Back to the Future: The Ride – Universal’s Incredible Foray into Time Travel
“Wait a minute, Doc. Are you telling me you built a time machine…out of a DeLorean?”
Marty mcfly, Back to the Future
Doc Brown and Marty McFly first whisked audiences through time in 1985, and folks were invited to join in on their time-turning adventures just a few years later, thanks to Back to the Future: The Ride at Universal Studios.
A mini-continuation of Back to the Future III, Back to the Future: The Ride felt truly integrated into the franchise, and with simulation and special effects, passengers did, too!
Although Doc has since relocated his lab and time-traveling experiments are no longer done on Universal Orlando Resort property, we want to head back to the past and remember what it was like to climb aboard a DeLorean and find ourselves hundreds of years from home.
Flux capacitor ready…revving up to 88 miles per hour…
Blast From the Past
“Great Scott!”
Doc brown, Back to the future
The Back to the Future ride was highly anticipated, even before Universal Studios Orlando opened! The idea for the ride was unveiled in 1989, a year prior to the park’s opening. Back to the Future: The Ride was meant to be an opening day attraction, but time travel is a tricky thing, so it actually opened in May 1991, after several months of “technical rehearsal.”1 (“Technical rehearsal” meant guests were able to ride it as a sort of test run before the grand opening!)
The ride was worth the wait, as it became a fan favorite and is still fondly remembered today. In fact, after its success in Florida, Doc Brown opened time-travel labs in Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Studios Japan!
After 16 years of wildly popular experiments, the Florida lab was shut down to make way for a new attraction – The Simpsons Ride. Sadly, both Hollywood and Japan eventually followed suit, putting an end to public time transportation.
Thankfully, here at MouseEars TV, we still do a little time traveling ourselves – not with a DeLorean, but with a mixture of memory, words, and at least 1.21 jigawatts. Come on, let’s go!
The Past – and the Future – is Now!
Marty: Doc, we’re not going to have enough road to get up to 88.
Doc: Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.
back to the future
We’ve arrived at Universal Studios circa 1995, so we can enjoy the Back to the Future ride once more! Just be careful not to alter the timeline…
Now, the setup for this ride really was fantastic, wasn’t it? With all of the pre-show videos, you got totally immersed in a fun storyline, and the wait didn’t feel quite so long. (But maybe that’s just the result of time traveling.) And, of course, we always love to see Christopher Lloyd hamming it up as the loveably eccentric Doc Brown!
During the pre-show videos, you were welcomed to the Institute of Future Technology as volunteer time travelers. Doc Brown explained your mission and the safety rules, as well as his new 8-seater DeLorean. However, while Doc was explaining things, the security cameras showed antagonist Biff Tannen skulking around the corridors (and calling people “buttheads”).
As usual, Biff was up to no good, and he straight up stole one of the DeLoreans and zoomed off into the future…or the past. Even worse, he locked Doc up in his office! Desperate to keep Biff from altering the future, Doc pleaded with you to take the other DeLorean and go after him. If you could just bump Biff’s car while going 88 miles per hour, it would cause you both to snap back to your present time continuum. (You know, timey-wimey, wibbly-wobbly stuff!)
The urgency in Doc’s voice lead you to board the stylish time machine, which he could steer via remote control. A monitor in the ride vehicle alternately showed Doc’s encouraging face or Biff’s taunting one, as each one shouted instructions or insults at you, respectively.
Originally planned as a roller coaster, the Back to the Future ride ultimately became a simulation ride, which allowed for better storytelling along with the thrills. The DeLorean(s) were parked in front of an enormous IMAX screen and, attached to pistons, the car would rise, fall, and tilt to match the on-screen motion. Other effects like wind, water, and smoke made it a super cool 4D experience!
The on-screen adventure took you to the future – the far out 2015 (LOL!) – and back to the ice age, the depths of a fiery volcano, and even into the jaws of a T. Rex! (Back to the Future meets Jurassic Park?? Best. Crossover. Ever!)
You pursued Biff tirelessly through each era until finally managing the 88-mile-per-hour bump back to the present. Biff was duly contained by security while Doc rejoiced at your success. You saved the future!
And with that, I suppose we had better return home to our own 2022 timeline…
Rumors of the Future
“Your future is whatever you make it, so make it a good one!”
Doc Brown, Back to the future III
Although the Institute of Future Technology is no longer part of Universal Studios Orlando, Doc’s presence hasn’t been forgotten.
In homage to Back to the Future: The Ride, the queue of The Simpsons Ride features a video in which an animated Doc Brown (voiced by Christopher Lloyd) is seeking a loan to save the Institute of Future Technology. After the banker is crushed by a DeLorean flown by Professor Fink, Doc Brown laments that he’ll have to sell out to “that mercenary clown” (aka Krusty).2
But what if Doc decided to alter the future, to change his fate, and save his wonderful Institute?
Is the Back to the Future ride coming back to Universal Studios Florida, you may ask. Well, there is no confirmation as of yet, but rumors have been circulating about the possibility of a new ride for 2024. With nostalgic merch from Jaws, E.T., and Back to the Future recently cropping up in the Universal Tribute Store, it seems that both fans and manufacturers might be ready to bring back an old favorite!3
Fan theories range from Back to the Future to Ghostbusters to something else entirely coming to Universal Studios in 2024.
Right now, it’s impossible for us to know what Universal is making of their future, but if they decide to re-institute a Back to the Future ride, we think they’ll be making it a good one!
Did you get to experience Back to the Future: The Ride? We’d love to hear about your memories of the ride! Oh, and tell us your predictions on whether or not it will make a comeback in the comments below!
See you in the future!
Cover Image
Photo: Unsplash
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