Track installation complete for Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift; route runs from New York load station to tallest element near CityWalk.
Everything that changed here
across the land, newest first- 2026
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Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift roller coaster under construction with 170-ft vertical spike following Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit demolition.
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Launch track and station building construction progressing; blue structural frames and brake run platforms visible.
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Crews topped off the 170-foot spike on Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift; track installation ongoing.
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Steel railings installed along coaster track; overbank curve nearly complete; spike element (170 feet) remains prominent.
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Construction reached the signature spike — support columns for the 170-foot vertical element and a first section of coaster track went up.
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Vertical construction began — the first coaster supports were installed at Universal Studios Florida.
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Universal announced Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift for Universal Studios Florida — a high-speed Intamin launched spinning coaster opening in 2027 on the former site of Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, headlined by a 170-foot vertical spike beside Universal CityWalk.
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Universal announced Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift, a spinning roller coaster targeted to open in 2027, as the attraction being built on the former Rip Ride Rockit site.
The Florida version is a separate layout from the Universal Studios Hollywood installation and includes a 170-foot vertical spike; its station sits in a different position than its predecessor's. - 2025
The last piece of the coaster was removed by mid-October 2025, after track removal began on August 20, 2025.
Demolition of the structure was reported as complete by late October 2025. -
Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit closed permanently after sixteen years of operation.
Wikipedia gives the permanent closing date as August 18, 2025; Attractions Magazine's construction coverage records August 17, 2025 as the final day guests rode. -
The closing date was moved up to August 18, 2025, with a South Florida Water Management District permit describing the project as removing the existing attraction and replacing it with a proposed attraction.
Permit plans showed two new structures in the New York area of the park; the replacement was still unannounced at this point.
20241 change
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Universal confirmed that Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit would close in 2025, initially citing early September.
The announcement was made on social media; the exact announcement date is less firmly documented than the closing date itself.
20234 changes
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Folded into the new Illumination's Minion Land when the land opened; the attraction's Gru's House facade and sign were refreshed and repainted while the ride film and system were left unchanged.
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Illumination's Villain-Con Minion Blast opened at Universal Studios Florida as the anchor attraction of the new Minion Land area, an interactive continuously-moving walkway where guests use handheld E-Liminator X blasters to score points across projection-screen scenes set at Villain-Con.
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Illumination's Villain-Con Minion Blast opened in the former Shrek 4-D theater, completing the site's conversion into Minion Land.
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The on-ride song menu was reduced from thirty selectable songs to five, one per genre.
30 songs→5 songs
20222 changes
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In December 2022, Universal Orlando announced Illumination's Villain-Con Minion Blast for the former Shrek 4-D building as part of a new Minion Land on Illumination Ave.
Month-level date only; the specific announcement day is supported by a single secondary source. -
Shrek 4-D ran its final showings and closed permanently after 18 years, closing its adjoining Shrek's Ye Olde Souvenir Shoppe with it.
20211 change
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Universal Orlando announced that Shrek 4-D and its adjoining gift shop, Shrek's Ye Olde Souvenir Shoppe, would permanently close on January 10, 2022 to make way for a new experience.
No replacement was disclosed at the time of the announcement.
20191 change
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Converted the ride film from 3D to 2D, eliminating the required Minion 3D glasses and modifying the preshow to drop references to the safety goggles.
3D→2D
20133 changes
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Transformers: The Ride-3D opened to the public at Universal Studios Florida, a 3D motion-base dark ride built on the former Soundstage 44 site, with a grand-opening ceremony attended by voice actors Peter Cullen and Frank Welker.
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Transformers: The Ride - 3D opened to the general public in Production Central on the former Soundstage 44 site on June 20, 2013.
site reused: Hercules and Xena→Transformers: The Ride - 3D -
Universal Studios Florida marked the attraction's tenth anniversary with a giant birthday cake and appearances by Shrek and Princess Fiona.
20124 changes
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Opened to the public as a 3D motion-simulator attraction, replacing Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast in the same soundstage.
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Despicable Me Minion Mayhem officially opened in the same soundstage after a June 9, 2012 soft opening, completing the site's changeover.
Successor milestone, recorded for site lineage. -
Soundstage 44, the building that had housed the show, was demolished in June 2012 to clear the site for a new attraction.
The Transformers article says "The soundstage was demolished in June 2012"; the Universal Studios Florida article gives the day as June 24, 2012. Filed at the month both sources agree on rather than asserting the uncorroborated day. Construction of the replacement building began in July 2012. -
The soundstage that had housed the show was torn down in 2012 to clear the site for the Transformers: The Ride - 3D building.
Orlando Informer dates the demolition to 2012; the Transformers article narrows it to June 2012. Parkeology was not cited here because it says only that the building "has since been completely scrapped" without a year.
20114 changes
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Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast closed permanently at Universal Studios Florida after eight years of operation, and removal of the ride began in mid-August 2011.
Wikipedia and Universal's own announced date (via Orlando Weekly) both give August 18, 2011; Inside Universal's article body states the final day to ride was Wednesday, August 17, 2011, while its headline says August 18th. -
Universal Orlando announced at a live webcast that Despicable Me Minion Mayhem would take over the soundstage as the ride's successor.
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The ride dropped off the daily lineup and began operating only during peak seasons.
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Universal Orlando announced that the ride would cease regular operation on April 1, 2011 and, after a period of intermittent openings, close permanently on August 18, 2011 to make way for an all-new attraction.
Wikipedia dates the statement, released via Universal Orlando's Facebook page, to March 14, 2011; Orlando Weekly's March 16, 2011 write-up places the announcement on Monday, March 14.
20101 change
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The coaster reopened with refurbished trains after a September 2010 closure prompted by a manufacturer alert about the coupling bars holding the trains together.
Stress testing found the original coupling bars would not be fatigue endurable.
20092 changes
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Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit opened to the public in the New York area of Universal Studios Florida after ride previews earlier that month.
X-Car coaster built by Maurer with an onboard song-selection system. -
The Universal Music Plaza Stage, an open-air venue modeled after the Hollywood Bowl, opened on the former Boneyard site on February 21, 2009 with a concert by Ne-Yo.
The venue was officially named the Universal Music Plaza Stage in January 2009.
20083 changes
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The Boneyard closed permanently on September 8, 2008 after 18 years, and the site was cleared for the Universal Music Plaza Stage.
Wikipedia's list of former attractions gives the removal date; Orlando ParkStop notes props "were added and removed through the years until The Boneyard was closed in 2008 to make way for the Music Plaza Stage." -
Demolition work at the Boneyard site began in July 2008, ahead of the attraction's recorded closing date that September.
The Universal Music Plaza Stage article states the attraction "closed September 2008, although demolition began July 2008" - the two dates overlap in the source, so the order of clearing and formal closure is not firmly established. -
Signage in the attraction's post-show area promoting older Nickelodeon shows was replaced with signage for then-current shows including The Naked Brothers Band and iCarly, following the 2005 closure of Nickelodeon Studios.
20071 change
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After the orange Nickelodeon sign came down in January 2006 and a stint housing Fox Sports and Sunshine Network offices, Soundstage 18 was rebuilt as the Sharp Aquos Theatre and reopened as the home of Blue Man Group.
Sources disagree on the exact reopening day (June 1 in the Nickelodeon Studios article, June 6 in the former-attractions list, "June 2007" in Orlando Weekly), so this beat is dated to the month. Blue Man Group was marketed as a CityWalk venue rather than a park attraction, so it is not tracked as a successor record here; its residency ended February 1, 2021.
20061 change
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The 1992 time capsule was dug up from outside Soundstage 18 and relocated to the Nickelodeon Suites Resort, still scheduled to be opened in 2042.
20051 change
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Nickelodeon Studios closed permanently after nearly fifteen years and more than 2,000 episodes of original programming.
The Slime Geyser was removed the following month, in May 2005.
20041 change
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Nickelodeon Splat!, the last production ever made at the facility, taped its final episode on the Orlando soundstages.
20037 changes
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Shrek 4-D opened in the former Hitchcock theater on June 12, 2003, following a May 31 soft opening, and kept several Hitchcock props and set pieces in the building.
Wikipedia gives the soft-opening and opening dates; MiceChat documents the retained Hitchcock elements, including a spiral staircase original to the attraction. -
Shrek 4-D officially opened at Universal Studios Florida in the theater that had housed Alfred Hitchcock: The Art of Making Movies, following a soft opening on May 31, 2003.
The 3-D film used 'OgreVision' glasses, motion seats and in-theater water, air and scent effects, with Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and John Lithgow reprising their film roles. -
Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast opened to the public in Universal Studios Florida's Production Central after an April 4, 2003 soft opening, taking over the motion-simulator soundstage previously used by The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera.
The same soundstage housed The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera from 1990 until 2002. The ride was announced in May 2002 under the working title Jimmy Neutron Adventure and had been renamed by January 2003; it never operated under the earlier title. -
Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast opened to the public in the same building on the same motion-base system, after a soft opening on April 4, 2003.
Successor milestone, recorded for site lineage. Construction began almost immediately after the Hanna-Barbera ride closed; the site later became Despicable Me Minion Mayhem in 2012. -
Stage 54 closed permanently on January 24, 2003, ending nearly six years of rotating Universal Pictures prop displays.
Wikipedia states the January 24, 2003 date but attaches no inline citation to that sentence, so the exact day is recorded at medium confidence. It came three weeks after Alfred Hitchcock: The Art of Making Movies closed nearby on January 3, 2003, as Universal reworked Production Central around Shrek 4-D. -
Alfred Hitchcock: The Art of Making Movies closed permanently on January 3, 2003, after twelve and a half years of operation.
Wikipedia, MiceChat and Orlando Informer all give the same closing date. -
Donkey's Photo Finish, a Shrek meet-and-greet, opened in the former Stage 54 space alongside Shrek 4-D in 2003.
Wikipedia's park timeline records that Shrek 4-D and Donkey's Photo Finish replaced Alfred Hitchcock: The Art of Making Movies and Stage 54 respectively. Shrek 4-D opened June 12, 2003 after a May 31, 2003 soft opening; Wikipedia says only that Donkey's Photo Finish opened alongside the film, so this beat is dated to the year. No replaced_by pointer is set because the meet-and-greet is not a tracked entity here.
20023 changes
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The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera closed permanently after twelve years of operation.
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Universal officially confirmed that it would not renew its contract for the Hanna-Barbera ride, with a Nickelodeon-based simulator to take its place in spring 2003.
The replacement was announced under the working title Jimmy Neutron Adventure and had been renamed Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast by January 2003. -
Universal announced in May 2002 that Shrek 4-D would come to Universal Studios Florida and Universal Studios Hollywood, with the Florida version taking over the Hitchcock attraction's building.
The cited source supports the May 2002 announcement and the Hitchcock building being the Florida site; it does not connect the announcement to any other 2002 closure at the park.
20011 change
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Major layoffs began at the facility as Nickelodeon shifted production to California and prioritized animation, leaving the Orlando soundstages progressively emptier for tour guests.
Wikipedia traces the decline to Geraldine Laybourne's 1996 departure as president, with the major layoffs commencing in March 2001.
19992 changes
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Hercules and Xena: Wizards of the Screen closed permanently, with its final performance recorded as February 20, 2000.
The closure in 2000 is solid and the show never returned. The exact day rests on one chain: Wikipedia states February 20, 2000 citing the Orlando Sentinel article of August 12, 1999, which - published months earlier - can only have reported a planned final date, and that article could not be opened for confirmation. The Hercules: The Legendary Journeys article corroborates only the year, giving the run as 1997 to 2000. -
The Orlando Sentinel reported on August 12, 1999 that the show would be ending its run at Universal Studios Florida.
Headline ("Hercules, Xena Bite Dust At Universal"), byline (Tim Barker) and the August 12, 1999 date are confirmed from the citation metadata in the Wikipedia article's source text, but the Sentinel page itself could not be opened (paywalled, archive mirrors unreachable), so the article's wording is reported at second hand.
19982 changes
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The exhibit was stocked with costumes and props from The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Small Soldiers.
Wikipedia cites Orlando Sentinel, June 29, 1998 ('Haunted House Scares Up More Space, Memorabilia'). The linked Sentinel page is that day's column. -
A display tied to the Babe films was installed at Stage 54 in late 1998 and was still reported there in April 1999.
Wikipedia cites Orlando Sentinel, November 23, 1998 for a Babe display and Orlando Sentinel, April 9, 1999 ('Holiday Scoop') for a Babe: Pig in the City display. Babe: Pig in the City opened November 25, 1998, so the two citations most likely describe the same display; they are filed here as one beat rather than two rotations.
19974 changes
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Stage 54 opened inside soundstage 54 in Production Central at Universal Studios Florida as the replacement for the MCA Recording Studio, showing rotating displays and props from Universal Pictures films.
Wikipedia cites an Orlando Sentinel theme-park column of October 20, 1997 for the opening and gives the soundstage 54 location. The linked Sentinel page carries that day's column under a different lead headline. -
Stage 54, a rotating exhibit of displays and props from current Universal Pictures films, opened in 1997 as the replacement for the MCA Recording Studio.
Wikipedia states the studio "was removed in 1996 and, in 1997, replaced with Stage 54", and places Stage 54 in soundstage 54 in Production Central. The sources establish succession rather than an identical footprint, so the wording says replacement rather than same room. -
Hercules and Xena: Wizards of the Screen took over the same soundstage in the summer of 1997, reskinning the post-production show to another Universal series.
Murder, She Wrote Mystery Theatre→Hercules and Xena: Wizards of the ScreenWikipedia carries the summer 1997 date; the Orlando Sentinel reported the swap on March 6, 1997 under the headline "Universal Replaces 'Murder'". Orlando Informer confirms the reskin but gives no date. -
Hercules and Xena: Wizards of the Screen opened in the summer of 1997 in the Soundstage 44 building, replacing Murder, She Wrote Mystery Theatre with a live show that demonstrated how the two television series were produced and put audience volunteers on stage to fight stunt performers.
Murder, She Wrote Mystery Theatre→Hercules and Xena: Wizards of the ScreenThe Orlando Sentinel reported the swap on March 6, 1997 ("Universal Replaces 'Murder'"); Lakeland Ledger attraction listings of May 30 and July 5, 1997 already carry the new show, and the linked Google News Archive page resolves to the Lakeland Ledger issue of May 30, 1997. The Transformers article identifies the building as Soundstage 44, which had housed both shows. No source records an exact opening day, so this is filed year-only.
19963 changes
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MCA Recording Studio closed in the summer of 1996 and never reopened.
Orlando Informer specifies summer 1996; Wikipedia gives 1996, so year-only precision is used. Orlando Informer adds that the structure housing the studio was torn down in 2012 to make way for Transformers: The Ride - 3D. -
The attraction closed in 1996 following the cancellation of the Murder, She Wrote television series.
Wikipedia: "Following the cancellation of the Murder, She Wrote TV show, the attraction was closed in 1996." Orlando Informer narrows it to summer 1996; Wikipedia and theStudioTour give year only, so the date is held at year precision. -
StarToons closed in 1996, ending the show's run in the Production Central area.
Two articles give the 1996 year; the list of Universal theme park attractions adds no date but flags both StarToons and StarToons: 80's Rewind as defunct. No successor is documented for the Production Central venue. The StarToons name was later reused for a separate attraction - StarToons Character Meet and Greet, which opened in 1998 in Woody Woodpecker's KidZone and was re-themed in 2008 as StarToons: 80's Rewind - but that was a different venue and a different format, not a reopening of this show, and it too is gone following the 2023 reimagining of KidZone. Those beats were removed from this record because they belong to that separate entity. The closure predates the COVID-19 shutdown by 24 years.
19952 changes
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Universal closed the Production Studio Tour in 1995, five years into the park's history, as production work at the Florida studio declined.
Park article, verified verbatim: "Consequently, Universal ended the Production Studio Tour only five years into the park's history in 1995." The former-attractions list gives a closing date of 1995, and the Hollywood Studio Tour article says the Florida version was removed in 1995. No source consulted gives a month or day, so the date is held at year precision. Nothing succeeded the tour on its route, so no replaced_by is recorded. -
The stage show gave its last performances in the summer of 1995, having run seasonally since the 1993 cutbacks.
The Orlando Sentinel of December 7, 1995 wrote that Universal Studios Florida "featured many of those walk-around characters in a stage show that opened in 1992 and then ran seasonally through this past summer," placing the final run in summer 1995 rather than the 1993 date carried by Wikipedia, whose claim is tagged citation-needed. Held to year precision; no source gives a final performance date.
19933 changes
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Universal eliminated the show's full song-and-dance routines at the start of October 1993 as part of cutbacks tied to an Orlando tourism slowdown, and the production ran only seasonally thereafter.
The same round of cuts ended the American Tail song-and-dance show, trimmed the Studio Brass and Hollywood Hi-Tones bands and dropped the Wolfman Jack character at Mel's Diner. This was a seasonal trim, not the end of the show, and it is the event Wikipedia's citation-needed "removed in 1993" claim appears to have absorbed. -
StarToons opened in the Production Central area as a live stage show starring Hanna-Barbera characters including Fred Flintstone, George Jetson, Scooby-Doo, Yogi Bear and Boo-Boo.
Two Wikipedia articles state the 1993 opening, but the raw wikitext shows the StarToons row carries no inline citation of its own, so the year is recorded without day-level precision and at medium confidence. -
The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle Show was removed from the Production Central venue in 1993 to make way for StarToons.
Context for how this show got its venue, not a beat about StarToons itself. The predecessor was a 16-minute live stage show that had opened on August 13, 1992, a date the source article cites to the Ocala Star-Banner (August 21, 1992) and the Deseret News (August 16, 1992). That predecessor's own opening beat was removed from this record so the page documents one attraction; the lineage pointer to a Rocky and Bullwinkle record was cleared because no such record exists in this batch.
19924 changes
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The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle Show opened at Universal Studios Florida as a live stage show using actors dressed as the characters.
The Orlando Sentinel of Friday, July 31, 1992 reported that voice actress June Foray travelled from California to celebrate "Thursday's opening" of the show, which places the debut at July 30, 1992. Wikipedia's August 13, 1992 date traces to the Deseret News (August 16, 1992) and Ocala Star-Banner (August 21, 1992) reprints of that same syndicated Foray story, where the undated "Thursday" reference back-solves to a later week; August 13, 1992 was also a Thursday. Date held to month precision because of the conflict. -
A time capsule filled with items voted on by Nickelodeon viewers was buried outside Soundstage 18 in a televised ceremony, to be opened in 2042.
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Universal Studios Florida previewed four new shows and attractions for 1992, among them a stage show with the Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoon characters.
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The show pitted Rocky and Bullwinkle against Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale, and drew its cast from the Jay Ward television series alongside Dudley Do-Right and Snidely Whiplash.
19911 change
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The Orlando Sentinel reported that MCA had acquired the worldwide merchandising and theme-park rights to the Jay Ward characters, giving Universal's parks the use of Rocky, Bullwinkle, Boris, Natasha, Dudley Do-Right and Snidely Whiplash.
Universal executives declined at the time to say when the characters would appear or in what form. Dated to the day of the report, which is what the source supports.
199014 changes
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The 17-foot Slime Geyser out front began its official run, erupting on a roughly ten-minute cycle after a soft open on the park's opening day.
Orlando Weekly records a dedication ceremony for the official start featuring Russell Johnson of Gilligan's Island. -
Alfred Hitchcock: The Art of Making Movies opened with Universal Studios Florida on June 7, 1990, as an original Production Central theater attraction sponsored by Kodak.
Wikipedia and Orlando Informer both give June 7, 1990 and the Kodak sponsorship; Wikipedia credits Susan Lustig as director. -
MCA Recording Studio opened with Universal Studios Florida on June 7, 1990, as a small interactive Production Central exhibit where guests could experiment with sound and recording effects used in post-production.
Wikipedia lists the park's opening day but attaches no inline citation to that date; Orlando Informer independently gives June 7, 1990, so the day is recorded at medium confidence. -
Murder, She Wrote Mystery Theatre opened with Universal Studios Florida on the park's first day as an interactive post-production show in a Production Central soundstage.
Wikipedia gives the June 7, 1990 opening date; theStudioTour lists the run as "June 7 1990 - 1996". Orlando Informer names JVC as sponsor. -
Nickelodeon Studios opened with Universal Studios Florida as "the first world headquarters for kids," offering a guided tour of the working soundstages, control rooms and wardrobe departments that ended with an interactive game show in which a guest was slimed.
Wikipedia's former-attractions list places it in Production Central. Stated tour length differs between sources (40 minutes on the list, 45 minutes in the dedicated article), so no duration is asserted here. -
The Production Studio Tour opened with Universal Studios Florida as a roughly 15-minute tram tour into and around the park's soundstages and the wider park.
The former-attractions list places the tour under the Production Central heading, gives an opening date of June 7, 1990, and describes a "15-minute journey into and around various sound stages as well as being taken on a general tour around the park." The park article calls it "a backlot tour tram ride attraction... with elements that were similar to the version at Universal Studios Hollywood." Re-verified against the former-attractions page during the final pass. -
The Boneyard opened with Universal Studios Florida on June 7, 1990 as an outdoor display of oversized props and vehicles from Universal films and television productions.
Opening-day attraction in Production Central. Orlando Informer describes it as a collection of props that were too large to put into storage, including sharks from Jaws, the Ecto-1, and a Jurassic Park T-rex and jeep. -
The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera opened as an opening-day attraction of Universal Studios Florida, a motion-simulator ride in which guests chased Dick Dastardly to rescue Elroy Jetson through the worlds of The Flintstones, Scooby-Doo and The Jetsons.
The attraction soft opened on May 1, 1990 ahead of the park's June 7 grand opening; it occupied Soundstage 42 and used twelve eight-passenger motion bases, with stationary seating available. -
The attraction ran in four parts: a prop-lined queue, a 3-D preshow of Hitchcock clips including Dial M for Murder that ended with birds from The Birds appearing to fly out over the audience, a main theater set at the Bates Motel where Anthony Perkins appeared on screen explaining how the Psycho shower scene was filmed and the scene was then broken down with an audience volunteer, and an interactive walk-through post-show of Hitchcock sets and props.
Wikipedia covers the preshow bird effect, the Bates Motel theater, the Perkins narration and the post-show; MiceChat is the source for the shower scene being demonstrated live with a volunteer, so that detail is held at medium confidence. -
Guests could sing along to recordings of hit songs and buy a copy of their own performance on cassette or VHS.
Both sources describe the sing-along and the purchasable recording; neither dates it separately from the opening, so it is filed to the opening year. -
Universal's original in-park guide maps listed the studio under "studio extras" rather than among the park's attractions.
Orlando Informer quotes the map wording and calls the venue "less an out-and-out attraction and more of a studio-park experience". -
The show cast guests as executives shepherding a new Murder, She Wrote episode through post-production, moving them through makeup, sound effects and editing before screening the finished scene.
Runtime deliberately omitted: Parkeology calls it "a 25-minute lesson in the art of television production" while Orlando Informer gives approximately 35 minutes across three theaters. Sources also differ on the guest role (Parkeology: "junior TV executives"; Orlando Informer: executive producers). -
As built, the tour loaded in front of Soundstage 19 next to Nickelodeon Studios or between two of the park's production soundstages, and returning guests exited into The Universal Studios Store.
Verified verbatim on re-fetch: guests "would board a tram in front of soundstage 19 (which was located next to Nickelodeon Studios) or in the middle of two of the soundstages in the park's production facilities," and "upon the completion of the tour, guests would exit into The Universal Studios Store where they could purchase a variety of merchandise." Dated to the opening year because this documents the tour as it opened, not a later change. -
During Universal Studios Florida's troubled first year the ride avoided the technical difficulties affecting the park's animatronic headliners and operated reliably.
Single-source account; the specific claim that it was among the only continuously functioning attractions in the park is not independently corroborated.
That's every change on the record in Production Central since 1990.
The spotters in our Discord catch the next one first — and the record only grows when someone notices.