The Simpsons Ride
Encyclopedia
The Simpsons Ride is a simulator ride
featured at the Universal Studios Florida
and Universal Studios Hollywood
theme parks. The ride is based on the animated television series The Simpsons
. It was first announced in 2007 and replaced the Back to the Future: The Ride
at both locations. The ride at Universal Studios Florida soft opened on April 23, 2008, and the official ceremonies took place on May 15. The ride at Universal Studios Hollywood opened on May 19, 2008. The Simpsons Ride was collaborated on by the producers of The Simpsons, and uses computer generated
3D
animation, which was provided by Blur Studio and Reel FX. 2D animation was provided by Film Roman
. The ride uses state of the art technology, including a new projection system and new hydraulics.
The ride itself is four and a half minutes long but original footage for the ride can be seen in the queue, and there is also a pre-show video. In the ride, patrons are introduced to a cartoon theme park called Krustyland built by Krusty the Clown. Sideshow Bob
, however, is loose from prison to get revenge on Krusty and the Simpson family
. At least 24 regular characters from the series make an appearance, all voiced by their original actors. Along with the attraction is a gift shop modeled after the Kwik-E-Mart
, which opened in late 2007.
television monitors display clips from the TV show billed as moments from Krusty's past, as well as live animated footage from Krustyland. The queue area ends with a sign instructing guests to wait for a short time before entering "Krusty's Carnival Midway".
, riders line-up into rows to wait for a confirmation from Krusty. TV screens posted inside the walls on the left and right sides of the room display the residents of Springfield running the midway booths at the park. Soon, Krusty appears on another screen in front of guests and prepares to pick the first family to ride his "Thrilltacular: Upsy-Downsy Spins-Aroundsy Teen-Operated Thrillride", the most extreme ride at the park. While Krusty is not looking, Sideshow Bob
appears in a Scratchy costume and steps on Homer Simpson
's foot causing him to yell "D'oh!
" and Krusty picks the Simpson family
. Krusty asks them to pick another group to go with them, and Bart chooses the riders. While Krusty leads them into a waiting room, Sideshow Bob bursts out into evil laughter. Riders are then ushered into the pre-flight "Funhouse" room by a team member. Here, Krusty leads the Simpsons into a backstage area where Grampa
and Maggie Simpson
are told not to ride due to certain safety restrictions. Grampa falls asleep while Maggie crawls into a nuclear reactor room, causing her to grow larger. Meanwhile, Krusty leads the Simpsons into a ride room where he tells them to enjoy the ride, before Sideshow Bob appears, knocks Krusty out and tells the Simpsons Family to enter the ride vehicle. Homer enters, followed by the rest of the family. Sideshow Bob then tells the Simpsons and the riders that they must watch a safety speil from Itchy and Scratchy
The screen then displays a recap of the safety reminders while riders are ushered into the main ride room.
The ride portion is four and a half minutes long. Riders with heart conditions, motion sickness
, claustrophobia
or similar conditions are not recommended to ride.
After riders enter a Krusty themed ride car vehicle, the Squeaky-Voiced Teen appears on a TV screen in the ride cabin and tells the guests that they're with him. He then says to keep the screaming down so he can study for a math test, because if he doesn't get a C or higher, he'll get kicked out of the audio-visual club. As if the studying and groaning would take forever, Sideshow Bob cuts off the teenager's signal and takes control of the screen, telling them that he has taken over Krustyland and pulls a lever from thrilling to killing which activates the vehicles and lifts out of the room, starting the ride with the Simpsons in front of them. The coaster begins going down various drops before Homer gets hit by the wrecking ball controlled by Sideshow Bob before it smashes into the track, breaking it. Homer and the riders fly into a different part of the roller coaster track before the wrecking ball starts chasing them. Soon, the riders fly off the coaster and into the "Happy Little Elves in Panda Land" attraction with Bart and Lisa, where Bob takes control of an evil panda and sends the vehicles crashing through the attraction. The ride then flies off the attraction and enters "Captain Dinosaur's Pirate Rip-Off" with Homer and Marge. Sideshow Bob appears in a projection on the waterfall in the attraction and tells Homer to resist temptations inside. Homer grabs a barrel of beer in the ride which soon triggers a trap that causes them to exit out of the attraction and arrive at "Krusty's Wet and Smoky Stunt Show" where they are taken racing in circles while tied to a killer whale before Bob corners them at the attractions exit. Maggie, still giant-sized, appears and grabs and bangs him into the vehicle, which almost falls into Hell before it is saved by Professor Frink
. Bob then steals Maggie's pacifier and tells her that she must destroy Springfield
to get it back. Riders then take a ride through Springfield before encountering Maggie again, who mistakes their car for a new pacifier, and sucks on them repeatedly, before spitting them out, catapulting them into the Simpsons' house
. The family is sitting on their couch when Kang and Kodos turns the house into Krusty's "Death Drop" ride. The riders are then dropped down from the sky, encountering various Simpsons characters along the way (The on-ride photo is taken here for the Orlando attraction). They land back at the entrance to Krustyland, where Bob prepares to kill them, before the couch the Simpsons are sitting on drops onto him. Maggie then appears and pushes down the Krusty head over the Simpsons. The vehicle is then calmly lowered back down to the ground while mist, fire, electricity and smoke effects spray, and Krusty appears on the TV screen in the loading room. For the Orlando attraction, Krusty is sitting in a control room and pushes an emergency button on the camera, causing the vehicle to vibrate, ending the ride. In the Hollywood version, Krusty is sitting in a control room and takes a picture of the guests (The on-ride photo is taken here for the Hollywood attraction). After the gullwing doors on the car lift up, guests exit the ride.
Planning for The Simpsons Ride started two years prior to its opening. The Simpsons creators James L. Brooks
and Matt Groening
, as well as executive producer Al Jean
, collaborated with the Universal Studios creative team, Universal Creative
, to help develop the ride. Music for the ride was composed by Jim Dooley
, who worked with composer Hans Zimmer
on the feature film The Simpsons Movie
. The ride is located at both Universal Studios Florida and Universal Studios Hollywood in the former Back to the Future: The Ride
buildings at both locations. The Back to the Future opened in Florida in 1991 and closed March 30, 2007, while the Hollywood version opened in 1993 and closed on September 3, 2007.
The construction began at Universal Studios Florida in May 2007, and the original concrete on the ground from Back to the Future: The Ride was dismantled and replaced by a red and blue ground holding trees and benches. The building was given a complete overhaul; the cars were changed and the mechanics system was updated. The construction began at Universal Studios Hollywood in mid-September 2007, with the disposal of the building's Back to the Future
insignia. Outdoor painting on the building began in January 2008.
screens and Sony
Projectors. There are 24 ride cars, each seating eight people, and approximately 2000 people can ride it per hour. The projection system features new digital technology which makes the resolution four times better than most digital movie theatres. The video is projected onto two dome screens which are made of 416 panels (each 4 feet by two feet) and are approximately 80 feet tall and 85 feet wide. The projector itself uses a custom-made semi-circular fisheye lens
to project undistorted images and plays at a rate of 60 frames per second. In comparison, most feature films project at 24 frames per second. The animation in the ride uses computer generated
3D animation rendered by Blur Studio and Reel FX, rather than the traditional 2-D animation seen on The Simpsons and the queue and pre-show of the ride. The animation reference was provided by Film Roman
, the animation studio that animates the series. Each car contains 12 speakers and a Dolby
6.1 surround sound, while the domes contain an additional 90 speakers.
The Simpsons Ride uses new technology that cuts down on its energy consumption. According to Universal Studios, the ride is able to save over 55,000 watt
s on average and 662,000 watt-hours per day. The ride includes over 2,500 LED
lights, the largest number in theme park history, which allows the ride to cut down on energy on lighting by almost one quarter when compared with incandescent lighting.
The ride features more than 24 regular characters from The Simpsons and features the voices of the regular cast members, as well as Pamela Hayden
, Russi Taylor
and Kelsey Grammer
. Harry Shearer
, however, decided not to participate in the ride, so none of his characters have vocal parts and many do not appear in the ride at all. In homage to the Back to the Future ride that it has replaced, The Simpsons Ride's queue video features a brief animated cameo from Doc Brown
who is voiced by Christopher Lloyd
.
In October 2007, gift shops modeled after the Kwik-E-Mart
were built, replacing the Back To The Future: The Store gift shop at Universal Studios Florida
and the Time Depot gift shop at Universal Studios Hollywood
. The stores sell Simpsons-related merchandise. Carts were opened near the stores which sell Squishees, (which are The Simpsons' parody of 7-Eleven
's Slurpee
s.)
described the ride as "a more than worthy successor" to Back to the Future: The Ride
. Brady MacDonald of the Los Angeles Times
described the ride as "visually stunning" and said it "truly delivers — with loads of in-jokes and satire for serious fanatics and tons of thrills and fun for casual fans." Elise Thompson of the LAist said "the ride is a total blast, with plenty of laughs as well as thrills."
Jay Cridlin of the St. Petersburg Times
wrote that "the ride is packed with more original, funny material than you'd expect to see in a sitcom, much less a theme park." However, he admitted that the ride was "a little discombobulating".
The Universal Studios Florida version of the ride hosted its one millionth rider on July 14, 2008, reaching the milestone faster than any other attraction in the resort. The ride was named the best new attraction of 2008 by the website Themeparkinsider.com.
Simulator ride
Simulator rides are a type of amusement park ride, where the audience is shown a movie while their seats move to correspond to the action on screen.-History:...
featured at the 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...
and Universal Studios Hollywood
Universal Studios Hollywood
Universal Studios Hollywood is a movie studio and theme park in the unincorporated Universal City community of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is one of the oldest and most famous Hollywood movie studios still in use...
theme parks. The ride is based on the animated television series The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
. It was first announced in 2007 and replaced the Back to the Future: The Ride
Back to the Future: The Ride
Back to the Future: The Ride is a simulator ride based on and inspired by the Back to the Future trilogy and is a mini-sequel to 1990's Back to the Future Part III. In the United States, it was replaced by The Simpsons Ride...
at both locations. The ride at Universal Studios Florida soft opened on April 23, 2008, and the official ceremonies took place on May 15. The ride at Universal Studios Hollywood opened on May 19, 2008. The Simpsons Ride was collaborated on by the producers of The Simpsons, and uses computer generated
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
3D
3-D film
A 3-D film or S3D film is a motion picture that enhances the illusion of depth perception...
animation, which was provided by Blur Studio and Reel FX. 2D animation was provided by Film Roman
Film Roman
Film Roman is an animation studio founded by Phil Roman, best known for producing the animation for The Simpsons, King of the Hill for 20th Century Fox, as well as the Garfield and Peanuts animated TV specials....
. The ride uses state of the art technology, including a new projection system and new hydraulics.
The ride itself is four and a half minutes long but original footage for the ride can be seen in the queue, and there is also a pre-show video. In the ride, patrons are introduced to a cartoon theme park called Krustyland built by Krusty the Clown. Sideshow Bob
Sideshow Bob
Robert Underdunk Terwilliger, better known as Sideshow Bob, is a recurring character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Kelsey Grammer and first appeared briefly in the episode "The Telltale Head". Bob is a self-proclaimed genius who is a graduate of Yale, a member of...
, however, is loose from prison to get revenge on Krusty and the Simpson family
Simpson family
The Simpson family is a family of fictional characters featured in the animated television series The Simpsons. The Simpsons are a nuclear family consisting of the married couple Homer and Marge and their three children Bart, Lisa and Maggie. They live at 742 Evergreen Terrace in the fictional town...
. At least 24 regular characters from the series make an appearance, all voiced by their original actors. Along with the attraction is a gift shop modeled after the Kwik-E-Mart
Kwik-E-Mart
The Kwik-E-Mart is a fictional chain of convenience stores in the animated television series The Simpsons. It is a parody of American convenience store chains, such as 7-Eleven and Circle K, and represents many myths and stereotypes of them. It is notorious for its high prices and the poor quality...
, which opened in late 2007.
Queue
To enter the ride's queue area, visitors must walk through a 32 feet (9.8 m) Krusty the Clown head which leads them into a pavilion under various circus tents themed to carnival stalls. Various posters in the queue display advertisements for the attractions at the park, while various HDHigh-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
television monitors display clips from the TV show billed as moments from Krusty's past, as well as live animated footage from Krustyland. The queue area ends with a sign instructing guests to wait for a short time before entering "Krusty's Carnival Midway".
Pre-show
In the midwayMidway (fair)
A midway at a fair is the location where amusement rides, entertainment and fast food booths are concentrated....
, riders line-up into rows to wait for a confirmation from Krusty. TV screens posted inside the walls on the left and right sides of the room display the residents of Springfield running the midway booths at the park. Soon, Krusty appears on another screen in front of guests and prepares to pick the first family to ride his "Thrilltacular: Upsy-Downsy Spins-Aroundsy Teen-Operated Thrillride", the most extreme ride at the park. While Krusty is not looking, Sideshow Bob
Sideshow Bob
Robert Underdunk Terwilliger, better known as Sideshow Bob, is a recurring character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Kelsey Grammer and first appeared briefly in the episode "The Telltale Head". Bob is a self-proclaimed genius who is a graduate of Yale, a member of...
appears in a Scratchy costume and steps on Homer Simpson
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
's foot causing him to yell "D'oh!
D'oh!
"D'oh!" is a catchphrase used by the fictional character Homer Simpson, from the long-running American animated sitcom The Simpsons . It is typically used when Homer injures himself, realizes that he has done something stupid, or when something bad has happened or is about to happen to him...
" and Krusty picks the Simpson family
Simpson family
The Simpson family is a family of fictional characters featured in the animated television series The Simpsons. The Simpsons are a nuclear family consisting of the married couple Homer and Marge and their three children Bart, Lisa and Maggie. They live at 742 Evergreen Terrace in the fictional town...
. Krusty asks them to pick another group to go with them, and Bart chooses the riders. While Krusty leads them into a waiting room, Sideshow Bob bursts out into evil laughter. Riders are then ushered into the pre-flight "Funhouse" room by a team member. Here, Krusty leads the Simpsons into a backstage area where Grampa
Abraham Simpson
Abraham J. "Abe" Simpson, often known simply as Grampa, is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and he is also the patriarch of the Simpson family, the father of Homer Simpson, and the grandfather of Bart, Lisa, and Maggie Simpson...
and Maggie Simpson
Maggie Simpson
Margaret "Maggie" Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She first appeared on television in the Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Maggie was created and designed by cartoonist Matt Groening while he was waiting in the lobby of James...
are told not to ride due to certain safety restrictions. Grampa falls asleep while Maggie crawls into a nuclear reactor room, causing her to grow larger. Meanwhile, Krusty leads the Simpsons into a ride room where he tells them to enjoy the ride, before Sideshow Bob appears, knocks Krusty out and tells the Simpsons Family to enter the ride vehicle. Homer enters, followed by the rest of the family. Sideshow Bob then tells the Simpsons and the riders that they must watch a safety speil from Itchy and Scratchy
The Itchy & Scratchy Show
The Itchy & Scratchy Show is a show within a show in the animated television series The Simpsons. It usually appears as a part of The Krusty the Clown Show, watched regularly by Bart and Lisa Simpson...
The screen then displays a recap of the safety reminders while riders are ushered into the main ride room.
Ride
Motion sickness
Motion sickness or kinetosis, also known as travel sickness, is a condition in which a disagreement exists between visually perceived movement and the vestibular system's sense of movement...
, claustrophobia
Claustrophobia
Claustrophobia is the fear of having no escape and being closed in small spaces or rooms...
or similar conditions are not recommended to ride.
After riders enter a Krusty themed ride car vehicle, the Squeaky-Voiced Teen appears on a TV screen in the ride cabin and tells the guests that they're with him. He then says to keep the screaming down so he can study for a math test, because if he doesn't get a C or higher, he'll get kicked out of the audio-visual club. As if the studying and groaning would take forever, Sideshow Bob cuts off the teenager's signal and takes control of the screen, telling them that he has taken over Krustyland and pulls a lever from thrilling to killing which activates the vehicles and lifts out of the room, starting the ride with the Simpsons in front of them. The coaster begins going down various drops before Homer gets hit by the wrecking ball controlled by Sideshow Bob before it smashes into the track, breaking it. Homer and the riders fly into a different part of the roller coaster track before the wrecking ball starts chasing them. Soon, the riders fly off the coaster and into the "Happy Little Elves in Panda Land" attraction with Bart and Lisa, where Bob takes control of an evil panda and sends the vehicles crashing through the attraction. The ride then flies off the attraction and enters "Captain Dinosaur's Pirate Rip-Off" with Homer and Marge. Sideshow Bob appears in a projection on the waterfall in the attraction and tells Homer to resist temptations inside. Homer grabs a barrel of beer in the ride which soon triggers a trap that causes them to exit out of the attraction and arrive at "Krusty's Wet and Smoky Stunt Show" where they are taken racing in circles while tied to a killer whale before Bob corners them at the attractions exit. Maggie, still giant-sized, appears and grabs and bangs him into the vehicle, which almost falls into Hell before it is saved by Professor Frink
Professor Frink
Professor John Nerdelbaum Frink, Jr., or simply Professor Frink, is a recurring character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Hank Azaria, and first appeared in the 1991 episode "Old Money". Frink is Springfield's nerdy scientist and professor and is extremely...
. Bob then steals Maggie's pacifier and tells her that she must destroy Springfield
Springfield (The Simpsons)
Springfield is the fictional town in which the American animated sitcom The Simpsons is set. A mid-sized town in an undetermined state of the United States, Springfield acts as a complete universe in which characters can explore the issues faced by modern society. The geography of the town and its...
to get it back. Riders then take a ride through Springfield before encountering Maggie again, who mistakes their car for a new pacifier, and sucks on them repeatedly, before spitting them out, catapulting them into the Simpsons' house
742 Evergreen Terrace
742 Evergreen Terrace is the fictional street address in Springfield of the Simpson family home in the animated television series, The Simpsons and in the feature film The Simpsons Movie. In the series the house is currently owned by Homer Simpson...
. The family is sitting on their couch when Kang and Kodos turns the house into Krusty's "Death Drop" ride. The riders are then dropped down from the sky, encountering various Simpsons characters along the way (The on-ride photo is taken here for the Orlando attraction). They land back at the entrance to Krustyland, where Bob prepares to kill them, before the couch the Simpsons are sitting on drops onto him. Maggie then appears and pushes down the Krusty head over the Simpsons. The vehicle is then calmly lowered back down to the ground while mist, fire, electricity and smoke effects spray, and Krusty appears on the TV screen in the loading room. For the Orlando attraction, Krusty is sitting in a control room and pushes an emergency button on the camera, causing the vehicle to vibrate, ending the ride. In the Hollywood version, Krusty is sitting in a control room and takes a picture of the guests (The on-ride photo is taken here for the Hollywood attraction). After the gullwing doors on the car lift up, guests exit the ride.
History
James L. Brooks
James Lawrence Brooks is an American director, producer and screenwriter. Growing up in North Bergen, New Jersey, Brooks endured a fractured family life and passed the time by reading and writing. After dropping out of New York University, he got a job as an usher at CBS, going on to write for the...
and Matt Groening
Matt Groening
Matthew Abram "Matt" Groening is an American cartoonist, screenwriter, and producer. He is the creator of the comic strip Life in Hell as well as two successful television series, The Simpsons and Futurama....
, as well as executive producer Al Jean
Al Jean
Al Jean is an award-winning American screenwriter and producer, best known for his work on The Simpsons. He was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan and graduated from Harvard University in 1981. Jean began his writing career in the 1980s with fellow Harvard alum Mike Reiss...
, collaborated with the Universal Studios creative team, Universal Creative
Universal Creative
Universal Creative is the research and development group responsible for designing rides and attractions for Universal Studios Theme Parks.It is Universal's equivalent of Walt Disney Imagineering. From 1968 until 1997, Universal Creative was known as MCA Planning and Development...
, to help develop the ride. Music for the ride was composed by Jim Dooley
James Dooley (composer)
James Michael Dooley is a film score composer. Dooley studied music at New York University, majoring in music composition. After finishing the university he moved to Los Angeles, where he studied music with prolific film score composers Christopher Young, Elmer Bernstein and Leonard Rosenman...
, who worked with composer Hans Zimmer
Hans Zimmer
Hans Florian Zimmer is a German film composer and music producer. He has composed music for over 100 films, including critically acclaimed film scores for The Lion King , Crimson Tide , The Thin Red Line , Gladiator , The Dark Knight and Inception .Zimmer spent the early part of his career in the...
on the feature film The Simpsons Movie
The Simpsons Movie
The Simpsons Movie is a 2007 American animated comedy film based on the animated television series The Simpsons. The film was directed by David Silverman, and stars the regular television cast of Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Tress...
. The ride is located at both Universal Studios Florida and Universal Studios Hollywood in the former Back to the Future: The Ride
Back to the Future: The Ride
Back to the Future: The Ride is a simulator ride based on and inspired by the Back to the Future trilogy and is a mini-sequel to 1990's Back to the Future Part III. In the United States, it was replaced by The Simpsons Ride...
buildings at both locations. The Back to the Future opened in Florida in 1991 and closed March 30, 2007, while the Hollywood version opened in 1993 and closed on September 3, 2007.
The construction began at Universal Studios Florida in May 2007, and the original concrete on the ground from Back to the Future: The Ride was dismantled and replaced by a red and blue ground holding trees and benches. The building was given a complete overhaul; the cars were changed and the mechanics system was updated. The construction began at Universal Studios Hollywood in mid-September 2007, with the disposal of the building's Back to the Future
Back to the Future
Back to the Future is a 1985 American science-fiction adventure film. It was directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale, produced by Steven Spielberg, and starred Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover and Thomas F. Wilson. The film tells the story of...
insignia. Outdoor painting on the building began in January 2008.
Ride mechanics
The six minute ride uses 80-foot IMAXIMAX
IMAX is a motion picture film format and a set of proprietary cinema projection standards created by the Canadian company IMAX Corporation. IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film systems...
screens and Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
Projectors. There are 24 ride cars, each seating eight people, and approximately 2000 people can ride it per hour. The projection system features new digital technology which makes the resolution four times better than most digital movie theatres. The video is projected onto two dome screens which are made of 416 panels (each 4 feet by two feet) and are approximately 80 feet tall and 85 feet wide. The projector itself uses a custom-made semi-circular fisheye lens
Fisheye lens
In photography, a fisheye lens is a wide-angle lens that takes in a broad, panoramic and hemispherical image. Originally developed for use in meteorology to study cloud formation and called "whole-sky lenses", fisheye lenses quickly became popular in general photography for their unique, distorted...
to project undistorted images and plays at a rate of 60 frames per second. In comparison, most feature films project at 24 frames per second. The animation in the ride uses computer generated
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
3D animation rendered by Blur Studio and Reel FX, rather than the traditional 2-D animation seen on The Simpsons and the queue and pre-show of the ride. The animation reference was provided by Film Roman
Film Roman
Film Roman is an animation studio founded by Phil Roman, best known for producing the animation for The Simpsons, King of the Hill for 20th Century Fox, as well as the Garfield and Peanuts animated TV specials....
, the animation studio that animates the series. Each car contains 12 speakers and a Dolby
Dolby Digital
Dolby Digital is the name for audio compression technologies developed by Dolby Laboratories. It was originally called Dolby Stereo Digital until 1994. Except for Dolby TrueHD, the audio compression is lossy. The first use of Dolby Digital was to provide digital sound in cinemas from 35mm film prints...
6.1 surround sound, while the domes contain an additional 90 speakers.
The Simpsons Ride uses new technology that cuts down on its energy consumption. According to Universal Studios, the ride is able to save over 55,000 watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s on average and 662,000 watt-hours per day. The ride includes over 2,500 LED
Light-emitting diode
A light-emitting diode is a semiconductor light source. LEDs are used as indicator lamps in many devices and are increasingly used for other lighting...
lights, the largest number in theme park history, which allows the ride to cut down on energy on lighting by almost one quarter when compared with incandescent lighting.
Voice cast
Pamela Hayden
Pamela Hayden is an American actress, best known for providing various voices for the animated television show The Simpsons.-Biography:...
, Russi Taylor
Russi Taylor
Russi Taylor is an American voice actress. She is the current voice actress of Disney's Minnie Mouse character. She has held this role since 1986, longer than any other voice actress...
and Kelsey Grammer
Kelsey Grammer
Allen Kelsey Grammer is an American actor and comedian. He is most widely known for his two-decade portrayal of psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the sitcoms Cheers and Frasier...
. Harry Shearer
Harry Shearer
Harry Julius Shearer is an American actor, comedian, writer, voice artist, musician, author, radio host and director. He is known for his long-running role on The Simpsons, his work on Saturday Night Live, the comedy band Spinal Tap and his radio program Le Show...
, however, decided not to participate in the ride, so none of his characters have vocal parts and many do not appear in the ride at all. In homage to the Back to the Future ride that it has replaced, The Simpsons Ride's queue video features a brief animated cameo from Doc Brown
Emmett Brown
Doctor Emmett Lathrop "Doc" Brown, Ph.D. is a fictional character and one of the lead characters in the Back to the Future film trilogy, in which he is the inventor of the first time machine, which he builds out of a DeLorean sports car...
who is voiced by Christopher Lloyd
Christopher Lloyd
Christopher Allen Lloyd is an American actor. He is best known for playing Emmett Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy, Uncle Fester in The Addams Family and Addams Family Values, and Judge Doom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. He played Reverend Jim Ignatowski in the television series Taxi and more...
.
- Nancy CartwrightNancy CartwrightNancy Campbell Cartwright is an American film and television actress, comedian and voice artist. She is best known for her long-running role as Bart Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons...
: Bart SimpsonBart SimpsonBartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by actress Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
, Maggie SimpsonMaggie SimpsonMargaret "Maggie" Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She first appeared on television in the Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Maggie was created and designed by cartoonist Matt Groening while he was waiting in the lobby of James...
, Nelson MuntzNelson MuntzNelson Mandela Muntz is a fictional character and bully from the animated TV series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Nancy Cartwright. Nelson was introduced in Season 1's "Bart the General" as a bully but later turned into a friend of Bart Simpson, who is best identified by his signature laugh .-Role...
, Ralph WiggumRalph WiggumRalph Wiggum is a recurring fictional character on the animated series The Simpsons, voiced by Nancy Cartwright. The son of Police Chief Wiggum and a classmate of Lisa Simpson, Ralph is best known as the show's resident oddball, and is noted for his non sequiturs and erratic behavior...
, and The Happy Little Elves - Dan CastellanetaDan CastellanetaDaniel Louis "Dan" Castellaneta is an American actor, voice actor, comedian, singer and screenwriter. Noted for his long-running role as Homer Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons, he voices many other characters on The Simpsons, including Abraham "Grampa" Simpson, Barney Gumble,...
: Homer SimpsonHomer SimpsonHomer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
, Krusty the Clown, Grampa SimpsonAbraham SimpsonAbraham J. "Abe" Simpson, often known simply as Grampa, is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and he is also the patriarch of the Simpson family, the father of Homer Simpson, and the grandfather of Bart, Lisa, and Maggie Simpson...
, Groundskeeper WillieGroundskeeper WillieWilliam McDougal, usually referred to as Groundskeeper Willie, is a recurring character on The Simpsons, voiced by Dan Castellaneta. He is head groundskeeper at Springfield Elementary School. Willie is a Scottish immigrant, almost feral in nature and immensely proud of his homeland...
, Squeaky Voiced Teen, Hans MolemanHans MolemanHans Moleman is a recurring character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta, and first appeared in the episode "Principal Charming". He normally appears in a running gag, where he usually suffers unfortunate, nearly fatal, events...
, Barney GumbleBarney GumbleBarnard "Barney" Gumble is a fictional character on the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. The character is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". He is the town drunk and Homer Simpson's best friend. His capacity for...
, Kodos, Repo man, and Mr. Freidman - Julie KavnerJulie KavnerJulie Deborah Kavner is an American film and television actress, comedian and voice artist. Noted for her role as Marge Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons, she also voices other characters for the show, including Jacqueline Bouvier, and Patty and Selma Bouvier.Born in Los...
: Marge SimpsonMarge SimpsonMarjorie "Marge" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the eponymous family. She is voiced by actress Julie Kavner and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
, Patty Bouvier and Selma Bouvier - Yeardley SmithYeardley SmithYeardley Smith is a French-born American actress, voice actress, writer and painter. She is best known for her long-running role as Lisa Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons....
: Lisa SimpsonLisa SimpsonLisa Marie Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She is the middle child of the Simpson family. Voiced by Yeardley Smith, Lisa first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Cartoonist Matt Groening... - Hank AzariaHank AzariaHenry Albert "Hank" Azaria is an American film, television and stage actor, director, voice actor, and comedian. He is noted for being one of the principal voice actors on the animated television series The Simpsons , on which he performs the voices of Moe Szyslak, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Chief...
: Chief Wiggum, Apu NahasapeemapetilonApu NahasapeemapetilonApu Nahasapeemapetilon is a character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Hank Azaria and first appeared in the episode "The Telltale Head". Apu is the proprietor of the Kwik-E-Mart, a popular convenience store in Springfield, and a friend of Homer Simpson. He is also...
, Moe SzyslakMoe SzyslakMomar / Morris "Moe" Szyslak is a fictional character in the American animated television series, The Simpsons. He is voiced by Hank Azaria and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire"...
, Professor FrinkProfessor FrinkProfessor John Nerdelbaum Frink, Jr., or simply Professor Frink, is a recurring character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Hank Azaria, and first appeared in the 1991 episode "Old Money". Frink is Springfield's nerdy scientist and professor and is extremely...
, Cletus SpucklerCletus SpucklerCletus Delroy Spuckler is a recurring character in the Fox animated series, The Simpsons, and is voiced by Hank Azaria. Cletus is Springfield's resident hillbilly stereotype. He is very messy and is usually portrayed wearing a white sleeveless shirt and pair of blue jeans.- Biography :Cletus was...
, Officer Lou, the Sarcarstic Man, Snake Jailbird and Pants-Off Johnson - Kelsey GrammerKelsey GrammerAllen Kelsey Grammer is an American actor and comedian. He is most widely known for his two-decade portrayal of psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the sitcoms Cheers and Frasier...
: Sideshow BobSideshow BobRobert Underdunk Terwilliger, better known as Sideshow Bob, is a recurring character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Kelsey Grammer and first appeared briefly in the episode "The Telltale Head". Bob is a self-proclaimed genius who is a graduate of Yale, a member of... - Pamela HaydenPamela HaydenPamela Hayden is an American actress, best known for providing various voices for the animated television show The Simpsons.-Biography:...
: Milhouse Van HoutenMilhouse Van HoutenMilhouse Mussolini Van Houten is a fictional character featured in the animated television series The Simpsons, voiced by Pamela Hayden. He is Bart Simpson's best friend in Mrs. Krabappel's fourth grade class at Springfield Elementary School.... - Russi TaylorRussi TaylorRussi Taylor is an American voice actress. She is the current voice actress of Disney's Minnie Mouse character. She has held this role since 1986, longer than any other voice actress...
: Martin PrinceMartin PrinceMartin Prince, Jr. is a recurring character in the Fox animated series, The Simpsons, and is voiced by Russi Taylor. Martin is Bart Simpson's classmate, and is Lisa Simpson's rival in intelligence, as well as Nelson Muntz's favorite target for bullying... - Christopher LloydChristopher LloydChristopher Allen Lloyd is an American actor. He is best known for playing Emmett Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy, Uncle Fester in The Addams Family and Addams Family Values, and Judge Doom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. He played Reverend Jim Ignatowski in the television series Taxi and more...
: Doc BrownEmmett BrownDoctor Emmett Lathrop "Doc" Brown, Ph.D. is a fictional character and one of the lead characters in the Back to the Future film trilogy, in which he is the inventor of the first time machine, which he builds out of a DeLorean sports car...
Other attractions
Kwik-E-Mart
The Kwik-E-Mart is a fictional chain of convenience stores in the animated television series The Simpsons. It is a parody of American convenience store chains, such as 7-Eleven and Circle K, and represents many myths and stereotypes of them. It is notorious for its high prices and the poor quality...
were built, replacing the Back To The Future: The Store gift shop at 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...
and the Time Depot gift shop at Universal Studios Hollywood
Universal Studios Hollywood
Universal Studios Hollywood is a movie studio and theme park in the unincorporated Universal City community of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is one of the oldest and most famous Hollywood movie studios still in use...
. The stores sell Simpsons-related merchandise. Carts were opened near the stores which sell Squishees, (which are The Simpsons
7-Eleven
7-Eleven is part of an international chain of convenience stores, operating under Seven-Eleven Japan Co. Ltd, which in turn is owned by Seven & I Holdings Co...
's Slurpee
Slurpee
A Slurpee is a flavored frozen drink sold by 7-Eleven. In 1967, 7-Eleven licensed the product from the ICEE Company, and began selling it as the Slurpee.-Slurpee history:Machines to make frozen beverages were invented by Omar Knedlik in the late 1950s...
s.)
Reception
The Simpsons Ride was well received by fans after it opened. Seth Kubersky of Orlando WeeklyOrlando Weekly
The Orlando Weekly is an alternative newsweekly distributed in the Greater Orlando area of Florida. It features local news, views, arts, entertainment, local music coverage, an events calendar and classifieds...
described the ride as "a more than worthy successor" to Back to the Future: The Ride
Back to the Future: The Ride
Back to the Future: The Ride is a simulator ride based on and inspired by the Back to the Future trilogy and is a mini-sequel to 1990's Back to the Future Part III. In the United States, it was replaced by The Simpsons Ride...
. Brady MacDonald of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
described the ride as "visually stunning" and said it "truly delivers — with loads of in-jokes and satire for serious fanatics and tons of thrills and fun for casual fans." Elise Thompson of the LAist said "the ride is a total blast, with plenty of laughs as well as thrills."
Jay Cridlin of the St. Petersburg Times
St. Petersburg Times
The St. Petersburg Times is a United States newspaper. It is one of two major publications serving the Tampa Bay Area, the other being The Tampa Tribune, which the Times tops in both circulation and readership. Based in St...
wrote that "the ride is packed with more original, funny material than you'd expect to see in a sitcom, much less a theme park." However, he admitted that the ride was "a little discombobulating".
The Universal Studios Florida version of the ride hosted its one millionth rider on July 14, 2008, reaching the milestone faster than any other attraction in the resort. The ride was named the best new attraction of 2008 by the website Themeparkinsider.com.
External links
- The Simpsons Ride at Universal Orlando ResortUniversal Orlando ResortUniversal Orlando Resort is a theme park resort in Orlando, Florida. It is wholly owned by NBCUniversal and its affiliates. The resort consists of two theme parks , Universal CityWalk , and three Loews Hotels...
- The Simpsons Ride at Universal Studios HollywoodUniversal Studios HollywoodUniversal Studios Hollywood is a movie studio and theme park in the unincorporated Universal City community of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is one of the oldest and most famous Hollywood movie studios still in use...