How 'Jaws' fans can celebrate 50th anniversary at Universal Studios Hollywood, Florida
How 'Jaws' fans can celebrate 50th anniversary at Universal Studios Hollywood, Florida
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Top 3 scary moments in 'Jaws'
'Jaws' turns 50 this summer and USA TODAY film critic Brian Truitt celebrates with his favorite bloody moments.
Universal Studios Hollywood features a "Jaws" encounter on the Studio Tour, along with photo opportunities and themed dining at Amity Island Cafe.
Universal Studios Florida no longer has the Jaws ride, but offers photo opportunities with "Jaws"-themed props and limited-time snacks.
Both parks celebrate the film's 50th anniversary with special events and entertainment, including a "Jaws"-themed parade and nighttime show.
It's been 50 years since 'Jaws' first terrorized a generation of moviegoers.
Nowadays, fans are more likely to squeal with delight than fear over the beloved Universal franchise, which still has an entire Amity Village at Universal Studios Japan.
But fans don't have to go that far to celebrate the film's golden anniversary this summer.
Here's what to do at Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando Resort.
Do they still have Jaws at Universal Studios Hollywood?
Yes. There's still a Jaws encounter on the World-Famous Studio Tour. (Tip: Sit to the right of the tram for the best view.) The tour is available all year long, but guests may notice a 'Jaws' addition to the Hollywood sign replica this summer.
As part of Universal Studios Hollywood's Mega Movie Summer through Aug. 10, guests can also snap photos with the park's hanging shark, which has been brought back for an anniversary photo opp, along with a new meet-and-greet with Captain Quint and Chief Brody. Guests can find these outside the WaterWorld attraction.
The California park has also temporarily transformed its quick-service Hollywood & Dine restaurant into Amity Island Cafe. Its 'Jaws'-inspired menu includes a lobster roll, a vegan crab cake sandwich and an oversized donut that looks like a lifesaver.
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Is Jaws still at Universal Studios Florida?
Universal Orlando Resort's Jaws ride retired in 2012. However, its hanging shark is still displayed year-round.
In honor of the film's 50th anniversary, Universal Studios Florida has also brought out two additional photo opps tied to the former attraction: one is its original billboard; the other looks like one of the boats from the ride, being chased by a shark. Guests will find these in the park's San Francisco area through July 6, along with limited-time "Jaws"-themed snacks.
Each night until Aug. 24, guests can catch CineSational: A Symphonic Spectacular, on the park's waterfront before closing. The nighttime show features dancing fountains, projections, and music from some of Universal's most iconic films, including 'Jaws.'
Pending weather, each day through Nov. 13, guests can also catch the Universal Mega Movie Parade, which features live characters, floats and Easter eggs from various Universal films, including 'Jaws.'
Dates are subject to change. Guests should check Universal Orlando's free app for the latest updates.
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Forbes
30 minutes ago
- Forbes
‘Jaws @ 50' Gives Longtime Spielberg Historian Laurent Bouzereau Final Word On The Original Summer Blockbuster
Steven Spielberg, Director of Jaws and Director Laurent Bouzereau are pictured during an interview ... More for National Geographic's Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story. What can be said about Jaws that hasn't been said over the last 50 years? That was the big question for longtime Steven Spielberg documentarian Laurent Bouzereau (Faye, Music By John Williams) once he teamed up with Amblin and National Geographic to make Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story, a star-studded look back at the original summer blockbuster, featuring brand-new interviews with Spielberg, screenwriter Carl Gottlieb, production designer Joe Alves, and many more. 'When we set it up at NatGeo I was like, 'Oh my God, there are so many documentaries on Jaws!' [There are so many] books. [Even] I've done a book! What is left to say about Jaws?'' Bouzereau remembers over Zoom. A valid fear. As one of the most iconic and influential movies of all time, the big screen adaptation of Peter Benchley's bestselling novel has endlessly been picked over and analyzed since it first took a bite out of the big screen on June 20, 1975. But if anyone could pull off a new angle, it was Bouzereau, who is not only chummy with Spielberg (no pun intended), but also brings a uniquely international perspective to the topic. 'I grew up in France, and we didn't have summer blockbusters,' he explains. 'It's changed now, but essentially, big movies came out in the fall or the early fall. So I didn't really grow up with that concept of the summer blockbuster.' He wouldn't become familiar with the idea until arriving in the United States for the first time in 1977, the year of a certain game-changing space opera. One of the first things Bouzereau saw upon entering the airport in Athens, Georgia was an issue of People with R2-D2 and C-3PO on the front cover. 'I said, 'What's that? I want to see that!' So that's summer blockbuster [for me], it's People magazine. I think it established a certain type of expectation of big films … [Jaws] certainly gave birth to a much bigger recognition of the impact that a film can have on an audience and how the audience wants to live it [with] merchandising, books, and knowing the secrets behind them. Building a whole mythology around a cinematic experience, down to having a [theme] park ride. Jaws is beginning of that movement, which, of course, explodes even bigger with Star Wars." Nevertheless, Jaws (or Les Dents de la Mer — aka The Teeth of the Sea — as it was titled in French) sparked a major cinematic 'awakening' in the future filmmaker, who was around 13-years-old in the summer of '75. 'It was such a phenomenon, that it immediately [drove home] the importance of the director for me,' Bouzereau says. 'From that day on, I wanted to see everything Steven Spielberg ever made, and that name became symbolic of a dream for me, much more than the film itself. It was the realization of the power of images in the hands of an incredible artist … I was mesmerized by the shots and, of course, the economy of the first scene where you never see the shark and [hear] the music by John Williams. So everything was sort of summarized in that one movie, not to mention that I collected all the lobby cards and poster. My bedroom was wall-to-wall Jaws. But it was not a fanatical thing. It was really an awakening for me as an appreciator and it never left me. Sometimes, I go back to that initiation I got from Jaws as a young kid and remember those feelings of the very first time [I saw it]. It's like a first of anything." Half a century later, and Bouzereau found himself sitting across from Spielberg, free to ask any and all questions about the movie that changed both their lives. Rather than focus on the making of Jaws, a topic that had been covered so extensively over the years, the former angled for a thematic exploration of the classic picture, viewing its turbulent production as a reflection of the plot itself. Like Brody (Roy Scheider), Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss), and Quint (Robert Shaw) searching for and battling the man-eating shark, principal photography 'became a story of survival," Bouzereau notes, later adding, 'I think it's about not giving up. It's the human experience, right?' He continues: "The first time I sat down with Steven, I felt the humanity that we know from anything he's done — before Jaws and after. He was so young then, that it was still forming in a sense. But it was so mature and so much of it was there, that you can look at Jaws and say, 'That's the man who did Schindler's List years later,' and not blink at that association because his humanity is just so obvious. Not only in the story and the way that he put it together, but in his own journey as an artist making it, what he's learned from it, and how it affected him. I felt that story had not been told.' Director Steven Spielberg on the set of Jaws with the mechanical shark in the background. (Courtesy ... More of Universal Studios Licensing LLC) While the film's runaway success skyrocketed the 26-year-old wunderkind to the top of Hollywood's A-list pretty much overnight, Spielberg understandably did not recover from the trauma of a production marked by one setback after another (the most notable obstacle being an animatronic shark that refused to cooperate in salty water) for years after. Such commitment to realism, a fierce desire to shoot on the Atlantic and work the local Martha's Vineyard populace into the frame, proved to be a double-edged sword. 'A few years before, Jaws would have been made on a soundstage with local background artists who were just coming off the set of another movie,' Bouzereau says. 'There would have been no sort of colorful characters like Craig Kingsbury [who played the ill-fated Ben Gardner] from Martha's Vineyard. Going there and realizing that Jaws is something that is passed on generation after generation on that particular island —that's a microcosm of what the impact of Jaws is.' But as Spielberg reveals in the documentary, he'd often sneak aboard the screen-used Orca on the Universal Studios Hollywood backlot tour and cry. 'Everybody knows it was a nightmare, but they all say it with laugh, because we can laugh at the fact that here is one of the best movies of all time,' Bouzereau adds. 'It could have been a disaster, but I think [Steven] said it with heart and humility in a truly inspiring way that I think feels relatable for anyone, especially young people who are starting a career in anything, and feel like, 'Wow, I just learned that from my own craft.'' Speaking of which, Jaws @ 50 devotes a good amount of attention to the acclaimed storytellers who, like Bouzereau, grew up to be directors after seeing Jaws: Guillermo del Toro, J.J. Abrams, Cameron Crowe, Jordan Peele, Steven Soderbergh, Robert Zemeckis, and James Cameron. 'To really see the impact it had on some of the most important filmmakers of our times, to see the the lessons that they got from Jaws, was was eye-opening to me," admits Bouzereau. 'Because it wasn't just, 'Oh, I love the movie. It scared me.' You know, the usual sound bites. It was a very profound and big discovery for me. I also think the other aspect of the film that I had not really known about, even though it was in plain sight, was how it affected the ocean and [led to] sharks being massacred … The fascination with this novel and this movie have changed the dialogue about the ocean. I don't know if there are many movies that have had that kind of social impact. "Very few works of art turn 50 and are relevant today. I don't have any children, but I have nieces and nephews, and I have forced them to watch Jaws, and now they're forcing their kids to watch it. So it's something that's passed on, and it's pretty extraordinary to see that 50 years later. Listen, I asked myself a lot of questions if I was still relevant when I turned 50. Jaws doesn't have that problem.' 'Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story' Jaws @ 50 premieres exclusively on Disney+ and Hulu Thursday, July 10
USA Today
35 minutes ago
- USA Today
Dunnn-dun. 🦈
Dunnn-dun. 🦈 Happy 50th birthday, "Jaws"! You're still looking good and still freaking people out. Steven Spielberg's killer shark movie celebrates a big anniversary today, and if there's going to be a party, it might as well be a Watch Party. It's time to revisit that classic in a major way, plus reconnect with another throwback: "28 Years Later" is here to continue the post-apocalyptic carnage that started in 2002's "28 Days Later." And for youngsters, plus those who can't handle rage-filled ghouls or deadly fish, Pixar's "Elio" takes audience to space for a tale of a lonely boy meeting his new alien bestie. Now on to the good stuff: Celebrate 50 years of shark-chomping cinema with Steven Spielberg's 'Jaws' When it comes to Hollywood, there was everything before the first time John Williams' two-note theme hit and then everything after that great white went to town on the populace of Amity Island. "Jaws" was the original blockbuster, which captured the public's mind and sent people flocking to theaters to see it for themselves. My bud Marco della Cava wrote a piece about how Spielberg's classic scared folks senseless and some still are not over it, while I went ahead and ranked the biggest blockbusters of every summer since 1975. (So "Jaws" gets some serious competition from the likes of not one, not two but five "Star Wars" movies, plus some Batman flicks and "The Avengers.") And we're not scared. We've dove in on all things "Jaws," from shark movie rankings, 50 facts you need to know about the movie, star Richard Dreyfuss' memories of making the film and a look at how "Jaws" paved the way for every blockbuster that came afterward. And if you need to watch or revisit "Jaws" and its three sequels – the second one's not terrible! – they're all streaming on Peacock, FYI. Revisit the post-apocalyptic world of '28 Days Later' with '28 Years Later' Zombie movies and TV shows wouldn't have reached the popularity they've had over the past 25 years were it not for the success of "28 Days Later." Ironically, the victims of a rage virus in the U.K. have been called "fast zombies" for their sprinting abilities rather than usual undead lumbering, though director Danny Boyle doesn't love the "z" word. But I am happy to report that the new sequel "28 Years Later" is meaty indeed, a revisit to that post-apocalyptic world almost three decades later where the infected have evolved and so has the movie's thematic depth. I talked with Boyle and writer Alex Garland, the original "28 Days" creators back for the follow-up, about how the sequel echoes the original movie and introduces interesting new characters like Ralphie Fiennes' Dr. Kelson. Because he covers himself in iodine, this guy "looks very strange and lives surrounded by bones," Garland says, "but actually turns out to be completely compassionate and reasonable, counter to your expectations." Have your heart warmed by Pixar's sci-fi adventure 'Elio' If your family's not into hungry sharks or not-really-zombies, perhaps Pixar's new sci-fi adventure is more their speed. A lonely 11-year-old boy named Elio (voiced by Yonas Kibreab) has had it with Earth and wants to be abducted by aliens. He gets his wish and is introduced to a wide variety of strange creatures who all think he's the leader of the planet. Like other Pixar jams, friendship is at its center – Elio becomes BFFs with the blobby Glorgon – but it also tackles loneliness. Oscar winner Zoe Saldaña, who voices Elio's aunt, told me about how when she's had tough moments in her life, she's reached out to others in the arts. 'I was able to realize that, one, I wasn't alone," she says. "And two, there's nothing wrong with me." "Elio" is a sweet, thoughtful homage to a lot of kid-centric 1980s sci-fi movies, though it's pretty middling for a Pixar outing – which, given the animation's storied history, is not too shabby. I've updated our Pixar movie rankings to show how "Elio" stacks up against the studio's best. Even more goodness to check out! Got thoughts, questions, ideas, concerns, compliments or maybe even some recs for me? Email btruitt@ and follow me on the socials: I'm @briantruitt on Bluesky, Instagram and Threads.
New York Post
43 minutes ago
- New York Post
‘Jaws' turns 50: How other classic movies bit off the shark's signature riff — from ‘Caddyshack' to ‘Clerks'
Like the killer great white shark, the 'Jaws' theme song took a big bite out of movie history. The terrifying two-note theme of the 1975 summer blockbuster — which turns 50 on June 20 — has been riffed on in other classic films for its cultural impact that is still striking fang-crunching fear in the masses five decades later. Composer John Williams' menacing motif has been referenced — and ripped on — in other big films that have taken it from horror to humor. 9 'Jaws' defined the summer blockbuster after its release on June 20, 1975. Courtesy Everett Collection 'I think it's a compliment when anything becomes parodied that much, like, if you work your way into a popular comedy movie or something,' film music historian Tim Greiving — who wrote the upcoming biography 'John Williams: A Composer's Life' — exclusively told The Post. ''It's, like, acknowledging that this is something that is so culturally important, or that everybody recognizes it, that you can kind of play on it. If it was a little more obscure, the reference wouldn't work. I'll take it as a compliment.' But while the theme has been spoofed, Williams — who won his first of four Oscars for Best Original Score for 'Jaws' — took it very seriously. 'I think that serious intention comes through in the music and keeps it from being campy,' said Greiving. 9 Richard Dreyfuss and Roy Scheider co-starred in 1975's 'Jaws.' Courtesy Everett Collection Still, the theme has been played for laughs in classic comedies such as 'Airplane!' and 'Caddyshack.' 'The funny thing is, John Williams has talked about [how] sometimes he plays it in concert, and people start laughing, and it's not supposed to make you laugh, although it made ['Jaws' director] Steven Spielberg laugh when he first heard it,' said Greiving. 'So it has this interesting psychological effect now.' 'But I think at its core, it still does what it was supposed to do — which is freak you out.' Here, we dive into seven films that have sunk their teeth into the 'Jaws' theme. '1941' 9 Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi co-starred in the 1979 war comedy '1941.' Courtesy Everett Collection The opening scene of Spielberg's 1979 war comedy pays homage to the 'Jaws' theme. with Susan Backlinie — who played Chrissie Watkins, the shark's first victim in 'Jaws.' 'Airplane!' 9 Julie Hagerty, Leslie Nielsen and Peter Graves took 1980's 'Airplane!' to comic heights. ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Col As what appears to be a fin — but turns out to be a 747 — cuts through the clouds, the sinister riff of 'Jaws' takes this 1980 disaster comedy off in its opening credits. 'Caddyshack' 9 Ted Knight and Chevy Chase were golfing goofballs in 1980's 'Caddyshack.' ©Orion Pictures Corp/Courtesy Everett Collection When a candy bar is mistaken for a turd in a swimming pool, the 'Jaws' theme heightens the horror in the 1980 comedy starring Billy Murray and Chevy Chase. '9 1/2 Weeks' 9 Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger steamed up the screen in 1986's '9 1/2 Weeks.' ©Orion Pictures Corp/Courtesy Everett Collection When a kid claims that his friend can fart the 'Jaws' theme in this 1986 erotic drama, Mickey Rourke mimics it. How sexy. 'Spaceballs' 9 Bill Pullman and John Candy parodied 'Stars Wars' in 1987's 'Spaceballs.' Mel Brooks' 1987 'Star Wars' parody plays off the menacing motif from 'Jaws' while chasing a rebel ship. 'Back to the Future II' 9 Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd reunited for 'Back to the Future II' in 1989. The shark tale's theme plays as Michael J. Fox's Marty McFly encounters an advertisement for 'Jaws 19' — the 18th sequel to the original — when he travels to 2015. 'Clerks' 9 Brian O'Halloran and Jeff Anderson co-starred in Kevin Smith's directorial debut 'Clerks' in 1994. Jeff Anderson's character in Kevin Smith's 1994 cult classic dips into the 'Jaws' theme as his triangular tortilla chip cuts through some 'thick & chunky' salsa.
