When Universal released Jurassic Park in 1993, although the film told a cautionary tale of recreating the creatures of Earth's past, it also got kids and adults alike curious about what a dinosaur-themed park might actually be like. The blockbuster action-adventure became the perfect addition for Universal Studios Hollywood when a thrilling river ride inspired by the film arrived to the park three years later. While the Southern Californian theme park has seen quite few changes during a 22-year-old life that Jurassic Park: The Ride has lived through, this week it was time to say goodbye to the attraction, which will get a Jurassic World-themed upgrade come 2019. Fans of the ride took to Twitter to pay tribute to a ride that certainly holds many memories for theme park goers, with some looking forward to the ride's evolution, such as this user:
Ryanthemepark shared a run through of the first half of the Universal Studios Hollywood ride. As it takes riders through the gates of the imaginative park, the John Williams theme plays and friendly animatronic dino species greet visitors. Jurassic Park: The Ride has continued to give off a classic attraction feel in a theme park heavily reliant on 3-D and 4-D glasses for their other popular attractions. Details of what the new renovations will entail haven't been revealed by Universal, but the new ride will draw on the events of the new Jurassic World franchise which has successfully relaunched the franchise with Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard at the center of the hit.
The most memorable and exhilarating part of Jurassic Park: The Ride is, of course, when the boat meets the terrifying T-Rex that sends riders down an 84-foot drop where they can't escape being soaked with water on the usually scorching California days. Entertainment writer, Carly Mallenbaum captured this below:
Considering the theme park is only giving themselves until next year to unveil the new attraction, the new Jurassic World version could be closer to the original than nostalgic theme park goers suggest, but that's still anyone's guess. Over at Disney's California Adventure, the ride California Screamin' was recently given a rebrand to the Incredicoaster, which kept the roller coaster's track, but added in The Incredible's set pieces. Still, like with California Screamin', there's nothing like the original, and Universal Studios tweeted out a reminder to park-goers on the last day of the park's life:
While Jurassic Park: The Ride's counterpart in Orlando still stands, with no current plans to be remodeled, it can't be soon behind Hollywood's as the last river boat made the thrilling drop on September 3. Here's the final bunch who rode it:
The Jurassic World remodel comes after the theme park's continuing changes to reflect newer technologies and more popular attractions for fans of the movies. A Kung Fu Panda attraction recently replaced an older Shrek attraction earlier this summer, along with the addition of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter to bring in more guests. Considering this trend, it was only a matter of time before the Jurassic Park ride saw its end.
