Universal has created amazing animatronics, lands, and attractions that make us feel
like we're truly living our Jurassic Park life. Sadly, not all concepts come to life,
so today, we bring you five canceled Jurassic Park attractions.
Also, surprise! Jurassic Parks animatronics part 3 will be uploaded later this week,
so stay tuned and don't forget to subscribe!
Amber Mine Coaster
One of the most recent Jurassic Park ride cancelations, the Amber Mine Coaster,
was being developed back in 2001. Just after Islands of Adventure opened and was proved to be a
huge success, Universal wanted to go bigger. They wanted more rides and attractions for the park,
especially the Jurassic Park area. And so, a new attraction started to be planned.
This ride was the Amber Mine Coaster. The Amber Mine Coaster was going to be
built where Skull Island: Reign of Kong is now, extending out over the pathway,
even taking over some of the team member area behind Camp Jurassic. This coaster was going to
be a hypercoaster which means that it was going to be a complete-circuit roller coaster with a
height measuring at least 200 feet. That's nearly twice as tall as the Incredible Hulk Coaster!
The Amber Mine Coaster was going to be just that. Surrounded by electric fences, the area would've
been themed like an Amber Mining Facility. A mix of mountains reminiscent of Big Thunder Mountain
mixed with theming elements you could already find within Camp Jurassic, this massive roller
coaster would climb a chain lift hill and drive down the mountain, swooping around waterfalls.
Guests would travel along a track meant for mining purposes, in and around the amber mines. This
sounds absolutely amazing, to be honest! And just as some of the other rides on this list,
this coaster was supposedly approved and was even being designed by mid-2001. But sadly,
because of the decline in tourism during this time, it was canceled entirely,
and there was no more information released about this proposed ride. There were rumors
about a Jurassic Park land expansion back in 2013, and people thought that the concept
might be revived with Gravity Group, a wooden roller coaster design firm, designing the ride.
But this never happened, and with Velocicoaster now open, we don't think it ever will.
Jurassic Park Flying Coaster
Flying roller coasters are incredible because they literally make you feel like you are flying. So,
Universal thought that having a Jurassic Park-themed flying coaster would be a terrific
idea. This coaster would have given guests a very adventurous ride in the air. This ride
was going to be a Bolliger and Mabillard flying coaster, similar to Manta at SeaWorld, Orlando.
The ride would have been set in a huge aviary with lots of Pteranodons and Pterodactyls. No doubt,
this would have resulted in getting up close and personal with the creatures several times.
Imagine the animatronics that we could have seen if this ride had been built.
This attraction would have been a massive success if it had been constructed because Bollinger
and Mabillard's track record regarding flying coasters is impeccable. They have created some
of the best coasters out there. They have long tracks, lots of air time, and even huge drops!
But in the end, this attraction was canceled. The bad news is that we are unlikely to see some
variation of this coaster at Universal's Islands of Adventure since the VelociCoaster already
exists. But the good news is that a similar ride exists at the Universal Studios in Japan! Known
as "The Flying Dinosaur," this ride is a steel flying roller coaster designed by.. you guessed
it - Bolliger and Mabillard. It is currently the second-longest flying coaster in the world! It
has two massive inversions and a 124 feet drop, one of the farthest initial drops ever. The story
is that passengers are seized by a Pteranodon that has gone out of control. This beast throws
passengers into the sky, making them soar above the ground for a total of three minutes. You get
to swing 360 degrees through the world of Jurassic Park. You definitely don't want to miss this one.
Jurassic Park: Jeep Safari
Universal knew that Jurassic Park would be a success even before the movie came out, so while
the movie was in production, they decided to begin working on a ride that would come to the parks.
The team in charge of creating the ride read the book and were even allowed to read the
script for the movie in order to get inspired and come up with some great ideas for the ride.
The first concept that they came up with was a recreation of the famous adrenaline-filled scene
in the movie where the characters are being chased by a T-Rex, or Rexy, as many of us know her.
The problem with this concept was that, at the time, it would have been impossible to create a
sequence where an animatronic T-Rex could be able to chase the jeep or tear through the trees and
the jungle. So this first concept was shelved, and it became the first canceled Jurassic Park ride.
A few years later, when the Jurassic Park land was being planned for Islands of Adventure, Universal
began thinking up new rides for the area. Jurassic Park: River Adventure would be one,
but they needed more, and they looked to the original concept developed for Jurassic Park:
The Ride that had never come to life. And that's how Jurassic Park: Jeep Safari began.
The ride vehicles were based on the electric explorer tour vehicles from the movie,
and it would take guests on tour outdoors and also indoors. After boarding the vehicle, guests would
enter through the famed Jurassic Park gate and immediately drive below a giant Brachiosaurus.
More and more dinosaurs would be seen appearing from their lagoons during this time. Soon after,
a dinosaur would block the path forward, forcing passengers to back up the jeep
unknowingly into a velociraptor den. This would have been part of the indoor section of the ride.
Things would have gotten real interesting here! This is when raptors would start climbing onto
the vehicle. In order to try not to become raptor food, guests would somehow escape the enclosure,
only to come face to face with a T-rex! The T-rex would have stepped on the
roof and spun it. Just like in the movie! This would have indeed been a tremendous
adrenaline-filled experience for fans of the film. But sadly, this attraction never came to life.
The reason? It was just too similar to Jurassic Park: River Adventure.
And we can honestly see that, but we would have loved to experience it!
Had the ride been built, it would have been located behind the Thunder Falls terrace
restaurant. But eventually, "Skull Island: Reign of Kong" was built on this plot of land.
Raptor Racers
Raptor Racers was yet another project that was planned for the Jurassic Park-themed area in
Islands of Adventure. This concept was designed in 2001, a few years after the Park had already
been open. The idea was to add a few more thrilling rides for guests in this area.
And Raptor Racers would have delivered, too! Designed by the Coaster Works, it was supposed
to be a wooden roller coaster. The theme was to have guests be chased by a bunch of velociraptors.
They would have to escape from the claws of these hungry raptors. This coaster was partly
inspired by the famous Cyclone Coaster in Long Beach and was going to have a track in the shape
of a dinosaur skeleton! That would have been awesome. All of the coaster trains were going
to be painted to look like the Tour Vehicles and Jeep Wranglers from the Jurassic Park movies.
The story goes like this: passengers get into the coasters and are chased by hungry raptors. They
race to outrun them, and towards the end of the ride, they enter a dark area. Here, the coasters
start shaking to simulate danger. But luckily, the passengers live to see another day. They come out,
only to see scary claw marks on the vehicles. This effect was one of the most exciting parts of this
ride. The claw marks and damages to the coaster trains would be revealed by shining a UV light on
them. So the passengers could see just how close they had come to becoming the raptors' next meal.
Even though this ride was never built, the concept and the story of the ride were kind of recycled,
and it became the Velocicoaster! This ride opened on April 30, 2021, and it is the fastest launch
coaster at any Universal theme park. It features two high-speed launches,
a thrilling 155 footfall, and four inversions! And, of course, it has velociraptors.
With all of these combined, you are definitely going to get your dose of thrill and more!
Helicoptours
When Islands of Adventure was being planned, one of the most iconic areas was Jurassic Park.
This area is set after the events of the first film and is filled with the attractions
and exhibits one would find in the "real" Jurassic Park, including thrill rides and
discovery-based exhibits. There were many rides and attractions planned for this area, some of
which never came to life. One of these canceled attractions was Jurassic Park Helicoptours.
This ride would have been situated where Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is
now, and the development of this ride went so far that it even made it all the way to the
concept art and model of the theme park when it was being presented so you could still see it on
the model of Isla Nublar, located in front of the River Adventure entrance. This ride
would have been a dream come true to any fan of the movies! The ride would have a tower with a
helicopter on its roof, and it would have been a simulator-style flying ride that would take
guests on a flying ride around Jurassic Park. Usually, when we think of simulator rides,
we think of a closed cabin ride system like Star Tours or the multiple motion-based
mounted ride vehicles that share a screen like in Back to the Future: The
Ride. but this system would have been different. The plan for this ride was very similar to the
one in Soarin', so Helicoptours was going to use a suspended ride theater system. This
would have created a unique and realistic experience of flying over Jurassic Park.
Guests would board the helicopters, and their journey would begin. They would go around the
entire park flying over dinosaur paddocks and getting aerial views of mountains.
While the guests were looking at the beautiful views, they would suddenly be attacked by
Pteranodons. Pteranodons might be very impressive and beautiful creatures,
but just imagine seeing them coming at you through the air.
It would have been terrifying! This sounded like such a fun and impressive ride, and as we said,
it made it all the way into the original concept for the land when it was presented,
but sadly it was never built. But who knows? Maybe we'll be to see it someday.
Which of these projects would you have liked to see become a reality? Let us know in the comments!
Thankfully, many other Jurassic Park rides were created, and you can check them out!
So start planning your next vacation! Our friends at PixieVacations.com will help
you plan your perfect vacation to Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Orlando,
or Universal's Islands of Adventure specifically tailored to your vacation style and budget and
working with a pixie is completely free. So talk with them to make the best out
of your next theme park vacation. And also, don't forget to subscribe
because we're uploading Jurassic Park animatronics Part 3 later this week!