Universal Studios Hollywood

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Universal Studios Hollywood
Globe in front of Universal Studios in Los Angeles.

Globe in front of Universal Studios in Los Angeles.

place Universal City , California
opening 1964
Visitors 9.06 million (2017)
Website www.universalstudioshollywood.com
Universal Studios Hollywood (USA)
Universal Studios Hollywood
Universal Studios Hollywood
Location of the park

Coordinates: 34 ° 8 ′ 9 ″  N , 118 ° 21 ′ 14 ″  W.

The Universal Studios Hollywood in Los Angeles County is the first Universal Studios - Theme Park . The park was initially just a starting point for the studio tour , which allowed guests to take a look behind the scenes of the film studio. Over the years, what was initially a small park was developed into a theme park and enlarged. With more than 9 million visitors (9th place), the park was one of the 10 most visited amusement parks in North America in 2017 .

history

The first tours of the studios were offered as early as the silent film era , but it wasn't until the mid-1960s that the concept of today's theme park developed. The tour at that time was expanded to include demonstrations of special effects and stunts and for the first time guests were allowed to watch new film productions "live". This idea gave rise to the actual theme park, which today still includes the Studio Tram Tour and many other attractions in a modernized form .

In a fire that broke out in a recording studio in the early morning of June 1, 2008, several well-known film sets, including parts of Courthouse Square from Back to the Future , the exterior of the Ben Hur film and the furnishings for King Kong , were among the audience popular ride, destroyed. In addition, a film archive was badly damaged and around 10,000 of the 50,000 film rolls stored there with original negatives were completely burned. However, these are exclusively films that have been preserved as copies in other places. The fire brigade was only able to extinguish the fire with more than 200 emergency services after more than 12 hours, as exploding propane gas bottles intensified the fire and the fire brigade ran out of water at the scene of the fire twice. The fire was triggered by craftsmen who wanted to attach tarred cladding to a building facade with the help of a torch. The MTV Movie Awards 2008 , which took place at the same time about 500 m away, were not affected by the fire.

The park

Entrance to the theme park
The lower part of the world's largest and tallest escalator structure in Universal Studios Hollywood

Universal Studios Hollywood is divided into two areas - the Upper Lot and the Lower Lot . Both are connected by the world's largest and tallest escalator construction , which extends over several levels. In the lower area there are only a few attractions, but the guest is here directly in the actual film studio complex.

Upper Lot

The Upper Lot stretches from the entrance of the park to The Simpsons Ride simulator, where the escalators also lead to the lower part of the park. In addition to lavish live shows, the Upper Lot offers the Studio Tour , the actual main attraction of the park.

Main attractions
  • The Simpsons Ride : A driving simulation through a 3D Simpsons movie
  • Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey: A 3D journey through the world of Harry Potter
  • The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: A themed world including a replica of Hogwarts Castle
  • Flight of the Hippogriff: A roller coaster ride for kids
  • WaterWorld : A stunt show which, due to the complex technology and the numerous action-packed elements, is considered one of the best in the world.
  • Universal's Animal Actors : Animal Show
  • Special Effects Stage : A show where special effects are demonstrated and explained in the film.
  • The Blues Brothers : stage show

Lower Lot

The Lower Lot lies between the actual studios and offers the following attractions:

  • Transformers the Ride 3D : A ride on a driving simulator with 3D glasses.
  • Revenge of the Mummy : A roller coaster ride in the dark.
  • Jurassic Park - The Ride : Themed boat trip past dinosaur animatronics with a final descent, apparently as an escape from velociraptors and a full-grown T-Rex . (From 2019, it will be converted into a Jurassic World attraction)

Former attractions

  • Backdraft : After director Ron Howard has talked about the special effects, the guests can experience first hand what it means to be locked in a burning warehouse.
  • Van Helsing: Fortress Dracula : The guests can go through the sets of the second Van Helsing film and experience some special effects first hand.
  • Fear Factor Live : This show is performed with audience participation.
  • Terminator 2: 3D Battle Across Time : Together with Arnold Schwarzenegger and director James Cameron , Universal produced a 3D film on three screens, combined with a stunt show and special effects .
  • The Adventures of Curious George : An interactive water playground for children (until 2008 Nicktoon Blast ).
  • Shrek 4D : A 4D film that is a sequel to the first Shrek film. Visitors can watch Shrek and Fiona go on their honeymoon. As is usual for a 4D film, the presentation offers some effects with light, water and movement.
  • House of Horrors : a run-of-the-mill business with horror effects.
  • NBC Universal : A film museum with props and costumes .

Studio tour

A look at the studio grounds
Movie sets and house sets

The Studio Tour is the real main attraction of the park, access is in the Upper Lot. In passenger trailers coupled to trains, you go on a 45-minute journey through the front lot and back lot. In addition to some original film sets, visitors can also watch actors filming. The Tram Tour is regularly expanded and changed to show current Universal films. In 2010 it was expanded with King Kong 360-3D , an all-round 3D film projection in which the entire train stands on a moving stage for movement simulation . The train seems to be driving through a jungle and encounters dinosaurs and King Kong from the Peter Jackson film . Whoopi Goldberg accompanied the guests through the studio by video until 2011 , before the sequences were replaced by new material with Jimmy Fallon . In 2016, the Studio Tour was expanded to include the 3D action spectacle Fast & Furios - Supercharged .

Film sets

During the tour, the cars drive through some film sets. These include:

For this purpose, facades are on the program with the backlot that have been used in many films and series.

Action sets

In addition, the tour is interrupted by a few action sets designed to scare the visitors. The tram cars hit the great white shark or an earthquake of magnitude 8.3 is simulated. New in the 2006 season was The Fast and the Furious Extreme Close-Up , which was closed again in 2013.

Pricing policy

Three classes of tickets are offered for the theme park:

  • Standard ticket: normal queues at all attractions; Depending on the season, between five minutes and over an hour.
  • Front of Line Pass (approx. USD 70 more expensive than regular admission): Use of a reserved space at all attractions, practically no waiting time. Depending on the season, this can be the cheaper tariff, as more attractions can be used by eliminating the waiting times.
  • VIP entry (approx. Three times the standard price): Premium entry with "private" studio tour: Guided tour in groups of less than 10 people, opportunity to step onto the backdrops (e.g. the Psycho House), visit to ongoing filming.

See also

Web links

Commons : Universal Studios Hollywood  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Universal Studios Hollywood - History. thestudiotour.com, accessed June 21, 2011 .
  2. ↑ The Top 20 Amusement Parks in North America. Retrieved on August 24, 2019 .
  3. ↑ Major fire in universal film studios. welt.de, June 1, 2008, accessed June 21, 2011 .
  4. ↑ Workers set fire to Universal Studios. welt.de, June 3, 2008, accessed June 21, 2011 .