UNIVERSAL STUDIOS (Day 5 - part 5)

The Studio Tour (or Backlot Tour) is the park's most famous attraction. A multi-car tram takes guests through the various films sets on the lot, giving them a look behind the scenes. Originally, a person just sat on bleacher seating. The trams were introduced in 1964 and evolved from there, incorporating more and more advanced technology. In 1989, audio CDs replaced live tour guides, and in 1999, video screens were introduced. In 2011, pre-recorded videos of Jimmy Fallon narrated the trip.

Looking down on one of the film lots

Jaws, Fast & Furious ... Kng Kong

The tram

The Front Lot, with 35 soundstages

The Metropolitan Area including New York Street, Brownstone Street and Courthouse Square...

We approached our first thrill ride...

King Kong: 360 3-D opened in 2010. Upon driving into a soundstage decorated to look like Skull Island, we were asked to put on our 3D glasses. The tram stopped and we found ourselves in a lush tropical forest displayed on two massive screens (180 feet long by 40 feet tall), one on either side of us. Suddenly we were attacked by dinosaurs! King Kong appears and begins to fight with them. The tram rocked and bounced each time Kong or a dinosaur "bumped" into it or "leapt" over it. A motion based platform (which uses a series of airbags) makes the tram tilt left and right, vibrate, and raise up and drop down. Just then, the ground opened up on one side of the tram and we almost fell into a giant pit. Luckily we escaped! Whew!

Skull Island soundstage

It doesn't look good for humans! Perhaps passengers from a previous tram??

A screen in the front of the tram gave us information about the things we saw.

Explaining the technology used to create King Kong: 360 3-D

Having survived, we continued on...

Various movie and tv cars, including a 1932 Ford from American Graffiti, Magnum P.I.'s Ferrari ... Back to the Future's Ford Edsel and Fred Flinstone's car

The scenery suddenly changed as we entered Jurassic World. Jurassic World evolved from the original Jurassic Park movie (1993), wherein scientists have created a wildlife park on a remote tropical island using dinosaurs that they have genetically recreated. It is now 22 years after the initial events and the island is now a successful dinosaur theme park. Or course, things go wrong and the monstrous creatures escape their enclosures.

Abandoned jeep ... empty cages and broken gates

This set was added in 1996. The props and vehicles are from the films.

(right) An animatronic Dilophosaurus spits at us!

Something far larger ... and hungrier ... threatens the tram on the other side.

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