I recently discussed the Mount Rushmore of Walt Disney World attractions. That debate requires numerous ride exclusions due to the sheer volume of iconic Disney attractions. But how would we evaluate the other beloved theme park that competes with Disney? Here’s what I would place on Mount Rushmore for Universal Studios.
Establishing the rules
When deciding which attractions are worthy of nomination, I need some rules. For starters, the ride must remain in operation somewhere in the United States. As long as it’s still in operation at Orlando or Hollywood, I’ll allow it.
Also, I’m only considering rides here. That’s a more significant factor at Disney, but it does rule out Waterworld: A Live Sea War Spectacular and Shrek 4-D, among others. Thankfully, it doesn’t eliminate a legitimate classic, the Studio Tour, which is both a ride and still working today, albeit only at Universal Studios Hollywood.
Potential candidates at Islands of Adventure
Let’s start with the newest park. It’s heavily involved with intellectual properties (IPs), featuring themed lands for Dr. Seuss, Marvel, and Harry Potter. Dudley Do-Right even gets a ride here!
Out of the potential Mount Rushmore attractions, I’ve shortlisted Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey and The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man. They were no-brainers.
In the process, I chose to eliminate a few other noteworthy attractions. For example, I didn’t shortlist Jurassic Park: The Ride since Universal’s dramatically overhauled it in at least one place. That’s not a sign of greatness.
The Incredible Hulk Coaster isn’t as good as Revenge of the Mummy, in my opinion, and so I dropped it. And I feel strongly that Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure suffers from recency bias. I can’t rightfully nominate it for at least five years.
Potential candidates at Universal Studios Florida
Now, the discussion takes a turn toward the contentious. Everyone will have different opinions about which Universal Studios Florida attractions merit shortlisting.
Personally, I favor rides with some gravitas and history behind them over the hot new thing. It’s the same logic employed for Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure, which I have to leave out. It hasn’t earned a spot on Mount Rushmore…yet.
Under these guidelines, a great ride like Despicable Me Minion Mayhem doesn’t quite have the track record to qualify. Also, I’ve mentioned that The Simpsons Ride is the one that I love the best. Still, I accept that this is a minority opinion.
Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts teeters on the brink, but I’m shortlisting it anyway. It’s too good to discard at this juncture. However, I’m taking Hogwarts Express out of the discussion even though it’s one of the best overall Universal rides. A form of transportation is just too weird as an inclusion.
In deference to my wife, I’m shortlisting one of her favorite rides, Men in Black: Alien Attack, which undoubtedly qualifies as significant to the park’s history. And then there’s Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, which I think is the most overrated ride in Orlando. So, it’s out. I’m also tossing out Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon due to recency.
I already mentioned that I like Revenge of the Mummy better than The Incredible Hulk Coaster, which gave away that it’s on the shortlist. Finally, I’d have you come at me with torches and pitchforks if I didn’t include E.T. Adventure. And so would my editor.
Potential candidates at Universal Studios Hollywood
This park requires no effort or debate. Virtually everything here was available for consideration at the previous two parks. If I didn’t mention it by now, it doesn’t deserve a nomination. The one unique attraction here that matters is the Studio Tour, the oldest one under discussion. It’s anchored this park for 55+ years, which means it’s a definite possibility.
>Whittling down the list
Here’s what we have so far:
- The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man
- E.T. Adventure
- Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts
- Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
- Men in Black: Alien Attack
- Revenge of the Mummy
- The Studio Tour
Even after some brutal cuts, that’s seven attractions for only four spots. Looking at this list, it’s easy to understand why Mount Rushmore challenges are so tricky. And I still have more work to do. I must eliminate three more phenomenal attractions to finalize the list.
Fortunately, one cut is easy. I shouldn’t place two Harry Potter dark rides on Mount Rushmore. Harry’s face isn’t photogenic enough for that. The debate comes down to the gravity of the first Harry Potter ride versus the excellence of its sequel.
I’ve chosen something odd here and dropped the ride that I believe is better, Escape from Gringotts, due to a combination of recency and lack of importance. Sequels rarely deserve status over the original.
Then, I’m dropping Men in Black: Alien Attack since it’s the “worst” of the remaining attractions. Don’t get me wrong. I still love it and wish I were riding it right this second. It just lacks the grandeur of some of the other options.
The final cut is the harshest. I really, really wish that sculptor Gutzon Borglum had carved five faces into Mount Rushmore rather than four. Since he took the lazy way out back in the 1920s, I’m forced to eliminate Revenge of the Mummy. It’s arguably the best indoor roller coaster ever (I said *arguably*, Disney fans!), but it lacks the gravitas of the other options.
Universal’s Mount Rushmore
Okay, we’re past the hard part. Let’s briefly discuss the four attractions that I believe belong on Universal’s Mount Rushmore.
The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man
While Disney’s constructing its own Spider-Man ride as we speak, Universal has already built a perfect one. The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man is legitimately the most honored theme park attraction of the past 20 years. It’s won so many awards that I couldn’t possibly list them all.
Instead, I’ll mention that while Disney created the dark ride, Spider-Man dominated the market for a full decade until the third Mount Rushmore selection arrived. It’s both phenomenal and critical to Universal’s credibility pre-Harry Potter.
E.T. Adventure
Every now and again, a rumor percolates that Universal might replace the E.T. attraction. I suspect that someone does this to get a rise out of strangers because it’s the quickest way to irritate the entire city of Orlando. Theme park tourists passionately support undeniably the world’s most fabulous bike ride, at least until Hagrid showed up. What I love best about the ride is that it really feels like a scene from the movie, yet you don’t have to know anything about E.T. to enjoy it.
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
The Boy Who Lived is also The Boy Who Changed Everything at Universal Studios. Before Universal executives took a swing at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the park wasn’t merely in the shadow of Disney. It was like a permanent eclipse. Since Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey debuted, the balance has shifted, at least slightly, and Universal is no longer a laughing stock. While Escape from Gringotts is a better attraction, Forbidden Journey matters the most due to significance.
The Studio Tour
For decades, when people thought about Universal Studios, they thought about this ride. The two concepts were synonymous, as any park visit came with a Jaws Encounter. Although I miss the days of the King Kong Encounter, I accept that Universal’s had to modernize the ride over the years. It’s understandable since the Studio Tour is actually older than Disney attractions like Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Space Mountain. It’s the elder statesperson at Universal and the ride that made/kept the park famous.
