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The rebuild

Jaws second version

The problems suffered by the Jaws attraction mirrored those encountered during the production of the movie itself. Jaws had run wildly over budget – from $4 million to $9 million – after Steven Spielberg insisted that it be shot at sea, and not in a controlled tank on a studio backlot. “Bruce”, the animatronic shark that was to be its star, frequently malfunctioned, with pneumatic hoses taking on salt water, parts corroding and a “non-absorbent” skin that proved to be anything but. The director must have felt a sense of déjà vu as he witnessed the theme park version of Bruce give his stuttering performances in 1990.

With Jaws shuttered in August 1990, Universal brought together a creative team to decide what should be done with the attraction. Director of design Mark Woodbury insisted that the company never considered scrapping Jaws altogether: “All the components that make it a good film would make it a great ride. Like anything else, given another chance to evaluate things, not only do you fix them, but you take the opportunity to make it better.” The Totally Fun Company, which had worked on a number of Universal Studios Florida’s attractions, was brought in to work with the internal team on the redesign.

In place of Ride & Show Engineering, Universal brought in several key contractors. The first of these was Intamin, which would handle the movement of the boats (the previous ride system was to be stripped out completely). Orlando-based Regal Marine Industries built the boats themselves. Eastport International, a Maryland-based company, would design and build the mechanical sharks. The Nassal Co., a local firm, would construct the underwater track and surrounding ride buildings. Finally, the complicated software needed to bring the whole show together would be developed by Itec Productions.

Jaws wire bite

The script was enlarged, borrowing elements from the original Jaws and Jaws 2. Two of the most troublesome scenes were dropped: the “Jaws bites boat” scene, and the “exploding shark” finale. In their place were added a major explosion on a gas dock, and a climactic scene in which the shark was electrocuted after biting onto a high voltage barge. Another new set-piece would see a ring of fire created by underwater natural gas lines completely surround the boat.

Peter Alexander created the initial concept for the refurbishment, and recalls: “After we opened, everything else seemed like such a big hit that we felt we didn't need to re-engineer the ‘shark bites boat’ or ‘meat machine’ to make them more reliable [they would instead be replaced], so I came up with the simpler ‘shark bites wire, catches fire’ bit. After that, I left Universal and a guy named Adam Bezark took it from there.”

Bezark recalls (in an excellent interview with TheStudioTour.com): “I was brought in during the production phase, after the new sharks and boats had been designed and were already in construction. My role was to bring the whole thing together: fine-tune the script, program the boats and sharks, work out the effects timings and lighting, oversee the new soundtrack and train the performers, etc.”

Jaws fire sequence

Working with Ron Griffin, a pyrotechnics expert, Bezark helped develop the key fire sequence: “I wanted to make it intense and scary, but not dangerous…When it got to the point where the heat was actually painful, we dialed it back just a bit. So the impact on the audience was amazing: some people thought they were actually getting burned, but I knew from personal experience that it was safe.”

Bezark and his team also had the complex task of ensuring that the timing of the boats’ movements worked correctly. The software developed by Itec Productions would regulate the vessels’ speed, as well as triggering rolling effects that would create the impression that the shark was swimming underneath the boat. It was an arduous process: “There was no way to back the boats up, so if we wanted to change a roll effect in, say, scene one, we'd have to ride the entire six-minute ride all the way around the lagoon before we could see the results of the change. This meant literally hundreds of cycles, always taking place in the dead of night.”

Eastport International was acquired byOceaneering International in August 1992, and renamed as Oceaneering’s Advanced Technologies Group. The company had been contracted by Universal as it was a specialist in building the heavy-duty hydraulic machinery used by undersea oil rigs – its work on the updated Jaws ride would be its first foray into the entertainment business. With the original sharks reported to have suffered from inadequate waterproofing, Universal was turning to the experts.

Oceaneering International Spectrum

Eastport’s unmanned vehicles had previously recovered tons of deep sea wreckage, including debris from the Space Shuttle Challenger. “We have an emotional stake to make sure this is successful,” claimed president Craig Mullen. “This was a unique undertaking.” The company would face the same challenges as Ride & Show Engineering. “It’s a harsh environment,” said Mullen. “You've got electrical and hydraulic components, neither of which like water very much. You've also got this massive piece of machinery which you have to accelerate from a dead stop, and then make it stop safely.”

The Oceaneering International team built no fewer than seven fiberglass-and-steel great white sharks, which proved to be much more reliable than the original versions. At various points during the ride, the sharks surged from the water with a force equivalent to a 500-horsepower engine. All of the underwater equipment was encased in hard plastic to prevent corrosion.

To achieve their rapid forward lunges, each of the sharks was attached to a hydraulic lift. This apparatus, weighing 12 tons, was mounted on a wheeled platform, enabling the sharks to move around the lagoon. The platforms themselves sat on underwater tracks.

Jaws return poster

Universal was taking no chances on a repeat of the disastrous original opening of Jaws. The ride debuted in August 1993, but was officially categorized as undergoing “technical rehearsals” until early 1994.

The extended rehearsal time also enabled Universal to perfect the ride’s script and for the boats’ skippers to settle into their roles. Five days of training was required for each skipper, including a swimming test at nearby Wet ‘n Wild. When the ride was operating, they would narrate (or “spiel”) three consecutive runs of the six-minute attraction at a time, before taking a short break. As well as receiving an eight-page script and a nine-page workbook, they were also equipped with a tongue-in-cheek dossier on people and places in Amity. An acting coach would ride through the attraction with them before signing them off as fully qualified. The job was not a glamorous one, with skippers required to show up for work at the crack of dawn to scrub down the boats with soap. In a reference to the original version's mishaps, staff lovingly referred to Jaws as “the mistake on the lake”.

Universal effectively wrote off the $30 million that it had spent on the first version of Jaws and started again from scratch. This time around, the cost would be even higher: an estimated $40 million, the same amount that had been spent on Back to the Future: The Ride (which opened in 1991). Still, the company was relieved to have the sharks back in the water. “Bringing Jaws on at this point really closes a chapter for us, and allows us to move forward,” said Bob Ward. “Obviously, we are all very excited that Jaws is becoming part of the family.” Jaws stars Roy Scheider and Lorraine Gary, along with director Steven Spielberg, were on hand to reopen the attraction.

Jaws promotional image

Despite the new version’s much-improved reliability, Jaws was still a hugely expensive attraction to maintain. It was estimated that the natural gas needed to fuel the climactic scene would cost the park around $2 million every single year.

Whatever the costs, visitors were impressed. “It was fabulous - pretty scary, though, and we did get wet,” Shelly Kurek told the Orlando Sentinel. “It's like you're right there in the movie.” Universal’s management were happy too, with general manager Tom Williams commenting: “I can honestly say that if you searched the world over, you wouldn’t find another ride like this.”

Jaws dry from above

It was operating reliably and thrilling guests, but Universal’s problems with Jaws weren’t quite over. At least once a year, the five million gallon lagoon was drained into two large stormwater ponds on Universal’s property, which eventually emptied into a drainage ditch. The Department of Environmental Protection received an anonymous tip that pollutants were leaking out from the ride, with floating oil being spotted on the stormwater ponds. Tests showed high levels of petroleum pollutants and heavy metals. In June 1995, it ordered Universal to clean up its act.

The company was forced to apply for an industrial wastewater permit, requiring it to conduct regular tests on water leaving the ride. The most significant change, though, was the switch to a different hydraulic fluid, one that was nontoxic and biodegradable. However, this caused a minor controversy. The new oil was made by Mobil. The official sponsor of Kongfrontation, and the “official motor oil of Universal Studios Florida”, was Texaco – which also made the old fluid. “We contacted Texaco about a new fluid,” said Ron Sikes, Universal’s in-house lawyer. “We would have bought from them if they would have offered a product that met our needs.”

 
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my experience on the jaws ride (that most people know today) was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life. when I was growing up and saw "jaws" for the first time, I watched half of the film peeking from behind a blanket. absolutely terrified. even today I am deathly afraid of sharks, but also fascinated by them. but anyway, when I went to universal studios for the first time when I was about 8 years old my family and I decided to go on the Jaws ride. despite knowing everything everything was going to be a fake tourist attraction I had no idea what "the terror of the deep" had in store for me. unknowingly I sat in the worst possible seat on the boat ( for someone that was suffering from PTSD after watching "jaws"). i kept telling myself,"you'll be fine. Be brave," but I would be eventually be reduced to a pile of horrified mush when I was confronted with the animatronic shark that was stalking our boat. at the point in the ride where the shark finally breaches the water with its mouth gaping right next to the boat, guess where I was sitting? RIGHT NEXT TO IT. I felt paralyzed as I stared at this monster that haunted my dreams for countless nights. As a young boy, it felt so real. Too real, maybe. I'm pretty sure I didn't blink for at least a half hour after we finally had gotten off the ride. it's a day I will never forget.

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