Trivia / The Simpsons Ride

• Actor Allusion: Bob at one point says, "Now for the unkindest cut of all!" Which was the name of an episode of Frasier, a series that starred Bob's voice actor Kelsey Grammer.
• Defictionalization: The Kang and Kodos' spinner ride shown on the Krustyland map was built for real at Florida's park; under the name, Kang and Kodos' Twirl 'n' Hurl.
• Development Hell: Universal had been trying to make an attraction for The Simpsons since the early '90s, but was unable to do so, as Fox refused to license the show out, because they were interested in creating their own chain of theme parks at the time, and wanted The Simpsons to be a part of them. It wasn't until the mid-'2000s that Universal finally got Fox to budge.
• No Export for You: The ride only exists in the 2 American parks and Kang and Kodos' Twirl 'n' Hurl only exists in the Florida park.
• Production Nickname: During development, paperwork simply referred to the ride as "Project Fish", referring to Blinky, the three-eyed fish.
• Recycled Set: The ride re-uses much of the theming for Back to the Future: The Ride's facade and outdoor queue area, just with a different paint job and some added set pieces.
• Screwed by the Lawyers: Fox's acquisition by Universal rival Disney has put the future of the ride in uncertainty, as Universal's licensing rights to the franchise are set to lapse in 2028, 20 years after the ride opened. There are already signs the ride could be on it's way out as Universal Studios Hollywood put up an updated list of lands at the park and Springfield/The Simpsons was not included. Later, Universal Studios Florida announced that the ride and their Springfield land would open roughly an hour after the rest of the park. Some rumors have already begun theorizing that the Florida land will be replaced with a Pokémon attraction.
• What Could Have Been:
  • The Springfield area was planned to be a part of the attraction from the start, but because of budget cuts was shelved for several years.
  • One of the early proposals of the ride in the 90s had guests riding in Otto's bus through a Treehouse of Horrors-version of Springfield. At one point, the intention was to have this ride be a part of Toon Lagoon at Islands of Adventure.
  • The initial plan for the final version of the ride was to have it be a tour through the town's radiation plant, but this was scrapped due to Harry Shearer not wanting to participate.

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