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The end

Throughout much of the early 2000s, Universal Orlando was struggling. The debut of a second theme park, Islands of Adventure, had gone much more smoothly than the opening of Universal Studios Florida. However, the marketing campaign surrounding it had been a disaster, and attendance at both parks had disappointed.

That all changed in 2010, when the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened at Islands of Adventure. Suddenly, the park was swamped with guests, and Universal Orlando began to generate cash again. It was boosted further by a takeover of Universal by the deep-pocketed Comcast in 2009, with the media giant taking full control of the Florida resort in 2011. The firm soon began to build on the success of the Harry Potter attraction by splurging hundreds of millions of dollars on new additions.

With attendance at Universal Studios Florida lagging 20 percent behind that of Islands of Adventure after the Wizarding World’s debut, Comcast was not about to stop its sudden capital spending spree. Instead, it would accelerate it to enhance the original park.

In December 2011, it was announced that Jaws would close the following month to make room for a new attraction. Rumors immediately began to circulate that the Jaws site would be occupied by a second Harry Potter land, ensuring that fans of the wizard would have to visit both parks at the resort. Ultimately, those rumors proved to be correct, with The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley opening on the site in 2014.

Jaws aerial image

“Jaws offered the largest area for us to create something that was about the same footprint that we did back at Hogsmeade,” explains Universal Creative’s Thierry Coup. “Jaws had been here for about 22 years and it was still going well. But in the rating of all the attractions of the park, it was probably time for it to refreshed or changed.”

After one last ride on January 2, 2012, fans waved goodbye to Jaws forever.

The afterlife

Quint trio

There are tributes to the former Jaws attraction scattered throughout Diagon Alley. One of these can be found in the London Waterfront area, where you’ll find a nondescript record store. Displayed in the window is a record titled “Here’s to Swimmin’ with Bow Legged Women”, by the Quint Trio. This is a reference to a toast made by shark hunter Quint in Steven Spielberg’s movie.

Shrunken heads

While attempting to track down the shark in the movie, the three heroes sing “Show Me the Way to Go Home”. This song is among those performed by the shrunken heads that are on display in Knockturn Alley.

You can find another Jaws reference in the storefront of Mr. Mulpepper’s Apothecary. A set of shark jawbones is hidden away behind a variety of herbs and potions.

The legacy

Burnt Jaws

Although the first version may have been an expensive flop, the Jaws ride did ultimately serve its purpose. Along with Back to the Future: The Ride, the second version of the ride played a huge part in attracting guests to Universal Studios Florida. Once they were there, it showed them that Universal really could create world-class theme park attractions – ones that were edgier, scarier and more technologically advanced than anything Disney was putting out at the time (the debut of the magnificent Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney-MGM Studios in 1994 was widely seen as a response to Universal’s success).

Just like the movie that it was based upon, Jaws dated over time but continued to hold a nostalgic charm. Unlike a movie, though, it couldn’t live on forever and its ultimate replacement was more-or-less inevitable, particularly given Universal’s merciless stance on aging attractions. It lives on in our memories, and in the form of a clone at Universal Studios Japan.

Help us preserve this experience by telling us about your memories of being harassed by Jaws in the comments, and let us know what other attractions you’d love to see in our In-Depth Retrospective series.

You can learn more about the creation of Universal Orlando’s rides and attractions by reading Universal Orlando: The Unofficial Story, the first full-length history of the resort.

 
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Comments

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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