88 photos of visual details, rare characters in ‘Universal Mega Movie Parade’
The parade at Universal Studios Florida contains hidden visual details and rare characters from “Jurassic Park,” “Jaws,” and more classics.
“Universal Mega Movie Parade” is Universal Orlando Resort’s tribute on wheels to classic cinema and modern franchises, from “Back to the Future” to “Minions” and many more. As the procession makes its way through Universal Studios Florida, there are a lot of details for guests to take in.
Here are a few of our favorite parade details, along with photos. (See our previous story for overall, wider photos of the floats.)
Tap or click any photo to see it full-size.
All the live characters in the parade
The parade goes beyond the roster of Universal regulars (Poppy from “Trolls,” Po from “Kung Fu Panda,” etc.) to include many characters who make their theme park debut in the production. Claire, Bryce Dallas Howard’s character in “Jurassic World”? The sheriff from “Jaws”? The kids from “E.T.” riding their bikes? Check, check, and check.
“Back to the Future”: Marty McFly and Doc Brown
“Sing”: Rosita the pig, Gunter the pig, and Johnny the gorilla
“Minions”: Stuart (in rainbow suspenders and sometimes headphones), Bob (in disco shirt), and Kevin (in white suit)
“Kung Fu Panda”: Po and Master Tigress
“Trolls”: Poppy, Branch, and Guy Diamond
“Ghostbusters” and “Ghostbusters: Afterlife“: Peter Venkman (Bill Murray’s character), Ray Stanz (Dan Aykroyd), Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson), Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis), Janine Melnitz (Annie Potts), Louis Tully (Rick Moranis), Gozer (Paddi Edwards), Phoebe Spengler (Mckenna Grace), and Trevor Spengler (Finn Wolfhard)
“E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial”: Elliot, Michael (Elliot’s older brother), Tyler (friend in leather jacket), Greg (friend with red hat and headphones), and Steve (friend in black hat)
“Jaws”: Quint (the boat captain), Mayor Larry Vaughn, and Chief Martin Brody
“Jurassic World”: Owen Grady (Chris Pratt’s character), Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard), Franklin Webb in the gyrosphere (Justice Smith), and the t-rex (as herself)
Character statues in the parade
In addition to live performers, “Universal Mega Movie Parade” also features characters represented as sculpted figures onboard the floats.
“Sing”: Buster Moon the koala, Miss Crawly the iguana, the Q-Teez red pandas, and squids
“Minions”: Various Minions
“Kung Fu Panda”: Mr. Ping
“Trolls”: Tiny Diamond and Cloud Guy
“Ghostbusters”: Slimer and the librarian ghost
“E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial”: E.T. himself!
“Jurassic Park”: Dinos
Set design and props
Each parade float is a work of art unto itself, with thematic details that might be easy to miss with so much going on in the production.
Float drivers
If you look closely, you may spot some of the drivers operating the floats from within.
Music
The soundtrack for “Universal Mega Movie Parade” weaves the Universal Pictures anthem throughout new arrangements of songs and scores from the movies represented in the floats.
Some of the music in the “Back to the Future” unit is from the movie’s Broadway show adaptation, while a portion of the “Jaws” float’s music comes from the queue of Universal’s defunct “Jaws” ride (which closed to make way for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley).
Dancers
Many units of the parade feature dancers whose wardrobe matches the upcoming float’s aesthetic.
Other performers include roller-skaters, bikers, a marching band, stilt-walkers, and dinosaur keepers.
Secret ‘Jurassic Park’ grand finale
As each set of dancers completes the parade route (near “Universal Orlando’s Horror Makeup Show,” which is also where the parade begins), they wave to the audience before heading backstage — except for the dancers in the “Kung Fu Panda” unit, who bow to the audience instead.
As the very last moment of the parade when the final float (“Jurassic Park”) goes backstage, the t-rex recreates an iconic moment from the original 1993 film. Take a look:
Full parade video
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