BTTF Replacement?

[larworth]

Wonder if this was just a convenient example or is this something that has actively been considered?

Many attractions involve technology that can be freshened through new software at costs far lower than building an entire new ride. For example, Gault said, the short film at Universal Studios most popular attraction, the Back to the Future ride, could someday be replaced with one from a more "relevant" movie.

"The Back to the Future movie and the ride vehicles [replicas of 20-year-old DeLorean cars] are based on a popular movie from the 1980s," Gault said. "They could all be changed out for a story and vehicles that guests relate to better."

OrlandoSentinel

 

[Cindy B]

No, don't replace that.. .I love that !

 

[Earl]

Example

 

[No11's Mom]

My son wasn't born until 1988 and my nephew wasn't born until 1995 - and they LOVE this ride. I say leave it like it is.

 

[Jon360]

Maybe Disney should use this tip for Star Tours.

 

[WebmasterBarry]

Actually, there's a rumor that Star Tours will turn into Pod Racers, but that rumor has been going on for a while.

 

[chris mcfly]

BTTF is waay too high of a rated attraction to remove [does that sentence make sense?]

I mean, its an attraction rated way too high to remove.

Wait.. well, nevermind, you know what i mean.

 

[WebmasterBarry]

What if BTTF was replaced with...

Interstate 4: The Ride?

Imagine...traffic jams, tourists speeding by, accidents that back up traffic for miles. It would be beautiful!

 

[kellymonaghan]

Gault is referring to a very real problem for Universal, especially as far as its competition with Disney is concerned.

Disney has the advantage of drawing on movies that are recycled constantly as new kids are born and grow old enough to enjoy them. So both parents and their kids are "up to speed" on Peter Pan, The Lion King, etc. etc. etc.

Adult movies on the other hand (the ones from which Universal draws most of its inspiration) tend to fade steadily into obscurity. How many kids, teenagers or young adults coming to USF have seen "Earthquake"for example? Or ANY of the Kong movies.

At best, Universal can hope for franchise films like Terminator or perhaps the new Mummy films and ther spinoffs to keep rides fresh, but Arnold can't live forever and those films, too, will fade in our collective memory.

"Shrek" offers the possibility of an ongoing series of films that has the potential to span a generation or two. Perhaps in the future parents who saw Shrek I will be bringing tots who enjoyed Shrek IX.

As a culture, we do a very poor job of recycling our movie heritage. The decision to drop the Marx Brothers and Marilyn Monroe lookalikes was justified on the grounds that fewer and fewer guests knew who they were. I find that really sad.

I don't know what can be done about it, either. I have suggested that Universal devote some space, at the Cineplex or elsewhere, to showing old movies, but I guess there's not much of a groundswell to bring back "The Creature From The Black Lagoon" or the original "Frankenstein."

On the plus side, "BTTF" is a film that has aged well. And if my family is anything to go by, there are homes out there where kids who weren't even born when the film came out watch it over and over again on video.

 

[momof2boyz2girlz]

Very good point Kelly, we were just there and had said it would have been good for the kids to see some of those movies before we left. Of course the only one that would be appropriate for all ages is ET and BTTF. All the other ones are kind of scary or rated PG-13. We all loved BTTF ride, I just wish Michael J Fox was in it!

 

[chris mcfly]

Originally posted by kellymonaghan


Adult movies on the other hand (the ones from which Universal draws most of its inspiration) tend to fade steadily into obscurity. How many kids, teenagers or young adults coming to USF have seen "Earthquake"for example? Or ANY of the Kong movies.

The flip side to this argument would be that Universal respresents more of a pop-culture theme park (well, im being loose with that term... King Kong isnt exactly pop culture). Meanwhile, while Disney celebrates its timeless classics, Universal is always on the cutting edge of the latest and greatest movies. Yeah-- pros and cons to each, i know.

Although many children may not have seen the movie Earthquake, it doesnt matter all that much. The attraction does not use the movie as a total backbone for the ride. Im sure that people love it even though 90% of the people that ride it have never seen the movie. I mean, all you need to know is that you are going to experience an earthquake. One suggestion for the attraction may to change the focus a little on the pre-show to compare how the special effects in movies has changed over times.. from models and miniatures to virtually all CGI.

Same for king kong: you may have never seen the movie, but who doesnt know who king kong is?

It is true that the movies do slowly fade into obscurity, but, the classics will always be the classics. I can tell you that Universal is planning a big release for the much-anticipated Back to the Future DVDs. There is even an interesting teaser site:

http://www.bttfmovie.com

Do i think running with the idea of THE MUMMY and making it a permanent attraction is a great idea? Well, no, not really. Egyptian History is a great theme that can be extrapolated and built upon, but, I dont think that the Mummy movies are timeless classics. They are summer blockbusters, and they dont have that repeatability to blow up into an attraction; you buy the DVD, watch it once, put it on the shelf and forget about it.

But then again, Armageddon was made into an attraction. So was MIB, and thats a great ride. In the end, if there are enough marketing tie-ins, and it can reap financial returns, and the public likes it.. then everything is good.

 

[WebmasterBarry]

This reminds me of something that happened in the Alfred Hitchcock attraction. One kid (who looked about 16) asked, "Who's Alfred Hitchcock?" The employee smiled and said, "I can't believe you don't know who Alfred Hitchcock is!" I guess we have kids who are raised on stuff like "Freddy Got Fingered" and Dude, Where's My Car?"

 

[Tony M]

the ride's platform can remain the same while the ride's theme can change is a very important. I think that the point Gault made was that the a change of BTTF to a newer theme could[/] happen, not that it would, And that the expense to do so would not be extravagant.
Example: The Deloreans could be replaced with Jeep vehicles and be re-themed to fit Jurassic Park, or maybe into some sort of space vehicle that could fit the Apollo 13 theme.
Or, whatever.
This upgrade could occur at minimal cost for what could be a "Blockbuster" type ride.
HAVE FUN

 

[larworth]

He clearly prefaced everything with "someday". Just surprised he would go out of his way to highlight this issue "more relevant, from the 1980's, a story guests can relate to better" unless it had been an internal discussion topic at some point.

I think the story is easily established without having seen the movie; crazy inventor, time machine, something gone wrong. Even if you've never heard of a Delorean they still look neat, and what could be more timeless than "hey butthead".

Now if Universal would only buy back all the sequel prints and lock them in a vault that might make it age even better.

When the day does comes, would it be practical to retrofit only one side, leaving BTTF on the other. It would be great to have two rides to experience rather than just one.