WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — As a 10-year-old bookworm with an extensive home library, my daughter Maddie has built quite a vocabulary.
After exiting the new Simpsons Ride at Universal Studios Orlando, however, she needed the simplest of words to describe her experience.
"That was awesome!" she said.
I couldn't have agreed more.
The Simpsons Ride is the newest attraction at Universal Studios Orlando. Based on the long-running animated television series, it employs motion simulator technology. Guests sit in a vehicle that moves in coordination with images displayed on a large screen.
The Simpsons experience begins while waiting in line. Through a narrative that is explained in typical Simpsons fashion - with sarcasm, satire and humor - you learn you are entering Krusty the Clown's low-rent theme park Krustyland. Along with the Simpson family, you are the first to ride on the "safe" roller coaster.
However, the villainous Sideshow Bob enters the picture and attempts to exact his revenge by sabotaging the ride.
We felt wind-swept by the time it was all over.
Several innovations make the Simpsons Ride work where other motion simulators have failed. The ride uses a domed screen, which creates an effective illusion that you are in the middle of the action. The animation and imagery are remarkably strong and detailed.
Fans of the TV show will appreciate that 24 characters from the series make an appearance, and all of the voices are performed by the original actors.
The movements are sharp and sudden, so the ride is not for everybody.
Our 4-year-old son, Alex, in fact, barely made the height requirement (it's 40 inches.) Nonetheless, the ride is one of the most popular at Universal. During our visit, the wait time was 75 minutes.
- Jodie Wagner, Palm Beach Post