The Universal Orlando of the 1990s was much different than the one we know today. With only one theme park, Universal Studios Florida, and relatively low crowd levels, it felt both more exclusive and more intimate. In those days, the park was all about highly personalized experiences that placed guests in the center of the action and then explained how it was all done. Most of those experiences are long gone, replaced with attractions that simulate the latest hits.
In November 2014, I talked about Kongfrontation, Jaws, and Back to the Future: The Ride. All were headliners, drawing both new and repeat visitors into the parks, and all hold a special place in many long-time fans’ hearts. Today, we will revisit my 3 favorite departed non-headliner attractions, which many feel were an important part of the 1990s atmosphere.
1. Murder, She Wrote Mystery Theatre
When Universal Orlando opened in 1990, the Murder, She Wrote television series was only halfway through what would become a stunning 12 season run. With multiple Golden Globe wins and Emmy nominations for both the show and its star, Angela Lansbury, Murder, She Wrote was a natural fit for Universal Studios Florida. Inside the Mystery Theatre, guests took on the role of executive producers as they made important editing decisions that affected the final outcome of their experience.
The TV series was cancelled in 1996, and the Murder, She Wrote Mystery Theatre closed the same year. Hercules and Xena: Wizards of the Screen opened in the same location in 1997, capitalizing on the success of the TV series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess. Although it had much the same premise, the new show lacked much of the soul of the original, and was not nearly as cohesive. It closed in 2000, leaving the building (known as Soundstage 44) dormant for 8 years.
Rumors were rampant that the building was no longer structurally sound due to the effects of one of Florida’s famous sinkholes. Whether this was true or not, Soundstage 44 allegedly rotted out—strange for Universal to have left a locked up, rotting building on full public display. In any event, 8 years after its doors last closed, Soundstage 44 was demolished in just 3 weeks in 2012. A brand new show building was constructed to house Transformers: The Ride, which opened in 2013.
2. The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera
Opened with the park in 1990, The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera was Universal Orlando’s first motion simulator and the first ride film comprised entirely of CGI (computer generated imagery). The characters were hand-drawn using traditional cel animation and then composited optically, resulting in a faithful recreation of some of television’s most iconic cartoon characters. Hanna-Barbera founder William Hanna served as the creative consultant.
The family-friendly ride took guests on an epic chase through beloved cartoons as they helped Yogi and Boo-Boo save Elroy Jetson from Dick Dastardly. The Flintstones and the Rubbles, Scooby Doo and his pals, and the rest of the Jetsons also played important roles. In a novel move, people who did not want or were unable to experience the motion simulator could sit on a stationary bench at the front of the room and enjoy the film.
The year 2002 was a dark time for fans of the original Universal Studios Florida. That summer, closings were announced for both The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera and Alfred Hitchcock: The Art of Making Movies. Already in a precarious seasonal status, Kongfrontation closed for good in September of that year.
Jimmy Neutron’s Nicktoon Blast, a quick overlay featuring Nickelodeon cartoons, opened just 5 months after The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera closed. It ran until 2011, when it closed to make room for Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem.
3. Alfred Hitchcock: The Art of Making Movies
Together with the Phantom of the Opera Horror Makeup Show (now Universal’s Horror Makeup Show), Alfred Hitchcock: The Art of Making Movies provided a much-needed horror element at a park run by a company best known for its legacy of horror. The way the show played out was worthy of Hitchcock himself.
In the first theater, a montage of clips appeared to be hosted by Alfred Hitchcock. At a certain point, Hitchcock asked his visitors to put on their 3-D glasses for a special presentation of a sequence from Dial M for Murder. As Hitchcock explained, the 1954 thriller was filmed in 3-D, but due to falling interest in the technology, it was actually released in 2-D. However, the scene was interrupted by the arrival of hundreds of birds from the 1963 movie, The Birds.
The second theater featured a mockup of the Bates motel and house from 1960’s Psycho, along with a cameraman, director, and two actors. One, the actress portraying Marion Crane, was a Universal team member. The other was a man pulled from the audience to portray Norman Bates, wearing a dress and a black face covering.
The idea was that, after a brief welcome video from Anthony Perkins, the director and cameraman would recreate the infamous shower scene shot for shot, explaining to the audience what was happening as they went along. Yet they were soon interrupted by the disembodied voice of “Mother,” who instructed them to stop sharing her secrets. They then decided to simply show the actual shower scene in its entirety.
After the scene, the audience volunteer appeared to have gone insane. Mother brandished the knife at both the director and the audience, eventually sticking it into a piece of the set to prove it was real. The director ran to hide in the shower set, and Mother followed him, pulling back the shower curtain to reveal…the audience volunteer! A masterful twist ending that Hitchcock himself would have loved. For suspense buffs like myself, trying to figure out exactly how that was done was a reason to return again and again. Sadly, Shrek now holds court where Hitchcock once stood.
