Universal Studios: A New Way Of Looking At Movies

One of the many appeals of California is its blinding lights and the megawatt stars that reside near the city. So if you want to feel like a movie star or at least be surrounded by them, then why not consider going to the place where the biggest film and television studio in the world can be found – The Universal Studios.

At present, Universal Studios has now produced blockbuster movies such as Jurassic Park and E.T. the Extraterrestrial (both of which holds the record for being the highest grossing movies of all time); films that define an era such as Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club and even critically acclaimed motion pictures with the likes of Schindler’s List and Cinderella Man.

In 1912 when construction of the studio first began, founder Carl Laemmie, a German immigrant, did not know that the former chicken farm would then grow into one of the most successful studios not just in America but in the whole world.

With the success that Universal Studios has reaped in creating movies, its next step was to offer tours around the location where movies were currently being filmed. With a twenty-five cent entrance fee, the tour came with not just a visit to the studio but also a serving of packed lunch for every visitor. The tour became a novel idea and was successful for a while but not without its problems and complications. Since the people involved in the creation of the film found the tourists a hindrance and too distracting, the tours were cancelled and were not offered to the public for some time.

Nevertheless, with the people’s constant fascination with the world of movie making as well as its stars, the same tour format was resurrected when Music Association of America (MCA) took over Universal Studios in 1962 as a move for the studio to gain more profits.

A simple tour of the studio back then would include dressing room walkthroughs, a peek at the production site where a movie was being produced and a tram in which guests ride unto as a tour guide narrates the on goings in their surroundings. Soon after, staged events were added into the tour to attract more people and to keep the visitors’ interest at its peek.

Who would have thought that the plain tours being offered inside the studio (where even produce was sold afterwards because of the used-to-be chicken farm setting of the studio) ballooned into what the current Universal Studios is now – a theme park inspired by the movies produced and filmed by the movie outfit.

Universal Studio Information

As of present, aside from the usual walk-ins and meet and greets that the tour offers, the Universal Studios also has a hotel where guests from different states and countries can check in, different multi-screen theaters, a variety of shops and restaurants and the Gibson Amphitheatre, which is a popular concert and show venue for different artists and events.

Rides and attractions based from the movies made popular and produced by Universal Studios then completes the revamped and reformatted studio tour.

One of the studio’s popular rides is called Shrek 4-D in which guests can enter the world of the movie Shrek. The attraction revolves around the story that took part right after the film, Shrek. In Shrek 4-D, the soul of Lord Farquaad returns from the dead and kidnaps Princess Fiona. It is then up to Shrek and Donkey to rescue her as the visitors also take part in the journey. Guests are seated in movable seats in which they move and feel the movements of the characters.

Similar movie and television show themed rides such as Revenge of the Mummy (from The Mummy Movies), Fear Factor Live! (from the television show Fear Factor), Back to the Future: The Ride, Animal Planet Live!, The Blues Brothers and Terminator 2: 3-D Battle Across time can also be found inside the studio.

For other guests who still want to partake in a traditional movie studio tour and would want to do without the thrill of amusement rides, the studio also offers an exhibit of the sets of the movies Psycho and War of the Worlds.

So whether you are movie buff or someone who just wants to experience being inside a movie, then what better way to spend your day than to go to Universal Studios? With just a 10-minute drive from downtown Los Angeles, you can be sure of a hassle-free day inside the movies. Or a movie studio at the least. 

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