Universal Studios Hollywood salutes 'Back to the Future' and more during fan nights
Imagine walking around Hill Valley in 1955, just like Michael J. Fox did when he played time traveler Marty McFly in the 1985 classic 'Back to the Future.'
Fans can now live that dream.
As part of Universal Fan Fest Nights, attendees will step off a tram and walk around Courthouse Square in Universal's backlot, a "Back to the Future" filming site. Tickets for the after-hours event went on sale Wednesday morning at this link at NBCUniversal.queue.
Universal Studios Hollywood officials talked about the Fan Fest Nights during a media presentation Tuesday outside the theme park at Universal Cinemas.
Universal Fan Fest Nights include immersive experiences saluting various movies and genres in Universal Studios Hollywood's upper lot. The nights, set for April 25-27 and May 2-4, 9-11 and 16-28, will feature 'Back to the Future: Destination Hill Valley,' 'Star Trek: Red Alert,' 'Dungeons & Dragons: Secrets of Waterdeep,' 'Jujutsu Kaisen: Hunger of the Cursed,' 'One Piece: Grand Pirate Gathering,' and special additions to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Super Nintendo World.
Universal Studios Hollywood's success with its Halloween Horror Nights inspired the theme park to create Fan Fest Nights to immerse Universal guests into other genres, said Stephen Siercks, senior director for entertainment production at the theme park and executive producer of the fan fest evenings.
Special cuisine and merchandise will debut in time for the nights.
During " Back to the Future: Destination Hill Valley, " visitors will board a tram to the backlot's Courthouse Square. Fans will participate in the Enchantment Under the Sea dance, seen in the first movie when Marty found himself in 1955. There will also be re-enactments of the Clock Tower lightning strike that sent Marty back to 1985.
'When we were looking for ways to celebrate sci-fi, there was no better fit for us at Universal than 'Back to the Future,'' Siercks said.
'What better way to celebrate that franchise than to be able to bring guests to the place where it actually happened and recreate the iconic environment and moments from 1955?' Siercks told the USA Today Network in the Directors Lounge at Universal Cinemas. The Universal Fan Fest Nights executive producer stood near tables with the foods inspired by 'Back to the Future' and the other genres.
'Back to the Future' inspired Universal Studios Hollywood to create dishes such as the Flux Capacitor Patty Melt, Doc Brown's Chicken Pot Pie, the Time Traveler's Milk Shake and the Outatime Cookie, which comes complete with an edible version of the personalized "Outatime" license plate from Doc's Delorean.
Julia Thrash, vice president of culinary and executive chef at the theme park, said Universal designed dishes similar to what you'd expect in a 1950s diner, hence the Time Machine Melt, which features pastrami.
Fans of 'Star Trek: Picard' will get to go on the Enterprise-D bridge set that was used during the filming of the Paramount+ series' third and final season, 'Star Trek: Red Alert.' But there's a story connected to the experience.
Guests have been invited on a tour of the Enterprise-D at the Starfleet museum depicted on 'Picard.' They will enter through a recreation of the Enterprise-D shuttle bay, Siercks said.
Suddenly, there's a red alert, and uniformed Starfleet officers go into action.
'An otherworldly being wreaks havoc on the ship, allowing us to go deeper and deeper into the ship, into sick bay, engineering, the transporter room,' Siercks said.
He added Paramount Pictures, which produces the 'Star Trek' franchise, has been 'an amazing partner' in providing its expertise to make the experience authentic.
New Universal Studios Hollywood dishes inspired by 'Star Trek' include Vulcan Fritters, Klingon Targ Legs, and the Tribble Truffle Trio, a treat featuring chocolate and butterscotch.
The trio comes in the gray coffee cup that Capt. James T. Kirk (William Shatner) held in 'The Trouble with Tribbles,' said Thrash, the executive chef. In the original Star Trek series episode, Kirk discovers a Tribble in his cup when he retrieves it from the food processor in the recreation room.
Drinks inspired by 'Star Trek' include a vodka-based, blue Romulan ale, Thrash told the USA Today Network.
Universal Studios Hollywood also created the Ceti Eel Margarita, which Thrash said came from the planet Ceti Alpha 5 in the 1982 film "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan." The small eel on top of the drink is a gummy.
Jim Henson's Creature Shop has teamed with Universal Studios Hollywood to create Xanathar in 'Dungeons & Dragons: Secrets of Waterdeep.' Fans will join the Harpers, a spy network, to foil Xanathar's plot and save the city of Waterdeep.
'Dungeons & Dragons' inspired Fireball, the theme park's new spherical chocolate cake that is jazzed up with pop rocks as part of the topping. Other foods include Traveler's Rations and the Beholder's Brew Fondue. Drinks are Goodberry and the Eldritch Blast.
The anime series 'One Piece' inspired this experience, which follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Crew, including Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Sanji. They're off to find One Piece, a treasure of Gol D. Roger, the former King of the Pirates.
The adventure-inspired cuisine includes Chopper Cupcake and Nico Robin's Tropical Iced Tea.
The experience is inspired by the Japanese manga 'Jujutsu Kaisen' and its anime adaptation. The adventure, which premiered at Universal Studios Japan, follows high school student Yuji Itadori after he inadvertently becomes the host of a powerful curse.
The food inspired by the adventure includes Yuji's Chocolate Curse.
The popular land at Universal Studios Hollywood will feature a new evening show of projections on its Hogwart Castle. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter show is called 'Hogwarts Always' and depicts a year at the magical school. Guests will also get to interact with fantastic beasts such as Niffler, Baby Dragon, and the Grand Occamy.
Thrash said she stuck with British food, such as the Hogwarts Meat Pie and Curry Chicken, for the Potter-inspired cuisine.
'A lot of people don't know curry is British,' the chef said.
Fan favorite Yoshi will become a new meet-and-greet character at Super Nintendo World during Fan Fest nights. And guests can go on a scavenger hunt to find all five Yoshi eggs.
Cuisine for the "Let's Go, Yoshi" experience is an apple melon smoothie and fettuccine alfredo.
Dave Mason covers East County for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at dave.mason@vcstar.com or 805-437-0232.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Universal Fan Fest Nights takes guests 'Back to the Future' and beyond
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
As Epic Universe draws hype, what's next for Tampa's hometown park?
As Universal Orlando put the finishing touches on its $7 billion new gate, Epic Universe, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay had an announcement too. The Tampa theme park and Adventure Island, its accompanying water park, will spend $40 million to fund a new attraction and restaurant, as well as improvements to other eateries, shade, pathways, restrooms and more. That's an impressive sum of money — until you compare it to what's being spent across Interstate 4, said Robert Niles, founder of Theme Park Insider, an industry publication. Busch Gardens, he said, is going to have to provide what Disney and Universal are not: great deals for locals, who are becoming an increasingly important customer niche. 'It's honestly ridiculous in this industry when you think about it sometimes,' he said. 'Because $40 million is a lot of money. It's just that in the Central Florida theme park industry, $40 million ain't anything anymore. ... If you're in this business and you're saying 'I've got $40 million,' that's like, meh. They found that in the lint trap over at Disney.' Niles said it was easier 10 years ago for Busch Gardens to lure Central Florida visitors. Families might spend a few days at Disney and Universal, then head west for the beach and a pit stop at Busch Gardens, which boasted larger, more thrilling coasters than its Orlando counterparts. But with Epic Universe, Universal aims to become a weeklong destination for tourists, set designers and producers said before its opening last month. Universal is catching up in the coaster department, with new entries Jurassic World VelociCoaster and Stardust Racers. On-site hotel deals and cheaper multi-day tickets are keeping tourists rooted in the park they chose as their primary destination. 'A decade ago, people were saying, 'We're going on vacation to Florida,'' Niles said. 'Now Disney and Universal want a Disney and Universal trip. That's making it really tough on a lot of other attractions around the state that used to be able to ride the coattails.' United Parks & Resorts, Busch Gardens' parent company, also owns SeaWorld Orlando. The company posted a net loss that has deepened since the same time last year in its most recent earnings report. Still, there are reasons to remain optimistic about Busch Gardens, experts said. The park has a new president, Jeff Davis, who wants to tout recent investments and offerings. Wild Oasis, a massive, netted kids' play area that rivals Universal's Islands of Adventure's Camp Jurassic, is expected to open soon. Busch Gardens initially set an opening day of Friday, June 6 for Wild Oasis — just two weeks after Epic Universe launched. But on Thursday, a spokesperson said the opening timeline has been shifted back. It's now unclear when visitors will see the new attraction. Among regional competitors like Six Flags and Dollywood, Busch Gardens looms large, said Carrissa Baker, an attractions and theme parks professor at University of Central Florida. In 2023, Busch Gardens was one of the top 20 most-visited theme parks in the United States, according to the global attractions attendance report, which estimates annual metrics. The parks do not release their own numbers. Busch Gardens netted about 4 million visitors, ranking 13 out of 20, according to the report, just behind SeaWorld Orlando, Knott's Berry Farm in California and Cedar Point in Ohio. Disney and Universal properties in California and Florida dominated the first nine spots. Busch Gardens fulfills an important role in the industry, Baker said. Most can't afford annual visits to Disney or Universal, where one-day tickets can cost more than $200 per person. A one-day ticket for a weekend day in June would run a Busch Gardens visitor about $75. Locals can buy a 'fun card,' which offers unlimited visits through 2025, for the same price. Sweet deals for locals are common among regional parks, Baker said. The goal with those kinds of discounts is to get more money out of local attendees for parking, merchandise and food, Niles said. The strategy works when locals are willing to pull out their wallets each visit — but it falters if residents bring food from home or park off-site. Higher admission prices at Disney and Universal help them avoid relying on in-park spending. Davis, the new park president, said he's not agonizing over the parks owned by corporate behemoths down the road. 'There's always competition,' Davis said, noting that it's not just from other theme parks but from attractions like the beaches. 'I think the parks that are successful are focusing on themselves.' But regional parks are locked in a vicious battle over Universal's and Disney's scraps, Niles said. Cedar Point merged with Six Flags last year, and the company is cutting costs by eliminating individual park presidents. Last week, Herschend, owner of Tennessee's Dollywood, acquired Palace Entertainment, upping its portfolio to 49 parks. Universal and Disney properties all attract at least twice as many visitors as the country's smaller parks. As international travel dips amid global economic uncertainty, the two giants may more aggressively target domestic visitors who would otherwise stick with regional parks, Niles said. 'What we're really heading toward is a further widening of the split between the winners and everybody else,' he said. 'Disney and Universal are gonna get theirs. They're investing huge amounts of money. ... It's everybody else that is now fighting, more viciously than I've seen in a generation, over the rest of the industry.' So what can Busch Gardens do to stay ahead of the curve? Wild Oasis is a good start. New attractions tend to inflate attendance numbers for at least six months, Baker said. And enticing the family demographic is key, she said. Busch Gardens' zoo component, plus new additions this summer of capybaras, a giant anteater and squirrel monkeys, already give it a leg up. Families 'spend more money,' Baker said. 'They form relationships with the park. That means generationally, they come back again and again.' Counter-marketing the hype surrounding Epic Universe could also help, Niles said. Busch Gardens could try playing into the sibling rivalry between Tampa and Orlando. What some forget, Visit Tampa Bay CEO Santiago Corrada said, is that Busch Gardens predates Universal and Disney. Twelve years ago, Busch Gardens was Tampa's premier attraction. Now downtown developments like Water Street and the Tampa Riverwalk give visitors more options. But Tampa owes a debt to its theme park, which put a once sleepy city on the map, Corrada said. 'I assure you, I will be at Wild Oasis before I go to Epic Universe,' he said.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Yahoo
We Know When Wicked For Good's Trailer Will Be Debuting, But There's A Bit Of A Catch
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. It's kind of an understatement to say that director Jon M. Chu's Wicked: For Good is a 'hotly anticipated' entry on the 2025 movie schedule. Anyone having doubts about my prediction could easily point to the fact that despite Universal's 2025 CinemaCon panel showing off some footage of the picture, fans haven't had the chance to gaze upon a trailer for the conclusion of this Oz-ified musical story yet. Well, I've got some good news and some news you might not be too pleased with, as you'll be able to see Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in full regalia real soon. However, it sounds like there's only one way you'll be able to get back to Oz for For Good's first trailer, and you'll have to click more than your heels. First, here's the good news: per a press release from Universal Pictures, the release of Wicked: For Good's first trailer is set to take place on June 4th! In fact, the event is being billed as something truly 'global,' as it's going to take place 'simultaneously in all North American time zones.' And that's where the catch comes in, as it sounds like you'll only be able to see this sizzle reel in theaters. But at least it's attached to special bring-back screenings of Wicked, which you can currently purchase tickets for. So it's not like you're showing up for a preview and then dipping to go back to lawn work. Now, I'm sure there are plenty of people who aren't afraid to return to a theater near them to see For Good's first trailer and laugh, cry, and potentially sing along with this meteoric box office hit of 2024. However, one has to wonder how many of those fans are ready to follow through with that desire, especially on a random Wednesday. Peacock TV: from $7.99 a month/$79.99 a yearAll it takes is $7.99 a month to jump into the basic plan for Peacock TV. But with that investment, you not only get to stream Wicked, but you'll also find the documentary Defying Gravity: The Curtain Rises on Wicked. And with a special live musical event heading to NBC and Peacock this fall, you may want to keep that subscription active and enjoy everything the streaming home of NBC, Universal, and Bravo has to offer! View Deal While I'm someone who always advocates for the theatrical experience, especially when revisiting old favorites, I'd be foolish not to mention that a Peacock subscription could very easily scratch this itch for some, and right at this very moment. However, it would seem that Universal has some surprises in store for those who do choose to fly into the western sky once more to see Wicked and its sequel's trailer in theaters. So if you do go to this Wicked screening on June 4th, there's apparently going to be exclusive 'giveaways' for attendees. While that's a rather vague promise, what's for certain is that you'll be able to land yourself a commemorative poster for Wicked: For Good. And it I had to guess, it'll be a print of the image you see below: Don't take this the wrong way, but I can practically hear fans weeping over the mere invocation of that title, and the image of Elphaba and Glinda separated by a wide chasm that leads down the Yellow Brick Road. I mean, this is everything you would want out of a teaser poster - and it looks pretty spectacular. Though I'm not a die-hard obsessive over Wicked, I did really enjoy the first half of Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande's journey. And while this isn't a $16K charity performance with Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, I'm inclined to check this out for myself. Provided, of course, that this announcement hasn't led to another case similar to how Sinners' second IMAX 70mm run instantly sold out. So if you're rejoicifying that Wicked will be back in theaters AND you'll get to see the first trailer for its sequel during this special screening, go grab your tickets now! And don't forget that Wicked: For Good is set to hit theaters on November 21st; which may lead to some unsurprising double feature events. At least, one could only hope.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
The Scott Pilgrim Game Is Getting A Spiritual Successor Over 15 Years Later And It Looks Awesome
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game was a 2010 downloadable movie tie-in that turned out to be an incredible beat 'em up, helping to lead an arcade gaming revival on console. Scott Pilgrim Ex is a spiritual successor to that project that's getting the band back together for another River City Ransom-esque smash-fest down memory lane when it comes to PC and consoles in 2026. The pitch is simple: run around the streets of Toronto as Scott, Ramona, and company beating up bad guys, completing quests, getting stronger, and trying to pick up every nearby object to see if it can be used as a lethal weapon against three rival factions consisting of Vegans, Robots, and Demons. There's up to four-player co-op online, and it sounds like a somewhat nonlinear story will allow players to explore a segmented map consisting of various streets, stores, and alleyways with a high degree of non-linear freedom. There will be seven playable characters, each with their full move lists unlocked from the start of the game, with an emphasis on combos and chucking everything from turnips to other enemies. The debut trailer at Summer Game Fest Live showed off a colorful urban playground full of slick combat animations. The backgrounds aren't bursting with quite the same level of detail and depth as those in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, though that may come closer to launch. You can judge for yourself: The original game was an incredible mashup of old-school inspirations, from exuberant pixel art to chip tune rock medleys, that paid tribute to a series of graphic novels about post-school slackers navigating social drama and paranormal supervillains using video game logic. It was also made by Ubisoft and remained trapped on old consoles until 2021 when the French publisher and Universal managed to untangle the licensing rights and port it to modern platforms. Some of the people who made the original Scott Pilgrim game, including its game play designer Jonathan Lavigne, left Ubisoft to found the indie retro powerhouse Tribute Games, best known for Mercenary Kings and, more recently, making Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge with Dotemu. In addition to Scott Pilgrim EX, it's also working on the Marvel arcade brawler Cosmic Invasion, coming out later this year. 'Scott Pilgrim EX is the culmination of years of experience working on brawlers combined with our intimate knowledge of Scott Pilgrim,' Lavigne said in a press release. 'It's a full-circle moment for us. The original founders of Tribute Games all worked on the first video game incarnation of Scott Pilgrim before launching the studio in 2011. Coming back to this world feels like the most natural thing ever. This game is about friendship, our love of video games, music, and hitting robots in the face with a volleyball. It's full of lore, references, easter eggs and passion. It's the Scott Pilgrim game fans have been waiting for.' In addition to retaining some of the talent from the first game, Tribute is reuniting with renowned pixel artist Paul Robertson and the 8-bit band Anamanaguchi. Scott Pilgrim creator Bryan Lee O'Malley will consult on a new original story in that universe along with Scott Pilgrim Takes Off showruner Ben David Grabinski (the Netflix series sadly didn't get renewed for a second season). That's what I mean about getting the band back together, and I can't wait. . For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
