Jurassic Park: The Ride is a water-based amusement ride based on the Steven Spielberg film Jurassic Park and Michael Crichton's novel located at Universal Studios Hollywood in Los Angeles, California; Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure in Orlando, Florida; and Universal Studios Japan in Osaka, Japan.
The ride was researched and built as the film was still in its production phase 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 under Jurassic Park River Adventure. A river rapids ride version of the attraction opened at Universal Studios Singapore in 2010.
Video Jurassic Park: The Ride
History
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, Universal launched an online game titled Jurassic Park - The Ride Online Adventure, to promote the ride.
Maps Jurassic Park: The Ride
Universal Studios Hollywood
Queue and Pre-show
The ride is designed to have the feel of Isla Nublar. Guests begin the queue by walking under the Jurassic Park Sign before waiting under an open-wall building. A tour guide appears on television monitors in the building, reviewing boarding and ride safety. Other videos will play, 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 are then split into two lines to board their tour boats for the ride.
Ride
The ride starts at Ultrasaur Lagoon, where two Ultrasaurus are seen eating plants in the water as well as two Psittacosaurus. The boat then moves behind a waterfall and emerges in Stegosaur Springs, where riders then see an adult Stegosaurus and its young. Two Compsognathus are seen fighting over an empty popcorn box before the boat enters Hadrosaur Cove, where a Parasaurolophus pops up in front of the raft, spraying water at the riders. The Jurassic Park Animal Control calls, revealing that the Parasaurolophus threw the raft off course, causing it to enter the raptor containment area, which is shown to be heavily damaged.
Riders next encounter what appears to be an abandoned tour raft, where a Dilophosaurus is seen eating the remains of a poncho. A nearby motorboat is also abandoned, sent by Jurassic Park Animal Control to guide the raft towards a safe area, but the Dilophosaurus appears to have killed the tourists and boat crew. A Mickey Mouse hat can be seen floating in the water next to a ruined raft as an apparent reference to nearby Universal Hollywood's theme park rival Disneyland. A heavily damaged tour vehicle can be seen being pushed over the wall to the right of the raft, which barely misses being hit by the vehicle, and the grunts and growls of a tyrannosaur are heard.
Dilophosauruses jump out and spit their toxic venom (water) at guests. Sparks and flood lights are added to the effect during nighttime operations of the attraction. The raft then enters the Environmental Systems Building (this area has special effects that the other versions of the ride don't). and slowly begins to ascend a long lift hill. A voice on a loudspeaker in the building alerts guests that an emergency evacuation is going to be attempted. As the raft makes its way up the lift hill, numerous alarms are heard as escaped Velociraptors lunge out at guests. Once the raft reaches the top of the lift hill, it drops down a small waterfall, where it narrowly misses being devoured by a Tyrannosaurus. A claw falls from the ceiling followed by its head and a set of collapsing pipes above riders' heads.
A technician begins counting down when the building's life support systems will terminate (due to "toxic gases" released during the Tyrannosaurus encounter). The raft climbs a small lift hill that brings it closer to the emergency evacuation drop. A second technician screams "If you can hear my voice, get out of there! It's in the building! IT'S IN THE BUILDING!".
The Tyrannosaurus then emerges from a waterfall coming from broken pipes in front of the raft, and lunges down to grab the raft, which escapes by plunging down a 85 feet (26 m) high evacuation drop and into a tropical lagoon outside the Environmental Systems Building. A Dilophosaurus tries to squirt "venom" at the passengers one last time. A can of Barbasol can be seen in the planter just before the ride ends, referencing the can Dennis Nedry uses in the first film to steal dinosaur genetics. The raft finally makes its way to the unloading dock where guests disembark the ride through the Jurassic Outfitters gift shop.
Islands of Adventure
Queue and pre-show
Ride
As with the Hollywood version, it begins as the boat rises against an elevation, followed by a small plunge. Then the boat goes through the Jurassic Park Gate.
In the Ultrsaurus 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 can be seen in the Lagoon eating plants and drinking the water nearby. The boat goes through a cave with water trickling down the sides. The next area is Stegosaur Spring, this part of the park is volcanic (like Stegosaur South in the novel). On both sides of the river stands a Stegosaurus. One is much bigger than the other, towering over the raft and its riders. This suggests that the other may be a juvenile.
The raft begins heading toward a part of the park known as Hadrosaur Cove. One large Parasaurolophus pokes its head up from the water and shoots water from its nose on guests. Seconds later, a startled duck-billed Parasaurolophus bumps the raft, causing it to begin drifting into the Raptor Containment Area. The Raptor Containment Section, a section of the adventure that (according to voiceovers on the ride) had never successfully been integrated into the rest of the park.
Off in the jungle area to the right, Raptors can be heard, who rustle the bushes and plants. The raft passes by a replica of the Raptor Pen from the film, and riders hear snarling Velociraptors in the dense foliage while branches move to simulate the creatures attempting to escape from their confines. A large hole is torn into the wires in the fence. Two Compsognathus are seen fighting over a bloody shirt (The CP 25 which has been sent by Jurassic Park Animal Control to guide the boat towards a safe area but the compsognathus encountered and killed the crew). The boat heads towards the water treatment plant where riders see a Velociraptor run into a dark corner. A large crate with something snarling inside, presumably a raptor, also nearly falls and crush on the riders.
The riders begin to slowly head up a hill into a large building in silence. The riders 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 sqealing 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 only to stop seconds later. Suddenly a loud (fairly high pitched) Dilophosaur squeal is heard. followed by a frill-less dilophosaur snarling at the riders. A loud roar then can be heard, and large 3 fingered claw mark can be seen ripping through the wall. Moments after, a few Dilophosaurus jump up beside the boat, 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 a Tyrannosaurus appears in front of the riders, roaring and growling very loudly. He roars loud and bends over snapping his jaws, then later raises his mouth towards the ceiling. As the T. rex bends its head down to try to eat the riders, the raft plunges down an 85 ft near-vertical drop.
Dinosaurs featured in the rides
- Ultrasaurus, bigger than Brachiosaurus
- Psittacosaurus
- Stegosaurus
- Compsognathus
- Parasaurolophus
- Dilophosaurus
- Velociraptor
- Tyrannosaurus Rex
Jurassic Park in the Dark
During Universal Studios Hollywood's annual "Halloween Horror Nights" , the ride is temporarily renamed "Jurassic Park in the Dark." Most of the lights inside the Environmental Systems Building near the end of the ride are turned off. In addition, the ride's original soundtrack transitions into 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
Source of the article : Wikipedia