Jurassic World, based on its trailer and other information out there, looks like it is going to be an awesome movie. It should be particularly appealing to theme park fans, as the film is clearly “borrowing” a lot of elements that we’re already familiar with from Disney World, Universal Studios, Sea World, etc. Considering how many theme park concepts we caught in the trailer alone, the producers of Jurassic World clearly owe a lot of credit to theme parks, maybe more than they’ll ever repay. Nevertheless, it’s fun to see a movie paying so much homage to theme parks. Here are six concepts Jurassic World probably came up with from from taking a critical look at preexisting theme parks.
1. The transportation system
Jurassic World almost completely mimics the innovative way you can get around at many Disney theme parks. They even also call it a monorail. The Jurassic World monorail brings guests from the Ferry Landing to Main Street. From there the monorail reaches almost any attraction within the park. There are twelve monorail stations in total in this fictional park, and they each have a unique name that describes what the attractions nearby are. The names are:
- The Innovation Center
- The Petting Zoo
- The Egg Spinner
- The Ferry Landing
- The Gyrospere
- The Gondola Lift
- The Cretaceous Cruise
- The Aviary
- The Gallimimus Valley
- The Triceratops Territory
- The Hotel Complex
- The Botanical Gardens
Like the monorail at Disney parks, the monorail at Jurassic World runs like clockwork. A vehicle departs from each of the stations every twenty minutes.
2. Main Street
Yes, Jurassic World even does a homage to (or rip off of, depending on your viewpoint and attitude) the Main Street, U.S.A. that you can find at the Disney resorts. Notice how similar the picture of a crowd in Main Street in the film is to a real photo of a bustling Main Street above. It makes sense why Jurassic World would want to borrow this concept. Main Street is a great way to get a sense of where you are in the role you play as a guest of a park, demonstrated well in the Jurassic World trailer.
3. Aquatic Park
Like Walt Disney World, the theme park in Jurassic World contains a water park to go along with the land-based attractions. This isn’t really a steal, but it’s worth noting.
4. The giant sea creature jump
At least with this Universal Pictures and Legendary spread out their inspirations for the amusement park in Jurassic World. The scene with an aquatic dinosaur leaping out of a pool to grab a delicious shark was an amazing piece of filmmaking, but it’s also reminiscent of something for theme park attendees: events at SeaWorld and other aquatic amusement parks. Jurassic World is totally playing with the love we have seeing a giant whale leap into the air during a performance in a pool to grab a tasty treat. In the case of SeaWorld that tasty treat is most often a fish, not a shark. Not as exciting as the Mosasaurus Feeding Show, no, but pretty spectacular to watch nonetheless.
5. The scenery in the attractions
The canoes in the river next to a beautiful, lush forest make for an interest bit of video, but this might be the biggest steal Jurassic World made from a theme park. Look at the above pictures to see how similar that screen cap from the Jurassic World trailer looks to the concept art for Pandora: The World of Avatar, coming soon-ish to the Animal Kingdom. I don’t know whether the design for Pandora or the storyboards for Jurassic World were made first, but the similarities are hard to ignore.
6. The cruise ships
The Ferry that takes visitors to the Jurassic World park is awfully similar to the Disney Cruise Ships designed by the Imagineers. Just look at the pictures above to see the proof. There’s no word yet on what kind of things go on inside the Jurassic World ferries, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if it was akin to the type of activities you can partake in on a Disney cruise.
So what do you think? Were the concepts seen in the trailer and other elements of Jurassic World unfairly from Disney, Universal, SeaWorld, etc.? Or is it all a respectful dedication to the theme parks we love? That’s for you to decide. Regardless, I personally can’t wait to see the movie. Are you excited for it? Share your thoughts on Theme Park Tourist’s Facebook page and in the comments below!
