Four years ago, Universal Pictures gave their successful Jurassic Park franchise a soft reboot that would continue the story about people’s fascination with dinosaurs running amuck in a theme park. So it only makes sense that the Universal Studios ride for which the film is based on also get a reboot, of sorts, that would reflect the new film.
However, these upgrades won’t be some new technological modifications. That is pretty obligatory to any ride that gets changes. No, the new Jurassic World ride will also feature human characters trying to survive the dino-sized chaos.
Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, and BD Wong reprise their roles as Owen Grady, Claire Dearing, and Dr. Henry Wu, respectively, bringing their characters from the silver screen to Universal Studios Hollywood’s much-anticipated mega-attraction, “Jurassic World—The Ride,” opening this summer.
This marks the first time that any of the characters from the Jurassic World franchise would appear on the ride. The cast will film original content that will be exclusive for the ride. According to the press release, Owen, Claire and Dr. Wu will shed light on their interactions with the dinosaurs along with facts and information about the imposing prehistoric creatures that first roamed the earth more than 65 million years ago.
Universal will also be collaborating with Industrial Light & Magic to bring much of the ride’s story to life. This includes adding iconic dinosaurs from the movie, including the colossal Indominus rex and the magnificent aquatic Mosasaurus in her natural habitat.
ILM will capture the realism of her underwater environment using a combination of spectacular visual effects and cutting-edge technologies, including the use of motion parallax, a technique that shifts the guest’s perspective of the Mosasaurus as she moves throughout the tank.
The team also employed a series of lighting enhancements allowing the aquarium to intuitively shift from day to night, as well as visual changes to the environment during inclement weather, thus creating a variety of visual scenarios guests can experience based on when they experience the ride.
Once guests pass through the queue, they will board specially designed rafts that will navigate the lush environs of dense vegetation and traverse new areas besieged with towering dinosaurs meandering at just an arm’s length away. Encounters with such docile creatures as the Stegosaurus and Parasaurolophus will quickly turn awry as predatory Velociraptors and Dilophosaurus begin to wreak havoc, turning guests from spectators to prey. When the Tyrannosaurus rex begins to battle one of the attraction’s new ferocious dinosaurs, the rafts will spill down a treacherous 84-foot waterfall as the sole means of escape.
Located adjacent to the ride will be a new elaborately themed “Raptor Encounter” where Blue, the beloved Velociraptor from the JURASSIC WORLD franchise, will engage guests in daring face-to-face encounters.
In addition, a new interactive “Dino Play” area will incorporate educational components within an inspired space where children of all ages can explore and excavate giant dinosaur fossils.
1 comment
BD Wong is my favorite from the movies. I love his role as White Rose on Mr Robot.