Well, it’s official this time! Universal Orlando’s Velocicoaster will roar into Central Florida in the Summer of 2021! Continuing Universal’s tradition of releasing a new attraction each year, this coaster will be located in Islands of Adventure with a track stretching across the “coast” of the Jurassic area. To celebrate this announcement, let’s talk about the things we know (and the things we don’t) about this exciting new coaster.
What We Know!
There’s a pretty sweet mountain.
I can’t tell you how excited I am that this coaster not only flies over the scenic Islands of Adventure Lagoon, but will travel in and out of a huge mountain! We don’t know much about what the interior of the mountain will look like, but the outside is pretty breathtaking.
Twitter user, @bioreconstruct, even captured a photo of some raptor eggs hidden among the rock work.
Even if the interior of the mountain doesn’t prove to be much more than rocks, its very existence adds some extra “UMPH!” to this coaster. It inherently makes the coaster a more immersive experience, aligning it more closely with its surrounding theming.
Velocicoaster takes place in Jurassic World, not Jurassic Park.
Yes, the new marketing material confirms that the Velocicoaster is set in Jurassic World, not Jurassic Park. We’ve seen subtle changes throughout the land already, with the retheming of the Raptor Meet and Greet and other signage throughout the island.
Since the park’s newest attraction will now be set in a completely different piece of the Jurassic storyline, it stands to reason that our ever flowing time with the Jurassic Park River Adventure (at least in its current form) may be limited. They’ve already transformed the River Adventure in California to a Jurassic World theme. It’s understandable that they may want to do the same thing here in the near future.
Honestly, I would be sad to lose the original version of the Jurassic Park River Adventure. I know it’s old, but I love the variety of animatronic dinosaurs. I’ve specifically tried to avoid spoilers from the Jurassic World renovation, but I’ve seen enough to infer that at least some animatronics are replaced with screens. This saddens me greatly.
Raptor statues EVERYWHERE!
Recently, we’ve also seen multiple wrapped raptor statues installed throughout the ride track. The presence of so many statues implies that there won’t be any animatronics used in the ride – as the mixture of medium may be jarring. (However, Hagrid’s mixes statues with audio animatronics and it works quite well. The difference is that presumably this would be a mixture of statues and animatronics of the same creature, instead of unrelated creatures of varying sizes and features).
To be fair, we will probably be whizzing past these statues so quickly it will barely matter if they’re actually moving or not.
We know some of Velocicoaster’s features.
While we haven’t ridden the coaster yet, we do know some of its features. For example, we know that the coaster will have two launches, propelling guests up to 70 mph in 2.4 seconds. The ride will have a “top hat” which will throw riders 155 feet in the air before sending them hurdling down an 80 degree drop – Universal’s steepest roller coaster drop to date. Above the Islands of Adventure Lagoon, guests will experience a 365 degree barrel roll, and finally, we know that the coaster will have a total of 12 seconds of airtime for each guest.
What We Don’t Know
Will there be show scenes in Velocicoaster?
But the real question, friends, is what we don’t know. While it seems obvious that Velocicoaster will not feature as many show scenes and storytelling as Hagrid’s Magical Motorbike Adventure, there are indications that there may be at least a few light scenes involved in the coaster. This prospective track map from Orlando Park Stop shows two rumored show scene areas.
The promotional video released by Universal as part of the announcement seems to hint at one, perhaps very short, show scene involving raptors in various enclosures around the ride vehicles. Perhaps this is view during the first launch?
And finally, Attractions Magazine reported that guests would join the “original cast of the films— Chris Pratt as Owen Grady, Bryce Dallas Howard as Claire Dearing and BD Wong as Dr. Henry Wu—as Jurassic World unveils the next evolution of its “carnivore expansion”: the VelociCoaster, where riders are sent off on a high-speed chase and feel the rush of the hunt while racing alongside a pack of Velociraptors.”
While the mention of these actors could indicate the use of filmed footage during a show scene, the cast could also have simply filmed a pre-show video. I’m certainly hopeful for the former! While I don’t always love the use of screens, even just one awesome show scene has the potential to elevate this ride from a cool coaster to an amazing attraction!
Freaky Thoughts
I’m very glad to see that Universal’s 2021 attraction will be using a more relatable and timely property than 2020’s Bourne Stuntacular. While I’m hoping for heavy theming and at least one themed show scene, any addition to this island is a welcome one. Dinosaurs are universally loved (pun intended), and I’m happy to see the parks leaning into this Intellectual Property. (And an added plus? This is a Universal movie! They didn’t have to pay for rights to something they don’t own. YAY!)
