Universal Studios Tour
| Studio Tour | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Universal Studios Hollywood | |
| Area | Upper Lot |
| Opening date | July 15, 1964 |
| General statistics | |
| Theme | Universal Pictures films |
| Duration | 45–60 minutes |
| Included attractions | Flash Flood Earthquake: The Big One Jaws Courthouse Square (Back to the Future) King Kong: 360 3-D War of the Worlds Bates Mansion Psycho Whoville Collapsing Bridge Fast & Furious: Supercharged |
The Studio Tour (also known as The Backlot Tour) is a ride attraction at the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park in California (USA).
The Tour is the signature attraction at the park, and goes into a working movie studio, with various film sets on the lot. In recent years, guests have sat in multi-car trams for the duration of the ride. The Tour lasts about 45–60 minutes and is led by a live tour guide who can be seen throughout the tram on video screens. It travels through the Front Lot, Backlot and various attractions, passing sets and props from movies along the way.
The tour inspired a smaller but similar version at Universal Studios Florida, which was removed in 1995.
The tour has always been at the heart of Universal. From 1915, when visitors sat on bleachers for 25 cents, to the 1964 introduction of pink and white GlamorTrams, to the current technological sophistication, the behind-the-scenes view of a working movie studio has been a large attraction.
During the early years of the tram tour (1964–1965) all of the attractions at Universal were reached via the tram. The tour originally departed from the front lot commissary. In 1965, the upper lot studio tour center opened.
In 1991, the tram boarding was moved to the lower lot following the construction of the Starway escalator system. In 1996, boarding moved back to the upper lot to make room for Jurassic Park: The Ride.
As the movie studio has continued to evolve, the tour has evolved along with it. In late 1989, CD players finally gave the tour guides a chance to rest their voices. In 2000, the CD players were replaced by DVD players and LCD screens, allowing the tour guides to show scenes from movies filmed at the locations which the tram passes. In 2011, Jimmy Fallon joined the tour as a video host to supplement the live-action narration and also appeared in some filming scenes.
Since 2006, some studio tours have bypassed the Collapsing Bridge, due to aging and wearing. However, the bridge has since undergone renovations, and was added back to the tour schedules in August 2008. Since July 2010, the Collapsing Bridge has been used as a representation of the Skull Island city for the new King Kong: 360 3-D attraction.
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