by Danielle Plato
On June 20th, 1975, a movie debuted that took the nation by storm. The biggest hit of its time, raking in a staggering 260 million dollars and change, one Universal Studios film would end up responsible for defining the Summer Blockbuster. It broke records, defined genres, and made a nation wary of their summer plans on a scale that shook beachgoers across the country. Jaws debuted in theaters to critical acclaim, quickly cementing itself in the history of Universal cinema, and would continue to play a part in Universal history decades down the road. No, not because of any of its sequels (last I heard, there were 19 of them😁), but because of a project that Universal was breaking ground on in Orlando, Florida.
The First Attack in Hollywood
Originally part of the Universal Tram Tour in Hollywood, guests were able to witness the sinking of the Orca and the titular shark prowling the waters of what was originally called Singapore Lake – later, for obvious reasons, renamed to Jaws Lake. This version of the Jaws ride was short, but featured the iconic soundtrack from the movie, as well as screen-used props. The Orca, which tragically was lost to wood rot and scrapped for timber in the 90s, was one of the famous boats from the film that guests could see in the early days of the tram tour at Universal Studios Hollywood.
When plans started circulating for a larger, more involved theme park to break ground in Orlando, Florida, however, Jaws – and indeed, many attractions featured on the Hollywood Tram Tour – was slated to be fleshed out into a full, stand-alone attraction, allowing Universal to expand upon the ideas that had been introduced in Hollywood.
Of course, everyone knows that Jaws was an opening day attraction in Orlando, which ran from 1990 all the way until January 2, 2012, when it was slated for demolition along with the rest of Amity Island, which would later be replaced by the second Wizarding World of Harry Potter land, Diagon Alley. Jaws is, to this day, a beloved ride, and hardly a forgotten attraction.
Or, at least the second version is.
Disaster in Amity
The original version of Jaws was plagued with endless problems, and in fact spent most of its first year closed. Due to what Universal Studios Florida then determined to be faulty manufacturer parts and a botched installation, the original version of the Jaws ride was quite beloved, but wholly unreliable. Already wildly popular in its infancy, the original version of the ride closely resembled the long-standing replacement. In reality, it was the grand finale of the Jaws ride that gave Universal Studios Florida so much trouble in its early days.
Manufactured by Ride & Show Engineering, the original ending for the beloved boat ride was a recreation of the first film, in which Martin Brody, the police chief of Amity Island and main protagonist of the film, shoves a pressurized scuba tank into the shark’s mouth. He shoots the tank with a rifle, causing a shark-splosion in the middle of the ocean, killing the unkillable beast instantly. Because of this iconic scene, Universal Creative aimed to create a similar effect on the ride, by giving your trusty Skipper a grenade launcher. After Bruce had sufficiently terrorized guests across the lagoon’s show area, the Skipper would launch a grenade into the shark’s mouth, creating a similar effect that guests had seen in the movie!
Because of this, a clever system was developed specifically for the Jaws ride in Orlando, which would shoot shark bits into the air. After the explosion settled, and the shark bits sank back to the bottom, a patented re-uptake system would collect all the stray shark bits and re-set the system for the next show. It was a brilliant design… when it worked.
Unfortunately, the reuptake system failed often, causing damage to the ride system and the show’s effects, and causing significant delays, hefty repairs, and outright closures all within the ride’s first year. It was an infamous ride – not only because of the thrill of coming face to face with a great white shark, but because more often than not, the ride was inoperable.
“Deep Fried Bruce” Saves the Day
Universal ended up suing Ride & Show Entertainment, claiming that the manufacturer had installed a system with a flawed design and shoddy workmanship – and because of this, the delays, repairs, and closures had followed as the reuptake system constantly broke down. While the result of this lawsuit were not made public, the legal case wouldn’t be the end of the working relationship between Universal Orlando Resort and Ride & Show Entertainment, who were actually responsible for additional work built after the Jaws debacle, like their contributions to the Back to the Future ride at Universal Studios Japan.
The original ending of the Jaws ride proved so disastrous that after just a few months of sporadic, problem-plagued operation in 1990, it was shut down completely. The attraction was then entirely re-engineered and rebuilt over the next couple of years, permanently changed out for the secondary finale pulled from the ending of Jaws 2. This ending, which featured incredible pyrotechnics and the famous “burnt shark” smell developed specifically for the ride, is the ending that most guests who experienced this attraction over its twenty-two-year lifecycle were familiar with. A much more reliable finale, the inclusion of the secondary show ending meant that the Jaws ride experienced significantly fewer delays.
The Ghost of Amity Lives On
But just because this change was made so early in the ride’s life doesn’t mean Universal has forgotten about it! With the 50th anniversary of Jaws happening this year, Universal has been all about that Great White – even building new temporary photo ops at a pop up shop located at The Candy Factory in the San Francisco section of the park, nearby where the old Jaws ride used to live. This pop-up experience also includes a photo-op where guests can play the part of the Skipper – and if you venture back behind the bow of the boat, you’ll come across some peculiar props!
If you look closely at the page in the middle, you can see the original plans for the Jaws ride have been scribbled out and written-over with the updated show finale. “Exploding Shark” has been scribbled out entirely, and “Shark Eats Grenade, Blows Up” has been replaced with “Deep Fried Bruce”, reflecting the changes that were made to the show in the early 90s.
Not only were these pages included in the boat prop photo op around the back of The Candy Factory, but the boat itself included a fun little prop – a nod to the original ending of this famous ride.
That’s a whole grenade launcher! Mounted and non-removable, this grenade launcher serves as a reminder to those who remember the original ending, who know that the Jaws ride didn’t always end with Deep Fried Bruce.
Thankfully, though, the original Jaws ride is still out there! With the portable camcorder coming into popularity in the late 80s, and many tourists beginning to bring recording equipment to the park, the footage of the original Jaws ride ending still exists today!
Explore More: Videos
The Original Jaws Ride at Universal Studios Florida
The Making of Jaws The Ride
Explore More: Resources
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Danielle’s favorite stories have always been about magic and far-off adventures, and growing up in Orlando, Florida allowed her to experience those adventures in real life. As an adult, she graduated from the University of Central Florida in 2023 with a degree in Literature. Her inner child, however, still has a deep love for fairies, dragons, magic, and adventure. When not writing her next big adventure, she enjoys drawing, puzzle platformers, theme parks, and fast roller coasters.
The Attraction Archaeology column is published every other Thursday. #ThrowbackThursday
