This is a list of former Universal Studios Florida attractions.
History Since Universal Studios Florida's opening on June 7, 1990, over 40 attractions have been retired, and usually replaced or re-themed into new attractions, 17 of them being original attractions.
The first major attraction to be retired from the park was An American Tail Theatre in 1992, due to low attendance capacity. The show was replaced in the same year by Beetlejuice's Rock and Roll Graveyard Revue, and the Fievel's Playland attraction, also based on the film An American Tail, opened in the park's Expo Center area simultaneously,Universal Previews 4 New Attractions Orlando Sentinel. (March 10, 1992). and was part of Woody Woodpecker's KidZone.
In 1996, the interactive show attraction Murder, She Wrote Mystery Theatre was closed due to the cancellation of the Murder, She Wrote television show on which it was based; also retired around the same time was the next door MCA Recording Studio, also an interactive show. The two attractions were replaced the following year by Hercules and Xena: Wizards of the Screen and Stage 54. The Hercules and Xena attraction was later closed and abandoned in 1999,Hercules, Xena Bite Dust At Universal Orlando Sentinel. (August 12, 1999). and Stage 54 followed in 2003, with the latter of the two replaced by "Donkey's Photo Finish", an interactive meet-and-greet.
Two further attractions were retired in November 1996. Ghostbusters Spooktacular closed on November 8Ghostbusters Attraction Closes Orlando Sentinel. (October 16, 1996). due to the end of a contract, and was replaced in the spring of 1998 by Twister...Ride It Out. The nearby The Screen Test Home Video Adventure followed on November 11, and was replaced in the following year with the Islands of Adventure Preview Center. The preview center itself was closed following the grand opening of Universal Islands of Adventure in 1999, and its former space was used for Universal Express distribution, and is now used as an extended queue area for Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride.
Other closures of minor attractions occurred throughout the 1990s. The Swamp Thing Set, used for the production of the television series Swamp Thing up until 1993, was demolished in 1994. Men in Black: Alien Attack was constructed on the previous site in 2000.Alien Attraction Orlando Sentinel. (March 9, 2000). How to Make a Mega Movie Deal was closed due to unpopularity in 1993. In 1998, Universal attempted to revive it with the similar AT&T at the Movies attraction, which would later close in 2001, with its entrance used for Universal Express distribution. In the New York area of the park, the StreetBusters show was performed from 1991 until 1993. In 2002, an update version of the show titled Extreme Ghostbusters: The Great Fright Way was brought back,Have Some Hot Fun In The Summertime Orlando Sentinel. (June 17, 2002). and was later closed in 2005 when the park did not renew their contract to the Ghostbusters characters. The Marvel Show, also located in the New York area of the park, was discontinued in the summer of 1995. The Bates Motel Set, which was used for production of Psycho IV: The Beginning, was demolished in 1995, with A Day in the Park with Barney constructed on the site in the same year.Barney The Dinosaur Gets A Home At Universal Studios Orlando Sentinel. (July 7, 1995). Similarly, The Bates Mansion Set, also used for production of Psycho IV, was demolished in 1998, with Curious George Goes to Town constructed on the re-landscaped site.
In February 2000, the park's finale show Dynamite Nights Stunt Spectacular set in Universal Studios' lagoon was closedUniversal Will Close 2 Shows This Month Orlando Sentinel. (February 4, 2000). due to maintenance issues. Universal 360: A Cinesphere Spectacular began inhabiting the space in July 2006.What Has Director John Landis Done Now? – Today's News: Our Take. TVGuide.com (June 30, 2006).
In 2002, the park announced that The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera and Alfred Hitchcock: The Art of Making Movies would both be closed by the end of the year. Before that, Kongfrontation was retired in a grand closing ceremony on September 8, 2002,Universal Will Close King Kong Attraction Orlando Sentinel. (August 21, 2002). and was replaced in May 2004 by Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride. The closure of Kongfrontation has been viewed as the most park changing and notable closure in Universal Studios' history which caused a great deal of controversy among theme park fans. Following the closure of Kongfrontation, The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera closed on October 20, 2002, and was replaced in April 2003 by Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast,Jimmy's Wild Ride Orlando Sentinel. (April 21, 2003). which utilized the same ride system and technology. Alfred Hitchcock: The Art of Making Movies was retired on January 3, 2003, and was replaced later in the year by Shrek 4-D, a 3-D short film.Will Shrek Make Us Shriek? Orlando Sentinel. (June 12, 2003).
In early September 2003 The Wild West Show at Universal Studios Florida was closedLast Roundup For Wild West Show Orlando Sentinel. (September 4, 2003). due to a loss of the attraction's usual capacity. It was replaced in 2005 by Fear Factor Live, another live stunt show.Strother, Susan. (April 22, 2005) Fear Factor Live Pleases Visitors, Not Tummies Orlando Sentinel. Two years after Wild Wests closure, the Nickelodeon Studios facility and attraction were disestablished on April 30, 2005, due to Nickelodeon moving their production facilities to Burbank, California. The former space was left abandoned until it was re-designed in 2007 for the opening of Blue Man Group Sharp Aquos Theatre, an attraction in Universal CityWalk.
In September 2006, half of the Back to the Future: The Ride attraction was shut down,Strother, Susan. (August 9, 2006) Universal ride's future in doubt Orlando Sentinel. preparing the ride for a complete closure which eventually occurred on March 30, 2007.Universal sends `Future' ride back to the past Orlando Sentinel. (March 22, 2007). It was replaced on May 15, 2008, by The Simpsons Ride. The closure of Back to the Future has been viewed as the second notable attraction closure in the park after Kongfrontation. The second attraction to be retired in 2007 was Earthquake: The Big One, on November 5,Bye, bye Earthquake – The Big One – Tourism Central Florida Orlando Sentinel. with the attraction's pre-show portions already having been discontinued on September 8. The ride was replaced two months later, in January 2008, with Disaster!: A Major Motion Picture Ride...Starring You!.Universal Studios launches Disaster ride in Orlando Orlando Sentinel. (January 18, 2008). Similar to Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast, the attraction uses the same ride system and technology as the previous attraction, however, the queue and pre-show portions are completely different. "Disaster!" closed in 2015 and was replaced by Fast and Furious: Supercharged, in 2018.
In 2008, The Boneyard attraction was retired, and was replaced in the spring of 2009 with the Universal Music Plaza Stage, and open-air amphitheatre used for the park's music concerts.Topic Galleries . OrlandoSentinel.com.
On March 14, 2011, Universal announced that the Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast ride would begin operating on a seasonal schedule on April 1, 2011, preparing the ride for a permanent closure which eventually occurred on August 18, 2011. They confirmed on May 19, 2011, that it would be replaced with a new Despicable Me themed attraction which is among several new concepts in development for the Resort over the next few years. Shortly after the closure of Nicktoon Blast, Universal 360: A Cinesphere Spectacular was removed in early September 2011, to make room for Universal’s Cinematic Spectacular: 100 Years of Movie Memories.Universal Orlando Resort Media Site . Media.universalorlando.com (January 25, 2012).
On December 2, 2011, Universal Orlando announced that the Jaws attraction, as well as the surrounding Amity area of the park, would be permanently closed on January 2, 2012, to make way for a new experience. The removal of Jaws has been viewed as the third most notable attraction closure in the park's history after Kongfrontation and Back to the Future: The Ride.
Two further shows throughout the park's history have been revamped several times. The first was StarToons which replaced The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle Show which closed in 1993. StarToons, located in the Production Central area, operated from 1993 until 1996. When Woody Woodpecker's KidZone, opened in 1998, the park brought back the show as StarToons Character Meet and Greet. It was revamped once again in 2008 as StarToons: 80's Rewind. The second of the two shows was Animal Actors Stage which was replaced by Animal Planet Live in 2001. When Universal's contract with Animal Planet ended in 2006, the show was revamped as Animal Actors On Location. The show is similar to the original but with updated segments.
Throughout the park's history of attraction closures, merchandise shops connected to major attractions have been closed and refurbished to fit the theming of the replacement attractions.
Production Central The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle Show The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle Show opened on August 13, 1992. The attraction was a live stage show featuring many characters from the television series of the same name including Rocket J. Squirrel, Bullwinkle J. Moose, Boris Badenov, Natasha Fatale, Dudley Do-Right, and Snidely Whiplash. The 16-minute show was removed in 1993 to make way for StarToons.
Alfred Hitchcock: The Art of Making Movies
Alfred Hitchcock: The Art of Making Movies was a part-3-D film, part-live action show at Universal Studios Florida, and one of the theme park's original attractions. The attraction featured attacks from birds similar to Hitchcock's film The Birds in the pre-show area, and featured the shower scene from Psycho in the main show with narration by Anthony Perkins who played the part of Norman Bates in Psycho. It closed on January 3, 2003, and was replaced by Shrek 4-D in mid-2003.
The Boneyard The Boneyard was an outdoor attraction which opened with the park on June 7, 1990. The attraction featured a variety of props from Universal Pictures films and television programs including Jurassic Park, Waterworld, Back to the Future and as well as other films like MGM's Ben Hur. The area also housed special events such as Halloween Horror Nights and concerts. It was removed on September 8, 2008, to make way for the Universal Music Plaza Stage.
The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera
The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera was a motion simulator ride with characters created by Hanna-Barbera including Yogi Bear, The Flintstones, Scooby-Doo, The Jetsons and Dick Dastardly and Muttley.The Funtastic World of Hanna Barbera FULL EXPERIENCE!. YouTube (October 20, 2002). The attraction was presented in two parts; a pre-show which established the attraction's storyline, and a main ride experience which utilized multiple motion simulation based cars manufactured by Intamin. It opened with the park in 1990 and closed on October 20, 2002. It was replaced by Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast in 2003 which was itself replaced by Despicable Me Minion Mayhem in 2012.
Hercules and Xena: Wizards of the Screen Hercules and Xena: Wizards of the Screen opened in the summer of 1997, replacing Murder, She Wrote Mystery Theatre. The attraction was a live show demonstrating production on the Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess series. The live-action show also featured members of the audience fighting stunt performers. It was similar to the Murder, She Wrote Mystery Theatre which had previously occupied the attraction's soundstage building. The final performance was on February 20, 2000. It was replaced by Transformers: The Ride – 3D, which opened in 2013.