The next big attraction at Universal Orlando may be opening a bit sooner than we thought. The Universal Orlando Blog shared a story today announcing that the Jurassic World VelociCoaster will be opening in “just a few months” and an announcement will be coming soon.
- The main focus of the blog post was an interview with Universal Creative Show Producer Shelby Honea and Jurassic World VelociCoaster Art Director Greg Hall.
- The two talked about just what makes VelociCoaster different from an ordinary coaster:
- Hall: “Everything is there for a reason. The whole team made sure that every element makes the whole experience better for the guest. Whether it’s upping the safety or the storyline — everything about this ride has multiple purposes..”
- Honea: “The challenge of taking a coaster and elevating it to meet the immersive levels that Islands of Adventure demands was such a compelling challenge to me,” Shelby says. “Jurassic World’s involvement was the spark for me to really know that this was going to be so much more than ‘just a coaster.’”
- Hall and Honea even met with Jurassic Park director Steven Spielberg to discuss the project:
- Hall: “We were nervous, of course. But then the doors open and Steven Spielberg says, ‘Hello, old friends’ and there is literally a light behind him that looks like an aura. You can’t make that up. I’ve been working with his intellectual properties for a while, but this was my first time really talking and sitting down with him.”
- Hall: “There was this moment when we were going through everything. And he says, ‘Stop; is that really what the ride vehicle is going to look like?’ And so we pause and I look at Shelby, back at him and say ‘Yes, that’s what it looks like.’ And then he goes, ‘I absolutely love it! It looks so modern.’ Shelby and I both took a big sigh.”
- The post eventually notes that we have “just a few months” before the opening of the Jurassic World VelociCoaster and goes on to say that an announcement is coming soon.
- There was no previously-announced opening date for the new attraction, but we did know it was planned to open in Summer 2021. Now though, it seems as though it may welcome guests a bit sooner than we thought.
About VelociCoaster:
- Designed for speed and engineered for the hunt, the coaster’s revolutionary ride vehicle will send riders twisting and soaring across 4,700 feet of track as they encounter near-misses, launches, 12 heart-pounding seconds of airtime and more – with just a lap bar restraint holding them in place.
- The new ride will raise the bar in extreme roller coaster design and become the ultimate experience for thrill-seekers – catapulting guests up to 70 mph and more than 150 feet in the air as they feel the rush of the hunt alongside a swift pack of Velociraptors.
Jurassic World VelociCoaster Ride Synopsis:
- “Step into Jurassic Park and stand in awe and wonder at a land transformed by science after 65 million years. But don’t be deceived by the island’s beauty because danger lurks behind every corner. Only here can you live the adventure of coming face to face with giant creatures of the Earth’s past, encounter raptors roaming every day, or take a daring raft expedition through jungles teeming with dinosaurs.''
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