The 25-Year History of Universal Islands of Adventure

Marvel Superhero Island

To the left of Port of Entry is Marvel Superhero Island. This area’s two-dimensional yet colorful look is straight out of the pages of a comic book. Its Art Deco buildings come to life with specialized paint and glass for a sparkly shimmer. Marvel Superhero Island is a place where superheroes can make an appearance at any time, like in the opening-year X-Men street show.

The land is a marvel in itself with a number of ground-breaking thrill rides.

The Incredible Hulk Coaster

The most visually prominent ride of Marvel Superhero Island—and quite possibly the whole park—is The Incredible Hulk Coaster. This heart-pounding coaster may have had a cameo in the 1999 film House on Haunted Hill, but it’s really the star of the park’s skyline.

The Incredible Hulk Coaster takes riders on a Bruce Banner gamma radiation experiment gone wrong.

“We’ve taken those ideas of raw energy, raging emotion, and intense power and turned it into a very visceral, dynamic ride experience.”

– Scott Trowbridge, show producer of Marvel Superhero Island

The coaster starts with a bang by launching up an incline, out of a tunnel, and into a zero-G roll. The tire-drive launch is so forceful that Universal created a generator system to power the acceleration—otherwise, it could cause a brownout in Orlando.

To find the right launch velocity, Universal Creative made a test system that propelled a welded derby car at high forces, up to 6 Gs during trials. The trials and ingenuity were all part of the process and commitment of creating an authentic Hulk experience.

Doctor Doom’s Fearfall

The streets of Marvel Superhero Island take a dark turn down the grungy Yancy Street. The alley leads to the menacing towers of Doctor Doom’s Fearfall: a terrorizing device made to extract the fear of test subjects for Dr. Doom’s gain. The ride launches riders up its 185-foot-tall towers.

The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man

A theme park land based on Marvel would not be complete without the Daily Bugle and the one and only Spider-Man. The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man is a first-of-its-kind motion simulator.

The Daily Bugle’s editor-in-chief, J. Jonah Jameson, recruits guests to fill in as reporters to check out the breaking news of the missing Statue of Liberty. Riders board the Bugle’s high-tech vehicle, the Scoop, joining Spider-Man in an action-packed chase against the Sinister Syndicate through the nighttime streets of New York City.

The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man is more than an energetic story—it combines that storytelling with innovative technology and techniques.

“Did I ever think it would come to this? No way. Only in my wildest dreams. My career has so many highlights, but this has to rank right up there.”

– Stan Lee, Marvel Entertainment legend

It pushed the limits with a seamless blend of crisp 3D visuals and clever practical effects, using an advanced ride vehicle on a track. This ride system pushed Universal Creative to develop a technique called “squinching” so the on-screen visuals match the perspective of the moving ride vehicle.

The ride is crammed with inventive features, making it among the highest rated dark rides of all time.

“This was the one ride on paper that none of us thought could be done. We thought the design group was about five years ahead of their time, and they delivered this—surprised all of us.”

– Steven Spielberg, creative consultant for Islands of Adventure

WATCH MORE

JOIN TODAY

Toon Lagoon

From one comic to another, Toon Lagoon puts guests right in the funny pages. Every day is Sunday here, with characters from yesteryear around every corner, like in the Toon Trolley street show. The gags, kinetic elements, sound design, and splashes of water all around bring the quips of Toon Lagoon to life.

Toon Lagoon is the wettest island in the park. It was built with an underground water pump system that connects to the central lagoon, drenching guests aboard the water rides.

Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges

Toon Lagoon and water rides go together like Popeye and spinach. Guests can take a classic Popeye voyage on the unruly Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges. This raft ride soaks riders to the bone across the unpredictable raging rapids.

Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls

Toon Lagoon stretches to the neighbors of the north; Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls is a log flume with aqua coaster elements through a Canadian sawmill.

Although the ride lost a few signature elements from the original blue-sky version, it still follows a story of the dim-witted cartoon Mountie himself, Dudley Do-Right. Ripsaw Falls takes a 75-foot drop into a TNT shack with animated set pieces.

Pandemonium Cartoon Circus

The circus made its way to Toon. Pandemonium Cartoon Circus was Toon Lagoon’s stage show. Cartoon characters performed circus acts and sang big musical numbers. The funny business was thriving with cartoon legends such as Rocky and Bullwinkle, Betty Boop, Popeye, and Dudley Do-Right.