Twister...Ride it Out

Twister...Ride It Out
Universal Studios Florida Area New York Coordinates 28°28′32.46″N 81°28′10.02″W / 28.4756833°N 81.4694500°WCoordinates: 28°28′32.46″N 81°28′10.02″W / 28.4756833°N 81.4694500°W Status Closed Opening date May 4, 1998 Closing date November 2, 2015 Replaced Ghostbusters Spooktacular (1990–1996) Replaced by Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon (2017)
General statistics
Theme	Twister
Vehicle type	Deck
Rows	3
Duration	12
Parental Rating	PG-13
Pre-Show Hosts	Bill Paxton Helen Hunt
Universal Express available
Closed captioning available

Twister... Ride It Out was a special effects simulation attraction located at Universal Studios Florida, based on the 1996 film Twister. It was announced in 1997 and replaced the Ghostbusters Spooktacular attraction in the New York area of the park. The attraction was hosted by actors Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt, who starred in the original film. The attraction closed on November 2, 2015 and will be replaced with Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon due to open in 2017.

Ride Summary

Queue

The attraction took guests to a small mock-up of the Oklahoma town of Wakita. Video monitors show home movies of tornadoes and signs carry information about the Fujita Scale.

Pre-Show

As guests walked into Soundstage 50, the opening scene from the film was shown on a video screen. When the scene ended, Twister stars Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt appeared on television to talk about their experiences filming the movie.

Scene 1

Guests next walked into a new room which was a model of Aunt Meg's damaged house after the twister. As guests walked into the kitchen, televisions are seen impaled into the wall, as if by tremendous force. Paxton and Hunt appear on the televisions and talk about what is ahead. The moment they finish, the televisions started to static, and after the static, the channel changes to Channel 5, with a weather anchor issuing a tornado warning in the area the guests are in. They are finally led onto a set resembling the drive-in theater scene in the movie.

Scene 2: Main Show

The guests line up on a tiered observation platform under a corrugated metal roof, overlooking a simulated outdoor scene featuring a view of a rural drive-in theater and a diner at dusk as dark clouds roll overhead. Suddenly, a tree gets struck by lightning, scenes from The People Under the Stairs appear on the movie screen, sirens sound briefly, and winds in the room get stronger. A small light can be seen inside a house in the distance, as well as voices of a family getting into their storm cellar. A simulated tornado drops from the sky, and rain begins to fall. Guests would be squirted with water from above. The tornado wrecks the drive-in screen, the diner, and a car, which causes a fireball to erupt. The roof of the observation platform also threatens to tear off. A cow, lifted by the wind, flies past the spectators. As the "storm" dies, the floor of the standing area lurches with a sudden drop, giving guests a final scare. Participants are then directed to exit through the "Aftermath" gift shop.

Ride history and development

The entrance of the ride in its last year (2015)

To accurately simulate a tornado, Universal Parks & Resorts entered talks with tornado meteorologists to discover the actual sights, sound, and feel of the experience. Universal originally planned to open the attraction in March 1998; but in the weeks just preceding, several large and killer tornadoes occurred in central Florida, killing many people.^[1] Due to this,^[2] the opening was delayed until May 4, 1998.

During summer of 2008, the queue was pushed outside due to construction of Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, where the roller coaster blasts through the firehouse façade. The ride involved the closure of the Boneyard in September 2008, and the moving of the Blue Man Group pathway in November 2008. This was to make room for the Universal Music Plaza Stage and the entrance of Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit.

On February 16, 2009, the attraction began operating only during peak seasons.^[3] However, it was re-opened by Universal on March 9, 2009 due to guest demand.^[4]

On October 27, 2015, it was announced that Twister...Ride it Out would be closing on November 2, 2015 to make room for Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon.^[5]

See also

• List of amusement rides based on film franchises

References

1. The Tornado Project. "US Killer Tornadoes of 1998". Archived from the original on 2008-10-08. Retrieved 2008-09-08.
2. Author Unknown (June 7, 1998). "Virtual Twisters Are Swirling in Orlando". http://www.newyorktimes.com (New York Times). Retrieved 2008-09-14. External link in |work= (help)
3. "Universal Shuts Down Another Attraction". WESH Orlando. Retrieved 2009-02-11.
4. Jason Garcia (2009-03-09). "Universal reopens Twister". The Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on 2012-03-28. Retrieved 2009-04-02.
5. Surrel, Jason. "Jimmy Fallon to Get His Own Ride at Universal Orlando Resort in 2017". blog.universalorlando.com. Universal Orlando Resort. Retrieved 28 October 2015.

External links

• Twister...Ride it Out at the Internet Movie Database
• Twister...Ride it Out at Universal Orlando Resort