Studio Tour

The Backlot Tour also known as 'The Studio Tour' is an attraction at the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park in the USA.

Ride Summary

The world-famous Studio Tour, which lasts about 45 minutes, is led by a tour guide (seen throughout the tram on a video screen) and travels through the Front Lot, Backlot and various attractions. Along the way are sets and props from many famous movies. The Tour is the signature attraction at the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park, and unlike many other theme park studio tours, goes into the heart of a busy, working movie studio.

History

File:Glamortrams.JPG

GlamorTrams loading adjacent to the War Lord Tower in the Upper Lot (1986).

The tour has always been at the heart of Universal Studios Hollywood. From 1915 when visitors sat on bleachers for 25 cents, via the 1964 introduction of pink and white GlamorTrams, to the current technological sophistication, the behind-the-scenes view of a working movie studio has been a key attraction.

During the early years of the tram tour (1964 - 1977) all of the attractions at Universal were reached via the tram. With the introduction of the Screen Test Comedy Theater and the Animal Actors stage in 1977, the Upper Lot became an attraction in itself.

The tour originally departed from the Upper Lot. In 1991, it was moved to the Lower Lot following the construction of the Starway escalator system. In 1996 it moved back to the Upper Lot to make room for Jurassic Park River Adventure on the Lower Lot. The "E.T. Adventure" (ie: flying over woods on a bicycle) was replaced in 2004 with the Revenge of the Mummy ride (high-speed indoor coaster).

As the movie studio continues to evolve, the tour evolves alongside it. In late 1989, CD players finally gave the tour guides a chance to rest their voices. In 2000, the CD players were replaced by DVD players and LCD screens, allowing the tour guides to show clips from the movies as the tram passes the locations. As of 2006, the more antiquated backlot attractions were ignored (parting of red sea), revamped (revolving tunnel) or only given a quick mention (collapsing bridge).

Film Sets

Courthouse Square from the Back to the Future films. (Whilst redressed for the TV show Ghost Whisperer)

Sets from the films Psycho, War of the Worlds, Back to the Future, and How The Grinch Stole Christmas are visited in the tour. There are also 'general purpose' sets visited, such as the neighborhood from Desperate Housewives (Wisteria Lane), a neighborhood made to look like New York City used in Bruce Almighty, and a neighborhood that is made to look like an old west town. This neighborhood has 6 streets, each with the essentials of a saloon and sheriffs station, and before the advent of sound, up to six westerns could be shot at once. The tour also winds through sound stages, and the tour guide will tell you what movies, television shows, music videos, television commercials, and/or still camera photo shoots are currently shooting on the lot. The tram also passes by miniature models of the ship and Skull Island from 2005 film King Kong, along with a full sized model of Kong himself.

War of the Worlds Set The area beside the Psycho house (known as Psycho Flats) used to be the site of Falls Lake - a large water-tank and waterfall used in numerous productions. Falls Lake has now been moved, and the area is currently occupied by the huge outdoor airplane crash set built for War of the Worlds, directed by Steven Spielberg. Spielberg and crew were on the Universal backlot for three days (Jan 5 - 7 2005) shooting on the massive outdoor set. A commercial 747 aircraft was leased by the production and then chopped into pieces and transported to Universal, where the full set has been left fully dressed as it was during filming. The only change made to the set following filming was to move the houses on the right of the tram off the road (so the tram can pass safely).

Staged Events

Encounter with King Kong.

The Studio Tour includes some special demonstrations, as well as some small segments. For example, an encounter with King Kong, a weather effect dubbed Flash flood, a 8.3 Earthquake, a short encounter with JAWS, a look inside The Mummy's Tomb, and the newly added The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift car stunt show.

Flash flood attraction on The Studio Tour.

King Kong The 7-ton 30 feet tall Kong figure was the largest and most complex animatronic figure in existence for many years. The sophistication of the attraction broke new ground, and paved the way for the most complex of today's themed entertainments.

Flash Flood The effect was added to the tour in 1968 and has appeared in countless films including Big Fat Liar and Fletch Lives. There's a story that when a group of dignitaries (including John Wayne) visited the Flash Flood in the early days, the water levels were still being perfected, and the group got soaked.

Earthquake Built in 1988 replacing the Tower of London set, Earthquake: The Big One is a simulated 8.3 Richter scale Earthquake. The entire attraction resets itself in just 15 seconds ready for the next tram.

JAWS Opened in 1976, a year after the release of Steven Spielberg's 1975 smash-hit film. It's a Disneyland inspired animatronic attraction that featured very little of the shark (like in the movie) and a lot of the sets including the actual ORCA. Later visitors would be dropped off at the Visitor Entertainment Centre where they could take a picture with an exact replica of Bruce the shark.

The Fast & The Furious: Extreme Close-Up Offers a glimpse behind the scenes of a thrilling special effects sequence for an a high-octane action movie. The attraction started construction in March 2006, and opened on 15 June 2006. The area was formerly occupied by a model used in Dante's Peak.

Psycho House The Psycho house was one of the big draws of the Universal Tram Tour back in 1964, and continues to be instantly recognisable even now. while shooting a big movie on the Universal lot back in 1999, Jim Carrey dressed up as "mother" and leapt out from behind the Psycho house, scaring everyone on the tram, including the guides. The movie in production was Man on the Moon, and when Tram operators spoke to the film crew for an explanation, they said that Mr. Carrey was just trying to channel the creative energy of Andy Kaufman (the comedian he played in Man on the Moon).

The Backlot Tour also includes a small visit through sets of the Jurassic Park movies and involves animatronic dinosaurs spitting water at the Trams.

References

Primrose, Jon, The World Famous Universal Studio Tour, retrieved 2006-11-15

Primrose, Jon, King Kong, retrieved 2007-03-23

Primrose, Jon, Flash Flood, retrieved 2007-03-23

Primrose, Jon, Earthquake: The Big One, retrieved 2007-03-23

Weller, Scott, JAWS Hollywood, retrieved 2007-03-23

Primrose, Jon, The Fast & The Furious: Extreme Close-Up, retrieved 2007-08-02

External links

• Official Site
• theStudioTour.com - UnOfficial site
• Inside Universal - UnOfficial site
• AmityIsland.net - JAWS section of the tour