Disaster!, Motion simulator ride at Universal Studios Florida, US
Disaster! was an attraction at Universal Studios Florida that took visitors through recreated catastrophe scenes, combining live performers, moving seats, and three-dimensional film sequences. The experience included several rooms where guests were first recruited as extras for a fictional movie and then experienced earthquakes, explosions, and other dramatic events in a simulator.
The attraction opened in 2008 as a successor to the earlier Earthquake ride and inherited many of its mechanical effects and set pieces. It closed in 2015 to make way for Fast & Furious: Supercharged, marking the end of an era for classic disaster simulations in the park.
The name Disaster! reflects the American appetite for catastrophe films, a Hollywood genre that has entertained audiences for decades with its mix of danger and spectacle. The ride shows techniques from classic cinema, where models, pyrotechnics, and sound effects combine to create threatening scenes for the screen.
A minimum height of 40 inches (102 cm) was required to ride, as the simulator movements were quite forceful and children needed to be properly secured. Some sections took place standing before guests entered the moving seats, so a degree of physical mobility was helpful.
During the ride, visitors were filmed by cameras, and their reactions were later edited into a short movie trailer that could be viewed at the exit. These recordings often showed guests with wide eyes and open mouths, highlighting the impact of the special effects.
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