Do you ever fantasize about wanting to go somewhere else? Do you ever travel somewhere mainly just to go to an amusement park like Orlando, Anaheim, or even Santa Clarita? Well yes, most amusement parks are in Florida or California. California especially has a LOT of them. But what’s cool is that we actually have our own amusement park right here in the San Fernando Valley since Universal City is still considered part of the Valley.
We have Universal Studios Hollywood. Literally one of the biggest entertainment capitals in America. Florida has one too in Orlando and yes theirs is way bigger, but ours is still iconic in its own way. I mean seriously… how many places can actually say they have their own movie studio theme park?
Universal Studios has been around forever. The studio tour originally opened to the public in 1915 and then Universal Studios Hollywood officially became a theme park in 1964. Ever since then, it’s basically become one of the most famous attractions in Southern California.
What makes Universal different from places like Disneyland or Six Flags Magic Mountain is that it’s kind of in the middle. It’s not FULL of giant roller coasters everywhere like Magic Mountain, but it also isn’t fully built around fantasy lands like Disneyland. Universal is more movie-and-TV themed and honestly that’s exactly why I love it so much.
They have around 20 attractions and some shows too. One of the oldest shows still there is WaterWorld and honestly that stunt show still goes hard after all these years. Universal used to have way more shows though. They used to have the Blues Brothers show which was literally one of my favorites growing up. They also had the old Animal Planet Live! show which is now turning into the new Fast & Furious roller coaster they’re building near the escalators on the Upper Lot. Honestly it does look pretty cool though. They also use to have The Special Effects Show that was located at the lower lot from 1980-2010 then relacted to the upperlot in 2010-2023. It closed permantly for the new Fast & Furious ride as well but that show was the best!
The Upper Lot now has the tram ride, The Simpsons Ride, Secret Life of Pets, the Despicable Me area, the DreamWorks theater, and of course the whole The Wizarding World of Harry Potter area. The also had Backdraft down in the lower lot from 1992-2011. Transformer took over . They had the Terminator and Shrek 4D which were both taken over as well. Terminator closed in 2012, Shrek 4-D closed in 2017.
Then downstairs — after going down what feels like 500 escalators lol — you have Jurassic World, The Mummy, Transformers, and Super Nintendo World.
I’ve gone on the Mario Kart ride twice now and honestly it’s pretty fun. But the one thing that really has barely changed down there for the last two decades is The Mummy. I still remember when that ride first opened and the wait was like two hours long for a ride that lasts maybe two minutes. My grandpa literally fell asleep in line once lol.
Jurassic Park becoming Jurassic World honestly didn’t bother me much because it still basically feels like Jurassic Park. It still has the same vibe and feeling which I appreciate. I’m also not the biggest fan of the Transformers ride because it gives me motion sickness every single time.
Still though, the Lower Lot is probably my favorite part of the park besides the tram ride.
Now the tram ride? THAT’S where the nostalgia really hits.
The tram ride still feels the most like old school Universal Studios Hollywood to me. You get the movie sets, the studio history, Bates Motel, the old Hollywood feeling, all of that. They unfortunately removed Whoville though which honestly made me sad because I loved seeing that during the holidays. Now it’s replaced with a bunch of old movie cars and props near Bates Motel. I guess some things do have to change eventually but still… it hurts a little lol.
Now here’s where my rant starts.
Listen. I LOVE Universal Studios Hollywood. I literally have a Silver Pass. I’ve been going there for over 22 plus years of my life. But lately I feel like Universal is slowly losing part of what made it special.
I keep hearing rumors that The Simpsons Ride might leave around 2027 and get replaced by Pokémon. I’m sorry but Pokémon would make absolutely NO sense there.
Universal Studios is supposed to mainly be a MOVIE and TELEVISION theme park. That’s literally what made it iconic. But lately it feels like they’re slowly turning it into some giant overrated franchise park.
Yeah I said it.
What I mean is they keep adding these giant franchise lands like Harry Potter, Nintendo, and now maybe Pokémon even though some of those aren’t even Universal properties originally. Harry Potter belongs to Warner Bros. for example, yet it became one of the biggest parts of the park.
That whole area used to be the old Nickelodeon and Curious George water play area. And yes adults loved it too, not just kids.
I grew up at Universal. Like literally GREW UP there. So seeing all these changes happening feels personal to longtime fans like me.
And honestly it’s not even that I hate all the changes. Some of them actually make sense. Transformers makes sense because it’s tied to Universal. Fast & Furious makes sense too even if I think it’s overrated. Jurassic World, The Mummy, Despicable Me, Secret Life of Pets — all of those fit the movie studio vibe.
But Pokémon? Nintendo? Even Harry Potter honestly? It starts making the park feel less like classic Hollywood movie magic and more like a random collection of giant franchises.
That’s what frustrates me.
I feel like they’re slowly getting rid of the movie and TV nostalgia for longtime fans and replacing it with whatever big franchise is trendy right now.
Even The Simpsons Ride feels nostalgic now because it’s been there so long. But before that? We had Back to the Future: The Ride and THAT was peak Universal nostalgia. Back to the Future is one of the most iconic Universal movies ever and honestly deserves way more love from newer generations.
Another thing that makes Universal special is Universal CityWalk Hollywood. CityWalk still has restaurants, shops, and the movie theater and honestly it still mostly feels the same thankfully.
We still have places like Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. and Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville and now they’re even adding Malibu Brewing Company there too.
But I’m STILL mad they removed Hard Rock Cafe. That giant guitar outside was iconic. SO many people grew up going there with family and friends. Replacing it with Toothsome Chocolate Emporium still doesn’t sit right with me honestly.
Universal also does seasonal events like Halloween Horror Nights and Grinchmas.
Halloween Horror Nights honestly brings in HUGE money for Universal because people absolutely love the mazes and scare actors. I’ve been going since 2012. I love the spooky vibes, the fog, the lighting, the jump scares, Halloween season in general, and the fact the park stays open till after midnight. It’s honestly one of the best Halloween traditions in Southern California.
Then there’s Grinchmas which goes from after Thanksgiving into early January. I’ve been going since 2009 and I love it because How the Grinch Stole Christmas is literally one of my favorite Christmas movies ever. I’m talking about the live-action version directed by Ron Howard starring Jim Carrey. That movie is honestly a masterpiece in my opinion.
At the end of the day though, I still love Universal Studios Hollywood. I always will. Growing up going there for over two decades just makes all these changes hit differently. I think a lot of Valley people and Southern Californians probably understand exactly what I mean.
No matter how much changes, the tram ride will always feel like home to me.
valleygurlwrites 
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