Springfield (Universal Theme Parks)

Last updated
Springfield
Theme The Simpsons
Universal Studios Florida
StatusOperating
OpenedJune 1, 2013
Replaced Back to the Future: The Ride
Universal Studios Hollywood
StatusOperating
OpenedMay 23, 2015
Replaced Back to the Future: The Ride

Springfield is a chain of themed areas at Universal theme parks in Florida and Hollywood, based on the town of the same name from the long-hit American television animated sitcom, The Simpsons .

Contents

History

On September 7, 2006, Universal Studios Florida announced that Back to the Future: The Ride would be closed around Spring 2007, while Universal Studios Hollywood announced on July 23, 2007 for the closure of its version on September 3, 2007. [1] On March 30, 2007, Universal Studios Florida officially closed the ride for good, while Universal Studios Hollywood closed its version exactly on September 3, 2007. On April 24, 2007, Universal Parks & Resorts announced that a new replacement would be built at both Universal parks based on the long-running animated television show, The Simpsons . In October 2007, Kwik-E-Mart-themed merchandise shops opened at both Florida and Hollywood and began selling a variety of items including Squishees (which are The Simpsons' parody of 7-Eleven's Slurpees). [2] The Simpsons Ride opened at both Florida and Hollywood on May 15 and 19, 2008 respectively. [3] [4]

In 2012, Universal Studios Florida closed the International Food and Film Festival which was adjacent to The Simpsons Ride. The park later announced that they would be opening Springfield in Summer 2013. Fast Food Boulevard, which encompasses Krusty Burger, Moe's Tavern, The Frying Dutchman, Cletus' Chicken Shack, Flaming Moe's, Lisa's Teahouse Of Horror, and Luigi's Pizza, opened as the first phase of the expansion on June 1, 2013. [5] [6] A second phase consisting of Lard Lad Donuts, Duff Gardens, Phineas Q. Butterfat's, and Bumblebee Man's Taco Truck, opened on August 2, 2013, while the last item Kang & Kodos' Twirl 'n' Hurl attraction opened on August 11. [7] On May 13, 2015, Universal Studios Hollywood opened its similar version with a special "meltdown" of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant display behind signaling the grand opening, complete with fireworks.

Springfield was dedicated in Universal Studios Hollywood on May 13, 2015 with a special "meltdown" at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant signaling the grand opening, complete with fireworks. [8] On hand for the event were the show's executive producer Al Jean and voice actors Nancy Cartwright (Bart Simpson), Yeardley Smith (Lisa Simpson) and Joe Mantegna (Fat Tony). [9] Springfield replaced various eateries including Doc Brown's Chicken with new food venues, including the Kwik-E-Mart, Moe's Tavern, [10] Duff Brewery, [10] Krusty Burger, [10] Luigi's Pizza, [10] Bumblebee Man's Taco Truck, [10] Cletus' Chicken Shack, [10] Phineas Q. Butterfat's Ice Cream Parlor, [10] and Lard Lad Donuts. [10]

On December 14, 2017, The Walt Disney Company (NBCUniversal's major theme park rival) announced it was intending to acquire 21st Century Fox, which included the film and TV studios of 20th Century Fox. At the cost of $71.3 billion in cash and stock, the deal was fully completed on March 20, 2019, and Fox became a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios. [11] Among the 21st Century Fox's assets, this gave Disney access to The Simpsons intellectual property, leaving many fans to question the future of the Springfield areas at the Universal theme parks, as Disney Parks, Experiences and Products would incorporate Fox properties in its parks. Universal issued a statement the same day the Disney/Fox deal was announced in 2017, which stated, "Today's headlines will have no impact on our ride or our guest experience." [12]

Parks

Universal Studios Florida

As of August 11, 2013 Springfield consists of two attractions:

The area also features fast-food outlets, including Krusty Burger outlet, Lard Lad Donuts, Duff Gardens, Moe's Tavern, The Frying Dutchman, and a Cletus' Chicken Shack that replaced the International Food Festival dining location.

Universal Studios Hollywood

At Universal Studios Hollywood's Springfield area, it opened on May 23, 2015. As with its Florida counterpart, it features The Simpsons Ride simulator attraction and fast-food outlets, including Krusty Burger outlet, Lard Lad Donuts, Duff Gardens, Moe's Tavern, The Frying Dutchman, and a Cletus' Chicken Shack. The new area replaced many classic eateries including Doc Brown's Chicken, Flintstones Bar-B-Q and several others. [16] Other Springfield locations featured include Springfield Elementary School, [10] The Kwik-E-Mart, The Android's Dungeon, [10] Aztec Theater, [10] Springfield Penitentiary, [17] Herman's Military Antiques, [17] and the Springfield Police Department. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Krusty the Clown</span> Fictional character from The Simpsons franchise

Herschel Shmoikel Pinchas Yerucham Krustofsky, better known by his stage name Krusty the Clown, is a recurring character on the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta. He is the long-time clown host of Bart and Lisa Simpson's favorite TV show, a variety show consisting of various kid-friendly sketches and cartoons, most notably The Itchy & Scratchy Show. Despite his cheery onscreen persona, Krusty is actually a cynical, burnt-out, addiction-riddled smoker who is made miserable by show business but continues on anyway. He has become one of the most frequently occurring characters outside the main Simpson family and has been the focus of many episodes, some of which also feature Sideshow Bob.

Springfield (<i>The Simpsons</i>) Fictional city in animated TV sitcom The Simpsons

Springfield is the primary fictional setting of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons and related media. It is an average-sized, fictional city within an unknown state in the United States. The fictional city's geography, surroundings, and layout are flexible, often changing to accommodate the plot of any given episode.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kwik-E-Mart</span> Fictional shop in the television series The Simpsons

The Kwik-E-Mart is a convenience store in the animated television series The Simpsons. It is a parody of American convenience stores, such as 7-Eleven and Cumberland Farms, and depicts many of the stereotypes about them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Universal Orlando</span> Resort in Orlando, Florida

Universal Orlando Resort, often shortened to Universal Orlando, is a 541-acre (219 ha) theme park and entertainment resort complex located in Orlando, Florida. Following the opening of Universal Studios Florida in 1990, NBCUniversal moved forward with plans to expand from a single park into a large resort hoping to compete with Walt Disney World. In 1999, a second theme park called Universal Islands of Adventure opened in addition to Universal CityWalk, a shopping promenade and nightlife district that incorporates a variety of themed hotels, restaurants, and retail outlets. A third park, 30-acre (12 ha) water park Universal Volcano Bay, was added in 2017, and a fourth theme park, Universal Epic Universe, is scheduled to open in 2025.

<i>Songs in the Key of Springfield</i> 1997 soundtrack album by The Simpsons

Songs in the Key of Springfield is a soundtrack/novelty album from The Simpsons compiling many of the musical numbers from the series. The album was released in the United States on March 18, 1997, and in the United Kingdom in June 1997. This was the second album released in association with the Simpsons television series; however, the previous release, The Simpsons Sing the Blues, contained original recordings as opposed to songs featured in episodes of the series.

"Treehouse of Horror VI" is the sixth episode of the seventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the sixth episode in the Treehouse of Horror series. It first aired on Fox in the United States on October 29, 1995, and contains three self-contained segments. In "Attack of the 50-Foot Eyesores", an ionic storm brings Springfield's oversized advertisements and billboards to life and they begin attacking the town. The second segment, "Nightmare on Evergreen Terrace", is a parody of the A Nightmare on Elm Street film series, in which Groundskeeper Willie attacks schoolchildren in their sleep. In the third and final segment, "Homer3", Homer finds himself trapped in a three-dimensional world, Earth. It was inspired by the 1962 The Twilight Zone episode "Little Girl Lost". The episode was written by John Swartzwelder, Steve Tompkins, and David X. Cohen and was directed by Bob Anderson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Universal Islands of Adventure</span> Theme park in the United States

Universal Islands of Adventure, originally called Universal Studios Islands of Adventure and later Universal's Islands of Adventure, is a theme park located in Orlando, Florida. It opened on May 28, 1999, along with CityWalk, as part of an expansion that converted Universal Studios Florida into the Universal Orlando Resort. The resort's slogan Vacation Like You Mean It was introduced in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Universal Studios Hollywood</span> Film studio and theme park in the US

Universal Studios Hollywood is a film studio and theme park in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles County, California. About 70% of the studio lies within the unincorporated county island known as Universal City while the rest lies within the city limits of Los Angeles, California. It is one of the oldest and most famous Hollywood film studios still in use. Its official marketing headline is "The Entertainment Capital of LA". It was initially created to offer tours of the real Universal Studios sets and is the first of many full-fledged Universal Studios theme park resorts located across the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Universal Studios Florida</span> Theme park in the United States

Universal Studios Florida is a theme park located in Orlando, Florida, that opened on June 7, 1990. Owned and operated by NBCUniversal, it features numerous rides, attractions, and live shows that are primarily themed to movies, television, and other aspects of the entertainment industry. Universal Studios Florida was the first of three theme parks to open at Universal Orlando Resort, joined later by Universal Islands of Adventure in 1999, and Universal Volcano Bay in 2017. In 2019, it ranked eleventh in the world – sixth in North America – for overall attendance among amusement parks with approximately 10.9 million visitors. A fourth park, Universal Epic Universe, is expected in 2025.

<i>Back to the Future: The Ride</i> Defunct theme park ride

Back to the Future: The Ride was a simulator ride located at several Universal Destinations & Experiences locations. The first installation opened on May 2, 1991, at the World Expo area of Universal Studios Florida in Orlando, Florida. A second installation opened on June 12, 1993, in the Hollywood Lot area of Universal Studios Hollywood in Universal City, California. A third installation opened on March 31, 2001, in the San Francisco area of Universal Studios Japan in Osaka, Japan. Based on the Back to the Future franchise, the ride is a first person adventure that takes place after the events depicted in Back to the Future Part III. Riders engage in a race through time in pursuit of Biff Tannen, who has stolen the DeLorean time machine.

<i>The Simpsons</i> Ride Attraction at Universal theme parks

The Simpsons Ride is a motion simulator ride located in the Springfield areas of both Universal Studios Florida and Universal Studios Hollywood. Based on the animated television series The Simpsons, the ride was announced in 2007 as a replacement for Back to the Future: The Ride at both parks. It first opened at Universal Studios Florida on May 15, 2008, and then a few days later at Universal Studios Hollywood on May 19, 2008. The producers of The Simpsons contributed to the design of the ride, which uses CGI animation, also worked on the ride's 2D animation. At the time of its opening, the ride featured state-of-the-art projection and hydraulic technology.

<i>The Simpsons</i> (franchise) American animated comedy franchise

The Simpsons is an American animated comedy franchise whose eponymous family consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. The Simpsons were created by cartoonist Matt Groening for a series of animated shorts that debuted on The Tracey Ullman Show on Fox on April 19, 1987. After a three-season run, the sketch was developed into The Simpsons, a half-hour prime time show that was an early hit for Fox, becoming the first Fox series to land in the Top 30 ratings in a season (1989–1990). The popularity of The Simpsons has made it a billion-dollar merchandising and media franchise. Alongside the television series, the characters of the show have been featured in a variety of media, including books, comic books, a magazine, musical releases, and video games.

This article details the appearance of Harry Potter theming in amusement parks. In the late 1990s, Universal Destinations & Experiences began discussing the possibility of purchasing the license for Harry Potter to create and theme amusement park rides. As Time Warner owns the license, a small walkthrough attraction was constructed at Warner Bros. Movie World called the Harry Potter Movie Magic Experience in 2001. This attraction was removed two years later. In 2010, Universal Islands of Adventure park opened The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Similar attractions have also opened in Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Japan and Universal Studios Beijing.

<i>The Wizarding World of Harry Potter</i> Harry Potter-themed land at Universal theme parks

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is a chain of themed areas at Universal Destinations & Experiences based on the Harry Potter media franchise, adapting elements from the Warner Bros.' film series and original novels by J. K. Rowling. The areas were designed by Universal Creative from an exclusive license with Warner Bros. Entertainment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Universal Express Pass</span> Priority boarding system for attractions

Universal Express Pass is a priority status boarding system used at various Universal Destinations & Experiences: Universal Orlando, Universal Studios Japan, Universal Studios Singapore, and Universal Studios Hollywood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thierry Coup</span> French creative director

Thierry Jean-Andre Coup is the Chief Experiential Futurist at JOCOUP Creative. Coup began his career working in the film industry, performing set design and visual effects. He moved into theme park design in the early 1990s when Walt Disney Parks and Resorts offered him a position with Walt Disney Imagineering. In 1995, he transferred over to Universal Creative and led projects such as The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Transformers: The Ride, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley and Super Nintendo World.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kang & Kodos' Twirl 'n' Hurl</span> Ride at Universal Studios Florida

Kang & Kodos' Twirl 'n' Hurl is a theme park attraction at Universal Studios Florida, which opened on August 11, 2013. The ride is based on The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror specials.

References

  1. ↑ "Back to the Future: The Ride". theStudioTour.com. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  2. ↑ Bevil, Dewayne (October 26, 2007). "Simpsons' Kwik-E-Mart gets the Universal seal of Apu-val". Orlando Sentinel . Retrieved August 4, 2013.
  3. ↑ "The Simpsons Ride (Universal Studios Florida)". Parkz. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
  4. ↑ "The Simpsons Ride (Universal Studios Hollywood)". Parkz. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
  5. ↑ Carchidi, Jim (June 4, 2013). "See inside: Springfield's Fast Food Boulevard". Orlando Business Journal. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
  6. ↑ "Springfield comes to Orlando". Park World Magazine: 6. July 2013.
  7. ↑ "The Simpsons Springfield expansion". Orlando Informer. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
  8. ↑ "The Simpsons Springfield Grand Opening at Universal Studios Hollywood". Archived from the original on 2016-07-01. Retrieved 2015-05-22– via www.youtube.com.
  9. ↑ Riley, Jenelle (May 13, 2015). "Springfield Comes to Universal Studios Hollywood with New 'Simpsons' Environment". Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 ""SPRINGFIELD" IS NOW OPEN AT UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOLLYWOOD | NBCUniversal". Archived from the original on 2015-05-19. Retrieved 2015-05-22.
  11. ↑ "Securities and Exchange Commission Filing – Form 8-K Filing". Securities and Exchange Commission. March 20, 2019. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  12. ↑ Martin, Hugo (December 15, 2017). "What would Disney theme parks do with Fox properties like 'X-Men' and 'Simpsons'?". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  13. ↑ Walt Belcher (May 2, 2008). "Woo Hoo! Itchy For Fun? Ride With The Simpsons". The Tampa Tribune . Retrieved August 4, 2013.
  14. ↑ "The Simpsons Ride". Universal Studios Orlando. Archived from the original on February 3, 2008. Retrieved February 16, 2008.
  15. ↑ "Kang & Kodos' Twirl 'n' Hurl (Universal Studios Florida)". Parkz. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
  16. ↑ Springfield U.S.A. opens in Hollywood, April 8, 2015
  17. 1 2 3 Sciretta, Peter (May 13, 2015). "Simpsons Springfield Grand Opening Photos: Universal Hollywood". SlashFilm.com. Archived from the original on October 11, 2021. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.