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The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera (ride)
Encyclopedia
The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera was a simulator ride at Universal Studios Florida
, and one of the park's original attractions. The story line was that Dick Dastardly and Muttley
have kidnapped Elroy Jetson, Yogi Bear
gives chase and the audience is in for the ride of their lives. Peter N. Alexander was the creator and executive producer, Mario Kamberg was the director, Hanna-Barbera
founder and creator William Hanna
was creative consultant and Paul Van Camp was in charge of the programming software. It was the very first ride film to be done entirely using CGI, with characters created using traditional cel animation techniques and optically composited.
and Yogi Bear
as well as extended clips from Hanna-Barbera's well-known full-length story shows (The Flintstones
, The Jetsons
, etc.). In the years after, clips and commercials from Hanna-Barbera's modern cartoons such as SWAT Kats and The Powerpuff Girls
were played on the monitors interspersed with the classic shows. The guests were then taken into a preshow area where the storyline for the ride was revealed.
Inside the preshow, there were 3 projection screens. Two oval shaped screens and a regular square screen. On one of the oval screens, Yogi Bear appeared pestering guests for food, Boo Boo
shows up to inform him that the guests are here for an animation demonstration by William Hanna
and Joseph Barbera
. The two (live-action) appear on the square screen and begin talking about animation, leading to drawing Elroy Jetson, who magically comes to life and jumps out of the paper three dimensionally. Hanna goes on to talk about computer animation using Dick Dastardly's airplane (in this case, a spaceship). Dastardly and Muttley soon show up from inside the spaceship's depths, requesting that they be a part of Hanna-Barbera's next project. However, Barbera informs him that the Jetsons are next (coincidentally, at the time of the ride's opening, the release of Jetsons: The Movie
was only several weeks away) followed by The Flintstones
and Scooby-Doo
. In a fit of rage, Dastardly kidnaps Elroy by forcefully pulling him into the computer using the sunction of a toilet plunger gun, claiming "If I'm not the star of the next project, then no one will be! I'm taking Elroy where you'll never find him!" The computer begins to self-destruct and the two run away. Yogi and Boo Boo, feeling they should do something, go (with the ride guests) into a rocketship (the main theater) to go save Elroy from the evil plans Dastardly and Muttley have in store for him.
. The force is so strong everyone ends up going back in time to Bedrock
. The riders fly off a cliff and through Mr. Slate's construction site before flying into the main city. Yogi and the riders chase after Dastardly through the streets, dodging cars, residents of Bedrock (including Wilma and Betty), and Yogi ends up chasing Fred Flintstone
and Barney Rubble
(who are driving Fred's car) down a street by accident. The riders fly up after Dastardly into the skies, and through a vortex. The riders end up chasing Dastardly through a cemetery in the middle of the night, and the riders are on a near-collision near the Mystery Machine that Scooby-Doo and Shaggy are driving, leading them into a castle where they encounter ghosts. The riders fly around the haunted house looking for Dastardly down hallways and corridors, dodging Scooby and Shaggy who are left hanging on a chandelier when the riders chase after Dastardly into another vortex.
This time the riders end up in the future into Orbit City, dodging flying cars and buildings. It's not long before Elroy's family (except Judy and Astro who are absent from the ride) appear and see Elroy captured, (after which he jumped from Dastardly's ship in a bold move aiming to get caught by one of his parents standing nearby, just to be pulled back in Dastardly's ship by the sunction of a toilet plunger) and chase after Dastardly with the riders, going into Coney's Skyland, a futuristic amusement park. The riders fly on a roller-coaster track after the villain, and end up going down a steep drop when Rosie the Robot (flying with the Jetsons) extends her arm and lifts Dastardly and Muttley from their rocket, allowing George to save Elroy. Dastardly and Muttley then get surrounded by thousands of flying cop cars, and both are dropped in a flying jail cell. The Jetsons thank them, and the riders fly back home through a vortex and crash land back at the station on a giant inflated bumper reading "END". Yogi gives them a farewell message. "So folks, thanks for joining in the ride, I'll see you on the outside!" A lamp comes down from the top, from which Yogi pulls the light switch. The screen goes black and the ride ends.
There was a 40-inch height requirement for the simulator, requiring smaller children to sit in a non-motion seat. Expectant mothers, people with motion sickness, heart problems, back or neck problems, were all encouraged to sit in a non-motion seat. Occasionally people on the ride would panic because of the intense motion, and the ride would be stopped by one of the operators. The ride consisted of 12 bases, each of which held 8 people for a total of 96 riders. The front row consisted of a bench in which people who did not want a motion seat could enjoy the show.
, featuring the Nickelodeon
TV channel's Jimmy Neutron, in spring 2003. In 2006, Paramount Parks
(now part of Cedar Fair, and formerly co-owned with Hanna-Barbera as KECO Entertainment
under Taft Broadcasting
and Great American Broadcasting) acquired a license to this simulator for use in their parks, such as Canada's Wonderland. It became a featured attraction for 2006 at Paramount theme parks, including Paramount King's Dominion. The production was placed in all five park's Action FX Theaters. After the license expired, it was replaced by SpongeBob SquarePants 4-D
. The film is also shown at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom
with its original name and The Park at MOA
under the name of Yogi's Big Rescue. It also is at Dollywood
for the 2007 Kid's fest and in Gatlinburg, Tennessee
under the name Yogi's Wild Ride. As of 2010, though most Hanna-Barbera material is owned by Warner Bros.
, Universal still owns the rights to the ride film of the attraction along with Jetsons: The Movie
, The Flintstones
and The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas
(the film rights to The Flintstones and The Jetsons had been sold to Universal prior to the sale of H-B to Turner Broadcasting System
, itself now part of Time Warner
).
and directed by David Steinberg
, who replaced Kurtz & Friends and director Bob Kurtz who were the original vendors. Universal wanted the ride film to have a classical animation look, with full feature-quality using the Hanna-Barbera characters. Kurtz & Friends had already been hired by Hanna-Barbera to contribute sequences for Jetsons: The Movie so they were a natural choice for animating the characters. Midway through production Bob Kurtz and his company resigned from the project citing creative differences. So Universal contacted Bluth's company, whom worked with Universal in the past, to do animation for the ride. Some of the animators went to the Burbank
facility with several other freelance animators while Bluth's team in Dublin, Ireland went on with Rock-A-Doodle
, the current project at Bluth's company at the time. The director, Mario Kamberg, and art director, Allen Battino, were also the principal creative forces behind its replacement ride "Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast". By the end of the Nicktoon run in 2011, both filmmakers will have had their films continuously playing in the same theater for over 20 years. Rhythm & Hues Studios created the CG Jetsons sequence for the ride film. deGraf/Wahrman created the CG Flintstones and Scooby-Doo
portion of the film.
Unlike most traditional simulator rides (such as Star Tours
or Body Wars
) the entire ride takes place inside an auditorium, with the audience in chairs that move. Non-moving chairs were also available for those who only wanted to watch the film. In Universal Studios Florida, the ride vehicles themselves were created by Ride Trade. The vehicles had 4 degrees of freedom
and had 8 seats, the motion was programmed by Trey Stokes
, with software programmed by Triad and Paul Van Camp. Yogi and Boo Boo's Hanna-Barbera rocket which guests would ride in was previously featured on Yogi's Treasure Hunt
and Joe Barbera and Bill Hanna's computer from the pre-show would later make an appearance on Wake, Rattle and Roll.
cartoons on VHS
tapes (under license from then-rightsholders Great American Broadcasting) which included the theatrical trailer for Jetsons: The Movie
, a commercial for the attraction which had a child tourist (played by R.J. Williams) sitting in the Hanna-Barbera office from the pre-show, explaining the attraction, and a commercial for Universal Studios Florida
. The advertisement contained some unfinished clips from the ride-film, which showed the CG animation but without the 2-D characters, as that animation had yet to be added at the time of the VHS release.
,(released on April 28, 2009) but was not. As of 2009, Universal is planning DVD releases of both the footage of the attraction as well as that of T2 3-D: Battle Across Time
.
Universal Studios Florida
Universal Studios Florida is an American theme park located in Orlando, Florida. Opened on June 7, 1990, the park's theme is the entertainment industry, in particular movies and television. Universal Studios Florida inspires its guests to "ride the movies," and it features numerous attractions and...
, and one of the park's original attractions. The story line was that Dick Dastardly and Muttley
Dick Dastardly
Dick Dastardly is a fictional character and antagonist who appeared in various animated series by Hanna-Barbera Productions. Dastardly's most famous appearances are main character in the series Wacky Races and its spin-off Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines...
have kidnapped Elroy Jetson, Yogi Bear
Yogi Bear
Yogi Bear is a fictional bear who appears in animated cartoons created by Hanna-Barbera Productions. He made his debut in 1958 as a supporting character in The Huckleberry Hound Show. Yogi Bear was the first breakout character created by Hanna-Barbera, and was eventually more popular than...
gives chase and the audience is in for the ride of their lives. Peter N. Alexander was the creator and executive producer, Mario Kamberg was the director, Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...
founder and creator William Hanna
William Hanna
William Denby Hanna was an American animator, director, producer, and cartoon artist, whose film and television cartoon characters entertained millions of people for much of the 20th century. When he was a young child, Hanna's family moved frequently, but they settled in Compton, California, by...
was creative consultant and Paul Van Camp was in charge of the programming software. It was the very first ride film to be done entirely using CGI, with characters created using traditional cel animation techniques and optically composited.
Queue
The facility which housed the ride featured several areas in which the guests were moved throughout. The outside queue area, where people waited in line, featured several TV's that showed Hanna-Barbera cartoons on a loop. When the ride first opened, the queue videos consisted of whole short episodes of Hanna-Barbera's "three-shorts" shows such as Huckleberry HoundHuckleberry Hound
The Huckleberry Hound Show is a 1958 syndicated animated series and the second from Hanna-Barbera following The Ruff & Reddy Show, sponsored by Kellogg's. Three segments were included in the program: one featuring Huckleberry Hound; another starring Yogi Bear and his sidekick Boo Boo; and a third...
and Yogi Bear
Yogi Bear
Yogi Bear is a fictional bear who appears in animated cartoons created by Hanna-Barbera Productions. He made his debut in 1958 as a supporting character in The Huckleberry Hound Show. Yogi Bear was the first breakout character created by Hanna-Barbera, and was eventually more popular than...
as well as extended clips from Hanna-Barbera's well-known full-length story shows (The Flintstones
The Flintstones
The Flintstones is an animated, prime-time American television sitcom that screened from September 30, 1960 to April 1, 1966, on ABC. Produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, The Flintstones was about a working class Stone Age man's life with his family and his next-door neighbor and best friend. It...
, The Jetsons
The Jetsons
The Jetsons is a animated American sitcom that was produced by Hanna-Barbera, originally airing in prime-time from 1962–1963 and again from 1985–1987...
, etc.). In the years after, clips and commercials from Hanna-Barbera's modern cartoons such as SWAT Kats and The Powerpuff Girls
The Powerpuff Girls
The Powerpuff Girls is an American animated television series created by animator Craig McCracken and produced by Hanna-Barbera for Cartoon Network...
were played on the monitors interspersed with the classic shows. The guests were then taken into a preshow area where the storyline for the ride was revealed.
Pre-show
Boo Boo
Boo Boo may refer to:*Boo-Boo , the debut EP from Boston band Big Dipper*Boo-Boo Bear, a Hanna-Barbera cartoon character on The Yogi Bear Show*Boo Boo Stewart , American singer and actor...
shows up to inform him that the guests are here for an animation demonstration by William Hanna
William Hanna
William Denby Hanna was an American animator, director, producer, and cartoon artist, whose film and television cartoon characters entertained millions of people for much of the 20th century. When he was a young child, Hanna's family moved frequently, but they settled in Compton, California, by...
and Joseph Barbera
Joseph Barbera
Joseph Roland Barbera was an influential American animator, director, producer, storyboard artist, and cartoon artist, whose film and television cartoon characters entertained millions of fans worldwide for much of the twentieth century....
. The two (live-action) appear on the square screen and begin talking about animation, leading to drawing Elroy Jetson, who magically comes to life and jumps out of the paper three dimensionally. Hanna goes on to talk about computer animation using Dick Dastardly's airplane (in this case, a spaceship). Dastardly and Muttley soon show up from inside the spaceship's depths, requesting that they be a part of Hanna-Barbera's next project. However, Barbera informs him that the Jetsons are next (coincidentally, at the time of the ride's opening, the release of Jetsons: The Movie
Jetsons: The Movie
Jetsons: The Movie is a 1990 animated science fiction film produced by Hanna-Barbera and released on July 6, 1990, by Universal Pictures based on the hit cartoon series, The Jetsons . The movie features the final voice roles of George O'Hanlon and Mel Blanc who both died during production of the film...
was only several weeks away) followed by The Flintstones
The Flintstones
The Flintstones is an animated, prime-time American television sitcom that screened from September 30, 1960 to April 1, 1966, on ABC. Produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, The Flintstones was about a working class Stone Age man's life with his family and his next-door neighbor and best friend. It...
and Scooby-Doo
Scooby-Doo
Scooby-Doo is an American media franchise based around several animated television series and related works produced from 1969 to the present day. The original series, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, was created for Hanna-Barbera Productions by writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears in 1969...
. In a fit of rage, Dastardly kidnaps Elroy by forcefully pulling him into the computer using the sunction of a toilet plunger gun, claiming "If I'm not the star of the next project, then no one will be! I'm taking Elroy where you'll never find him!" The computer begins to self-destruct and the two run away. Yogi and Boo Boo, feeling they should do something, go (with the ride guests) into a rocketship (the main theater) to go save Elroy from the evil plans Dastardly and Muttley have in store for him.
Ride
When the riders enter the main theater, the riders are seated in a rocket ship with Yogi as the captain. The power source is a large rubber bandRubber band
A rubber band is a short length of rubber and latex formed in the shape of a loop and is commonly used to hold multiple objects together...
. The force is so strong everyone ends up going back in time to Bedrock
Bedrock (The Flintstones)
Bedrock is the fictional prehistoric city, which is home to the characters of the animated television series, The Flintstones .- Size :...
. The riders fly off a cliff and through Mr. Slate's construction site before flying into the main city. Yogi and the riders chase after Dastardly through the streets, dodging cars, residents of Bedrock (including Wilma and Betty), and Yogi ends up chasing Fred Flintstone
Fred Flintstone
Frederick Joseph “Fred” Flintstone, also known as Fred W. Flintstone or Frederick J. Flintstone, is the protagonist of the animated sitcom The Flintstones, which aired during prime-time on ABC during the original series' run from 1960-66. He is the husband of Wilma Flintstone and father of Pebbles...
and Barney Rubble
Barney Rubble
Bernard "Barney" Rubble is the deuteragonist of the television animated series The Flintstones. He is the diminutive blonde-haired caveman husband of Betty Rubble and father of Bamm-Bamm Rubble...
(who are driving Fred's car) down a street by accident. The riders fly up after Dastardly into the skies, and through a vortex. The riders end up chasing Dastardly through a cemetery in the middle of the night, and the riders are on a near-collision near the Mystery Machine that Scooby-Doo and Shaggy are driving, leading them into a castle where they encounter ghosts. The riders fly around the haunted house looking for Dastardly down hallways and corridors, dodging Scooby and Shaggy who are left hanging on a chandelier when the riders chase after Dastardly into another vortex.
There was a 40-inch height requirement for the simulator, requiring smaller children to sit in a non-motion seat. Expectant mothers, people with motion sickness, heart problems, back or neck problems, were all encouraged to sit in a non-motion seat. Occasionally people on the ride would panic because of the intense motion, and the ride would be stopped by one of the operators. The ride consisted of 12 bases, each of which held 8 people for a total of 96 riders. The front row consisted of a bench in which people who did not want a motion seat could enjoy the show.
Post-show
After the show, guests were escorted into an interactive area where they could interact with various technologies geared towards children.Hanna-Barbera's Store
Following this area, was a gift shop where Hanna-Barbera merchandise could be purchased.Cast
- Greg BursonGreg Burson-Biography:Greg Burson was given the responsibility of voicing Bugs Bunny in the 1995 Carrotblanca, a well-received 8-minute Looney Tunes cartoon originally shown in cinemas alongside The Amazing Panda Adventure and The Pebble and the Penguin...
- Yogi BearYogi BearYogi Bear is a fictional bear who appears in animated cartoons created by Hanna-Barbera Productions. He made his debut in 1958 as a supporting character in The Huckleberry Hound Show. Yogi Bear was the first breakout character created by Hanna-Barbera, and was eventually more popular than... - Patric ZimmermanPatric ZimmermanPatric Laine Zimmerman is an American voice actor.He began his career in 1990, providing big voices for the animated television series Tale Spin and Tom & Jerry Kids. He voiced the character of Elroy Jetson in the film Jetsons: The Movie that same year...
- Elroy Jetson - Michael Bell - Dick DastardlyDick DastardlyDick Dastardly is a fictional character and antagonist who appeared in various animated series by Hanna-Barbera Productions. Dastardly's most famous appearances are main character in the series Wacky Races and its spin-off Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines...
- Don MessickDon MessickDonald Earl "Don" Messick was an American voice actor best known for his work for Hanna-Barbera. Perhaps his most well-known voice creations include Scooby-Doo, Papa Smurf, and Dr. Benton Quest....
- Boo-Boo Bear, MuttleyMuttleyMuttley is a Hanna-Barbera animated fictional character created by Iwao Takamoto and originally voiced by Don Messick. In the 2000 Wacky Races videogame he was voiced by Billy West.-Bio:...
and Scooby-DooScooby-DooScooby-Doo is an American media franchise based around several animated television series and related works produced from 1969 to the present day. The original series, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, was created for Hanna-Barbera Productions by writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears in 1969... - Joseph BarberaJoseph BarberaJoseph Roland Barbera was an influential American animator, director, producer, storyboard artist, and cartoon artist, whose film and television cartoon characters entertained millions of fans worldwide for much of the twentieth century....
- Himself - Henry CordenHenry CordenHenry Corden was a Canadian-born American actor and voice artist best-known for taking over the role of Fred Flintstone after Alan Reed died in 1977. His official debut as Fred's new voice was on the 1977 syndicated weekday series Fred Flintstone and Friends for which he provided voice-overs on...
- Fred FlintstoneFred FlintstoneFrederick Joseph “Fred” Flintstone, also known as Fred W. Flintstone or Frederick J. Flintstone, is the protagonist of the animated sitcom The Flintstones, which aired during prime-time on ABC during the original series' run from 1960-66. He is the husband of Wilma Flintstone and father of Pebbles... - Frank WelkerFrank WelkerFranklin Wendell "Frank" Welker is an American actor who specializes in voice acting and has contributed character voices and other vocal effects to American television and motion pictures.-Acting career:...
- Barney RubbleBarney RubbleBernard "Barney" Rubble is the deuteragonist of the television animated series The Flintstones. He is the diminutive blonde-haired caveman husband of Betty Rubble and father of Bamm-Bamm Rubble...
, Bedrock Dinosaur, Robot - Jean Vander PylJean Vander PylJean Vander Pyl was an American actress on radio, television and movies. Although her career spanned many decades, she is best remembered as the voice of Wilma Flintstone from the Hanna-Barbera cartoon The Flintstones...
- Wilma FlintstoneWilma FlintstoneWilma Anna Flintstone is a fictional character in the television animated series The Flintstones. She was the red-headed wife of caveman Fred Flintstone, daughter of Pearl Slaghoople, mother of Pebbles Flintstone and a grandmother...
, Rosie the Robot Maid - B.J. Ward - Betty RubbleBetty RubbleElizabeth 'Betty' Jean Rubble is a fictional character in the television animated series The Flintstones and its spin-offs and live-action motion pictures. She is the black-haired wife of caveman Barney Rubble and the adoptive mother of Bamm-Bamm Rubble...
- Casey KasemCasey KasemKemal Amin "Casey" Kasem is an American radio personality and voice actor who is best known for being the host of the nationally syndicated Top 40 countdown show American Top 40, and for voicing Shaggy in the popular Saturday morning cartoon franchise Scooby-Doo.Kasem, along with Don Bustany and...
- Shaggy RogersShaggy RogersNorville "Shaggy" Rogers is a fictional character from the American animated television series Scooby-Doo, about the adventures of four crime-solving teenagers and Shaggy's pet great dane, Scooby-Doo. Shaggy is a cowardly slacker more interested in eating than solving mysteries. He is the only... - Hal SmithHal Smith (actor)Harold John "Hal" Smith was an American character actor and voice actor. Smith is best known as Otis Campbell, the town drunk on The Andy Griffith Show, and was the voice of many characters on various animated cartoon shorts...
- Ghosts - Jeff BergmanJeff BergmanJeff Allen Bergman is an American voice actor, who provides the modern day voices of various classic cartoon characters, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, George Jetson, Fred Flintstone, Yogi Bear, and Huckleberry Hound.-Life and career:Originally from Philadelphia,...
- George JetsonGeorge JetsonThe following is a list of major characters in The Jetsons. The Jetsons is an animated television comedy produced by Hanna-Barbera and first broadcast in prime-time on ABC as part of the 1962–63 United States network television schedule. Additional episodes were produced from 1985–1987, with the...
, Ghosts, Police Chief - Penny SingletonPenny SingletonPenny Singleton was an American film actress. Born Marianna Dorothy Agnes Letitia McNulty in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania she was the daughter of an Irish-American newspaperman Benny McNulty — from whom she received the nickname "Penny" because she was "as bright as a penny".During her sixty...
- Jane Jetson - William HannaWilliam HannaWilliam Denby Hanna was an American animator, director, producer, and cartoon artist, whose film and television cartoon characters entertained millions of people for much of the 20th century. When he was a young child, Hanna's family moved frequently, but they settled in Compton, California, by...
- Himself - Universal Studios Employee - H-B Rocket Attendant
Crew
- Directed by - Mario Kamberg
- Produced by - Peter N. Alexander, Sherry McKenna
- Art Directed by - Allen Battino
- Visual Effects Designed by - William Powloski, Trey Stokes, Paul Van Camp, Triad, Ride Trade
- Music Composed by - James S. Levine
- Animation by - David Steinberg, Nassos VakalisNassos VakalisNassos Vakalis is an Emmy -award winning animation director and animator.-Early life:Nassos Vakalis was born and raised in Athens, Greece. Since childhood, he demonstrated an interest in art, submitting his early work in various contests and winning numerous prizes and...
, deGraf/Wahrman, Rhythm & Hues Studios, Sullivan Bluth StudiosSullivan Bluth StudiosSullivan Bluth Studios was an American animated film production company established in 1985 by animator Don Bluth. Bluth and several colleagues, all of whom were former Disney animators, left Disney in 1979 to form Don Bluth Productions, later known as the Bluth Group... - Creative Cosultant - William Hanna
- Distributed by - Universal StudiosUniversal StudiosUniversal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
History
The ride closed on October 20, 2002, and was replaced by Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon BlastJimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast
Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast was a simulator ride at Universal Studios Florida that replaced The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera. The story line revolved around Ooblar, from the Yolkian planet has stolen Jimmy's newest rocket creation, the Mark IV...
, featuring the Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
TV channel's Jimmy Neutron, in spring 2003. In 2006, Paramount Parks
Paramount Parks
Paramount Parks was an operator of theme parks and attractions, which annually attracted about 13 million patrons. Viacom had assumed control of the company as part of its acquisition of Paramount Pictures in 1994....
(now part of Cedar Fair, and formerly co-owned with Hanna-Barbera as KECO Entertainment
KECO Entertainment
Kings Entertainment Company owned and/or operated six theme parks around the world. The company was originally owned by Taft Broadcasting and in the mid 1980s was purchased by a few top-level executives of Taft's....
under Taft Broadcasting
Taft Broadcasting
The Taft Broadcasting Company, also known as Taft Television and Radio Company, Incorporated, was an American media conglomerate based in Cincinnati, Ohio....
and Great American Broadcasting) acquired a license to this simulator for use in their parks, such as Canada's Wonderland. It became a featured attraction for 2006 at Paramount theme parks, including Paramount King's Dominion. The production was placed in all five park's Action FX Theaters. After the license expired, it was replaced by SpongeBob SquarePants 4-D
SpongeBob SquarePants 4-D
SpongeBob SquarePants 4-D is an 4-D film based upon the popular television series SpongeBob SquarePants. It can be found at many aquariums and theme parks across the world. The ride consists of a pre-show which then leads into a stadium seated auditorium...
. The film is also shown at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom
Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom
Kentucky Kingdom is an amusement park located in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. The park is located on of land which includes a collection of 27 amusement rides and a water park named Splashwater Kingdom...
with its original name and The Park at MOA
The Park at MOA
Nickelodeon Universe is the seven-acre indoor amusement park located in the center of the Mall of America , in Bloomington, Minnesota, USA....
under the name of Yogi's Big Rescue. It also is at Dollywood
Dollywood
Dollywood is a theme park owned by entertainer Dolly Parton and the Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation. It is located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Dollywood has 3,000 people on its payroll, making it the largest employer in that community....
for the 2007 Kid's fest and in Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Gatlinburg is a mountain resort city in Sevier County, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, Gatlinburg had a population of 3,828. The city is a popular vacation resort, as it rests on the border of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park along U.S...
under the name Yogi's Wild Ride. As of 2010, though most Hanna-Barbera material is owned by Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
, Universal still owns the rights to the ride film of the attraction along with Jetsons: The Movie
Jetsons: The Movie
Jetsons: The Movie is a 1990 animated science fiction film produced by Hanna-Barbera and released on July 6, 1990, by Universal Pictures based on the hit cartoon series, The Jetsons . The movie features the final voice roles of George O'Hanlon and Mel Blanc who both died during production of the film...
, The Flintstones
The Flintstones (film)
The Flintstones is a 1994 American live-action comedy film based on the Hanna-Barbera cartoon television series of the same name about a Stone-Age man, his family and his best friend. The film was directed by Brian Levant, written by Tom S. Parker, Jim Jennewein and Steven E...
and The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas
The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas
The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas is a 2000 comedy film and prequel to 1994's The Flintstones based on the hit cartoon series of the same name, produced by Amblin Entertainment and Hanna-Barbera and distributed by Universal Studios...
(the film rights to The Flintstones and The Jetsons had been sold to Universal prior to the sale of H-B to Turner Broadcasting System
Turner Broadcasting System
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. is the Time Warner subsidiary managing the collection of cable networks and properties started and acquired by Robert Edward "Ted" Turner starting in the mid-1970s. The company has its headquarters in the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia. TBS, Inc...
, itself now part of Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
).
Production
The animation for the characters was animated by Sullivan Bluth StudiosSullivan Bluth Studios
Sullivan Bluth Studios was an American animated film production company established in 1985 by animator Don Bluth. Bluth and several colleagues, all of whom were former Disney animators, left Disney in 1979 to form Don Bluth Productions, later known as the Bluth Group...
and directed by David Steinberg
David Steinberg
David Steinberg is a Canadian comedian, actor, writer, director, and author. At the height of his popularity, during the late 1960s and early 1970s, he was one of the best-known stand-up comics in the United States...
, who replaced Kurtz & Friends and director Bob Kurtz who were the original vendors. Universal wanted the ride film to have a classical animation look, with full feature-quality using the Hanna-Barbera characters. Kurtz & Friends had already been hired by Hanna-Barbera to contribute sequences for Jetsons: The Movie so they were a natural choice for animating the characters. Midway through production Bob Kurtz and his company resigned from the project citing creative differences. So Universal contacted Bluth's company, whom worked with Universal in the past, to do animation for the ride. Some of the animators went to the Burbank
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
facility with several other freelance animators while Bluth's team in Dublin, Ireland went on with Rock-A-Doodle
Rock-A-Doodle
Rock-a-Doodle is a 1992 American animated re-telling of Edmond Rostand's comedy, Chantecler. This film was directed by Don Bluth, produced by Goldcrest Films for The Samuel Goldwyn Company, and originally released in the United States on April 3, 1992.-Plot:Chanticleer is a proud rooster whose...
, the current project at Bluth's company at the time. The director, Mario Kamberg, and art director, Allen Battino, were also the principal creative forces behind its replacement ride "Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast". By the end of the Nicktoon run in 2011, both filmmakers will have had their films continuously playing in the same theater for over 20 years. Rhythm & Hues Studios created the CG Jetsons sequence for the ride film. deGraf/Wahrman created the CG Flintstones and Scooby-Doo
Scooby-Doo
Scooby-Doo is an American media franchise based around several animated television series and related works produced from 1969 to the present day. The original series, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, was created for Hanna-Barbera Productions by writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears in 1969...
portion of the film.
Unlike most traditional simulator rides (such as Star Tours
Star Tours
Star Tours is a motion simulator attraction currently operating at Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Park at Disneyland Paris. The ride is based on the successful Star Wars film series created by George Lucas, making it the first Disney attraction based on a non-Disney produced film.The first...
or Body Wars
Body Wars
Body Wars was a ride at the Wonders of Life pavilion at Walt Disney World Resort's Epcot. Body Wars is a simulator ride where the riders are "shrunk" and carry out a mission inside a human body. The ride is based upon the Advanced Technology Leisure Application Simulator...
) the entire ride takes place inside an auditorium, with the audience in chairs that move. Non-moving chairs were also available for those who only wanted to watch the film. In Universal Studios Florida, the ride vehicles themselves were created by Ride Trade. The vehicles had 4 degrees of freedom
Degrees of freedom (engineering)
In mechanics, degrees of freedom are the set of independent displacements and/or rotations that specify completely the displaced or deformed position and orientation of the body or system...
and had 8 seats, the motion was programmed by Trey Stokes
Trey Stokes
Trey Stokes is an American filmmaker and puppeteer, best known for his Star Wars parody series Pink Five, and his puppeteering work on various movie, TV, and motion-ride projects.-Early career:...
, with software programmed by Triad and Paul Van Camp. Yogi and Boo Boo's Hanna-Barbera rocket which guests would ride in was previously featured on Yogi's Treasure Hunt
Yogi's Treasure Hunt
Yogi's Treasure Hunt is a segment that kicked-off in 1985 as the first of the programming block, The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera. It also ran as a regular series in syndication from 1985 to 1988.-Plot:...
and Joe Barbera and Bill Hanna's computer from the pre-show would later make an appearance on Wake, Rattle and Roll.
Release
In 1987, the ride was featured as part of an introductory video to the Universal Studios Florida park that was shown at a press conference for the announcement of the park. It was featured during a scene where Doc Brown is riding the attraction, and the H-B rocket is flying around the Flintstones house and almost runs into Fred and Barney. This scene is not part of the ride, as the video was made before the ride-film began production. In 1990, to promote the opening of the attraction, Universal released various series of Hanna-BarberaHanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...
cartoons on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
tapes (under license from then-rightsholders Great American Broadcasting) which included the theatrical trailer for Jetsons: The Movie
Jetsons: The Movie
Jetsons: The Movie is a 1990 animated science fiction film produced by Hanna-Barbera and released on July 6, 1990, by Universal Pictures based on the hit cartoon series, The Jetsons . The movie features the final voice roles of George O'Hanlon and Mel Blanc who both died during production of the film...
, a commercial for the attraction which had a child tourist (played by R.J. Williams) sitting in the Hanna-Barbera office from the pre-show, explaining the attraction, and a commercial for Universal Studios Florida
Universal Studios Florida
Universal Studios Florida is an American theme park located in Orlando, Florida. Opened on June 7, 1990, the park's theme is the entertainment industry, in particular movies and television. Universal Studios Florida inspires its guests to "ride the movies," and it features numerous attractions and...
. The advertisement contained some unfinished clips from the ride-film, which showed the CG animation but without the 2-D characters, as that animation had yet to be added at the time of the VHS release.
DVD release
The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera was expected to be released as a bonus feature on the DVD release of Jetsons: The MovieJetsons: The Movie
Jetsons: The Movie is a 1990 animated science fiction film produced by Hanna-Barbera and released on July 6, 1990, by Universal Pictures based on the hit cartoon series, The Jetsons . The movie features the final voice roles of George O'Hanlon and Mel Blanc who both died during production of the film...
,(released on April 28, 2009) but was not. As of 2009, Universal is planning DVD releases of both the footage of the attraction as well as that of T2 3-D: Battle Across Time
T2 3-D: Battle Across Time
T2 3-D: Battle Across Time is an attraction at various Universal Studios parks around the world including those at Florida, Hollywood and Japan...
.
HHN Orlando
The ride had been run multiple times during the park's Halloween Horror Nights. It was run during the following years.- Fright Nights (1991)
- HHN II (1992)
- HHN III (1993)
- HHN VI (1994)
- HHN V: The Curse of the Crypt Keeper (1995)
- HHN VI (1996)
- HHN VII: Frightmares (1997)
- HHN VIII: Primal Scream (1998)
- HHN IX (1999)
- HHN X (2000)
- HHN XI (2001)