Remembering Twister…Ride It Out at Universal Studios Florida

Twister…Ride It Out Opens at Universal Studios Florida

Twister…Ride It Out touched down at Universal Studios Florida on May 4, 1998, in the New York section of the park. The soundstage of the $16 million addition had some weather-damaged theming, like the broken marquee and debris battered into the walls.

The Queue

The outside queue mostly lined around the exterior of the soundstage with some light theming and familiar nods to the movie and its setting of Oklahoma. Guests would wait by decorations like one of the Dorothy weather machines as seen in the movie, the imprint of a cow, and an Esmoo’s Dairy cow advertisement. The extended queue area even had a few recognizable tornado-chasing vehicles from the movie. Weather-themed tunes like Windy by The Association played over the radio.

The queue led into the soundstage and to the first pre-show room, lined with props from the movie. A video played over the screens, starting with the film’s intense opening scene and other clips. The film’s stars—Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton—introduced the attraction and shared some background about their time on set as Dr. Jo Harding and Bill Harding. This pre-show video was shown on two split screens; rumors say the two sides were filmed separately after a supposed falling out between Hunt and Paxton on the set of Twister.

Once the first pre-show ended, guests filed into a somber recreation of Aunt Meg’s destroyed home. The set was harrowing with the wreckage from a tornado. It was detailed with references to the movie and even a small gag of Mickey ears stuck to the spinning tire of Dr. Jonas Miller’s van.

In this area, guests viewed the second pre-show. Bill Paxton gave a behind-the-scenes look at how Twister and its special effects were made while also putting it into perspective just how forceful tornadoes are. The video abruptly ended with booming thunder, flickering lights, and the TV going to static.

The Show

A tornado siren sounded off. The doors in front of guests opened, leading into the main theater with warnings of an approaching tornado. Guests were ushered to stand on an open-air observation platform—sounds safe. The tiered viewing platform overlooked an outdoor set of the rural Midwest where they would soon see a special effects presentation unlike any other. The realistic set, similar to the film’s drive-in scene, had a gas station; diner; and drive-in theater, which was showing the 1991 film, The People Under the Stairs.

The wind picked up as an oncoming storm loomed in the distance. A flash of lightning struck a tree, splitting it in two as sparks flared. A flashlight shone from inside the dark diner; the storm neared. A massive tornado, projected on a giant IMAX screen, was seen in the distance. The ambiance in the room shifted as set pieces started moving in the wind.

Suddenly, the tornado manifested in the middle of the theater. High winds wreaked havoc on the set, shattering the windows of the diner. The Dorthy device, sitting in the bed of Dr. Jo Harding’s Jeep, took off in the wind and soared in front of the crowd. The large drive-in sign blew away, and the awning above guests lifted from the winds.

Just as expected from any self-respecting Twister attraction: A flying cow, named Esmoo, drifted by.

The destruction continued as Bill Harding’s truck slid into a fuel pump, causing gas to leak and catching the station on fire. The flames grew for a fiery finale, and the tornado dissipated.

The winds calmed down, the awning above guests fell back in place, and the floor slightly dropped for one final scare. The showpieces started resetting for the next viewing, and the flashlight from inside the diner meekly peeked through the broken windows. Over the speakers, Bill Paxton thanked guests for surviving Twister as they made their way out the door.

The attraction—predictably—exited through the gift shop, called Aftermath, decorated by movie props and stocked with cow merchandise. A small buffer room was used between the theater and the gift shop so the air pressure and winds wouldn’t knock items off the shelves.