My wish for a new finale to the World-Famous Universal Studios Hollywood Studio Tour – DePaoli on DeParks

Currently, what is considered the finale of the World-Famous Studio Tour is Fast & Furious – Supercharged. But long before Fast & Furious, The Glacier Avalanche stood on that land starting in 1975. This was an attraction inspired by the Clint Eastwood film “The Eiger Sanction”.

This Glacier Avalanche attraction simply consisted of a long, rotating tunnel which could fit the entire length of the studio tram. With the walls of the tunnel rotating completely around you, it gave a convincing sensation of the tram spinning.

Although I didn’t personally experience that iteration of the tunnel, I did experience it for myself after it was rethemed in 1997 to Dante’s Peak Volcano Mine Shaft, and then one final retheme in 1991 to The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb.

One other sidenote worth mentioning is a temporary overlay during the 2013 holiday Grinchmas celebration. The tunnel was themed as Mount Crumpit from the Jim Carrey starring film “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”, complete with an actor portraying The Grinch. That may have been my favorite use of the tunnel from what I’d experienced. Through its various iterations it was quite convincing and thrilling, albeit “simple”.

When it came time for another change to the finale, the long-lived rotating tunnel was demolished in 2013 for a brand-new offering. In 2015, Fast & Furious – Supercharged opened to mixed reviews. The tram now enters a long tunnel, but this time it’s not rotating. The main feature is projections extending along both sides of the tram with Fast & Furious 3-D video elements fitting in the world of “The Fast and the Furious” film franchise. It’s very similar to what tram guests experienced earlier on the tour with King Kong 360 3-D.

Considering the scheduled 2026 opening for the Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift roller coaster, perhaps now is a good time to think about replacing Fast & Furious – Supercharged. Having the franchise represented in two major ways within a small park feels like overkill in my opinion.

Given the fact that the rotating tunnel lived on in various iterations for nearly 40 years, my guess is that Universal would want to continue using the same building and infrastructure that Fast & Furious – Supercharged currently offers.

Assuming that would be the case, I would love to simply see them lean into a nostalgic Universal Pictures montage. If it’s the grand finale of the tour, there’s no better way to wrap it up than by taking a visual trip through the timeline of iconic Universal movies.

It could begin as a montage similar to what you may remember from The Great Movie Ride finale at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. But given the buildings ability for “speed”, and movement of the tram vehicle, it would be great to “ride the movies”, (to coin a Universal phrase) and get in on the action.

Imagine riding the tram alongside Doc Brown’s Time Machine from “Back to the Future”. Or flying past the moon with E.T. and his friends on bicycles surrounding you. And who wouldn’t want a Tyrannosaurus Rex chasing alongside the tram similar to the Jeep chase sequence in “Jurassic Park”.

With Universal’s rich film history, the options seem endless. We’ve recently seen Universal Studios’ theme parks hit big with nostalgia in their Universal Mega Movie Parade at Universal Studios Florida alongside the CineSational nighttime spectacular. The public clearly loves seeing the classics represented in the parks and I believe making a nostalgic final piece for the World-Famous Studio Tour would be a fitting finale.

What do you think? Are you hoping for a change to the tour finale? Do you have any ideas of your own of what you’d like to see? If you like my idea, what film would you want to see represented? Leave a comment and let me know.

Jeff DePaoli is an event producer and voiceover artist living in Los Angeles. He can be heard as the voice of Disney Trivia on Alexa as well as the host of “Dizney Coast to Coast” podcast, where he and his special guests share honest opinions on all things Disney. Get your FREE gifts of “America’s Hidden Mickeys,” “On the Rohde Again,” “Theme Park Comfort Kit” and more at DizneyCoastToCoast.com. DePaoli’s opinions are his own and do not necessarily represent Attractions Magazine.