100 Years of Awesome

Universal is celebrating their 100th anniversary this year and I have to admit that their line up of events and new attractions sounds kind of awesome. Of course, they have new attractions to compete with Disney including a nighttime spectacular that is supposed to rival World of Color. But considering the description of the Universal show, it might be better than Disney’s show, at least in content. I honestly don’t think that anything else could be as pretty as World of Color, but the content could definitely use some work. Since, it’s Universal’s 100th anniversary, the water show will display every famous Universal movie. Here’s the description from one of the theme park blogs:


Universal’s Cinematic Spectacular: 100 Years of Movie Memories ~ Opening Spring 2012 at Universal Studios Florida
Narrated by award-winning actor and recent Golden Globe - Cecil B. DeMille honoree, Morgan Freeman, Universal Orlando’s brand-new nighttime show, Universal’s Cinematic Spectacular, will celebrate the most powerful and emotional moments from Universal Pictures’ most iconic films – all on cutting-edge waterfall screens within the Universal Studios lagoon and surrounded by colorful fountains and pyrotechnics. The experience will take guests on a journey through epic cinematic moments filled with heroes, horror, laughter, good vs. evil and triumph. The new show opens this spring, runs all summer and then on select nights through the end of the year.

The renderings of what the show could look like are awesome too. Not going to lie, I really want to see this.

Some other attractions Universal is adding this year are as follows:

Blue Man Group ~ Opening February 2012 at Universal CityWalk
Universal Orlando’s Blue Man Group show is taking their unique mash-up of high energy music, comedy, audience participation and collective exhilaration to another level. Featuring a new show environment, new music, new technology and new experiences, the show will allow audiences to join the Blue Men as they discover, engage and explore the world’s obsession with cutting-edge technology.

Signature Blue Man Group moments combine with new pieces for an explosive evening of entertainment. New show elements include the curious Blue Men interacting with enormous “GiPads,” a funny and insightful look at contemporary communication vehicles, and a pulsating new finale with an original Blue Man Group music score. Look closely – you may even see the Blue Men take a spin on one of Universal Orlando's most popular attractions.

The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man ~ Experience March 2012 at Islands of Adventure
Universal Orlando is transforming what is already one of the most amazing attraction experiences ever created into what will feel like an all-new adventure. The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man will soon feature all-new, 4K digital high-definition animation, new high tech 3-D glasses and upgrades to the set, audio and lighting systems. The re-animation of the ride film will include an entirely new level of detail for guests to discover, including a cameo by comic book icon and Spider-Man co-creator, Stan Lee.

Universal’s Superstar Parade ~ Opening Spring 2012 at Universal Studios Florida

Some of today’s most beloved characters and stories will bring new adventure to the streets of Universal Studios during Universal’s Superstar Parade – an all-new daily parade that features huge floats, state-of-the-art technology and hundreds of energetic street performers. Guests will sing and dance along with characters like the minions from Despicable Me, E.B. from the hit comedy, Hop, Nickelodeon’s Dora & Diego and SpongeBob SquarePants during the interactive experience. Guests will have the opportunity to enjoy performances and character meet and greets prior to the parade at select locations throughout the day.

Despicable Me Minion Mayhem ~ Opening Summer 2012 at Universal Studios Florida

Universal Orlando’s newest attraction, Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, will take guests on an unforgettable 3-D adventure with their favorite characters from the hit film – Gru, Margo, Edith, Agnes and the mischievous minions. The experience begins when guests enter Gru’s home, where they learn that they’re being recruited to become minions and undergo “minion training.” Things don’t go as planned, and guests find themselves on a wildly hysterical journey with Gru and his daughters. Once guests make it through training, they join an interactive, minion-inspired dance party where they can show off their best moves.

Universal’s Creative team is working closely with Chris Meledandri’s Illumination Entertainment to bring this all-new adventure to life in the most authentic way possible. In fact, the beloved characters in the attraction will be voiced by the film’s original cast: Steve Carell (Gru), Miranda Cosgrove (Margo), Dana Gaier (Edith) and Elsie Fisher (Agnes). The ride’s experience is being developed by the same creative team that behind the award-winning film, Despicable Me.

Other New Experiences Opening this Year

• Hollywood Drive-In Golf, a unique 36-hole miniature golf experience inspired by the classic drive-in movie era, will open in February at Universal CityWalk.
• A great, new immersive retail entertainment experience that will become home to SpongeBob SquarePants and other characters from the number one kids animated TV series, Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants. It will open inside Universal Studios this year.
• Minutes away from Universal Orlando, the popular Wet ‘n Wild water park will open its first interactive family water play area, this summer – allowing everyone in the family to splash and swim together. Amidst lush, tropical landscaping, the new area will feature 15 water slides and more than 100 soakers, jets, waterfalls and water cannons - making it the largest interactive water play experience in Florida.

I guess it’s time to go to Florida and see some of these things for myself. I hear that Universal in Orlando is much better than Universal in LA because it’s an actual theme park. Although, I do love going through the back lot in LA.

Wizarding World

I'm a couple days behind on this, but I don't think it's ever too late to share theme park magic especially because the Wall Street Journal got in trouble for posting the information too early. Anyway, Harry Potter Land is coming to Universal Studios, Hollywood. I bet the first question you're asking yourself right now is where the hell are they going to put it. Well, they're working on that. Through the theme park grapevine, I've heard that they'll either carve out a mountain or get rid of some of their back lot elements and put it there. Either way, it's going to be small and there will have to be separate transportation to get there, but it will still be as authentic as the original. Definitely exciting news for Harry Potter fans. Plus, it will add some new elements to the LA theme park because it does kind of lack pizazz. This addition will definitely add an exciting element and of course bring in more money. That's all they care about anyway. I still want to go to Florida though. Their theme park is an actual theme park and has way better rides. It will be interesting to see what they come up with here. Guess we're waiting til 2013 to find out.

The Ride

I’m really excited for the new Transformers movie and not just because Paramore has a new song on the soundtrack. I think it looks really awesome. Plus, I’m kind of happy about the fact that Megan Fox will not be in it. I was never a huge Transformers fan, but I watched the first movie and was hooked. What I find even cooler is that Universal Singapore and Hollywood are making Transformer rides. The Singapore ride is due out this summer and the Hollywood ride will appear in 2012. I will definitely be riding that ride. Universal is getting better with their creative projects. For a while, they were awful and no one was caring what they were doing, but the Harry Potter land changed that.

Recently, a photo from the queue line was leaked. Universal has already mentioned that thirty minutes of story is built into the queue so guests will get a good taste of the ride before they even enter. This is why I love theme park magic. It’s very rare to find a ride where the queue line holds any attention.

Scary!

So as we all know it’s October and that means it’s time for horror movies. Time to sit in a theatre with a bunch of youths and jump when the music bumps and scream when scary shit happens. I know this; I did it last year with the movie Quarantine. My friends and I will never forget that movie as long as we live and therefore, I decided to buy it. Why not, I mean it was $10 and it’s like “our movie.” It was worth it to me. Rabies will never be the same.

So this Halloween, Saw is the movie that will haunt us. I talked about Saw a bit ago and how I can’t enter dark places because I fear someone in a pig mask is going to jump out at me and then I’m going to wake up with my eyes sewn shut or something and I will have to find my way out of where ever I am using only the sense of touch and there’s like rusty knives everywhere. Well now Universal has made that movie their Halloween Horror Nights theme. Oh hell no! If I can barely walk around in my own house, I am not going to walk through a maze where I can encounter his freaking doll and some of his favorite traps. Count me out! I used to work at Universal and I know how awesome their mazes can be.

Plus the new movie is coming out. Saw VI. How many of these movies are they going to make?!?! The killer man died in the third movie. What has been happening since he died? I don’t understand. I have seen all of the movies except for the last 2 because I’m a masochist. It terrifies me, but I’m so damn curious! I want to know who the hell is killing these people. And that voice, that voice haunts me. The voice of Jigsaw is on the commercial for Halloween Horror Nights and I pretty much pee myself every time it comes on the radio. I’m alone in the car hearing Jigsaw tell me he wants me to understand the quality of life so he’s going to put me in a trap and show me. I bet you’re peeing right now because I am!

Anyway, Halloween brings some scary ass movies. I’m sure I will see Saw VI at some point just because that’s what I do. I will more than likely wait until it comes to a Blockbuster near me because Quarantine in the theatres was the most terrifying night of my life. There is no where to retreat. You can’t hit pause and you have to watch. Horror movies are best watched during the day with all the lights on and a Disney movie ready to watch after.