaws, King Kong, Back To The Future. Didn’t know at the time it was the end of an era ❤

I got to ride this special effects masterpiece way back in 2003!

So happy I got to experience Twister, Earthquake, Jaws and Back to the Future before they all got removed.

TOP NOTCH! both Twister: Ride it Out AND this channel are TOP NOTCH! great video!

The funniest thing i noticed about this attraction is that if you rode it and a bunch of water had collected on top of the gutter in row 3, you'd get soaked. It happened to my on my last ride of the attraction about 10 years ago, and it was just so bizarre. I always loved the attraction and it remains of my favorite preshows for any attraction to this day

One of my favorite childhood movies

it's a shame, twister was amazing, I got to experience it before it closed down when I was 15 and before my grandfather passed. I gotta thank that attraction for some of my fondest theme park memories 💓

The special effects rides were the reason why I kept coming back.

Jaws was my favorite defunct attraction followed closely by back to the future and T2 3D.

Dudeeee starting to find your sweet spot. Awesome video!

I almost chickened out when i visited in 2002. Like if you weren’t there for it, standing in line was already anxiety inducing then the videos will have you like alright nevermind. I’m glad my dad made me see it thru this ride was awesome. It just get progressively worse and then the ending hits and it’s all over 😂😂😂 we don’t run from our fears we ride it out 😂

Been going Universal Orlando since it originally opened! I love so many of the attractions. The Mummy is my personal favorite ride, and The Horror Movie Make Up Show my favorite show! Defunct attraction, it's gotta be Terminator 2 3D. Sorely missed. Not only my favorite, but I used to work that attraction for about two years. It'd always get a great reaction from the crowd.

I don't know which ride i would miss the most, but I do still have my Twister Ride it Out souvenirs :D

I loved they let me stay behind to watch it reset! I did not know the props were put out of place, that was interesting! Thank you!

I was not old enough to know that I was in a theme park and safe.. this ride TRAUMATIZED me, I used to have panic attacks any time there was even a tornado watch. Im also from the Midwest, where those happen every spring/summer 😅

Twister was one of the attractions that made me fall in love with Universal. I miss it a lot. Great video!

Twister was so freaking cool, was so sad when it closed

This must have been SO COOL.

As a kid, I loved Twister and Disaster! Was so bummed to see both of them go. Jimmy Fallon is ok, but Supercharged just makes me sad about what we lost for something like that 😂

We loved that ride Thanks new friend 👍👍

Really appreciate all of the research, time and hard work put into this video!

I have a random semi-close connection to this franchise/attraction, my mom was pregnant with me when she saw Twister in theaters, and when we went to Orlando for the first time in 2001 when I was 4, I vividly remember being on this attraction, along with Jaws, Hanna-Barbera world, the Alfred Hitchcock Experience and the Disaster one. Those are some of my earliest memories

This literally unlocked something in my brain. I remember going on this often when I was little as my family had annual passes at the time. Which is wild to think about because I also remember being absolutely scared of everything as a kid, especially of indoor rides that I couldn't see from the outside. Took me awhile to work up the courage to ride the former Jimmy Neutron ride but loved going to see Twister and Disaster all the time! Still miss those two shows dearly and wish they were still around so I can relive them!

They should make a new “Twisters” 3D ride at Universal Studios.

I chickened out of this show when I was younger. I was a huge fraidy cat even as a teen and the preshow had me asking for the exit. But now I really regret that I never got to experience it. I LOVE practical special effects, it would have been really cool to see this show in person. :(

Twister the ride was my favorite!

Absolutely LOVED the Twister ride!! Would love Universal to bring back some of the more 'old school' rides as I think there is appetite for them!

Watching POV videos of Twister now makes me appreciate what went into making the ride but being on it as a kid it scared the hell out of me 😂😂

My name is Craig Dennis how are you doing today and i never miss your new videos and you have a nice safe day today and you take care today👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

I saw this show before they closed it. It was amazing, wish it was still there.

My favorite defunct rides are Horizons at EPCOT and Kongfrontafion at Universal. I have since vivid memories of these rides.

We loved Twister but Jaws was our favourite.

I loved the Twister ride. I’m glad I got to ride it in 2014 before it went defunct a year later.

Man, I really miss Twister, I loved Ghostbusters, but Twister was so much better. But damn, my most missed attraction was the Alfred Hitchcock attraction. I am so glad that the Horror Movie Makeup show is still around, that was one of the OG attractions.

I absolutely loved this vlog and all the research that went into it! I watched it the other day & got distracted and never left my comment. I think what I miss the most is Barney. I think the new DreamWorks land is outstanding and look forward to seeing it. It is creative, fun and current. Barney holds a special place in our hearts - my daughters are 31 & 33 and loved Barney - they'd watch him for hours on end. We visited Universal when they were 3 & 5 with my father who was alive at the time and the memories we have are very dear as we all soaked up the raindrops & snowflakes IYKYK

I've seen Twister ever since I was a little boy, but now it's been changing into a Jimmy Fallon ride.

This video had a great Easter egg during the part about Easter eggs at about 21:24, that man is OUT COLD on a park bench!

I loved Twister! It was such a fun experience. Believe it or not, I still have my cup and my pet torando to this day! As I remembered, I called him Ravager. lol. I still keep him in my bedroom. We were a poor family and had such limited things we could buy and eat. I knew I wanted the cup and pet.

Ive always been obsessed with twisters ride it out!! I never got to ride it and i want them to bring it back with the success of the sequel 😭

Omg I remember going in this multiple times as a kid

It was my childhood dream to move from Scotland to Florida and work as a skipper on the Jaws Ride 🥲

This was such a great Universal attraction to attend and now just another lost in time. I thought you did an amazing job capturing the feel of the experience. Great work.

I was 23 and the ride still scared me 😂

Please do more of these nostalgic videos! Love looking back at some of the old rides. They were sooo much better!

I loved this ride when i rode it in 2012. Twister was my second favorite after The Mummy. Makes me sad that Twister is defunct

fantastic video. need more of these

I’ll never forget walking through this queue line and hearing a cat meow somewhere and being SO SAD before going in thinking about it lol. Wish they’d bring it back!

I was scared of Twister back in the day, but I still loved it. And I missed it, since they replaced it with an even more terrifying attraction, Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon.

What a bummer I never got to see any of those props and that van! Once I started going to Universal they didn't have the extended queue. You'd wait right outside the doors of the theater and wait to go inside. You saw the sign coming in and the videos on the screen, but that's it. Didn't even hear the fictional radio station playing in the background either. Glad you've talked and covered this, I never heard this mentioned in other videos about Twister so thank you. Also, yes, they definitely filmed them separately since they didn't get along during filming. I don't think it's speculation at this point. So you're correct. If they had to film it together and had to film any more stunts for the attraction they probably wouldn't have done the cameos. BTTF.

So your video popped up randomly on my RU-vid algorithm and I'm very glad I stayed to watch! I'm a current USF TM and I've been going to USF since 1993 so watching this brought back memories! Ive just subscribed!

Enjoyed this video. I miss this attraction a lot. Been on Jimmy Fallon once and I'm hoping it actually gets replaced someday. I miss the old disaster attractions!!

Funny timing just finished recreating the Twister building in Planet Coaster. My favorite defunct attraction is Jaws.

Love that ride, the front row was the best place to be.

I was like 5 when I first rode this, it most definitely scarred me.

New follower here from this video! Excellent video, well researched, great use of old and new footage and brilliantly edited together! This would be an amazing series exploring rides that are no longer at the parks!

Amazing documentary For the Love of Theme Parks, I loved this attraction very much! I get to ride this as a kid on 2011 and I remember crying at the show, this what introduced me to like tornadoes. I miss the ride so much. With "Twisters" on it's way, I'm hoping that Universal are raising a chance for a new kind of magic experience to bring back the attraction. I'm excited for the best summer blockbuster movie of this year. The late tonight host Fallon was in it for the parks money because Twister was already outdated and the effects died down for many decades. Fun fact: If you keep looking on the right while the projector screen tornado forms, the Erik's Garage "Office" window, was probably the actor Sean Whalen who played Allan Sanders in "Twister" and "The People under the stairs" Roach. The guy was giving evacuations to seek down in the pit like in the movie when Bill was getting everyone underground now. For out Twister was the cheesiest attraction at Universal Studios, during the 2000s it was already in the spotlight making a miracle journey experience on the guests because they liked it, and that is why people care about classics more than today's generation because practical effects was everything to be a reality and done something like nothing before. I mean the shows were astounding until it decreased over the run of the mechanisms dying out, and the wind going 35 MPH over the observation platform. The early stages in the show peaked around the year 1998 to 2000, if universal only operated the set for a sort time, the attraction would hold out a little longer. But they didn't care and try to change stuffs in the drive in and that's how twister began losing popularity. In other than that, amount of Team Members who helped built this attraction left the job and work on other projects. Was very surprised that Twister ride was the very first PG-13 ride, I remember seeing it somewhere during the Technical Rehearsal B-Roll footage and didn't catch that who thought that I was the only one who noticed lol. But thanks again, outstanding video! Good luck on your future videos bro, keep it up. If you know me, you know how much I share twister content of the ride. :)

Watched Twister yesterday, today I found your video here❤ I was lucky to experience the twister ride. Loved jaws too. Hope E.T. survives the next years. Love from Germany ✌️

Excellent video...well done. I miss a few old attractions, but specifically Alfred Hitchcock: The Art of Making Movies and the fact that Universal Florida used to have the Bates Motel set and house. That was so cool...and I remember it when I was a kid. Kongfrontaton was also fun but HOT at times lol those flames. Earthquake was scary.

Twister was my favorite! Awesome vlog! 🌪

(In answer to your question:) Earthquake! I still have vivid memories of the truck sliding down and feeling the heat of the fire that broke out. I loved when they would yell "action" and "cut". It really felt like I was playing a part in a movie! 😊

Wow, great video. I wish I had been there to see twister ride it out

God every day I'm sad that all these Hollywood and Production themed theme parks have ditched all their best rides and concepts. Universal and MGM were my favorite parks as a kid because I loved all the movie theming, all the special effects shows and rides based on the classics. Everything's too soulless and flashy now, all based on movies and extended universes with no heart or soul... Miss you Twister, you were a real one 😔

Please never stop videos like these 😊

This was my favorite 😢

I think you should cover the old Marvel stunt show that Universal used to have. I would love to see your spin on that.

HAHAHA, omg!! LOVE the calcanes family shout out as executive producers😅🤣 thanks for making my day, ryan!!!

i was JUST thinking about this omg

Wow, I would have enjoyed these defunct attractions. I'm sad I missed them. Ryan, your history videos are the best! I really enjoy them. I'm watching from northern Michigan. Thank you for sharing with us! 💜

Twister and Terminator were the best at Universal. I've seen Twister too many times to count, and the attraction lived up to it, although I will say that the Tornado itself is a little disappointing when you consider what's in front of you versus what you just saw on the back wall, but it's still impressive, and that final crash of the stage was excellent. Also that waiting room in the house was terrifying to walk though as a kid. It's dark, you're hearing all kinds of things, you're hearing other kids that are scared, too, it's creepy! And those TVs, when they go to static, man, that killed the eardrums. And Terminator was my first exposure to the franchise, and I gotta say that while The Bourne Stuntacular is impressive, the reason the audience is present is pretty lame. We're supposed to help find Bourne? I don't even know how to do that! At least with Terminator we were initially there as part of an investor's meeting and tour of Cyberdyne Systems before Sarah, John, and the T-800 take over. The loud gunfire, the smell of ash and smoke, the creative use of the screens opening up on the sides as you descend into SkyNet, the use of both screen and actors on stage, the spritz of water from the T-1 Million exploding, and then the wave of fog and the whole floor falling down as everything blows up, it was incredible. The parallax screen and rotating sets for Bourne is neat, the stunt performers are great, but it just doesn't have that same kick because the whole point of the audience being there is pretty much pointless.