Future of Jurassic Park River Adventure

[Clive]

Wasn't the year long Mummy refurb just to fix some behind the scenes stuff for the ride? What's the likelihood of something like this happening here? I've always done River Adventure after a refurb and none of the dinosaurs ever looked better.

Mummy was running on the same computer systems it used upon opening in 2004. As far as I understand it, they basically ripped out the "brains" of the ride and replaced it with a modern system, which is a big part of why there were so many hiccups as it came back online. That's in addition to whatever other building work was necessary.

I maintain it was a disappointment that they didn't take the opportunity to rethink the first Imhotep encounter (which has looked embarrassing for over a decade at least) or plus other areas of the ride. We got the welcome refreshes of the turntable transition CGI, but I believe that was it.

 

[DOOMBOT]

Mummy was running on the same computer systems it used upon opening in 2004. As far as I understand it, they basically ripped out the "brains" of the ride and replaced it with a modern system, which is a big part of why there were so many hiccups as it came back online. That's in addition to whatever other building work was necessary.

I maintain it was a disappointment that they didn't take the opportunity to rethink the first Imhotep encounter (which has looked embarrassing for over a decade at least) or plus other areas of the ride. We got the welcome refreshes of the turntable transition CGI, but I believe that was it.

That Imhotep scene with Monsters Unchained-tier animatronics

 

[Brian G.]

Jurassic Park River Adventure has officially temporarily closed at Islands of Adventure for an 11-month refurbishment.

Jurassic Park River Adventure at Islands of Adventure closes for 11-month refurbishment

 

[HHN Maddux]

 

[belloq87]

I feel like I haven't seen that conjoined JP mark on anything new in a long time (it used to be on basically all JURASSIC PARK merchandise back in the 1990s). Would like to see that branding make a comeback.

 

[Jerroddragon]

I think its a smart move to keep the branding to JP

It allows both coasts to have a similar ride but also just a little different

 

[Dinoman96]

Yeah if Universal really was going to completely rebrand and retheme this to Jurassic World, they absolutely have said so ahead of time.

Like you could you imagine if they said the Hollywood version going down from September 2018 to June 2019 was "just for refurbishment" only to half way in say "SIKE, we're turning this into Jurassic World!"? Makes absolutely no sense from a marketing standpoint.

 

[ChrisFL]

Yeah I suppose a full rebrand would mean a lot more changes throughout the land, not just JPRA

 

[Magic-Man]

I'm still surprised they're closing this for the entire summer. I think August 2025 through July 2026 would have made more sense, but they probably know better than I do.

 

[Rhian]

I'm still surprised they're closing this for the entire summer. I think August 2025 through July 2026 would have made more sense, but they probably know better than I do.

It could’ve been longer so it’s good we got this time frame.

 

[bdubsCEO]

I feel like I haven't seen that conjoined JP mark on anything new in a long time (it used to be on basically all JURASSIC PARK merchandise back in the 1990s). Would like to see that branding make a comeback.

They should be using that branding almost exclusively for all content related to the franchise. I’m really surprised they’ve tried so hard to cling to the long-struggling World brand.

Like, people wanna talk about Avatar and how those films have no cultural impact despite their box office… why don’t we take a step back and look at the Jurassic World films instead lol

The most impact those movies have ever had on me personally is the tragically short-lived introduction of Dolores the Aquilops at USH’s Mega Movie Summer last year. I miss her every time I go down the Starway

 

[OrlandoGuy]

Yeah if Universal really was going to completely rebrand and retheme this to Jurassic World, they absolutely have said so ahead of time.

Like you could you imagine if they said the Hollywood version going down from September 2018 to June 2019 was "just for refurbishment" only to half way in say "SIKE, we're turning this into Jurassic World!"? Makes absolutely no sense from a marketing standpoint.

100%

I mean, did you guys really think Universal would skip out on the chance to promote a Jurassic Park farewell tour (and the legacy merch sales that would’ve come with it)??

 

[simon]

and I'm still annoyed by this.

This is why I believe Disney imaginnering is talented yet full of ignorance. They clearly learned nothing and now they’re bulldozing tom sawyer island. They got no respect for legacy and original materials.

 

[yankeetrex]

They should be using that branding almost exclusively for all content related to the franchise. I’m really surprised they’ve tried so hard to cling to the long-struggling World brand.

Like, people wanna talk about Avatar and how those films have no cultural impact despite their box office… why don’t we take a step back and look at the Jurassic World films instead lol

The most impact those movies have ever had on me personally is the tragically short-lived introduction of Dolores the Aquilops at USH’s Mega Movie Summer last year. I miss her every time I go down the Starway

Just wait until the 7-15 year old demographic starting in 2015 feels about the world films. You'd be shocked.

 

[TheCodeMan95]

Seeing the JP branding on the signage definitely makes me feel a lot better about this.

It is sort of poetic that it shut down for half the day on the last day lol

 

[bdubsCEO]

Just wait until the 7-15 year old demographic starting in 2015 feels about the world films. You'd be shocked.

I am the 7-15 year old demographic starting in 2015 hahaha. Just turned 19. Weirdly enough at the time of release Fallen Kingdom was like the most excited I’d ever been for a movie. I don’t hate them or anything, but Dominion is objectively bad, World is just really uninspired and Fallen Kingdom… I’ll have to rewatch. I thought it was cool visually but the plot wasn’t that interesting.

This is anecdotal, but I feel like people my age are more likely to defend even the Star Wars sequels than the World trilogy, probably because a lot of people didn’t see the second two films.

It’s not that I think there shouldn’t be ANY World representation, they were still blockbusters and I love the USH ride minus some of the changes, but I think enough time has passed that there’s no real reason to keep using World as the main branding for the series over the far more timeless and impactful original film.

 

[Alicia]

I am the 7-15 year old demographic starting in 2015 hahaha. Just turned 19. Weirdly enough at the time of release Fallen Kingdom was like the most excited I’d ever been for a movie. I don’t hate them or anything, but Dominion is objectively bad, World is just really uninspired and Fallen Kingdom… I’ll have to rewatch. I thought it was cool visually but the plot wasn’t that interesting.

This is anecdotal, but I feel like people my age are more likely to defend even the Star Wars sequels than the World trilogy, probably because a lot of people didn’t see the second two films.

It’s not that I think there shouldn’t be ANY World representation, they were still blockbusters and I love the USH ride minus some of the changes, but I think enough time has passed that there’s no real reason to keep using World as the main branding for the series over the far more timeless and impactful original film.

Well said, and thanks for your perspective. Good to know that my old self wasn’t just blinded by nostalgia when I say Jurassic Park is the more timeless branding overall.

 

[RFRees]

This is anecdotal, but I feel like people my age are more likely to defend even the Star Wars sequels than the World trilogy, probably because a lot of people didn’t see the second two films.

I'd say the reason for that specific case is that people in that age group saw the Star Wars prequels when they were very little children, whereas Jurassic World came out when they'd be a bit older and more probably critical. They were still making JP movies when those prequels came out (JP3 was 2001). World 1-3 to Star Wars Episodes 7-9 would be the better comparison. Anecdotally, I've heard kids love the newer Star Wars movies, and I think we could see those kids turn into adults who defend them.

 

[JohnHammondsCane]

The stories of Dominion and Fallen Kingdom were... odd, but man, seeing dinosaurs on the big screen is awesome. I thought Chris Pratt and BDH were good in their roles and the new dinosaurs (Indominus and Indoraptor) were cool, but the movies aren't generational. I think JW1 is a lot better than the other two

 

[bdubsCEO]

I'd say the reason for that specific case is that people in that age group saw the Star Wars prequels when they were very little children, whereas Jurassic World came out when they'd be a bit older and more probably critical. They were still making JP movies when those prequels came out (JP3 was 2001). World 1-3 to Star Wars Episodes 7-9 would be the better comparison. Anecdotally, I've heard kids love the newer Star Wars movies, and I think we could see those kids turn into adults who defend them.

I meant the sequel trilogy, not the prequel trilogy