AWOL in Universal Studios

jaws.jpg


After covering Wicked Wednesday, I realized that I didn't have to work until later that night. The PR person had said, "Just go wherever you want." I think she meant within the stage area, but I thought I'd wander around a little. The last time I went to Universal Studios they had just gotten Jaws, and they were still doing an avalanche with big cheesy-looking styrofoam boulders.

I went on "Back to the Future" which had me giggling hysterically. It's one of those 'Star Wars" type simulation rides. It had a ridiculously long lead-in; we might as well have just watched the movie again. I guess they just wanted to store us somewhere air-conditioned while we waited. It was a seriously great ride - lots of swoops and dips, and we got swallowed by a giant dinosaur. It was hilarious. I walked around the park, taking photos, then I thought, "What the hell!" And got on the tram.

Furries. I can't stop thinking about them now. I'm a bad person.

Furry Penguins


And I thought this said PORNucopolis. What am I even doing in a family park?

PORNucoplolis


And this looks like a big, fluffy pink power drill.

fluffy drill


Right after I took these pics I received my invitation to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence's Superhero Fetish Ball. There is no such thing as a coincidence.

spiderman


Look, Malingering, it's your happy place. You can sit here with no danger of a foul ball while bad fashion from all around the globe parades right before you. Remember the Twilight Zone where Roddy McDowell is in a weird little house on Mars, and then he realizes he is in a zoo? This could be "Malingering: In her natural habitat."

Malingering terrarium


Guess which kid is going to grow up to be a model?

model


See what I mean? Kids in shark's jaws. It just never gets old.

Hes a maneater


This Fievel mouse thing was messing with the dads in that annoying-mime kind of way and the dads were getting really pissed. But before I could witness the spectacular mouse throw-down I was waiting for, they hopped on their little trolley and made a break for it.

fievel


I don't think she's gonna get the pumpkin. This is what I feel like when I play basketball.

Green goblin


They had a nice splash zone for the kids

soaked


On the tram, they have turned the 6-Million Dollar Man into the Mummy, and the Red Sea, well, there was just a little boat on the water. There were a lot of explosions, and things on fire, which I really like. But we were getting splashed with water an awful lot, which is nice in the heat but not so good for the camera. At one point these little Jurassic Park dinosaurs popped up out of the bushes and one spit at me with super-soaker strength, squirting me right in the face. I was about to shout, "Oh my God! I just took a money shot from a velociraptor!" But little children were staring at me, so I bit my tongue.

tokyo


This is what making movies is really like.

backlot

Animal House

animal house float


Jaws amity


The Bates Motel with Whoville in the background.

bates motel


Mother! What have you done?


And here is Wisteria Lane

Wisteria


Just 3 hours later, they had already turned the Wicked stage back into the Blues Brothers stage.

Blues Bros show

(Where to sit on the tram: The left side is best for viewing most things, especially the Tokyo Drift cars, but the right side is better for Jaws and King Kong. Some of the effects work better depending on your tram car. The giant King Kong only menaces car 1 and 3, The Tokyo cars feel like they are going to crash into cars 2 and 3. Cars 2 and 3 on the left are best for the earthquake effect of the collapsing ceiling and crashing subway car.)


(Photos by Elise Thompson for LAist)

Comments (2) [rss]

Now I need to go there. Just to sit in the old loge seats and make fun of people in white pants.

What an odd photo place. "Come sit and pretend you're at a Dodger game rather than go to a real one a few miles down the 101. Here, you don't have to watch that boring ol' baseball!"

Wasn't Fivel the mouse in a movie like 20 years ago? Do kids even know who he is?

I'm not even sure it was Fivel Mouse. That was a random guess. They also have Woody Woodpecker. so I don't think they are concerned with being up-to-date. Except for changing the Red Sea so it is no longer about Moses.

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