Clever theme park. Universal Studios has managed to get the original actors to reinhabit their roles from the mega-sized Jurassic World franchise, for the reimagined Jurassic ride (we don't call it the Jurassic Park franchise anymore, sorry). The ride formerly known as Jurassic Park (we see you, Prince) is set to reopen sometime this summer.
Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, and BD Wong (sorry, Jeff Goldblum fans) are all back for the ride. They'll be part of what Universal says is an original storyline that takes visitors through the Jurassic World theme park when they visit Universal Studios Hollywood (and Florida).
New dinosaurs include the movie's Indominus rex and the aquatic Mosasaurus. The Mosasaurus will be seen inside a dinosaur Aquarium Observatory. The new experience even shifts from day to night and responds to inclement weather, meaning you'll get a different experience if you manage to visit on one of the few days Hollywood isn't sunny.
If the Pirates of the Caribbean breaks down, the pirates don't eat the tourists -- and we don't expect any of the big-name cast members to get chomped on by dinos, but we wouldn't be surprised if we saw some other virtual companions meet their makers.
The park has already announced a revamped entry area, which they say has been dramatically reimagined to reflect the Jurassic World films. Just like the original Jurassic Park ride, visitors will board specially designed rafts. The redesigned ride, though, promises to bring the dinosaurs closer than ever to riders a.k.a frightened humans.
Along the ride, you'll see friendly dinos like the Stegosaurus and the Parasaurolophus, along with more uh-oh creatures like Velociraptors and Dilophosaurus. You'll also get to see a T Rex battle one of the brand new dinosaurs on display -- right before fans take an 84-foot waterfall plunge to escape.
In other Universal news, late-night projection show Dark Arts at Hogwarts Castle is returning on June 22. Locals can pick up the discounted California Neighbor Pass to check out all the new attractions -- it's $149 for 175 non-blacked out days.
It's been a long year waiting since our last rides on the old version of the attraction, but we're excited to see the next generation of Jurrasic amuseument. Hopefully the ride won't leave fans thinking the actors were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should appear in this tie-in theme park attraction.
