History Ride / UniversalStudios

* '''[=PortAventura=]''': A theme park resort located near Tarragona in Catalonia, Spain. Universal purchased a plurality of the park's shares in 1998, rebranding the park as Universal's Port Aventura. In 2002, the park expanded into a wider resort dubbed Universal Mediterranea, but this would only last until 2004 when Universal sold their shares to the Criteria company. The resort, now known as [=PortAventura=] World, continues to operate as a major European tourism destination to this day. Although Universal no longer runs the resort, there are currently still several remnants of its ownership in place, such as the resort's continued use of WesternAnimation/WoodyWoodpecker (via a licensing deal).

As previously stated, a good number of attractions at Universal parks tend to feature franchises licensed from other media companies, and not from Universal's library. The most common license Universal had was for Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} characters, as the park was the home to the production facility Nickelodeon Studios. Although the facilities closed in 2005, Universal continues to possess the rights to select Nickelodeon characters (''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' and ''WesternAnimation/DoraTheExplorer'') at the parks in both California and Florida. Other licensees include Creator/DrSeuss characters, Creator/MarvelComics (in Florida only; Japan also applied until 2024), Creator/KingFeaturesSyndicate, Creator/{{Nintendo}}, and Creator/{{Sanrio}}. Creator/DreamWorksAnimation and Creator/JayWard Productions (whose Bullwinkle Studios venture partner Classic Media was absorbed by [=DreamWorks=] in 2012) used to be licensees, but after Comcast bought out [=DreamWorks=] Animation in 2016, Universal now owns the DWA licensees outright. While Ward Productions continued to license their characters to Universal thanks to an existing deal that was in effect since 1991.[[note]]There are [=DreamWorks=] attractions in other amusement parks, such as at Motiongate Dubai and the American Dream mall in New Jersey, that still exist due to licensing deals that occurred prior to the buyout.[[/note]]

As previously stated, a good number of attractions at Universal parks tend to feature franchises licensed from other media companies, and not from Universal's library. The most common license Universal had was for Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} characters, as the park was the home to the production facility Nickelodeon Studios. Although the facilities closed in 2005, Universal continues to possess the rights to select Nickelodeon characters (''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' and ''WesternAnimation/DoraTheExplorer'') at the parks in both California and Florida. Other licensees include Creator/DrSeuss characters, Creator/MarvelComics (in Florida and Japan only), Creator/KingFeaturesSyndicate, Creator/{{Nintendo}}, and Creator/{{Sanrio}}. Creator/DreamWorksAnimation and Creator/JayWard Productions (whose Bullwinkle Studios venture partner Classic Media was absorbed by [=DreamWorks=] in 2012) used to be licensees, but after Comcast bought out [=DreamWorks=] Animation in 2016, Universal now owns the DWA licensees outright. While Ward Productions continued to license their characters to Universal thanks to an existing deal that was in effect since 1991.[[note]]There are [=DreamWorks=] attractions in other amusement parks, such as at Motiongate Dubai and the American Dream mall in New Jersey, that still exist due to licensing deals that occurred prior to the buyout.[[/note]]

** The entirety of Woody Woodpecker's [=KidZone=], until the announcement of its closure in January 2023. While the attractions still drew decent crowds, most of the characters the attractions were based on became unrecognizable to the target audience over the course of 20 years. ''Ride/ETAdventure'' is the lone exception, due to its ties to the park's history and the fact that ''[[Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial E.T.]]'' is a certified classic family film on a par with ''Film/TheWizardOfOz''. Beyond that, ''WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTail'' has become more obscure over the years, the ''Franchise/CuriousGeorge'' franchise never exactly became a huge hit for Universal, and WesternAnimation/WoodyWoodpecker only lives as the park mascot these days. Up until its closure, very little of it was removed, with the only major additions to the area since the '90s being a store themed to ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' (replacing the former store themed to the animations of Creator/WalterLantz) and a temporary Creator/DreamworksAnimation meet and greet area replacing ''A Day in the Park with Series/{{Barney|AndFriends}}'' (the latter of which lasted until ''2020'').

** ''[[Series/BarneyAndFriends A Day in the Park with Barney]]'' featured Mr. Peek-A-Boo, a live character created exclusively for the attraction. However, Mr. Peek-A-Boo did manage to appear in a few Barney books not long after the attraction's opening. Come the late '90s, Barney's dialogue, "I'm so glad Mr. Peek-A-Boo made sure you all got here!", had the name shortened to just "[[GenderBlenderName Peek-A-Boo]]," allowing for actresses to portray the character as well.

* ChristmasEpisode: In addition to the various Christmas events at the Orlando parks, ''[[Series/BarneyAndFriends A Day in the Park with Barney]]'' and ''Film/TheBluesBrothers Show'' get seasonal revamps featuring various holiday songs.

** '''Universal Epic Universe'''[[note]]Initially announced as '''Universal's Epic Universe''', also with a possessive "'s" after "Universal"; the planned official name was changed in 2023[[/note]]: The third theme park of Universal Orlando (fourth counting Volcano Bay, which Universal does), located some miles south of the main resort area. It is currently slated to open in the Summer of 2025. In 2024, it would be confirmed that the new park would include one original section, ''Celestial Park'', themed as a cosmic port-of-call to four other worlds: ''Ride/TheWizardingWorldOfHarryPotter: Ministry of Magic'', ''Film/DarkUniverse'', ''Franchise/HowToTrainYourDragon: Isle of Berk'', and the Orlando port of ''Ride/SuperNintendoWorld''.

** '''Universal Epic Universe'''[[note]]Initially announced as '''Universal's Epic Universe''', also with a possessive "'s" after "Universal"; the planned official name was changed in 2023[[/note]]: The third theme park of Universal Orlando (fourth counting Volcano Bay, which Universal does), located some miles south of the main resort area. It is currently slated to open in the Summer of 2025. The Orlando port of ''Ride/SuperNintendoWorld'' will be located here. In 2024, it would be confirmed that the new park would include one original section, ''Celestial Park'', themed as a cosmic port-of-call to four other worlds: ''Ride/TheWizardingWorldOfHarryPotter: Ministry of Magic'', ''Film/DarkUniverse'', ''Franchise/HowToTrainYourDragon: Isle of Berk'', and ''Ride/SuperNintendoWorld''.

** '''Universal Epic Universe'''[[note]]Initially announced as '''Universal's Epic Universe''', also with a possessive "'s" after "Universal"; the planned official name was changed in 2023[[/note]]: The third theme park of Universal Orlando (fourth counting Volcano Bay, which Universal does), located some miles south of the main resort area. It is currently slated to open in the Summer of 2025. The Orlando port of ''Ride/SuperNintendoWorld'' will be located here, and it is an OpenSecret that the park will also feature brand new lands based on ''Franchise/UniversalHorror'', ''Film/FantasticBeasts'' and ''Franchise/HowToTrainYourDragon''.

* ''Ride/TheAmazingAdventuresOfSpiderMan'' ('''Islands of Adventure''', '''Japan''')

** Florida's New York area has a hidden alleyway that you can walk through, providing some nice intimate theming. At Universal Studios Japan, the alleyway is used as a Franchise/SpiderMan-themed photo-op.

* '''Wet 'n Wild Orlando''': A water park that opened on March 13, 1977, founded by Ride/SeaWorld creator George Millay, and considered the [[TropeMaker first modern water park]]. Universal acquired the lease for the park in 1998, and in 2013 they purchased all of the land surrounding the location. The park was permanently closed on December 31, 2016, and its former site is now the location of a hotel called Universal's Endless Summer Resort, which opened in summer of 2019. Volcano Bay, which was built closer to the resort, is the water park's SpiritualSuccessor.

* '''[=PortAventura=]''': A theme park resort located in Spain that Universal purchased the shares for in 1997 and eventually rebranded as Universal Mediterranea for a time. They sold their shares for the resort in 2004 to the Criteria company, who continue to run it to this day. Although Universal no longer runs the resort, there are currently still several remnants of its ownership in place, such as the resort's continued use of WesternAnimation/WoodyWoodpecker (via a licensing deal).

-->-- '''WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd''' describing attractions in the early years of Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Studios Florida during his review of the 2001 ''Universal Studios Theme Park Adventure'' LicensedGame for UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube

* '''Universal Studios Japan''': Universal's first park outside the U.S., it opened on March 31, 2001 with another [=CityWalk=]. It follows a very similar layout to Universal Studios Florida, but has some unique-to-Japan attractions based on such properties as ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'', ''Series/SesameStreet'', and ''Franchise/HelloKitty''. For a long time, the park was not fully owned by Universal (though they were of course involved in its development); instead, the park was owned by a multitude of different companies, most notably Goldman Sachs. That all changed in 2017 when Comcast acquired all of the park's shares, giving them full ownership. The park is by far the most successful of all the Universal resorts, having attracted 14.3 million visitors in 2018 [[note]]In comparison, Universal Studios Florida only attracted 10.7 million visitors that same year[[/note]], which makes it the fifth most-attended theme park in the world and the #1 most-attended non-Disney park in the world.

* '''Universal Kids Resort''': Universal's first theme park in Texas and the third location in North America. In contrast to the Californian and Floridian parks, the park is planned to be small in size and is specifically aimed towards families with younger children unlike the other Universal parks, which are aimed at all ages. The park is also planned to be joined by a 300-room hotel. No opening timeframe has been set, though the terms of the land purchase indicate that it is expected to be open by 2027.

** '''Universal Epic Universe'''[[note]]Initially announced as '''Universal's Epic Universe''', also with a possessive "'s" after "Universal"; the planned official name was changed in 2023[[/note]]: The third theme park of Universal Orlando (fourth counting Volcano Bay, which Universal does), located some miles south of the main resort area. It is currently slated to open in 2024 or 2025. The Orlando port of ''Ride/SuperNintendoWorld'' will be located here, and it is an OpenSecret that the park will also feature brand new lands based on ''Franchise/UniversalHorror'', ''Film/FantasticBeasts'' and ''Franchise/HowToTrainYourDragon''.

* '''Unnamed Frisco, Texas park''': Universal's first theme park in Texas and the third location in North America. In contrast to the Californian and Floridian parks, the park is planned to be small in size and is specifically aimed towards families with younger children unlike the other Universal parks, which are aimed at all ages. The park is also planned to be joined by a 300-room hotel. No opening timeframe has been set, though the terms of the land purchase indicate that it is expected to be open by 2027.

** '''Universal Epic Universe'''[[note]]Initially announced as '''Universal's Epic Universe''', also with a possessive "'s" after "Universal"; the planned official name was changed in 2023[[/note]]: The third theme park of Universal Orlando (fourth counting Volcano Bay, which Universal does), located some miles south of the main resort area. It is currently slated to open in 2024 or 2025. Details are scarce, but it is known that the Orlando port of ''Ride/SuperNintendoWorld'' will be located here.

** The ''Franchise/{{Transformers}} Metrobase'' in Beijing, being an expanded version of ''Ride/TransformersTheRide'', is predominantly based on the ''Film/TransformersFilmSeries''. However, it does feature a few elements from other ''Transformers'' continuities. These include Windblade as a walk-around character and a {{Defictionalization}} of Swerve's Bar from ''ComicBook/MoreThanMeetsTheEye'', both of which are from Creator/IDWPublishing's [[ComicBook/HasbroComicUniverse G1 continuity]].

* Cool Japan (Japan): An event held during the first half of the year that features rotating attractions based on domestic franchises and properties, such as ''Franchise/SailorMoon'', ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'', ''Manga/CaseClosed'', ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'', ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'', and ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}''.

* PaletteSwap: Several of the rides at the Universal parks feature identical track layouts and ride vehicle systems, differing only in the theming and decoration. ''Ride/TransformersTheRide'' is one to ''Ride/TheAmazingAdventuresOfSpiderMan'', and was expressly made so that Hollywood could have a counterpart to the ride without infringing on Disney's purchase of Marvel; ''Ride/FastAndFuriousSupercharged'' is one to ''Ride/SkullIslandReignOfKong'', which are both based on the Studio Tour trams from the Hollywood park.

\\
Note that this has started to be [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]] in recent years, as the parks have gradually started learning from each other in certain areas. Case in point: Universal Studios now has ''Ride/TheWizardingWorldOfHarryPotter'' and ''Ride/SuperNintendoWorld'', which are the sort of painstakingly detailed immersive attractions that Disney is better known for; and with ''Ride/PandoraTheWorldOfAvatar'' and ''Ride/StarWarsGalaxysEdge'', Disney parks have shown a new willingness to embrace properties outside Disney's traditional oeuvre.[[note]] While there were ''Star Wars'' attractions at Disney parks before Disney bought the rights to the franchise (due to Creator/GeorgeLucas feeling that only Disney could do it justice), they were confined to a relatively small area of the park, and were never really treated as a primary draw until after Universal's success with ''Harry Potter'' prompted Disney to step up their game.[[/note]]

Aside from this, they have also licensed individual franchises to base attractions upon: examples include the aforementioned ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' franchise, ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'', ''Franchise/TheSimpsons'', ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'' (in Japan only), ''Franchise/SesameStreet'' (in Japan and Singapore only), and ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' (in Japan only). There were also former attractions based on ''Film/{{Beetlejuice}}'', ''Franchise/{{Ghostbusters}}'', ''Series/BarneyAndFriends'', ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}'', ''Series/ILoveLucy'', ''Film/{{Twister}}'', and Creator/HannaBarbera cartoons[[note]]which were licensed to Universal prior to 1996, when Time Warner acquired the rights as part of their purchase of Turner Broadcasting System[[/note]]; some of these properties (in the latter case, only ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo'') are still licensed to the park for meet-and-greets and merchandise.

* PunchPunchPunchUhOh: Sage, the host of the ''Film/{{Waterworld}}'' stunt show does this to TheHeavy of the The Deacon's raiding party.

-->-- '''WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd''' describing attractions in the early years of Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Studios Florida during his review of the ''Universal Studios Theme Park Adventure''[[note]]Released in Japan as ''Universal Studios Japan Adventure''[[/note]] LicensedGame for UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube

** Marvel Super Hero Island at Islands of Adventure, as explained in [[http://themeparkuniversity.com/editorial/will-disney-world-add-marvel-attractions/ this article]]. Even after Disney bought Creator/MarvelComics and its [[Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse associated film studio]], Universal's contract with Marvel [[GrandfatherClause gave them the exclusive rights in perpetuity]] to use the Marvel characters in parks east of the Mississippi (i.e. in Orlando), as long as they used them in good faith and didn't misrepresent them. This means that Universal will likely never add any new attractions to the area, as this would give free promotion to one of Universal's competitors as a film studio, but they'll never close any of them down either, lest they risk the rights reverting to their proper owner, who happen to also be their direct theme park rival. A side effect is that the area is themed after the comics as they existed in the late '90s, rather than the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which has come to define Marvel in popular culture far more than the comics -- though the 2016 refurbishment of ''Ride/TheIncredibleHulkCoaster'' does take aesthetic inspiration from the live-action films.[[note]]Disney has found legal loopholes to add Marvel material in Walt Disney World; they can't use Spider-Man, the Hulk, the Avengers, the X-Men, or the Fantastic Four, but they can freely use the Guardians of the Galaxy and Doctor Strange, both of whom were not implicated in Universal's contract, as long as they don't brand them with "Marvel's" in the title.[[/note]]

* AscendedExtra: Several characters in the parks originally made their debut as walkaround characters, but later received their own attractions due to their popularity. Examples include ''Franchise/{{Shrek}}'', ''Film/{{Beetlejuice}}'', ''Franchise/{{Nicktoons}}'', and ''ComicStrip/{{Popeye}}''.

Note that this has started to be [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]] in recent years, as the parks have gradually started learning from each other in certain areas. Case in point: Universal Studios now has ''Ride/TheWizardingWorldOfHarryPotter'', which is the sort of painstakingly detailed immersive attraction that Disney is better known for; and with ''Ride/PandoraTheWorldOfAvatar'' and ''Ride/StarWarsGalaxysEdge'', Disney parks have shown a new willingness to embrace properties outside Disney's traditional oeuvre.[[note]] While there were ''Star Wars'' attractions at Disney parks before Disney bought the rights to the franchise (due to Creator/GeorgeLucas feeling that only Disney could do it justice), they were confined to a relatively small area of the park, and were never really treated as a primary draw until after Universal's success with ''Harry Potter'' prompted Disney to step up their game.[[/note]]

** The New York area at the Universal parks in Florida and Japan has a [[http://static.panoramio.com/photos/large/77737597.jpg statue]] and [[http://janetong.com/image_gallery/data/p1490306best.jpg plaque]] of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lew_Wasserman Lew R. Wasserman]], a Hollywood executive that made a tremendous impact on MCA-Universal, doing things such as putting the marketing for ''Film/{{Jaws}}'' into full-force, which helped make the movie a massive success and in turn began the blockbuster genre. Among many other things, he also served as a producer for films like ''Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'', ''Film/BackToTheFuture'', and ''Film/JurassicPark''.

* RecycledSoundtrack: The music loop for the entrance to all the Universal Studios parks consists entirely of various movie soundtracks. Florida's for instance uses music from movies like ''Film/BackToTheFuture'', ''Film/LiarLiar'', ''Film/{{Beetlejuice}}'', ''Film/Apollo13'', ''Film/{{Casper}}'', and more obscure picks like ''Film/TheMusketeer''.

* ''Ride/Terminator23DBattleAcrossTime'' (Hollywood, Florida, '''Japan''')

* LongTitle:
** ''Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure''
** At Seuss Landing, the ''The High In The Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride!''. Even worse, it was originally going to be called ''Sylvester [=McMonkey=] [=McBean=]'s Very Unusual Driving Machines''.
** ''Universal's Horror Make-Up Show'' was for a while called, ''The Gory, Gruesome and Grotesque Horror Make-Up Show''.
** ''Universal Cinematic Spectacular: 100 Years of Movie Memories'', a former nighttime show at the Florida park.
** ''Ride/RaceThroughNewYorkStarringJimmyFallon''
** The [=CityWalk=] restaurant, ''The Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen''.

* OddlyNamedSequel2ElectricBoogaloo: Universal Studios Japan has a nighttime Christmas show that's titled, ''The Gift of Angels III: The Voice of an Angel''. Also overlaps with LongTitle.

* ''Theatre/PoseidonsFury'' ('''Islands of Adventure''')