Jurassic Park: The Ride

Jurassic Park: The Ride is a water-based amusement ride based on the Steven Spielberg 1993 film Jurassic Park and Michael Crichton's 1990 novel of the same name which the film is based on located at Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure in Orlando, Florida and Universal Studios Japan in Osaka, Japan. It was formerly located at Universal Studios Hollywood in Los Angeles, California, where it was turned into Jurassic World: The Ride.

Jurassic Park: The Ride
The final splashdown of the ride
Universal's Islands of Adventure
Area	Jurassic Park
Status	Operating
Opening date	May 28, 1999 (1999-05-28)
Universal Studios Japan
Area	Jurassic Park
Status	Operating
Opening date	March 31, 2001 (2001-03-31)
Universal Studios Hollywood
Area	Lower lot
Status	Closed
Opening date	June 21, 1996 (1996-06-21)
Closing date	September 3, 2018 (2018-09-03)
Replaced by	Jurassic World: The Ride
General statistics
Type	Shoot the Chute
Manufacturer	Vekoma
Designer	Universal Creative
Lift system	3 chain lifts
Drop	85 ft (26 m)
Length	1,900 ft (580 m)
Speed	50 mph (80 km/h)
Max vertical angle	51°
Capacity	3,000 riders per hour
Duration	7:19
Height restriction	42 in (107 cm)
Universal Express available
Single rider line available

The ride was researched and built as the film was still in production and opened at Universal Studios Hollywood on June 21, 1996. Duplicates of the ride have since been built at Universal's Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Japan as Jurassic Park River Adventure. A river rapids ride version, Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure, opened at Universal Studios Singapore in 2010.

History

Inspiration

The ride was inspired by a line of scenes from Michael Crichton's 1990 novel when Alan Grant, Lex Murphy, and Tim Murphy try to get back to the visitor center on an inflatable boat. Elements like the Tyrannosaurus Rex chasing the boat, Two baby Raptors (novel) / Compsognathus (film) on a boat from an earlier scene, the pair of Dilophosaurus on the river bank, and the drop (ride) / waterfall (novel), were used on the ride.

Opening

Among the guests in attendance at the ride's grand opening celebration in 1996 were film cast members Jeff Goldblum, Ariana Richards and Joseph Mazzello. Steven Spielberg also attended the opening, but requested that he be let off of the attraction before the 85-foot (26 m) drop.

Promotion

On August 12, 1996,[1] Universal launched an online game, Jurassic Park – The Ride Online Adventure, to promote the ride.[2]

Closure and rebranding

On May 10, 2018, Universal Studios Hollywood announced that its version of the ride would close on September 3, 2018 for a 9-month renovation into Jurassic World: The Ride, based on the franchise's Jurassic World films.[3][4] It debuted in 2019 and includes all new animatronics and special effects.

Universal Studios Hollywood

Queue and pre-show

The ride was designed to replicate the atmosphere of Isla Nublar. Guests began the queue by walking under the Jurassic Park Sign before waiting under an open-wall building. A tour guide appeared on television monitors in the building, reviewing boarding and ride safety. Other videos played with some about the "safety of the ride" spoken by InGen employees, John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) talking about the dinosaurs, and music from the first film's score in the background. Guests were then split into two lines to board their rafts.

Ride

The Hadrosaur cove.

As riders' rafts entered the main gate into Ultrasaur Lagoon, a mother Ultrasaur and her young were seen eating and communicating. Three Psittacosaurus also ate and hid in the tall grass. The raft then moved behind a waterfall and emerged in Stegosaur Springs, where riders saw an adult Stegosaurus and its young. Two Compsognathus were seen fighting over an empty popcorn box before the raft entered Hadrosaur Cove, where a Parasaurolophus popped up and sprayed water at riders. An announcement was heard from Jurassic Park Animal Control, saying that the Parasaurolophus had thrown the raft off-course and caused it to enter the raptor containment area, which riders could see had been heavily damaged.

Riders then encountered an abandoned raft where a Dilophosaurus could be seen eating the remains of a poncho. A nearby motorboat was also abandoned, sent by Jurassic Park Animal Control to guide the raft towards a safe area, but the Dilophosaurus appeared to have killed its crew as well. A Mickey Mouse hat was seen floating in the water next to a ruined raft, an apparent jab at Universal Hollywood's theme park rival Disneyland. To the raft's right, the growls of a Tyrannosaurus rex were heard, and a heavily damaged tour vehicle was seen being pushed over the wall—a homage to the original movie where Tim Murphy is thrown off a ledge in a tour vehicle.

Dilophosauruses jumped out and spit their toxic venom (actually water) at guests. Sparks and floodlights were added to the effect during nighttime rides.

The raft then entered the Environmental Systems Building (which had special effects other versions of the ride don't) and began to ascend a long lift hill. A voice on a loudspeaker alerted guests that an emergency evacuation would be attempted. As the raft progressed up the hill, numerous alarms were heard and escaped Velociraptors lunged out at riders. When the raft reached the top of the hill, it dropped down a small waterfall, just as a Tyrannosaurus rex broke through the ceiling and lunged out at the riders from above, accompanied by collapsing pipes.

A technician began counting down when the building's life support systems would terminate (due to "toxic gases" released during the Tyrannosaurus encounter). The raft then climbed a small lift hill that brought it closer to the emergency evacuation drop. A second technician yelled, "If you can hear my voice, get out of there! It's in the building! IT'S IN THE BUILDING!".

The Tyrannosaurus rex then emerged from a waterfall coming from broken pipes in front of the raft, and lunged down to grab the raft, which escaped by plunging down an 85 feet (26 m) drop into a tropical lagoon outside the Environmental Systems Building. A Dilophosaurus made a final attempt to squirt "venom" (water) at the passengers. A can of Barbasol was seen in the planter just before the ride ended, a reference to the can Dennis Nedry uses in the first film to steal dinosaur embryos. The raft then made its way to the unloading dock where guests disembarked through the Jurassic Outfitters gift shop.

Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Japan

Warning sign at the entrance of Jurassic Park River Adventure at Universal's Islands of Adventure.

Ride

The ride begins as the raft rises against an elevation, followed by a small plunge. It then enters the Jurassic Park Gate. Japan's version is a mirror of Orlando's, as they operate in opposite directions (for instance, rafts in Japan tend to be at the right towards the gate, as opposed to the left in Orlando).

In the Ultrasaurus Lagoon, the visitor encounters a large adult Ultrasaurus which raises its neck high above the riders, then slowly lowers it back near the water. Two Psittacosaurus in the lagoon eat plants and drink the water nearby. The raft goes through a cave with water trickling down its sides. Riders then enter Stegosaurus Springs, a "volcanic" area like Stegosaurus South in the novel. A pair of Stegosauruses stand on either side of the river. One is much bigger than the other, towering over the raft and its riders, suggesting that the other may be a juvenile.

The raft begins to head toward a part of the park known as Hadrosaur Cove. A large Parasaurolophus pokes its head up from the water and shoots water from its nose onto guests. Seconds later, a startled duck-billed Parasaurolophus jars the raft, causing it to drift into the Raptor Containment Area, which is shown to be heavily damaged. Jurassic Park Animal Control addresses riders through loudspeakers, telling them to stop the raft and get safe place. (Voice-overs on the ride explain that the Raptor Containment Area was a section that had never been successfully integrated into the rest of the park.)

Off in the jungle area to the right, Raptors can be heard rustling the bushes and plants. The raft passes a replica of the Raptor Pen from the film, and riders hear snarling Velociraptors in the dense foliage while branches move, simulating the creatures attempts to escape their confines. A large hole is torn in the wires of the fence. Two Compsognathus are seen fighting over a bloody crew shirt, and the boat ("CP 25") is seen that Animal Control sent to guide the riders towards a safe area; the Compsognathus have apparently eaten the crew. The raft heads toward the water treatment plant, where riders see a Velociraptor run into a dark corner. A large crate with something snarling inside, possibly a raptor, nearly falls and crushes the riders.

The riders then begin to slowly head up a steep hill into a large building in silence and darkness. The riders then enter a dark tunnel with several pipes near the ceiling. To the right of the riders, there is a shadow of two raptors growling inside a pen. A Velociraptor now jumps out of a dark corner and begins squealing and clawing at a gate sparking with electricity. Another raptor is seen jumping up from a control panel and snarls at guests. As the raft follows a short drop and a right turn, sirens begin blazing loudly due to an evacuation. only to stop seconds later. Suddenly, a loud (fairly high pitched) Dilophosaurus squeal is heard, followed by a frill-less Dilophosaurus snarling at the riders. A loud roar then can be heard, and large three-fingered claw mark can be seen ripping through the wall. Moments after, a few Dilophosaurus jump up beside the raft, spitting their poisonous venom (actually water) at the guests. In front of the riders is a couple of flashing lights as well as mist and fog. Seconds later, the head of the Tyrannosaurus rex appears in front of the riders, roaring and growling. He roars very loudly and bends over snapping his jaws and then raises his mouth towards the ceiling. As the Tyrannosaurus rex bends its head down to try to eat the riders, the raft then plunges down an 85 ft 51° drop and the on-ride photo was taken.

Dinosaurs featured in the ride

• Ultrasaurus, bigger than Brachiosaurus
• Psittacosaurus
• Stegosaurus
• Compsognathus
• Parasaurolophus
• Dilophosaurus
• Velociraptor
• Tyrannosaurus Rex

Jurassic Park in the Dark

See also: Halloween Horror Nights

During Universal Studios Hollywood's annual "Halloween Horror Nights", the ride was temporarily renamed "Jurassic Park in the Dark". Most of the lights in the Environmental Systems Building near the end of the ride were turned off, and the ride's original soundtrack was replaced with Welcome to the Jungle by Guns N' Roses.

See also

• List of Jurassic Park water rides
• List of amusement rides based on film franchises
• Dinosaur, a similarly themed attraction at the Disney's Animal Kingdom.

References

1. "Experience the Fear Now". Jurassic.UniCity.com. Archived from the original on December 29, 1996.
2. Cheng, Kipp (August 23, 1996). "Jurassic Park moves online". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
3. "New Jurassic World ride announced for Universal Studios Hollywood in 2019, replacing Jurassic Park: The Ride". Inside the Magic. May 10, 2018. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
4. "Universal Studios Hollywood on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved May 10, 2018.