The Complicated History of JAWS at Universal Studios Florida

Reimagining JAWS

After closing JAWS in 1990, Universal Studios had hoped to make the failed ride operational. The ride wouldn’t be rethemed nor replaced—Universal was confident they could make it work.

“All the components that made it a good film would make it a good ride, like suspense and horror and thrills.”

— Mark Woodbury, director of design at Universal Studios

Universal hired third-party consultants for a “redesign that will lead to the re-engineering, rebuilding, and reopening of Jaws in 1991.” The plan was to more or less automate the boats and strengthen the mechanical structures. The assessment, however, determined the repairs were more complicated than that—the ride needed more than a moderate refurbishment.

A major finding was that the attraction developed weld cracks at the base of key framework structures for the ride and its effects. This made the attraction prone to failure—such as potentially causing a catastrophic accident. The lagoon was immediately drained at this time, and an extensive overhaul was deemed necessary.

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An Extended Closure

The poor state of the ride pushed its reopening out to 1992 at the soonest, but even that was too optimistic; the reopening was delayed to 1993.

Universal made use of the JAWS queue while the attraction was closed to guests. The JAWS queue was the venue for a haunted house during the seasonal event that would eventually become Halloween Horror Nights. The space at one point was even used as a temporary barbecue restaurant.

Meanwhile, Universal Studios Florida opened Back to the Future: The Ride in 1991. Unlike the struggles of the park’s opening day, the debut of Back to the Future went over smoothly. Universal wanted the reopening of JAWS to go swimmingly as well, assuring everything was done right this time. Reopening JAWS was going to be the final missing piece from opening day.