History Ride / UniversalStudios

** '''Universal's Islands of Adventure''': Opened on May 28, 1999, along with a [=CityWalk=] and a massive parking structure. It opened with five islands (''[[Creator/MarvelComics Marvel Superhero Island]]'', ''Toon Lagoon'', ''Franchise/JurassicPark'', ''The Lost Continent'', and ''[[Creator/DrSeuss Seuss Landing]]''), each featuring some of the most technologically advanced rides ever built, including the award-winning ''Ride/TheAmazingAdventuresOfSpiderMan''. On June 18, 2010, a sixth island, ''Ride/TheWizardingWorldOfHarryPotter'' (which replaced most of The Lost Continent), opened to tons of excitement from both fanbases and proved so popular that it was expanded into the Studio park in 2014, with the Hogwarts Express connecting the two parks. (The Islands section encompasses the Hogwarts and Hogsmeade locales, while the Studio section features Diagon Alley.) A seventh island later opened in 2016, themed around [[Film/KingKong2005 King Kong]]'s Skull Island.
** '''Universal's Volcano Bay''': A water park that opened on May 25, 2017, and considered by Universal to be their "third" park. It is centered around a large volcano called "Krakatau", and is notably the only Universal park to not feature any sort of intellectual properties.
** '''Universal's Epic Universe''': 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.

* '''Universal Studios Singapore''': Universal's second venture into Asia still keeps the studios theme, but tries to feel like Islands of Adventure. It opened within Resorts World Sentosa on May 28, 2011 after over a year of soft openings. Similar to what used to be the case for Universal Studios Japan, the entire park itself is not fully owned by Universal; it is instead owned by the Genting Group.

** Relatedly, ''Ride/ETAdventure'' and ''Theatre/UniversalsHorrorMakeUpShow'' are the last two attractions at Universal Studios Florida that were there when the park originally opened in 1990. It's been rumored that the only reason why ''E.T.'' hasn't been replaced is due to the personal intervention of Creator/StevenSpielberg, who was reportedly furious when the ride was removed from the Hollywood and Japan parks and threatened to end his working relationship with Universal Parks & Resorts if the Orlando ''E.T.'' ride were ever to be closed. Even when the [=KidZone=] was shut down, ''E.T. Adventure'' remained, and it is still given a fair amount of attention in maintenance and merchandising.

** The entirety of the Lost Continent, [[RuinsForRuinsSake almost]] [[{{Pun}} literally]]. With the re-theming of ''Dueling Dragons'' to fit with Hogsmeade (and its eventual closure to be replaced entirely by ''Ride/HagridsMagicalCreaturesMotorbikeAdventure''), and the closure of ''Sinbad'' in late 2018, it was left the only area in the park with a single attraction and no licensed attractions. Poseidon's Fury was "temporarily" closed due to COVID-19 in 2020, and finally reopened in March of 2022 after an extensive refurbishment, seemingly indicating it isn't going anywhere soon.

* PhonyPsychic: The "psychic fountain" next to ''Poseidon's Fury'' is this, completely intentionally and PlayedForLaughs, of course.

* PteroSoarer: Islands of Adventure has ''Pteranodon Flyers'', a whole mini-coaster dedicated to this trope. The Japan park likewise has ''The Flying Dinosaur'', another coaster dedicated to Pterodactyls.

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 [=DreamWorld=] Australia and Motiongate Dubai, that still exist due to licensing deals that occurred prior to the buyout.[[/note]]

* ExcitedShowTitle: Done with several past and present attractions:
** ''Animal Actors: On Location!''
** ''Animal Planet Live!''
** ''Ride/{{Disaster}}''
** ''The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride!''
** ''Lights! Camera! Action! Hosted by Steven Spielberg''
** ''Spider-Man Rocks!''

* TitleTheAdaptation: ''Back to the Future: The Ride'', ''Transformers: The Ride'', ''Jurassic Park: The Ri''-- you get the idea.

* GenderNeutralWriting: When the ride staff/actors are communicating with pre-recorded characters on screens, the on-screen characters use gender-neutral names for flexibility in staffing.

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 them outright. [[note]]There are [=DreamWorks=] attractions in other amusement parks, such as at [=DreamWorld=] Australia and Motiongate Dubai, that still exist due to licensing deals that occurred prior to the buyout.[[/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), ''Series/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.

** Universal Studios Japan has Moppy, a ''Series/SesameStreet'' {{Muppet}} character created exclusively for the park. [[http://www.toughpigs.com/my-week-in-japan-4/ Read more about him on Muppet fansite ToughPigs.com]] (who theorize he may be Universal's answer to Duffy the Disney Bear, a character created for Tokyo [=DisneySea=] who is massively popular over there).

* '''Universal Studios Beijing''': Universal's newest park, which is also its third location in Asia. It largely functions as a "greatest hits" of Universal's attractions from the past decade, with lands focusing on contemporary properties such as ''Film/JurassicWorld'', ''Franchise/DespicableMe'', ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'', ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' and ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda''. It had its grand opening on September 20, 2021. Under current plans, major expansions which would turn Beijing into a full Florida-style resort will be built, with a second theme park and a water park in the works.

* Lunar New Year (Hollywood): A Chinese New Year-centered event that primarily focuses on the characters from ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda''.

** Among the emphasized characters on 2019 merchandise for Universal Orlando is Po from ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'', despite his presence there being limited to a meet-and-greet and a brief appearance in the ''Universal's Cinematic Celebration'' show. This is likely due to the fact that the merchandise is shared with Universal Studios Hollywood, where ''Kung Fu Panda'' has its own [[Ride/KungFuPandaAdventure dedicated attraction]].

%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=16721381160.80018500

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[[https://www.universalparks.com Universal Parks & Resorts]][[note]]originally known as Universal Studios Theme Parks[[/note]] is a chain of five theme park resorts owned/licensed and operated by Creator/NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Their first attraction, the Ride/StudioTour, [[OlderThanTheyThink dates back to 1915]] (just three years after [[Creator/{{Universal}} Universal Pictures]]' founding in 1912), and the first theme park started in 1964. They are [[DuelingProducts the largest competitors]] to the Ride/DisneyThemeParks, and often regarded as the only theme park group close to its quality. Compared to Disney attractions, Universal attractions tend to appeal more to thrill-seekers than families of all ages, and thus are considered more "extreme." Most of the rides at Universal parks are centered around movies and television shows; unlike Disney, a good number of them are not from Universal's own library.

* ''Ride/TheFuntasticWorldOfHannaBarbera'' (Florida)[[note]]After Universal closed it, the ride was moved to a number of theme parks that are now all owned by Ride/CedarFairEntertainment as of 2022 as well as Ride/SixFlags Kentucky Kingdom before all copies of it were shut down altogether.[[/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 ''Literature/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'').

* ''Theatre/SpecialEffectsShow'' ('''Hollywood''')

* ''Theatre/AnimalActors'' ('''Hollywood''', '''Florida''', Japan)

** A similar situation has happened with the ''WesternAnimation/{{Trolls}}'' franchise. Poppy and Branch have appeared in a handful of advertisements, merchandise is abundant, and they were even going to be the focus of the Spring 2020 ''RUN Universal'' marathon. However, their only real presence in the parks is a meet-and-greet, and a segment in the ''Universal's Cinematic Spectacular'' show. This might be justified as Universal wanting to cross-promote the [[WesternAnimation/TrollsWorldTour sequel]] inside of the parks.

* '''Universal Kids Frisco''': Universal's first theme park in Texas and the third location in North America. In contrast to the Californian and Floridian parks, the planned park is planned to be much smaller in size and (as the name indicates) 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.

* '''Universal Kids Frisco''': Universal's first theme park in Texas and the third location in North America. In contrast to the Californian and Floridian parks, the planned resort is planned to be much smaller in size and (as the name indicates) is specifically aimed towards families with younger children unlike the other Universal parks, which are aimed at all ages. The resort is also planned to be joined by a 300-room hotel.

* '''Universal Kids Frisco''': Universal's first theme park in Texas and the third location in North America. In contrast to the Californian and Floridian parks, the planned resort is planned to be much smaller in size and, as the name indicates, a new type of Universal park that is aimed specifically towards families with younger children unlike the other parks, which are aimed at all ages. The resort is also planned to be joined by a 300-room hotel.

* '''Universal Kids Frisco''': Universal's first theme park in Texas and the third location in North America. In contrast to the Californian and Floridian parks, the planned resort is planned to be much smaller in size and, as the name indicates, is a new type of Universal park that is aimed specifically towards families with younger children unlike the other parks, which are aimed at all ages. The resort is also planned to be joined by a 300-room hotel.

* '''Universal Kids Frisco''': Universal's first theme park in Texas and the third location in North America. In contrast to the Californian and Floridian parks, the planned resort is planned to be far smaller in size and aimed specifically towards families with younger children (in contrast to the other parks, which are aimed at all ages).

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[[caption-width-right:260:[[{{Tagline}} See the stars. Ride the movies.]][[note]][[Film/AnimalHouse Ask for Babs.]][[/note]]]]

* EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs
** Every Universal park has their own ''Jurassic Park'' ride or section, and Universal Studios Florida had ''[[Series/BarneyAndFriends A Day in the Park with Barney]]''.
** Not to mention the run-in with the ''T. rex'' in primeval Hill Valley on ''Ride/BackToTheFutureTheRide''.

** This is partly why ''RideTheFuntasticWorldOfHannaBarbera'' was replaced by ''Ride/JimmyNeutronsNicktoonBlast'', and why the latter was also replaced in favor of ''Ride/DespicableMeMinionMayhem''. When ''Hanna-Barbera'' closed in 2002, the licenses featured weren't very popular with kids anymore (with the lone exception of ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo''), and so they were replaced with popular Nickelodeon animated series from the early 2000s. When ''Jimmy Neutron'' closed in 2011, the only shows represented in the ride that were still airing were the [[LongRunner long-running]] ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'', and so they were replaced with a popular series of animated films from the early 2010s. (It helps that Universal actually owns the rights to ''Despicable Me'', so they don't have to pay licensing fees to operate the ride.)

* DemotedToExtra: Several characters featured in the parks that once starred or had a supporting role in an attraction would later have their presence limited to a meet and greet and/or in-park merchandise after said attraction was closed. Some of these characters include ''Franchise/{{Ghostbusters}}'', ''Film/{{Beetlejuice}}'', ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo'', ''Series/ILoveLucy'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'', and ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' (which at least has its own store).

* '''Universal Studios Beijing''': Universal's newest park, which is also its third location in Asia. It largely functions as a "greatest hits" of Universal's attractions from the past decade, with lands focusing on contemporary properties such as ''Film/JurassicWorld'', ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe'', ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'', ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' and ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda''. It had its grand opening on September 20, 2021. Under current plans, major expansions which would turn Beijing into a full Florida-style resort will be built, with a second theme park and a water park in the works.

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 [=SpongeBob=] [=SquarePants=]]]'' 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 them outright. [[note]]There are [=DreamWorks=] attractions in other amusement parks, such as at [=DreamWorld=] Australia and Motiongate Dubai, that still exist due to licensing deals that occurred prior to the buyout.[[/note]]

* Universal's Holiday Parade featuring Macy's (Florida): A Christmas parade that utilizes large balloon floats and features characters from ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe'', ''Franchise/{{Shrek}}'', and ''WesternAnimation/{{Madagascar}}''. The parade used to feature some of the actual balloons and floats used in UsefulNotes/MacysThanksgivingDayParade, but this aspect was done away with in 2017.

** This is partly why ''The Funtastic World of Creator/HannaBarbera'' was replaced by ''[[WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutronBoyGenius Jimmy Neutron]]'s [[Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} Nicktoon]] Blast'', and why the latter was also replaced in favor of ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe Minion Mayhem''. When ''Hanna-Barbera'' closed in 2002, the licenses featured weren't very popular with kids anymore (with the lone exception of ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo''), and so they were replaced with popular Nickelodeon animated series from the early 2000s. When ''Jimmy Neutron'' closed in 2011, the only shows represented in the ride that were still airing were the [[LongRunner long-running]] ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' and ''WesternAnimation/FairlyOddParents'', and so they were replaced with a popular series of animated films from the early 2010s. (It helps that Universal actually owns the rights to ''Despicable Me'', so they don't have to pay licensing fees to operate the ride.)

** Some former 'toon crossovers include ''The Funtastic World of Creator/HannaBarbera'' and ''Jimmy Neutron's [[Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} Nicktoon]] Blast''. Toon Lagoon at Islands of Adventure is still around, crossing over Creator/KingFeaturesSyndicate characters with Creator/JayWard animations.