It's been a few years since our last trip to the Universal Studios theme park in Florida. Back to the Future, Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera, Earthquake, and Kongfrontation got retired. Not cool.

Battlestar Galactica

I had no idea this existed. I found this video of a Battlestar Galactica ride from 1979. Dig it. The effects were better than on the show.

Back to the Future

The acting ability of the ride staff is always fun on rides where you, the audience member, are a character in the show. Our teen attendant squeaked "step this way hurry doc brown needs your help or biff will mess up the space time contimunum -- continum -- cotinumum -- so get in the car cause doc brown needs help."

Here's a video of the ride. Love that Biff.

We boarded the 8-passenger Delorean and chased Biff in a vehicle that lurched around to match the onscreen action. It was like being on a small roller coaster, except you watched Back to the Future instead of the ground coming up too fast, then going up way too high, . . . hang on. I might barf.

Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera

This was the neatest ride ever. It had the Jetsons, Scooby-Doo, and followed Fred in the opening credits of Flintstones, in the quarry, down the dinosaur's tail. Awesome.

Here's a video of the whole ride, including the intro by Hanna and Barbera.

"Nowadays, our toons are even being created by computers!"

Earthquake

We rode through a stunt earthquake, introduced on video by the star of the 1974 movie, Mr. Charlton Heston. He acted his damnedest, like he always did. He's Charlton "Damn You" Heston.

My favorite part was when they got some guy from the audience to suit up for a stunt fall. Then they dropped a dummy off a building, making the guy's family think he was killed in a theme park accident.

We had a delightful heckler in the crowd. He yelled, "Oh! That was so convincing." And "I hope he's OK." If Charlton Heston had been there, Heston would have back-slapped him with his mighty fist.

Kongfrontation

A sign on the wall said "Entertainment elements in this attraction are not intended to depict the current circumstances in the great city of New York." In other words, the apes that attack the city today are totally different.

We walked in a subway slightly more smelly and crowded than a real New York subway. The ride was at the park for a many years. There were commercials on the monitors above our heads, for a hot new sitcom called Out of This World, that came on in 1987. Here's the theme song, if you dare.

Here's a video of the the ride. Try to remain caaaaaaalm!

If you sat on the sides of the car, you got an up close and sweet view of the giant ape. That's worth the price of admission. I know admission is a lot. But Kong is really big.