The 60th Anniversary celebration of the Studio Tour at Universal Studios Hollywood officially begins on April 26th, but today, Annual Passholders were welcomed for an earlier preview, including shopping and food and beverage opportunities. But at the heart of the celebration is the attraction that started it all. Who could’ve imagined in 1964 that an entire theme park would grow out of this experience? As part of the preview, our own Jeremiah Good got to experience some of the throwback enhancements to the Studio Tour, including new photo ops and a refresh of the classic “Earthquake” section.
One of the must-see parts of the tour is a restored candy-striped GlamorTram vehicle. Some of the current trams have also been repainted in this vintage style from 1964, when the attraction first opened.
The Bates Motel and Bates Mansion from Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 horror classic Psycho has been a staple of the Studio Tour since it first opened. Back then, the tram stopped here, and Guests had the chance to get out and look around. For the 60th anniversary, the tram is once again stopping, and the Bates Motel has a vacancy. Any volunteers?
Look out for Norman Bates!!!
Around the corner are more photo ops that celebrate the Studio Tour’s history, starting with King Kong and Jaws.
The newest addition to the Studio Tour, Fast & Furious – Supercharged, includes a photo op with some screen-used vehicles from the franchise.
Additional throwback photo ops can be unlocked by scanning QR codes in the park.
One of the longest-running experiences on the Studio Tour is “Earthquake – The Big One,” first introduced in 1989. Since its opening, the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station has remained in the past. With the anniversary, Universal has taken the opportunity to update the experience to 2024. The entire experience has been freshly restored with new colors, plus props that include electric bikes indicating that we’ve finally time-traveled to the present.
Check out our video of the refreshed Earthquake experience here.
More throwback experiences are included on the 60th Anniversary Studio Tour. Smoke once again billows from “The Runaway Train” (it doesn’t move towards the tram, though), which was part of the tour from 1974 to 1985. The anniversary tour also honors former experiences with video recalls of past moments, like “The Collapsing Bridge,” which was also added in 1974 and ceased operation in 2010.
This enhanced 60th Anniversary version of the Studio Tour will be running through August 11th at Universal Studios Hollywood.
no obligation quote from MouseFanTravel.com