Earlier today, it was announced that Posiedon’s Fury, a unique attraction at Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure Theme Park, would be closing permanently. As a fan of unique experiences, and especially original non-IP based attractions, this is truly heartbreaking.
Let’s back up. Despite the full developmental history of the second park at what came to be the Universal Orlando resort (see also: Cartoon World), the powers that be landed on a concept that brought literary worlds to life. Marvel for the rich comic universe of that brand (pre-Disney), Toon Lagoon with comic strips and characters commonly found in daily newspapers, the world of Dr. Seuss and his books came to life in Seuss Landing, Jurassic Park (the park land, when opened, was based more on the book than the 1993 film. Fight me), and myths and legends like Sindbad and Merlin, et al. in The Lost Continent.
Divided into three sections, The Lost Continent was made up of Merlinwood, a medieval forest that served as the home of Dueling Dragons and the Flying Unicorn, as well as some highly themed carnival games as though you were in a faire of the era. Sindbad’s Bazaar, which hosted the park’s stunt show, The Eighth Voyage of Sindbad, and a nearby mythical fountain that interacts with guests. And finally, there was the Lost City, which celebrates Grecian legends in a small area that consisted of a full-service restaurant and a massive attraction that took up most of the space and dominated the park’s skyline (at the time), Poseidon’s Fury: Escape from the Lost City.
Nothing in the land was tied to a major film or television series, nothing was officially branded outside of the known stories and legends that many are taught in school. That said, the design team at Universal Creative had (essentially) a blank slate to work with in which to retell the stories. And what they came up with for the tale of Poseidon was something truly unique to behold.
In 1999, I resided on the West Coast, and my only taste of what this new park next to Universal Studios Florida would contain was thanks to marketing and a documentary-ish special that aired on the USA Network. Called Total Immersion: Theme Park for the 21st Century, the special showed off a lot of behind the scenes information about the new park, Island by Island, and their large scale attractions. While I loved the information presented about The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, even in my younger age I thought, “okay, this is the next phase of the Indiana Jones Adventure.” What really captured my attention was the focus on Posiedon’s Fury. It was nothing like I’d ever seen before or since. I sat there thinking, “Wait, so you walk through it?” or “It’s like Fantasmic, in a room?”
Then they showed the water vortex. Enthralling on its own to see, it was made even better when a lead designer said “If you can imagine a washing machine and expanding it to 18 feet in diameter and 40 feet long,” suddenly this was THEE attraction I needed to visit if I ever made it to Universal’s Islands of Adventure. They showed mock-ups, the turning on of the water to fire around the tube at 100 MPH, and the nozzle manifolds that no other person my age at the time would find so exciting. Immediately, I found myself trying to figure out how to build one in my backyard.
The special goes on to showcase more of the features, showing the rain screens that the film would be projected upon, the rolling cartouche that would push aside for guests to access the vortex, and the special “teleportation” effects that were unique for the time but have since been replicated at too many attractions to make them anything special. Looking at you Flight of Passage and Cosmic Rewind.
Fortunately, I was smart enough to record the special on a blank VHS tape. But whenever it got to the portion about the Water Vortex, the tape would show obvious signs of wear from my constant rewind to see this thing again and again, and see how it worked. The special also showcases the computer animation of Poseidon himself (at the time) and the battle of Zeus and how the different in-theater effects were synced. I couldn’t wait to see how it played out in person.
Tragically, my first visit to Islands of Adventure was in 2006. At this time, Poseidon’s Fury had already been reworked and that early version of the story was now gone in favor of a new one that featured the Greek God fighting against an evil entity, Lord Darkenon. Gone was much of what I had seen (and memorized) in the special. But one thing still happened – the rolling of the cartouche to be able to walk through the water vortex. Immediately, I heard that designer again, echoing in my head. “Imagine a washing machine…” I was finally seeing it, and it was amazing. At long last, I walked through the 40 foot long, 18 foot wide washing machine, and I loved it.
While I am now a resident in Central Florida and frequent Universal Orlando often, I still make it a point every now and then to head into the Temple of Poseidon. Simply for the water vortex. Yes, avid park guests will recall a time when the vortex was removed for budgetary reasons, but it returned (thanks, Harry!). I can honestly say that after I discovered that it was missing, I didn’t revisit the temple until I knew it had come back.
Now, with today’s news, I apparently need to squeeze in as many visits as I can before May 9th, when that water vortex is powered down for good, along with the rest of the attraction. The neighboring theater that once was home to The Eighth Voyage of Sindbad has been shuttered for quite some time, so who knows what will be coming. I promise you this, it won’t be anything as unique as Poseidon’s Fury was. Even attraction attendants there had a hard time describing it. “Multimedia Spectacular” or “Walk-Through Special Effects Show” or even “Kind of a Haunted House” have all been used.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m on my way to Lowe’s Home Improvement. Hopefully they have a washing machine that is 18 feet wide and 40 feet long.