A titan within the industry, Gary Goddard and his design firms have been responsible for some of Universal’s most memorable attractions. His innovative work at The Goddard Group and Landmark Entertainment Group has led audiences through the world of Jurassic Park, King Kong, Terminator and Spiderman in some of the world’s most immersive experiences. Mr. Goddard was gracious enough to grant us an interview that chronicles his groundbreaking work and relationship with Universal Studios. In an effort to make reading easier, we’ve split the interview into two parts. This first half depicts Mr. Goddard’s initial interactions with Universal Studios and…
Author: Jon Fu
November 15, 2013 – Halloween has come and gone, leaving the holiday rush around the corner. The park remains in a state of half-completion as the season changes around it, and the festivities are…well, we’re still unsure ourselves. Here’s a look at the hot topics of the moment here in Hollywood. WaterWorld Jumps the Shark – Changes in the #1 Stunt Show If you’ve been to see WaterWorld recently, you may have noticed a few differences in the action packed stunt show – namely, fake guns. In a particularly distressing turn of events, the guns featured in the show have…
November 6, 2013 – We’re back with another photo update from Universal Studios Hollywood, and let me say this: the park is in a rough state. With Halloween Horror Nights 2013 fading into the distance, and Grinchmas/Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem fast approaching, the park is currently in construction over-drive. Anyhow, we’ll let the photos do the talking. Park Update Index » CityWalk » Finlays / Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem » Moulin Rouge » Studio Tour / The Wizarding World of Harry Potter » Grinchmas » Shrek 4D CityWalk Hollywood Parking structure construction aside, there’s not much happening here that’s really…
November 2, 2013 – In this month’s edition, Jon, Jonathan and Chris discuss the recent closures on the Universal backlot alongside the premature closure of Bill & Ted’s Excellent Halloween Adventure at Halloween Horror Nights 2013. The video and audio download are located below. As always, thank you for watching and listening! Video Audio Download the show in audio form from this link. Downloads are only available for one month after their initial recording. Jon Fu Jon Fu is the editor-in-chief of Inside Universal. Jon originally founded InsideUniversal.net in 2006 as a summer hobby aimed at providing families and fans…
November 3, 2013 – Life is hectic, so let’s cut to the chase. Here is this month’s Hollywood Minute with six quick updates from Universal Studios Hollywood. Ready? Here we go! 1 » Popcornopolis: Missing in Action For those of you who enjoy Popcornopolis, you will now have to go into Citywalk as the Popcornopolis cart has now vanished and been replaced by generic vending. 2 » Shrek 4D’s New LED Ticker Just a another sign that Shrek’s current facade is here to stay as they have now installed an all-new LED wait ticker. 3 » Pink’s: Are You Famous?…
October 25, 2013 – I’ll be honest: much has already been said about the recent closure of Bill & Ted’s Excellent Halloween Adventure which makes me hesitant to construct this post. Though some of the contributions to this ongoing discussion have been meaningful and constructive, others have simply followed the trend in an effort to gain page views and traffic, convoluting and misconstruing the argument at hand by using the show as a crux to redefine the merits of satire, humor and political correctness. Simply put, I have no interest in defending Bill & Ted’s content, nor do I have…
October 20, 2013 – As much attention continues to be focused on the demolition of the Gibson Amphitheatre on the Upper Lot, the backlot is also changing at rapid pace. Inside Universal has gotten word that the Square of Warriors – just off to the side of the Little Europe sets – is slated for and has already begun the process of demolition. Months back in the earlier part of 2013, the Square of Warriors was closed off to tour traffic in a move in which some have said was due to safety concerns. Taking one look at the Square…
With a career spanning over 25 years, Jerry Green has had many roles with Universal Studios Hollywood. Starting out as a tour guide in the early 70s, Jerry served as an attraction host, wardrobe manager and entertainment manager – eventually moving to Planning and Development (now known as Universal Creative) in the 1980s. We spoke with Jerry in a conversation that spans the infancy of the Studio Tour and the theme park to the development of Universal Studios Florida. Here’s part two of that interview. » Inside Universal: While you were at Universal Studios Hollywood, you ended up working with…
As our Halloween Horror Nights coverage concludes, we thought we would wrap things up with a general article that takes a macro look at the event as a whole. Here’s our take on Halloween Horror Nights 2013 at Universal Studios Hollywood. Mazes Evil Dead: Book of the Dead Joining forces with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Universal announced a new Horror Nights maze based off the Evil Dead franchise located in Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride’s extended queue. » Press release: Universal Announces Evil Dead Maze Positives: Excellent attention to detail. Fans of Evil Dead will appreciate the amount of…
With a career spanning over 25 years, Jerry Green has had many roles with Universal Studios Hollywood. Starting out as a tour guide in the early 70s, Jerry served as an attraction host, wardrobe manager and entertainment manager – eventually moving to Planning and Development (now known as Universal Creative) in the 1980s. We spoke with Jerry in a conversation that spans the infancy of the Studio Tour and the theme park to the development of Universal Studios Florida. Here’s part one of that interview. » Inside Universal: What brought you to Universal Studios Hollywood? Jerry Green: I wanted to…