Disaster! A Major Motion Picture
Ride... Starring You!
ank K
A 150-year-old magician's trick has
gone high-tech to help make Christopher Walken the star of Universal
Studios' newest attraction.
Disaster!: A Major Motion Picture Ride...Starring You! is an attraction at
Universal Studios Florida. Housed in the former Earthquake ride building,
Disaster! will take guests on a tour of Disaster! Studios, including an
updated version of the 8.3 Earthquake that made the previous attraction a
staple in Universal Orlando's history.
The ride will be "hosted" by Christopher Walken in the form of a 3-D
hologram in the former screening room of the Earthquake: The Big One.
The attraction was originally planned for a Grand opening date on December
24, 2007, But due to some technical difficulties, the opening has been
delayed for a January, 2008 Grand opening.
A first look at Universal Florida's 'Disaster!'
2007-12-23
By Gareth H: Today I managed to get in the first soft opening of the all new
replacement to Earthquake at Universal Studios Florida: "Disaster! A Major
Motion Picture Ride."
Now prepare for the spoiler.
The closely kept secret is that the host and main star to this attraction is
none other than Christopher Walken.
You start in the main room, as before. But instead of learning that Singing
in the Rain was actually filmed singing in the milk, and that the budget was
so low they swept the leaves up after each shoot, you are treated to the
humiliation of guests (Always fun) while the overly camp Assistant to the
Director picks out the stars for the show. This time I counted six stars,
not including yourself of course.
The next room, where you normally shout out ET, Grinch & U571 and have a
video presentation by the gun toting Chalton Heston, has now been replaced
by 2 screens and a stage. On stage the overly camp assistant introduces the
director, who is none other than Christopher Walken.
Now this room is very clever, as Christopher Walken is not on the screens as
you'd think. He's actually a 3D projected hologram, intereacted with the
Camp Assistant. There are a few clever interactive situations here that I'll
not spoil for you. But so far a very clever highlight to the new show.
On to the next room. The oh-so-boring U571 set up has thankfully been
relaced with green screens, backdrops and moveable props. The stairwell is
still there but plays no real role as it did before. This was okay, much
better than what was previously done on Earthquake.
Now onto the ride itself. I was looking forward to the changes. After
hearing about the truck being removed, then brought back in again I was
interested to see what had changed.
We got loaded onto the train. The only noticable difference was the addition
of about 4 flat screen TV's on each carriage. These screens displayed the
safety warnings associated with the ride. My gorgeous wife and I were seated
next to a Universal Exec, making notes (Actually, he was next to us the
whole time.)
The station, I'll note, was exactly the same as before, no changes or
additions.
The train started, but this time, we were given a brief of what to do by the
Director on the screen.We rolled into the station and I had a good look
around. So far, exactly the same. To be honest I was disappointed here. The
only change I noted was a smoke effect added by the turnstiles. Everything
else was exactly the same. That was very disappointing.
There was one change. The Director who normally jumps out of the room was
nowhere to be seen. Instead the video screen turned back on and we were told
by Christopher Walken that now we'd see the film, including footage filmed
on the final room, and footage taken on the train. (The train footage part
may have been stock footage.) This was a great addition. We were able to see
everything taken in the final room, mingled in with footage of Dwayne "The
Rock" Johnson. This was really a great addition and very funny. You'll also
note that the return journey to the station was slowed down to allow you to
view the entire video.
All in all it was a great re-work of an existing attraction. I was gutted
they didn't change any aspect of the earthquake effects on the train, but
the highlights were the return video and the Christopher Walken room. Very
funny. For anyone going in January, when it is opening, definatley check it
out.
I also want to mention that an insider notified me last week that once this
& the Simpsons opens, the next attraction to close will be "Terminator". You
heard it here first.
