In September 1993, the owners of Universal Studios Florida called a press conference to announce a second theme park to be located next to it. Legendary movie director Steven Spielberg was on hand, in his capacity as a consultant for Universal’s parks. He promised that the park would feature “the most amazing rides and attractions anyone has ever experienced.” The “multi-media” rides, he promised, would incorporate 3-D footage, virtual reality and simulator technology. It turned out that Spielberg’s predictions would come true, in the form of The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man. Universal had grand plans for the Marvel icon, having licensed the rights to use the character from the comic book firm. As far back as November 1997, the company was making bold claims about The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man. It would, Universal modestly promised, be “the greatest ride ever built.” For many, the ride lived up to that boast. Combining 3-D visuals, physical effects, an innovative ride system, and a compelling storyline, it is still regarded as one of the world’s best theme park attractions. The storyline is based around a battle between Spider-Man and the Sinister Syndicate, comprised of bad guys Doctor Octopus, Electro, Hobgoblin, Scream and Hydroman. In the queue line, which winds its way through the offices of the Daily Bugle newspaper, riders watch a 2-D, comic book-style animation that explains that the Syndicate have stolen the Statue of Liberty and are seeking to gain control of New York, aided by a new anti-gravity device invented by Doctor Octopus. With the paper’s employees having abandoned the building, riders are recruited as temporary “reporters”. They then board 12-passenger “Scoop” vehicles for a journey around the city, encountering both Spider-Man and the bad guys on the way before the superhero finally saves the day. There are a host of little details to look out for the next time you experience The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man. Here are 15 “hidden secrets” to look out for!
15. The Express sign
Take a look at the Universal Express sign at the ride’s entrance. It’s dangling from one of Spider-Man’s webs.
14. The Trophy Room
In the queue line, you’ll pass a trophy case. The names that you’ll see on these trophies are those of the main creators of the Spider-Man ride.
13. The file cabinets
If you’re paid for a Universal Express Pass, you can find one extra hidden secret. One room in the Express line queue is home to several file cabinets. These are filled with information on characters and locations in the Marvel Universe.
12. The schedule
In the loading area, look out for the “Loading Dock Schedule” on the wall, which reveals just how many breaks the Daily Bugle’s employees take.
11. A Disney influence
Despite its reputation for risk-taking, Universal originally intended for Spider-Man to be a much simpler attraction. According to Ben Lovelace, who worked on the ride, it was initially conceived as a simple dark ride, with a chain of cars passing by a film of some sort. However, when in 1995 Disneyland opened Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye, combining an innovative motion vehicle system with stunning special effects, Universal felt it needed to up the ante. “We always try to make things a little higher, a little faster, a little bit more dynamic, so we have something to market technologically,” said Lovelace. “Universal pushes the envelope.”
10. Combining the classics
For inspiration on how to top Disney’s creation, Universal looked to its own attractions. The company had just finished work on Terminator 2: 3-D, which had combined 3-D on-screen action with live sets in new ways. Also analyzed was Back to the Future: The Ride, which combined the simulation of motion with huge projected images. The plan was to take the best elements of both attractions, and place them into a dark ride setting. Lovelace describes the goal: “In Spider-Man, it was combining all of that together on a vehicle that moves on a track. Combining every technology we could think of in one show.”
9. The ride vehicles
Those Scoop vehicles are capable of a number of tricks, all of which you’ll notice during the ride. Oceaneering International had established a burgeoning reputation in the entertainment field after building the robotic sharks for the second version of the Jaws ride at Universal Studios Florida. The company was once again called upon by Universal to work on the Enhanced Motion Vehicles (EMVs) for Spider-Man, which would effectively be motion simulators that could move along a track. The vehicles are mounted on a motion base that provides six degrees of freedom, enabling them to pitch and roll by 15 degrees. They are also able to spin in a complete circle, thanks to a ring and pinion gear system. Finally, they are capable of vibrating, an effect that is used in the scene in which Electro “electrifies” the Scoop.
8. Count the screens
The attraction features thirteen 30-foot-tall projection screens, twelve of which show 3-D footage. To create the illusion of depth, 25 large-format projectors and dozens of smaller projectors are used. Many of the screens are rear-projected, in a first for a 3-D movie. The projectors use custom lenses that allow a near-180-degree viewing angle without any “fisheye” distortion.
7. Squinching
A major problem for the ride’s designers was that 3-D films are traditionally designed to be viewed from a stationary position, but riders on Spider-Man would be whizzing past, often tilting and rotating as they went. To solve the problem of the distortion that you see as you move past the screen, Universal developed a process that it calls “squinching”. This involves predicting what the distortion is going to be and counteracting it with additional distortion in the opposite direction. To anyone looking at the screens from a standing position, the image would move and squash into strange shapes. But to riders, the screen is a window onto a virtual world. Universal patented the “squinching” technique, which had not previously been employed by any ride.
6. The sound system
Sound designer Carl Hartzler also faced challenges. The large screens would make it difficult to contain the audio in one place, so it was decided that the majority of the audio would come from the cars themselves – that way, it would not “bleed” into other scenes. 18 Infinity Kappa speakers from Harman International, identical to those used in car stereos, were added to each vehicle. For a realistic effect, some of the audio needs to come from outside the vehicles, so that it appears to be coming form characters on the screens. Normally, in a movie theater, the sound system is located behind the screen, with the screen being perforated so that the audio floats through it. But the screens Universal was using could not be perforated. Instead, the Renkus-Heinz speakers are located in front of the screen, with the sound being bounced off the vinyl screens.
5. Paint-free
The physical sets that surround the screens were not painted in a traditional manner. Instead, production designer Thierry Coup created “scan-a-murals”, which enabled computer-rendered images to be printed onto canvas. This meant that the impact of different levels of lighting could be simulated on the computer first, a much easier task than adjusting traditional paintwork.
4. The Spider-man signal
Lighting plays a major role in some of the physical special effects. Two High End Systems Cyberlights are employed: one to create a Spider-Man signal in the first scene, and the other to simulate the presence of a helicopter during the finale.
3. The “falling” effect
Image: Universal
The final scene of Spider-Man boasts an incredible special effect that brings together all of the disparate technologies employed by the ride. Doctor Octopus shoots the riders’ Scoop vehicle with his levitation gun, sending it flying 40 stories into the air above Manhattan. It then fall off a skyscraper’s roof, plummeting towards the ground below before being caught in Spider-Man’s web. Set supervisor Phil Bloom explains how the effect is achieved: “[It is] a series of simple effects built on top of each other. One has static scenery with some lighting cues. We also have an actual physical building that has motion that drops away from us, and makes us feel like we’re rising. All this is synced with a movie projection screen. Add in the motion effects of the vehicle and some wind effects, and you feel like you’re flying in the air.” The drop is, in reality, about 10 inches.
2. The creator
Pay close attention during The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man and you may spot Spider-Man co-creator Stan Lee, who appears several times during the ride.
1. A hidden message
Image: Universal
Look out for a message on the manhole cover that you plummet towards at the end of the ride.
