The Making of Men in Black: Alien Attack at Universal Studios Florida

The Debut of Men in Black: Alien Attack

Men in Black: Alien Attack debuted in Universal Studios Florida on Friday, April 14, 2000, at 9 a.m. Its opening celebration was as theatrical as the film itself—featuring a helicopter, agents rappelling from towers, and a blast to open up the attraction’s entrance.

Will Smith and Rip Torn made an appearance to give the ride and its riders a hero’s welcome on its first day.

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The Men in Black: Alien Attack Experience

Facade

Men in Black: Alien Attack sits in a retro-futuristic corner of the former Expo Center area, now World Expo.

One of the first features guests will notice outside the attraction are its three towers, two of which are capped with discs. The third spire is broken at the top, which shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who has seen the Men in Black film—after all, these discs are spaceships in disguise.

Speaking of UFOs, the greenery around the plaza are trimmed like flying saucers.

The ride’s facade was designed in a charming mid-century style by architect Stephen Kanner. Features of yesterday’s tomorrow—for instance, the crimped awning and graceful archway—were inspired by mid-century landmarks such as Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium and St. Louis’ Gateway Arch.

The facade has a geometric design, shimmering after sundown with flow neon lights that soar like shooting stars along the night sky. The lettering on the ride’s main sign also transforms at night from green to red.

The architecture by the gift shop and restrooms are in the shape of the letters M and I; the B, which would have been discretely visible across the lagoon’s reflection, was never built.

Exterior Queue

The Men in Black: Alien Attack experience begins under the guise of a relocated exhibit from the 1964 New York World Expo. Guests enter under the arch and line up for The Universe and You: an educational tour about the cosmos. The pavilion’s extended queue reinforces the mid-century aesthetics with its architecture, lounge music, and classic Disneyland-inspired posters.

Pre-Show

Once inside, guests gather in the lobby of The Universe and You, decorated with retro handiwork. A host welcomes guests and plays an audio presentation to introduce the tour ahead.

Based on 1960s scientific research, The Universe and You is a bit outdated, but it asks a timeless question: “Are we alone?” Voiced by Rodger Bumpass of SpongeBob SquarePants fame, the narration tape slows to a malfunctioning pause as the lights dim. Plot twist: The presentation is cut short, and a spotlight shines on a hidden elevator as guests are granted access to a Men in Black training program.

Agent Zed’s voice directs the recruits into the stainless-steel elevator, which descends from all the phony theme park nonsense and down to the Men in Black headquarters.

Interior Queue

The doors slide open, leading to the monochrome hallways that curl through the top-secret MIB facility.

The halls have small touches like announcements over the intercom, a directory, and a bulletin board stocked with Easter eggs; the Oxygen Free Zone and Fingerprint Removal office doors may surprise curious trainees who jiggle the doorknobs.

“Attention: Agents E and I. Agent O will now meet you in Mission Debriefing. Once again, to Mission Debriefing. That’s Agents E, I…E, I, O.”

The Break Room is stationed in the middle of the hallway where two worms crack jokes over a cup of coffee. The talkative worm was voiced by the same actor who played Spider-Man and J. Jonah Jameson over at Islands of Adventure; the closedmouthed worm was one of a few characters voiced by the ride’s creative director, Dave Cobb.

Trainees then walk past the MIB locker room, through a scanner, and toward the Immigration and Control Room.

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Immigration Room

This two-story area is the main hub for the hustle and bustle around the MIB facility.

It’s just another 37-hour workday on Centurian time in the futuristic headquarters, decorated with the World’s Fair mural across the way. Trainees walk along the second-story mezzanines above workstations on the main floor where the Twins, Bweryang and Bob, monitor their control panel. These animated figures are more than 5 feet tall with tentacles reaching 12 feet wide.

The Twins sit in front of the Immigration Room’s Eggtron display, showing alien activity and an MIB crash course by Agent Zed.

When the attraction first opened, the Eggtron played a longer video of what trainees see today, but it was soon after trimmed down. At one point in production, this room was planned to have more animatronics as well as projections along the frosted glass.

Depending on availability, recruits may take a tour around the Immigration Room main floor.

Weapons Room

The queue continues into the Weapons Room, showcasing MIB weaponry and gear—some of which are toys, and others are zappers from the ride.

The room has hazmat equipment, alumni photos, and informational posters with gameplay tips for the ride. A training video called Doofus and Do-Right plays on the TVs overhead. The Doofus and Do-Right video was inspired by the classic Goofus and Gallant series from the Highlights for Children magazine.

Training Facility

The queue reaches the MIB Training Facility where recruits can put their alien-zapping skills to the test.

Guests head down a set of stairs to the garage floor and board into six-passenger vehicles on one of the ride’s two tracks. The MIB training vehicles are equipped with zappers and a red button—for emergencies only—in front of every recruit. When the ride first opened, it had two zappers available: the current S4 Alienator (AKA the Jumbo Judy) and the now-defunct Noisy Cricket II, which is still on display in the queue’s Weapons Room.

The ride vehicles are dispatched in pairs along the dual tracks, passing by an alien board operator and into the ride’s first scene: the training range.