Welcome to the Back To the Future: The Ride section of my website. I love the Back To the Future movies, and when I heard in 1990 that there would be a ride at Universal Studios Florida based on the movies, I was excited. I first went to Universal in July of 1992. My first ride was on July 8, 1992, and the ride blew me away. Its always been my favorite. The $40 million ride, of the simulator variety, opened May 2, 1991 and is located in the lower right corner of the park, in the World Expo themed area of the park. The ride is housed in a large building, where there are two separate nearly idientical theaters, or "domes" (called "domes" due to the rounded nature of the screens). There are three levels in each dome, each housing a number of "8 passenger DeLorean" simulator cars. For each dome, the top level holds 4 cars, the middle level holds 5 cars, and the bottom level holds 3 cars. The ride's film, which lasts over four minutes, was made by Omnimax, and the attraction's ride system was manufactured by Intamin Corporation of Switzerland. The attraction stars Doctor Emmet L. Brown, played by Christopher Lloyd, Biff Tannen, played by Thomas F. Wilson, and Heather, played by Darlene Vogel (who played "Spike" in Back To the Future Part II).
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The building housing "Back To the Future: The Ride" at Universal Studios Florida.
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The ride's sign.
Before going inside the Institute of Future Technology, guests of the park, "time travel volunteers", wait in a queue area with TVs showing clips from the Back To the Future movies, as well as humorous clips of the characters, and an introduction to what is going on in the Institute of Future Technology, as their one minute trip into the future is being prepared. It seems that Doc has invented an eight passenger time machine DeLorean, an improvement over the original DeLorean, because it seats eight, and is a convertable. Doc's reasoning, since we know what the weather is going to be like in the future, why not travel to the sunny days? Once inside, guests are divided into groups of eight. There we find out that while Doc's assistants were doing an experiment in 1955 with the original DeLorean, Biff has stowed away and tied up Doc's assistants. He steals the keys, locks Doc in his office, and steals the DeLorean! Unable to get out of his office and chase him down in the 8-passenger DeLorean, Doc sends his volunteers out after him. But no need to worry about flying a time travelling DeLorean, Doc has a remote control. He also has the car hooked up to a sub-ether time tracking scanner to track down, and follow Biff. In order to return both cars safely to the present, the volunteers' car must "bump" Biff's while travelling at 88 MPH, creating a "time travel vortex", which sucks both vehicles and time traveller back to their original point of departure. A humorous film clip showing crash test dummies, gives safety tips to the volunteers before boarding.
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This is the first part of the queue to enter the Institute Of Future Technology.
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Almost inside, this the final part of the queue.
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In one of the laboratories, guests Watch Doc on a TV screen; Some reproductions of props from the movies can also be found there.
Once inside their car, guests take off, and follow Biff, first stop-Hill Valley, 2015! After some rough maneuvers in the skyway, Biff escapes a million years back in time, to the ice age. After the volunteers narrowly escape an avalanche, Biff escapes being "bumped" once again. But, the volunteers' engine conks out, and begins to fall to the ground, and just in time, the engine starts and hits 88 MPH, this time backwards, and follows Biff to the age of the dinosaurs. Biff tries to agaitate a T-Rex, but the dinosaur hits his car, landing on molten lava in a volcano. Trying to escape the T-Rex themselves, the 8-passenger DeLorean is swallowed! Luckily, he spits it out almost immediately, and Biff calls for help, his flux capaxcitor is out, due to the T-Rex's hit. They head toward a lavafall, and the volunteers' car "bumps" Biff's, creating a time vortex, and both vehicles head to the Institute Of Future Technology. Doc congratulates everyone and reminds them "the future is what you make it!"
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The 8 Passenger DeLorean, that's me inside!
Before even getting to the park, there are many signs for Universal Studios around the Orlando area. Up until the early 21st century, many of those signs advertised Back To the Future: The Ride, my favorite being the billboard displaying the BTTF ride with Doc, the sign seems to "pop out". Also, on the way from the parking garage to the park, there were signs depicting the ride. When you get to the ride, outside of the building lies the "Jules Verne Train", used at the conclusion of the third installment of the movie trilogy, along with a DeLorean, which is made up like the ones used in the movies. When the ride first opened, there was a cartoon series, continuing Marty and Doc's adventures, character cutouts were also displayed there at the time. Toyota sponsored the ride from 2002 through early 2004, and there was a silver Toyota on display in late 2002 and early 2003, jazzed up BTTF DeLorean style. During much of Toyota's sponsorship and for a while afterwards, the Pepsi Perfect sign in the ride film was changed to a Toyota sign, but was eventually changed back to the original footage of Pepsi Perfect after Toyota's sponsorship was dropped. One of Doc's assistants stands outside the queue area to describe to guests what is inside, and check guests of the 40 inch height requirement. Doc's assistants wear a shirt depecting trains, similar to the one Doc wore in much of the second movie. When inside the building, the first waiting area features flux capacitors, and other computer equipment on display. The laboratories where the final boarding instructions are given, show many reproductions of props of the movies, including hoverboards, photos, and notes. Outside of the ride is Back To the Future: The Store, housed in its own separate building, where many goodies can be found. My favorite place to shop! A Doc Brown character roams the park, usually riding a bicycle. Marty has also been known to make appearances, usually with Doc's old video camera from the '80's. Also, in a movie prop display elsewhere in the park, one could at one time find the cat statues used for the clock tower in the BTTF movies, and the clock used in BTTF Part III in 1885 was once found in the entrance queue for the Earthquake attraction. Universal Express, a virtual queue system was implimented at Back To the Future: The Ride in the early 2000's, and until late 2005, free Express passes were given out at machines near the time travel train. Back To the Future Hot Dogs is a snack stand across from the ride's building, where one can purchase hot dogs, chips and sodas.There are also 2 penny press machines, one inside and one outside Back To the Future: The Store. The one outside is more heavily themed and offeres 2 different BTTF deisgns (2 other non-BTTF designs as well). The one inside is less themed and offers one design.
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This is the billboard, displaying a 3D like effect.
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This is the sign you see on the way to the park from the parking garage.
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This is the Jules Verne train, and a DeLorean, on display.
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These are the character displays from the BTTF cartoon series, shown on CBS in the early 1990s.
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This is "Back To the Future: The Store", my favorite place to shop; Doc Brown.
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Cat statues used in Back To the Future; and the Toyota made up BTTF style in January 2003.
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The ride's Universal Express kiosks in February 2004; and the ride's height check sign in February 2004.
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Back To the Future Hot Dogs; Penny Press machine #1 (Inside the store); The top of Penny Press machine # 2 (outside the store).
During my 1994 trip to Universal with my family, while in another part of the park, we noticed the DeLorean taken out to be used for filming in the intro to a TV special, "GamePro PowerUp". We took some pictures, and we asked to be extras, we said "sure!" My family was to walk in the background while the car drove up, and Scott Decker begins to talk to the camera, saying that they will be previewing some new video games. He then walks inside the park's arcade. It was a neat experience. My sister took pictures of us.
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Getting ready for our big scene in GamePro PowerUp.
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Scott Decker, during the filming of the scene.
One day in 1999 I rode the ride so many times, the workers gave me an unofficial tour of the ride. They showed me how the doors and cars work, an out of service car being worked on, the control tower, what a theater looks like with the lights on (only one theater was being used at the time, because it was a slow time of day during the off season), and showed me what the theater looks like while the film and cars are moving! It was very cool! They also gave me an outdated Universal name tag (not my name, but cool anyway).
My trip to Universal in January 2000, was also very unique. During the first of my two days at the park, I was next in line for the ride, when the power of the ride shut off for a milisecond. The ride had to be reset, which would take about ten minutes, so I waited in the car, and the film took a test run, with the cars not moving, Definitely a different experience. The next day at the park I got to have my picture taken with the Doc Brown character who roams the park, which was also very cool.
During my 2002 visit, for one ride, everything started off normal, the simulator car went up out of the garage as usual, but did not simulate movement, just sat there while the film ran. About a third of the way through, the operator returned the car to a landing position. The rest of the cars continued as normal, while our car was aborted. Our group was brought to another car for the following preshow and ride. Another unique experience!
In May 2004, I was riding and the entire theater's cars stopped about 2/3 of the way through. The film stopped, as well, but the audio and the tv screens in the cars continuted to ride's end. About five minutes later, the cars lowered one by one and we were placed back onto the ride in the opposite theater.
In August 2006, I was riding and about midway through the dinosaur scene our car stopped and was lowered into the garage. The ride for our car was cut short due to the fact that the workers were not sure if a guest in our car was okay (they could see her through the cameras holding her neck). She was okay though, and let us reride.
The layout of the cars/garages in the ride building, when looked at from the front entrance:
NORTH DOME----------SOUTH DOME
9N--10N--11N--12N----------12S--11S--10S--9S
4N--5N--6N--7N--8N----------8S--7S--6S--5S--4S
1N-----2N-----3N----------3S-----2S-----1S
As you can see, car 6 (either dome) is typically considered the "best seat in the house" vehicle. It sits in the center of the middle level of the dome.
A duplicate of the ride opened June 4, 1993 at Universal Studios Hollywood in California, and a third opened at Universal Japan on March 31, 2001. In June of 2002, I visited Universal Studios Hollywood for the first time, and was able to ride their Back To the Future: The Ride. In California, the ride building is set up in a somewhat different shape and style, and has a slightly different queue pre show. They have a DeLorean and Biff's 1946 Ford car on display. Also unique to the park is Doc Brown's Fancy Fried Chicken, an eatery near the ride, and a snack stand called "Snack To the Future". The park's famous backlot tram Studio Tour ride passes through the Hill Valley Town Square set (unfortunately closed for filming the day I went), and the Lyon Estate entrance to Marty's housing development in the BTTF movies.
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The building housing Back To the Future: The Ride at Universal Studios Hollywood.
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Biff's 1946 Ford, used in Back To the Future and Back To the Future Part II.
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Universal Studios Hollywood's backlot, focusing on the Back To the Future Town Square, seen from the platform of the top of the large escalators connecting the sections of the park. Notice the Clock Tower toward the top of the picture, slightly to the right.
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The Lyon Estates prop used in the Back To the Future movies.
Universal Studios Florida:
1992: 8
1993: 8
1994: 11
1999: 107
2000: 13
2001: 8
2002: 17 (+1)*
2003: 8
2004: 181 (+1)**
2005: 92
2006: 1,627 (+1)***
2007: 567
LIFETIME (USF): 2,647 (+1)* (+1)** (+1)***
Universal Studios Hollywood:
2002: 4
2007: 40
LIFETIME (USH): 44
LIFETIME (USF & USH): 2,691 (+1)* (+1)** (+1)***
* +1 refers to the partial ride listed in the "More Unique Moments" section, in which the simulator rose, but did not move, and our ride was aborted about 1/2 of the way through.
**+1 refers to the ride listed in the "More Unique Moments" section, in which the ride stopped about 2/3 through, but the audio and tv screens continuted.
***+1 refers to the ride listed in the "More Unique Moments" section, in which the ride was stopped early to check on one of the guests who appeared to not be doing well in our car.
LOCATION: Universal Studios Florida, Universal Orlando, Orlando, Florida
RIDE TYPE: Simulator
FILM MANUFACTURER: Omnimax
RIDE MANUFACTURER: Intamin Corporation
OPENING DATE: May 2, 1991
CAPACITY: 2 domes; for each dome there is 3 levels, 3 cars on level 1, 5 cars on level 2, 4 cars on level 3; 8 passengers per car.
COST TO BUILD: $40,000,000 U.S.
DURATION OF RIDE: Approximately 4 minutes, 15 seconds
DESCRIPTION: This simulator type ride is the best of its kind. Doc Brown takes guests of the Institute Of Future Technology on a wild chase through time after Biff Tannen, who has stolen Doc's time machine. Luckily, Doc's newest invention, an 8-passenger convertible DeLorean time machine is waiting for a test run, which can be used to catch Biff.
