DISNEY HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS – After what many would consider a period of relative non-activity, other than the recent name change, there are a few new things here.
Toy Story Mania is another of the imaginative and high-tech genre of 4-D shows that most of the parks now have. It features all the principle characters from the hit movies in an interactive adventure that is sure to go down well with all ages.
Opening right at the end of June is Journey into Narnia – Prince Caspian. More special effects and Disney imagineering than a thrill ride, here you go on a guided walking tour through Aslan’s Stone Table Chamber, meet Prince Caspian and get an insight into the marvels of special effects movie-making.
On the entertainment front, High School Musical 2 – School’s Out is a live-action stage show based on the smash hit Disney TV series – ask the kids, and especially the girls, if you are still none the wiser!
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS – The eagerly awaited Simpsons Ride is now open at Universal Studios and the massive media campaign to promote it seems to be working well. The ride is right up there at the top of the park’s most popular rides and, come peak season, I think it is fair to say that the lines and wait times will be extensive.
This attraction replaces the old Back to the Future simulator ride and in essence it too is a simulator. However, things move on apace and particularly so in the area of visual technology. The screen onto which the movie is projected is an 80ft diameter dome at four times the resolution found in home theater TV systems and more than twice that used in digital cinema projections. The results are truly stunning.
The physical aspects of the ride itself are not vastly different to most other recent simulators – good, but not to the point that they break much in the way of new ground. However, the visual delights are so extensive that you could ride here over and over and still be seeing a raft of new things on the screen.
This ride will certainly go some way towards rejuvenating a Universal Studios that some were saying was falling a little behind the other parks. However, best make use of the Express Plus ticket to avoid the long waits that are bound to be par for the course with any hit new attraction.
