Universal Studios Japan to Close Jurassic Park The Ride for ‘Major Refurbishment’

Promo image for Jurassic Park The Ride in Japan, now sporting a Jurassic World render of “Rexy.”

According to Universal Japan’s website, Jurassic Park: The Ride will close for a major refurbishment in September of 2023. 

As of right now, the parks website reads that the ride will close on September 4th, 2023, indefinitely, but also states further down on the same page:

‘The major refurbishment of Jurassic Park the Ride, which begins on Monday, September 4, 2023, is expected to take until early 2025. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.’

This follows the ride being closed from June 6th to June 21st also of this year, most likely for normal yearly refurbishment and maintenance.

There is also no word as to if this is a refurbishment of the existing ride or if it means the ride will be getting the Universal Hollywood treatment and transforming into Jurassic World The Ride. 

Currently, Universal Studios Orlando and Japan are the only Universal parks to still have the classic Jurassic Park The Ride/River Adventure ride. Universal Singapore has its own unique Jurassic ride called Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure that has a circular raft vehicle rather than the long multi-rowed raft (making it close to Islands of Adventure’s Popey and Bluto’s Bilge-rat Barges or Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s Kali River Rapids.) Universal Beijing has the award-winning Jurassic World Adventure Ride (a dark ride in the vein of Amazing Adventures of Spider-man at Islands of Adventure,) as well as Jurassic Flyers. As previously stated, Universal Hollywood revamped Jurassic Park The Ride to Jurassic World The Ride, which opened in 2019. Sporting some new visuals, animatronics, and story, the updated ride has been well received, with many applauding the spectacular new animatronics and moments. Universal Orlando still has its original Jurassic Park River Adventure ride and opted for a brand new Jurassic World ride (instead of changing River Adventure) with VelociCoaster, which has been awarded Best Rollercoaster two years in a row. If Universal Japan is changing their Jurassic Park ride to Jurassic World though, we can theorize (“theorize, mind you”) that it’s most likely only a matter of time before Orlando sees its classic Jurassic ride go through a similar refurbishment. 


While closed, guests to Universal Japan can still visit the Jurassic Park area to experience The Flying Dinosaur, a steel flying coaster where guests soar through the air like pterosaurs (which, should be stated, are not dinosaurs,) and experience various dinosaur “meet and greets” throughout the land.

Universal Parks News Video of Jurassic Park The Ride at Universal Studios Japan

Noble Collection’s New “Toyllectible Treasures” Line Features New ‘Jurassic’ Collectibles!

The 30th anniversary celebration of ‘Jurassic Park’ is well underway with several products coming down the assembly line, catering to your desires! The Noble Collection’s new ‘Toyllectible Treasures Dioramas’ line is sure to delight fans of both ‘Jurassic Park’ and ‘Jurassic World’ with its premiere releases! Their ‘dino-ramas’ feature collectible figures with scenic backdrops depicting great moments from the series!

For ‘Jurassic Park’, “Life Finds A Way” with a hatching baby Velociraptor egg! As seen in the Visitor Center’s hatchery, this adorable but deadly addition to the park is sure to delight and concern all paleontologists! Dr. Wu can try to pacify the guests all he wants, but Malcolm will surely bring everyone back to the harsh, cold reality. This detailed model of the egg, with an appropriately gooey-looking baby raptor in tow, wonderfully recreates the moment when we’re present for the birth of every creature on this island! The scenic background of other eggs in the incubator is a nice touch, although the stand for some reason does not have any holes or mechanism to lock the figure in place. Some may prefer this approach, since it means you can position the egg any way you’d like on the titled-base. Just be careful not to forget it isn’t locked in place when redecorating. This set measures approximately 6″ high by 5.5″ wide.

‘Jurassic World’ fans are also treated with our favorite Velociraptor Blue in “Raptor Recon” mode! This figure represents the scene of Blue running in the jungle as it pursues the Indominus Rex with the rest of her pack! She even sports her camera-feed headgear (which is unfortunately not removeable). The figure is nicely detailed and painted, and even includes Owen’s motorcycle tire tracks in the “dirt”. A nice touch! The scenic background features a nice view of Isla Nublar’s jungle. Unlike the baby raptor, Blue does lock into place on the base, but in only one direction. Overall it’s a really nice figure of Blue for this scene, and measures approximately 4.75″ high by 6.75″ wide.

For those who like to keep their boxes, the ones for both of these figures are pretty impressive! The baby raptor’s box features the classic “sunset in the jungle” motif and proudly displays the ‘Jurassic Park 30th Anniversary’ logo. Blue’s box features a golden-tinted jungle setting and, let’s be honest, one of the MANY variations of the ‘Jurassic World’ logo in existence at this point.

While both figures are wonderful in their own right, it is surprising that the debut figures for this line are BOTH raptors. While these dinosaurs are obviously very popular to the franchise, one may have at least expected a Rex scene from any of the films. If they do continue this line for ‘Jurassic’, let’s hope they feature moments from the other films. More importantly: can we finally get scenic depictions of classic landmarks? Who wouldn’t want something like this proudly displaying the Visitor Center from ‘Jurassic Park’ or the Innovation Center from ‘Jurassic World’? These films had a lot more artistic integrity beyond just the dinosaurs themselves, and landmarks like those are equally iconic. I feel like this type of line is PERFECT for taking advantage of this kind of opportunity to present fans with something that can’t be found anywhere else. Because let’s face it: Mattel has already covered raptors and many other dinosaurs to death. We don’t need another line of collectibles going down the same path.

Despite my views, these ‘Toyllectible Treasures Dioramas’ are still a wonderful addition to any ‘Jurassic’ collection, especially if you are looking for something different than a standard toy figure. They are each currently priced at $29.95, with both the baby raptor and Blue available on Amazon!

Also available from the Noble Collection are three other dinosaur figures from ‘Jurassic Park’ with scenic background and displays!

Do you like this new line of ‘Jurassic’ collectibles? Would you be interested if they tackled landmarks more instead of just dinosaurs? Share your thoughts below, and as always stay tuned to Jurassic Outpost for the latest!

‘Jurassic World: The New Orleans Extras Experience’ Conjures Incredible Behind The Scenes Memories In 4-Part Video Series!

‘Jurassic World’ was released to theaters nearly a decade ago. Let that sink in for a moment. For many, the memories of seeing the film are already nostalgic. Despite this year, 2023, being the 30th anniversary of the original ‘Jurassic Park’, it is also a time to be reflective over the entire series. The fourth film in the story of ‘Jurassic Park’ came after 14 years of nothing between it and the previous film, ‘Jurassic Park 3’. During that huge gap, fans imagined endless ideas as to what the next adventure in their favorite series would be.

In 2013, it was finally announced that a new film was on the horizon. Rumors that it would feature a fully-realized theme park on Isla Nublar, known as ‘Jurassic World’, led to many questions running in everyone’s minds. It was quite a surprising direction for the story that most people didn’t see coming. When filming began in 2014, many fans flocked for the chance to personally take part in the experience. Cameras rolled in Hawaii first, but soon after that their lenses focused on several massive sets in New Orleans.

Derrick Davis of Jurassic Time recently had conversations with three fans who were lucky enough to have been extras, background cast members, in these New Orleans sets: Anthony Feliciano, Bo Monarch, and Brent Kappel. Their discussions were edited into a 4-part video series that dives into the memories of their incredible experiences on the impressive sets of ‘Jurassic World’. Not only do we get to hear their fun stories, but we also get to see some rare behind the scenes photos, video footage, and other cool imagery that helps bring us along on their thrilling ride.

Anthony and Bo first describe what it was like filming the famous Mosasaur Stadium sequence. We learn how little of the set there actually was, and the simple methods used to create a much larger effect on screen. They also catch a glimpse of the original ‘Jurassic Park’ Visitor Center’s eerie ruins. Despite seeing the set from afar, it was enough to give them immense excitement.

In the second segment, Anthony and Bo look back at their experiences inside the highly-detailed Hammond Creation Lab and Samsung Innovation Center sets. We get a fun recollection of what they thought their scenes were about while being filmed, as well as some props, like a map, that they were able to take home with them.

For the third segment, Brent details the stunning Main Street set that was built next to an abandoned Six Flags amusement park. He gives us detailed descriptions of many Main Street locations, including the mostly-unseen Jurassic Traders Gift Shop, and the shock of Katie McGrath (who played Zara) performing some of her insane stunts on set.

The final segment of the series features Brent describing what it was like portraying a scientist in the Hammond Creation Lab, then reveals several props that mysteriously left with him. He tells a funny story involving Chris Pratt, and one of the props he shows us features a dinosaur dietary chart.

These three fans, and surely many others, finally got to see their work in theaters in 2015 when the film premiered around the world. No matter what they thought of the final product, seeing themselves on the big screen was a huge thrill. While the rest of us may be envious of their experience, it is wonderful to have their recollections joined with the imagery to finally get a real sense of what these sets were like in-person. And, if only for a short time, we can also imagine we visited ‘Jurassic World’ just as they had.

Which set for ‘Jurassic World’ in New Orleans do you wish you could have visited the most? Were you also an extra in the film, and if so, what scenes were you in? Share your comments below, and as always, stay tuned to Jurassic Outpost for the latest!

Check Out the ‘Funko Fusion’ Teaser Trailer – An Upcoming Video Game Featuring Jurassic World!

If there is one consistent theme in the Jurassic fandom, it’s that almost everyone is asking the same question: when will there be a Jurassic Park video game that isn’t a park builder, mobile game, or something largely gimmick based? Today’s news certainly scratches some of those itches and looks to be a fun concept, though admittedly is still not the game most fans have been expecting.

‘Funko Fusion’ is a multiplayer action-adventure game from 10:10 games, featuring mashups of numerous worlds and characters from films and media, including Jurassic World! Watch the trailer and read the press release below:

WARRINGTON, ENGLAND – April 25, 2023 – Get ready, pop culture fans! 10:10 Games, in collaboration with Funko, LLC and Universal Games and Digital Platforms, is sharing the first teaser trailer for its upcoming multiplayer mashup Funko Fusion. Iconic characters from Jurassic World, Back to the Future, The Umbrella Academy, The Thing, Child’s Play 2, Masters of the Universe, and other blockbusters come to life in Funko Pop! form in this wild new take on action-adventure games.

“It’s incredibly exciting to be able to show everyone what the team here at 10:10 Games has been up to,” says Arthur Parsons, 10:10 Games’ Design Director and Co-founder. “Harnessing the incredible properties we’ve been entrusted with by our partners at Universal Games and Digital Platforms, bringing them together into a gaming experience that is incredibly fun, surprising, authentic, and celebrates fandom like never before, all experienced through a Funko lens.”

“Funko is a leader in bringing characters to life through POP! and other unique product types, but Funko Fusion takes things to a whole new level and gives our fans the ability to interact with their favorite characters like never before,” says Dolly Ahluwalia, Funko’s SVP of Licensing and Emerging Brands. “Working with Universal Games and Digital Platforms on this project was a dream of ours, as their IP is like none other, with characters that appeal to all ages. This trailer is a taste of what folks can expect, and we couldn’t be more excited to work with our partner 10:10 Games toward an expected initial release in early 2024.”

“Funko Fusion offers a diverse collection of NBCUniversal characters that will immerse players in an experience that stays true to Funko’s DNA,” said Jim Molinets, SVP of Production, Universal Games and Digital Platforms. “Featuring a fresh take on the mash-up genre, the game will connect fans with some of their favorite brands and key story moments in remarkable ways.”

Funko Fusion features dozens of playable characters in Funko Pop! form from popular NBCUniversal stories, in addition to other properties, each with their own unique personalities and abilities. Online multiplayer adds even more chaos to the mix, allowing up to four players to team up and battle enemies, explore vast environments, and solve intriguing puzzles.

Funko Fusion is the debut title from 10:10 Games, a studio co-founded by five-time BAFTA award winner and TT Games founder Jon Burton and a team of experienced developers known for their work on brick-based games. Funko Fusion is currently expected to be released in 2024 on PC and console.

About 10:10 Games

Founded in the summer of 2021 by industry veterans, 10:10 Games was formed with a vision to create a studio that is inclusive, collaborative, and welcoming for everyone, a studio where the team is empowered to do their best work every day, and a studio that creates amazing games that engage and exhilarate gamers everywhere. Their first game, Funko Fusion, is set to release in 2024.

About Funko

Headquartered in Everett, Washington, Funko is a leading pop culture lifestyle brand. Funko designs, sources and distributes licensed pop culture products across multiple categories, including vinyl figures, board games, action toys, plush, apparel, housewares and accessories for consumers who seek tangible ways to connect with their favorite pop culture brands and characters. Learn more at https://funko.com/, and follow us on Twitter (@OriginalFunko) and Instagram (@OriginalFunko).

About Universal Games and Digital Platforms

Universal’s Games and Digital Platforms group leverages the vast portfolio of IP and characters from NBCUniversal. The Games and Digital Platforms group is a business unit of Universal Products & Experiences (UP&E), which is chartered with globally expanding the company’s intellectual properties, franchises, characters and stories through innovative physical and digital products, engaging retail and product experiences across our expansive global theme park destinations (for both owned and 3rd party IP), location-based venues, e-commerce product platforms, and retailers around the world. Along with global brand strategy and creative, UP&E’s three lines of business include Consumer Products, Games and Digital Platforms, as well as Theme Parks Products & Retail. The company’s extensive portfolio includes properties created by Universal Pictures, Illumination, DreamWorks Animation, and NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. UP&E is part of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation. www.universalproductsexperiences.com.

While this certainly isn’t the game we’ve been looking for (seriously, when is the AAA story-driven Jurassic Park survival-adventure game coming?) it does look like it could be fun. Given the past success of titles like LEGO Jurassic World, there is a lot of potential for something great here – but it’s hard to not be a bit cynical given the lack of games aimed at the core Jurassic audience as well.

However, that seems to be a dinosaur-sized problem across the board for everything Jurassic… but that’s a conversation for another day.

Jurassic World’s Hybrids Roar into the Legacy Collection in New Beyond The Gates!

The Super Colossal Indoraptor & Camouflage Indominus Rex are joining the Legacy Collection in this month’s episode of collector show Jurassic World: Beyond The Gates!

Check out the unveiling below:

Mattel’s Chandra Hicks returns to the show to unveil these two monstrous collectibles, and we hear from Glen McIntosh, a key artist and animator who helped bring the Indominus Rex to life in the Jurassic World films!

These two items that Dr. Wu is proud to call his children are now available to pre-order at Target! You can also pre-order the hat that Chris is wearing in the episode, directly over at Target.com!

What do you think of these new Mattel items? Share your thoughts down below!

Be sure to check out the last two episodes of Beyond The Gates.

It Appears A New ‘Jurassic World’ Animated Series Is Inbound

A new trademark has been revealed by Universal Studios that something new is on the horizon for the ‘Jurassic World’ franchise: ‘Jurassic World Explorers’!

There have been images of a preschool toy line (first revealed at UK retailer Toyopolis), but the all-new trademark reveals there is also a media or series component.

“JURASSIC WORLD EXPLORERS is Entertainment services in the nature of film, television series, short form entertainment content, videos and podcasts in the field of news, sports, comedy, drama, music and variety content; entertainment services in the nature of the production and distribution of film, television series, short form entertainment content, videos, podcasts and games featuring news, entertainment, sports, comedy, drama, music and variety content; providing a website, images and non-downloadable videos in the field of news, sports and entertainment via the internet, mobile and wireless networks; providing interactive online computer games; amusement park attraction and theme park services; live stage performances, namely, presentation of live show performances; providing waterpark services; providing recreational areas for entertainment and amusement, namely, interactive play areas; providing events, contests, displays and exhibits in the field of news, sports and entertainment; providing on-demand and rental of film, television series, short form entertainment content, videos, podcasts and games in the fields of news, sports, comedy, drama, music and variety content; online non-downloadable electronic publications, namely, text and graphic works featuring news, sports and entertainment.”

While the summary of its trademark registration covers all potential venues that it could be used for, it doesn’t necessarily mean all of them will be fully executed. However, given the toy information leaks it is safe to assume ‘Jurassic World Explorers’ will at the very least be an animated show aimed at the younger audience. Whether it appears on Netflix, Peacock, or simply on YouTube is impossible to currently say, however if we were to bet we suspect it may air on the Jurassic World Kids YouTube channel in partnership with Mattel. While this is a far cry from what fans of the series were hoping for in the first venture away from ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’, it at least lends something in the meantime to younger audiences – perhaps utilizing the story to merge learning about animals, dinosaurs, and science in fun ways.

Given that ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’ was one of the only films to reach a billion dollars last year (with its prior two entries making even more), it’s only a matter of time before something more substantial gets produced. Whether it comes in the form of a new series (AKA a followup to Camp Cretaceous, which is rumored to debut next year), or a new film, is up to Universal to decide.

Are you interested in ‘Jurassic World Explorers’? What exactly do you think it will be? Share your comments below and stay tuned to Jurassic Outpost for the latest!

Jurassic World Primal Ops Composer Nominated for SCL Award

Released in early 2022, Jurassic World Primal Ops is an action-combat mobile game filled with dinosaurs. Almost a year later, composer Winifred Phillips‘ musical score for the game has been nominated in the “Outstanding Score For Interactive Media” category at the 2023 SCL (Society of Composers & Lyricists) Awards!

Original Video Game Score composed by Winifred Phillips

“A listening experience that’s both fun and sophisticated!”

– Film Score Monthly

“Video game composer extraordinaire Winifred Phillips has composed an exciting score for the game!”

– BuySoundtrax

Winifred Phillips is an award-winning, BAFTA nominated composer whose credits include titles in six of the biggest franchises in gaming: Assassin’s Creed, God of War, Lineage, LittleBigPlanet, The Sims, and Total War.

Click here to listen to the entire score, which is exciting, fun, and very Jurassic!

Jurassic World Primal Ops – Score by Winifred Phillips

Click here to read more about the Jurassic World Primal Ops game.

Are you a Jurassic World Primal Ops player? What do you think about the music? Let us know in the comments!

Universal’s VelociCoaster Awarded “Best Roller Coaster” Second Year in a Row

The popular ride VelociCoaster at Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure was awarded “Best Roller Coaster” for the second year in a row, by Theme Park Insider.

To ring in the New Year, the popular theme park information site released their list of 2023 winners of different attractions and parks across the globe, and the Jurassic World-themed thrill ride staked its claim as the apex predator of rollercoasters again.

“With outstanding coaster elements, engaging theming, and wonderful decoration from the queue through the ride itself, VelociCoaster wins raves both from devoted roller coaster enthusiasts and casual theme park fans, making a winning combination for everyone, including our readers.”

VelociCoaster brings guests closer than ever before to one of Jurassic World’s most popular dinosaurs – the Velociraptors! Be a part of the “squad” as you race through a raptor paddock alongside four cunning predators at high speed before being launched 155 ft straight up.

This follows the groundbreaking Jurassic World Adventure ride at Universal Studios Beijing being awarded the Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement for an Attraction in November, as well as Universal Orlando opening up The Great Movie Escape which features a Jurassic World themed escape room in December. VelociCoaster was awarded Best Roller Coaster AND Best New Ride in Theme Park Insider’s 2022 awards.

What’s next for Jurassic at Universal Theme Parks? Be sure to check back at Jurassic Outpost for all the latest news! And comment below with what you hope to see next at Universal Parks around the world.

Universal Orlando’s “Great Movie Escape” Opening This Month – Featuring a Jurassic World Escape Room

Universal Studios Orlando Resort has officially announced the opening day of their newest attraction, The Great Movie Escape! Opening December 9th, 2022, and located in the City Walk portion of the resort, The Great Movie Escape offers Universal guests a chance to become a part of their favorite films like never before! One of the two escape rooms offered is centered around Universal’s biggest franchise- Jurassic World.

In Jurassic World: Escape, you find yourself with a team of new geneticists on Isla Nublar on training day. While it may all begin with some “ooo’s” and “ahh’s” as you learn to work with the park’s star attractions and learning what it takes to make dinosaurs, it quickly devolves into “running and screaming” as one of the park’s apex predators escapes and starts heading your way. You must work together as a team to figure out how to survive. The new experience mixes an engaging story with state of the art effects, highly detailed and immersive sets, and ‘more teeth (and claws) than anything you’ve experienced before.’

This new Jurassic adventure is sure to please casual and die-hard fans of the franchise alike. The escape room experience is randomized, so the solution can vary with each visit and offers rare replay-ability that many normal escape rooms do not. The experience is also customizable depending on party size to ensuring everyone in the group gets to participate, and is also designed to adjust based on skill level (so Jurassic fans thinking this will be a piece of cake are in for a surprise- Chaos Theory in action!)

This latest foray into the Jurassic franchise by the creative teams at Universal Orlando is sure to be another hit for the resort. It follows several dino-sized wins for Universal parks and the Jurassic franchise across the world, on the tails of VelociCoaster at Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure being awarded Best Roller Coaster and Best New Attraction of 2021,  Jurassic World: Dominion grossing over $1 billion at the box office, and Jurassic World Adventure at Universal Studios Beijing being awarded the Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement for an Attraction just last month. We can only hope to see this trend for Jurassic continuing to grow and expand at the parks!

Tickets for Universal’s Great Movie Escape start at $49.99 (plus tax) for individuals, or guests can reserve a private escape room experience for $300 (plus tax) for groups of up to 8 people. You can order your tickets by visiting the Universal Orlando website , or by calling (407)224-8463. Besides Jurassic World: Escape there will also be Back to the Future: OUTTATIME, a Back to the Future themed escape room experience where guests have to stop Biff from stealing Doc Brown’s latest invention (featuring the return of Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown!)

‘Hidden Adventure’ is Here! Review, Easter Eggs and More!

The new Camp Cretaceous interactive special has arrived on Netflix! Return to Isla Nublar and navigate your way across Jurassic World like never before.

After a big storm, food is scarce — and hungry dinos are everywhere. It’s up to you to help the Camp Fam survive in this thrilling interactive special. You drive the action in this crowd-pleasing adventure featuring characters from the world of “Jurassic Park.”

We have a new interview with showrunner and executive producer Scott Kreamer coming soon. We spoke with him about writing and producing the Hidden Adventure, the inspiration for the new character, Owen and the Tarbo, and we ask about the future of the campers…

Join the discussion on our social channels – links at the top of the page!

Share your thoughts down below!