It’s been quite some time since guests at Universal Studios Florida were able to venture deep into the world of Jaws, with the ride having closed back in 2012 after 22 years. The Universal Studios Japan attraction is still open, while a smaller version continues to entertain guests at Universal Studios Hollywood as part of the Backlot Tour. However, we still feel like there’s something missing at the Orlando resort now without this iconic attraction.
Steven Spielberg’s 1975 classic discouraged an entire generation of people from getting in the ocean, and to date is still a pretty effective film, reminding us that large gliding monsters live beneath the glassy surface of the ocean. Jaws spawned three sequels and, ahem, ‘waves’ of merchandise, but thankfully, there doesn’t seem to be any more installments on the deep blue horizon. But should the now-defunct Orlando attraction undergo a modern revival?
We’re not suggesting anyone should deconstruct Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts – the hugely popular attraction that replaced Jaws The Ride – but we do think Amity Island deserves a new spot on the resort’s map. And seeing as nothing appears to be happening on the silver screen, why not revitalize Jaws for a new generation at Universal Studios instead? Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, here’s how Universal could bring back Jaws…
1. Updated Animatronics
Should Jaws The Ride be brought back to life, there’s no doubt that the shark would be animatronic once again – which makes perfect sense. After all, there is something slightly robotic and lifeless about a great white shark. And those eyes – “doll’s eyes” as the doomed Quint so eloquently puts it. With that said, now that animatronic technology has become far more sophisticated, Jaws would of course need updating. And the best point of reference for this would be another large prehistoric beast who also has his own ride at Universal Studios – King Kong.
The titular star of Islands of Adventures’ Skull Island: Reign of Kong is frighteningly realistic (as realistic as towering apes can be, of course), and we refuse to believe that Jaws can’t undergo significant improvements. Simply put, Kong is scarier than Jaws (at least the ride version of the big fish). While it’s understandably difficult to create an animatronic that is designed to live in the water (as director Steven Spielberg would testify), perhaps good old CGI could also be used to lend a hand – not unlike the mosasaur section on Jurassic World – The Ride.
2. A Touch of CGI
And on that note, CGI could be put to good use for an updated attraction. We understand that this might sound like a copout – could you imagine a CGI reboot of Jaws? Blasphemy! But for the purposes of an attraction, computer special effects could help immerse the guests even deeper into the world they’ve chosen to enter. Going back to rides like Jurassic World The Ride or even Skull Island: Reign of Kong (which is mostly CGI), it’s plain to see that guests respond pretty well to this technology – provided it’s used only for immersive and interactive purposes.
For a Jaws-themed ride, though, this would need to be kept to an absolute minimum because less is always more, especially when it comes to Jaws, as the film relies heavily on the shark’s absence (which, incidentally, was an accident). So are we suggesting that Universal uses CGI not to show Jaws? No – what we think would work best is to use CGI sparingly – whether it’s to create an effect right beneath the surface of the water, such as a shadow or a dorsal fin, or even to show the shark on television screens in the queuing system.
3. Actors
While the ride varies between Orlando, Hollywood and Japan, the general premise is the same. Guests board tour boats and explore the harbor of the fictional Amity Island. But what is supposed to be a tranquil ride soon turns terrifying when a great white shark rises from the deep and begins its attack! From time to time the shark breaks the surface to flex its ‘jaws’ at unsuspecting guests. It’s not the same shark, though – ‘Jaws’ was actually killed off by Chief Brody in the movie, and as the attraction is ‘canon’, this is an entirely new shark altogether.
There are already actors on Jaws The Ride, but we think a revival attraction would need to take things up a notch, because these days guests love being immersed into the world of film. And a crew not unlike that in Jaws (Chief Brody, Quint and Hooper), would be most welcome. In the film, it’s mostly their dialogue that builds tension as we drift towards the climactic third act in which Jaws finally rears his ugly head. Quint’s stories and descriptions of sharks are chilling to say the least, which proves that there’s only so much an animatronic can do to generate atmosphere – the rest is up to the actors.
4. Real or Movie Footage
The term ‘real footage’ where a reboot of the Jaws ride is concerned could either be footage from the movie or real-life footage of great white sharks. With that said, though, the movie does actually use real shark footage during its third act, when Richard Dreyfuss’ Matt Hooper is submerged in a shark-diving cage. Using believable scenes for the purpose of a ride, whether it’s in a queuing system or on the boat guests board, could help make or break a ride.
In fact, King Kong is yet again another great reference point, in that Kong 360-3D uses in-movie footage – and some unique to the ride – to create a ‘wrap-around’ experience, in which Kong fights several dinosaurs. We don’t think Jaws would benefit from a similar sequence, but using in-movie footage of the shark itself would help place guests’ imaginations firmly on Amity Island – or at least on the surface of its waters.
If Universal ever does decide to bring back Jaws, reopening the now-defunct ride probably wouldn’t be enough. Guests would expect something new and far more immersive, which is probably why Jurassic Park The Ride was given an overhaul. And as for Kong, that too was upgraded to Skull Island’s Reign of Kong, which felt more in-line with newer theatrical installments.
While there are no new cinematic reference points for a new Jaws ride, this is probably a good thing. We can’t quite imagine Jaws ever working on screen again (by working, we mean a movie and not the animatronic shark itself), but at least a new ride would allow guests to visit Amity Island, perhaps a modern-day version, and find out for themselves whether its beaches should have remained closed for good.
A new ride would probably be hugely popular, which means only one thing: Universal would definitely need a bigger boat.
