Editor’s Note: Prepare to dig into the past! We’re excited to welcome Danielle Plato and her new column, Attraction Archaeology. In this series, Danielle will serve as our guide, excavating the rich history and lost details of theme park attractions that live on only in memory. Get ready to unearth the tales behind the rides and shows you remember (and maybe some you don’t!). Welcome, Danielle!
by Danielle Plato
We all miss the old, retired attractions that made the theme parks such a magical place when we first visited. From rides and attractions like Back to the Future: The Ride and Jaws, to the Main Street Electrical Parade (whose successor, Paint the Night, is getting a comeback this year for Disneyland’s 70th anniversary celebration, by the way!), there will always be attractions that we hold near and dear to our hearts.
But realistically, the attractions that have lived on past their retirement in the hearts and minds of countless theme park enthusiasts are just a fraction of the attractions that parks across the world have seen come and go over the last few decades of the themed entertainment boom. Since the advent of Disneyland in the 1950s, attractions have been changed, altered, replaced, and repaired – sometimes getting lost in the annals of history.
One such attraction is Poseidon’s Fury – no, hear me out! No one’s forgotten about Poseidon’s Fury. It only closed in 2023, after all, and though the sign for the attraction was taken down shortly after, the façade and sculpt work for the attraction is still a prominent part of The Lost Continent at Universal’s Islands of Adventure – even today, exactly two years after the attraction closed.
But Poseidon’s Fury is a forgotten attraction. At least, the original is.
Poseidon’s Forgotten History
When Islands of Adventure opened in 1999, it was considered one of the most advanced parks of its time, showcasing exceptional showmanship and storytelling perfectly married with cutting-edge technology that was developed specifically for the park. Comprised of six lands, Islands of Adventure aimed to guide guests on a journey through an immersive experience based around literature and storytelling – and a big part of that theme was mythology.
When Islands of Adventure opened, one of its premier lands was The Lost Continent – which can still be explored today, though much of it was taken over by The Wizarding World of Harry Potter when Hogsmeade opened in 2010. It opened with sixteen attractions and shows, one of which was a walk-through attraction that took place within the ruins of an ancient temple.
Though much of the original version of the attraction could still be seen in the incarnation most of us knew, the original attraction featured a different story told by entirely different characters. Featuring an old storyteller called The Keeper, guests are led on an adventure to discover the lost city of Atlantis, where a powerful God by the name of Poseidon has been imprisoned.
The Keeper’s Tale Begins
The Keeper has spent his life trying to decode the secret of the stone ruins, and weaves a tale similar to the one that the most popular version of the ride saw told by Taylor. While the modern version of this attraction saw Poseidon cast in the role of the powerful hero locked in eternal battle with the evil Lord Darkennon, the original version of this attraction that debuted in the 90s actually had Poseidon cast as the villain, locked in struggle with Zeus.
In the first room (analogous to where guests would meet Taylor in the modern version), The Keeper would relay the story of Zeus and Poseidon that had been immortalized in beautiful murals that had been painted across the ceiling of the chamber. Guests were treated to a similar story, where they would get to explore the awe-inspiring power of the Gods in a fight of good versus evil.
“Once upon a wondrous time, mighty Titans ruled the earth, ocean, and sky. By far the greatest of these was Zeus – wise, noble, and the handsomest king of all the ancients,” The Keeper explained. But Zeus’s brother, Poseidon, was jealous of his power, and threatened to flood the entire world in a battle for dominance and domain. “And Poseidon, he too was exiled far beneath the waves, but not before vowing to one day return with an undersea army to defeat the noble Zeus once and for all.”
Stepping into the Oracle Room, guests would witness an exchange between The Keeper and the Oracle – the gatekeeper to Atlantis, inviting us to a “world of wonders beyond measure” so long as we could prove that we were worthy of Poseidon. Prompting guests to focus on the symbols of the circular gate before them, a spectacular laser projection show would seemingly make the images on the door come to life, as the Oracle chanted her incantation to give us safe passage into the heart of the lost city of Atlantis, where the union of land creatures and sea creatures will set Poseidon free and allow him to settle the score with his brother.
Turns out that’s a bad thing, and the The Keeper seems a lot less enthusiastic about finding Atlantis now that the Oracle has foreseen the return of Poseidon. Guests are treated to the absolutely stunning and groundbreaking effect of the famous water vortex – one of Universal’s greatest practical effects to date, produced by a vortex manifold featuring forty nozzles shooting water at a hundred miles per hour above guests’ heads – coupled with outstanding projections, as the The Keeper and his companion travelers are transported into the depths of the ocean, where the kingdom of Atlantis is revealed to them upon a series of massive screens.
Quickly confronted by the God of the Seas himself, Poseidon wreaks havoc upon the final chamber, threatening to keep the travelers captive. In a final ditch effort to defeat Poseidon and protect the travelers who had been unknowingly tricked into their watery prison, The Keeper reveals himself as Zeus in an incredible display of power – his human form disappearing as he takes his place upon the battlefield alongside his brother. The two Gods duke it out, similar to the battle in the modern version, before Zeus’ power prevails, defeating Poseidon and collapsing the lost city of Atlantis before the guests’ very eyes.
Zeus, in his great power and benevolence, protects the guests during the collapse, and grants them safe passage back to the world of land and earth.
Why the Temple Was Renovated
This version of the ride only lasted about a year and a half. Though this version of the attraction was beloved by many – especially those who care about park history and theme park preservation – many guests did not receive the original version of the attraction well, and Universal contracted with a third party to completely revamp the attraction – providing new sets, new story elements, and new characters.
Guests complained about various elements of the story, from the lack of danger guests felt from similar attractions like The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man or even the sister attraction in The Lost Continent, The Eighth Voyage of Sindbad stage show, to the cartoonish CGI animation used for the main battle and climax of the attraction. Pacing, story elements, and effects all came under fire from confused and dissatisfied guests who couldn’t quite get behind this journey to Atlantis.
Though this was one of the most technologically advanced attractions in the world at the time of its opening, and remained an impressive show of practical effects up until the day it closed permanently in 2023, Poseidon’s Fury was always seen as a lesser attraction than its high-thrill siblings. Often underrated, this attraction still endured an incredible run once the Global Discovery Group, Taylor, Dr. Baxter, and Lord Darkennon took over – and no matter which version of this incredible attraction you got to see, or which one you consider the better show, it’s an undeniable fact that Poseidon’s Fury was a unique and impressive attraction that allowed guests the once-in-a-lifetime chance (or, once-a-week if you’re an annual passholder) to step into another world where the power of the Gods can whisk you away to fantastical cities just as easily as they can level them.
All of this, of course, was thanks to the incredible creative and engineering team at Universal Creative, who pulled out all the stops to deliver a world-class themed entertainment destination at Islands of Adventure. Poseidon’s Fury might not have been the biggest hit of the park with guests in the 90s, but the work, passion, and expertise that went into building the original version of the attraction – and indeed, its subsequent version as well – is unparalleled.
Artifacts of a Legend
For those visiting Universal Orlando Resort today, unfortunately the time to experience the mesmerizing special effects of Poseidon’s Fury is long gone. Though we mourn the loss of this incredible opening-day attraction, fans can take solace knowing that this attraction hasn’t been totally lost to the tides of theme park history; just outside the now-closed attraction lies Treasures of Poseidon, which features a massive sculpt of the original Poseidon character – in his merfolk form – holding the shop sign. The upper half of his body can be seen outside of the store, with his tail extending inside the shop, and though the days of that particular Poseidon are long gone, the fact that he still remains at Universal Islands of Adventure is proof that the artistry that goes into these attractions never truly dies.
Explore More: Videos
The Original Poseidon’s Fury: Escape From The Lost City (1999 – shaky)
Poseidon’s Fury – Behind The Scenes
Why Poseidon’s Fury was Legendary: An Underappreciated Masterpiece
Explore More: Resources
- Forum Post: Poseidon’s Fury Original Script (Inside Universal Forums)
- Article: Goodbye, Poseidon’s Fury: Universal closes long-running attraction (Spectrum News 13)
- Next Column: Attraction Archaeology: Marvel Comics Super Heroes Showdown (Theme Park Magazine)
- Feature Image Credit: Ethically Yours Wikimedia Commons License: Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported
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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.
