Twister...Ride it Out

infobox Universal ride

name=Twister...Ride It Out
park=Universal Studios Florida
logo=Logo-twister.gif

---

land=New York
theme=Twister
status=Open
opened=May 4, 1998
host="Pre-Show: Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt
duration=12Fact|date=August 2008
custom_label_1=Parental Rating
custom_value_1=PG-13
custom_label_2=Previous Attractions
custom_value_2=Ghostbusters Spooktacular (1990-1996)

"Twister... Ride It Out" is a special effects simulation attraction located at Universal Studios Florida, based on the 1996 film "Twister". It was announced in 1997 and replaced the Ghostbusters Spooktacular attraction in the New York area of the park. The attraction stars Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt as themselves.

Ride Summary

Queue

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

Pre-Show

As guests walk into the "Twister" filming center", "Twister" stars Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt appear on a video screen to talk about their experiences filming the movie. Guests next walk into a new room which is a model of Aunt Meg's damaged house after the twister. As guests walk into the kitchen, televisions are seen impaled into the wall, as if by tremendous force. Paxton and Hunt appear on the TVs and talk about what is ahead. Guests are finally led onto a set resembling the drive-in theater scene in the movie.

Main Show

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

Ride history and development

To accurately simulate a tornado, Universal Parks & Resorts entered talks with tornado meteorologists to discover the actual sights, sound, and feel of the experience. Universal originally planned to open the attraction in March, 1998; however, in the weeks just preceding, several large tornados occurred in central Florida, killing many people [cite web
url=http://www.tornadoproject.com/past/pastts98.htm
author=The Tornado Project
title="US Killer Tornadoes of 1998"
accessdate=2008-09-08] . Due to this [citenews|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9904E7DB123BF934A35755C0A96E958260|title=Virtual Twisters Are Swirling in Orlando|publisher=New York Times|date=June 7, 1998|author=Author Unknown|website=] http://www.newyorktimes.com] |accessdate=2008-09-14] , the opening was delayed until May 4, 1998.

Future

In 2010, Twister... Ride it Out will open in Universal Studios Singapore.Fact|date=August 2008

References

External links

*imdb title|0186643