New Fast & Furious Attraction Coming to Universal Orlando
Just a few minutes ago, a very intriguing news leaked on Twitter. Thanks to user @TheNJBrandon, we are finally able to confirm that a new Fast & Furious ride will soon replace the existing Disaster! attraction in the San Francisco themed area of Universal Studios Florida. According to the leaked information, the new ride will be different from Universal Studios Hollywood's version of the ride, even though the two will undoubtedly share some similarities.
Here's the leaked post, which should appear on the Universal Orlando Blog in the next few hours:
"You’ve seen the cars. You’ve seen the action. And soon, you’ll be able to live it.
I’m so excited to share that one of the most popular film franchises of all-time is about to become an all-new action-packed ride experience at Universal Orlando Resort.
I’m so excited to share that one of the most popular film franchises of all-time is about to become an all-new action-packed ride experience at Universal Orlando Resort.
Buckle your seatbelts, because in 2017, Fast & Furious: Supercharged is coming to Universal Studios Florida! You’ll have the opportunity to ride along with your favorite Fast stars in a thrilling adventure that will put you right in the middle of the action.
This ride is going to be combine everything that you love about the films with an all-new original Fast & Furious storyline that is set in San Francisco. You’ll encounter your favorite characters. You’ll get to check out some of the high-speed, souped-up cars you’ve seen on the big screen. You’ll board special ride vehicles and take off on adrenaline-pumping ride through the underground racing world. You’ll join the Fast family as you’re placed right in the middle of the action. It’s going to be explosive.
To make way for Fast & Furious: Supercharged, Disaster: A Major Motion Picture Starring You! will close permanently on September 8, 2015, with Beetlejuice Graveyard Revue closing later this year.
There’s SO much to share about this thrilling new ride – I can’t wait to share more details in the future."
RENDERINGS: © 2015 Universal Orlando. All rights reserved.
This is super awesome!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the breaking news. Love your blog
Happy they're choosing to keep the San Francisco theme... Too many things change at Universal, it's nice to have something consistent.
ReplyDeleteI am also glad that the San Francisco theming is staying, as I was afraid we would have had another Southern California themed area in the park. It would have been redundant.
ReplyDeleteIt just better not be 3D. I'm tied of projections. If it's not similar to test track ride system. I will be disappointed. Gringotts was a let down.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree! 3D rides make me feel ill, I won't even go on the harry potter rides as theres no point making myself ill lol.
DeleteIf you think Gringotts is a let down, you're crazy
ReplyDeleteIf it is like the Universal Hollywood ride, then, yes, they will be 3D projections. Will, probably be a more evolved ride, since the Hollywood ride is attached of the tram tour ride, and USF won't have the tram train.
ReplyDelete@julius I agree with you about gringotts. I don't think it's worth the line. I expected considering the awesome ride system. A test track type ride would be amazingly considering how great universal is.
ReplyDeleteI think Gringotts is really good. I agree that it's not worth the line, but as of lately, it's only been about 30 min. A test track type ride would be great!
ReplyDeleteI hope they took note of all the issues people have with the Hollywood version and fix them. From the look of things, Hollywood tram is being used as a testing ground of sorts. First we get a much more advanced King Kong ride (most likely using a lot of the same clips from the Hollywood tram version) and now we get a hopefully more advanced version of the Supercharged ride that just opened this summer on the tram. The picture with people taking photos of the cars looks a lot like the first "show room" on the tram tour. This "ride" will totally have screens and will most likely be in 3D but I just hope it is not ALL screens. The first HP ride I feel got it perfect with enough physical sets to counter balance the screen time. I really hope this is like "Test Track" with some high speeds. Knocking out two attractions better be worth it!
ReplyDeleteIt's easily gonna have screens or projected images of the actors like how they project Chris Walker onto the stage in the Disaster ride. Sounds like it's gonna be a big attraction if it's gonna replace 2 current attractions.
ReplyDeleteI will miss the subway getting flooded though. Disaster closing really does mark the end of the "behind the scenes" theme of the Studios theme park.
ReplyDeleteUniversal is big on projections right now, it's what allows them to build quickly since they already have what they are gonna show you. Be prepared to be underwhelmed like the Hollywood version. Same with Kong unfortunately. At least they'll have pretty facades worth looking at!
ReplyDeleteI hate to complain, but USF is seriously in danger of becoming a "Screen Park"!
ReplyDelete- Despicable Me
- Transformers
- Shrek 4D
- Gringotts
- Hogwarts Express
- Simpsons Ride
- T2:3D
and soon to be coming:
- The Tonight Show experience
- Fast and Furious
Don't get me wrong - I love pretty much all of these attractions, and each have their own unique elements, but is it fair to ask if USO are foregoing creativity just for the sake of their construction binge?
Let me remind everyone that Epcot has MORE screen based attractions than Universal and Islands of adventure combined!!!! And no one seems to care. Avatar's big new attraction is screens also!!! And so will Star Wars. It's just where theme park technology is.
ReplyDeleteThat being said. It's a no brainer that a car based attraction should go fast at some point.
I was just thinking similar thoughts to WB. World Showcase is heavy on film based shows and Mission Space, Energy and the new Rest Track are fairly dependent on screens. Yes I agree Universal does need to use a few more physical effects in shows but this is just the way technology is moving. Walt Disney invented audio-animatronics 50 years ago and times have changed.
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ReplyDeleteUnfortunately I can't post a little picture on here, but if you check out Universal on Google Maps you'll be able to see just how much space they have to work with for this new Fast & Furious ride:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Universal+Orlando+Resort/@28.4781332,-81.4690661,510m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x88e77edfac4210bd:0x1adc62268ae9b19!6m1!1e1
I expect it'll take up that large square area that sits opposite Lombard's Seafood Grill and Richter's Burger Company, as I believe Beetlejuice is going as well (apologise if i'm mistaken on that one!).
If you compare the size of land there to that of King Kong in Islands on the map, you'll see it's even bigger than that. With this being said, I can only hope there is room for something more than just a screen based ride. Some kind of cross between Test Track in Epcot and DINOSAUR in Animal Kingdom, in my opinion, wouldn't be too bad for that space...
My conplaint about dinosaur is how rough it is. Combining it with test track could solve that issue and make for a great experience. I for one dont care about photo ops so i hope they use the space for a great ride and not another 30sec ride like mummy(which i love) or gringotts (hate hp but would love the ride had it been longer)
DeleteShrek and T2:3D are expected to be replaced one day, probably before 2020.
ReplyDeletePlease replace t2 with an updated terminator attraction. I find it amazing how bj was recently updated and now is leaving
DeleteEither way, Fast & Furious will be a new ride that replaces an old, painfully awkward one. I'll be happy with whatever it will be but I'm hoping they can create something new and adventurous with the amount of land they have to work with.
ReplyDeleteDarren how does that land compare with test track? Is it about same,smaller,larger?
ReplyDeleteTough to compare the two sites. I used Google Earth to do some measurements.
ReplyDeleteTest Track: The main building is 330 feet diameter, so the area is 85,486 square feet. However, the exterior part of Test Track is about 590 feet long, so the width of the area is longer (or wider, depending on how you look at it) than what F&F has.
Fast & Furious: It's almost a perfect rectangle, but not exactly. Assuming there will be some exterior theming anyway, I measured as if it was a rectangle. The size is 400'x360', so it's 144,000 square feet, which is a little less than double the space of the Test Track main building. If they used a raised exterior track, they could extend over the Train and even into the employee parking lot, but I doubt that will happen. They will very likely just have it all be interior so that it can be open in all weather.
The bottom line is this building will be huge. A bit bigger than Mummy.
Im excited
DeleteThanks for answering that for me Jason.
ReplyDeleteIt's going to be a big building, we just need to hope they must something decent in it that isn't a bunch of screens. As WB said earlier on, a car ride has to go fast at some point surely!
I live in the UK and went this year, I've always planned to go back to Orlando in 2018, so this is quite a nice touch that it will be open by then.
Also, in case no one saw it, Universal pulled their announcement yesterday about the ride for a few hours, but then republished it later on with extra information. This is what they said:
ReplyDelete'This ride is going to fuse everything you love about the films with an original storyline and incredible ride technology. You’ll get to check out some of the high-speed, supercharged cars you’ve seen on the big screen. You’ll be immersed in the underground racing world made famous in the films and explore the headquarters of Toretto and his team. Then, you’ll board specially-designed vehicles for an adrenaline-pumping ride with your favorite stars from the films.'
Thanks Darren. I completely I agree with everyone's comments about "screen-based" rides. There are just too many of them. They make people motion sick. They're cheaper and faster to build. Where both real-world and screen-based technologies are combined, it can work really well (think Spiderman after the latest update), but nothing is better than a purely physical experience in my opinion. The Mummy does a great job of using both, but at the end of the day the highlight is the roller coaster element. Same for Test Track. Like or hate the latest update, the highlight remains the outdoor high-speed loop which hasn't changed. I wish the fast part could be twice as long (who wouldn't?).
ReplyDeleteI'm a little nervous about the the phrase, "specially-designed vehicles". That really means nothing. That description could apply to just about every ride vehicle ever designed, from Soarin' to Test Track to The Mummy to The Simpsons.
So we'll just have to wait and see what Universal has up their sleeves.
Something that would be great would be a 'rockin roller coaster/mummy crossover type ride, an indoor coaster with both physical and 3d visual effects, and the carts can follow the furious theming, some being muscle cars and some being imports, i feel that way you could get the best ride and the best immersion. i'd be a little let down if it turns into just another margarita shaker t=with a screen in it. i understand the need for speed where the constructions concerned, they dolphinatly have the edge of Disney on that already (in my opinion) but i hope for the quality to!
ReplyDeleteMy coasters!! thats what i say!! haha