The SATURDAY SIX Celebrates 40 Years of BACK TO THE FUTURE (The Ride, Escape Room, Mega Movie Parade and more!)

Last week the SATURDAY SIX took a deep dive look into the history of JAWS at Universal Orlando and today we are back with another dip into the nostalgia well as we look at the history of BACK TO THE FUTURE at Universal. Why? Well, this year the original Back to the Future (BTTF) film celebrated its 40th anniversary, and we couldn’t think of a better time to look at the movie’s huge impact on the theme park world, starting with…

# 6 – The Ride

The origin of Back to the Future: The Ride started back in 1986, a year after the original BTTF film was released. Steven Spielberg was touring the latest King Kong upgrade to the Universal Studios Hollywood studio tour and was blown away by what he saw.

You guys are pretty good at this. My friend (George) Lucas told me only Disney could do this. He just took me on Star Tours at Disney. He said, ‘You (Steven) screwed up going with Universal. They could never do a Star Tours.'” Then Steven got a devilish glow in his eye and said, “If you guys can do this … why don’t you see what you can do with Back to the Future?” – Steven Spielberg

Universal Studios Florida opened several years later, in 1990, with a handful of attractions. However, the park was already teasing an upcoming attraction for the next year…

Everyone needs deadlines.” – Walt Disney

Like many of the early attractions at Universal Studios Florida, Back to the Future: The Ride was plagued with construction delays. This caused the ride to open a bit later than originally planned. Universal actually had signage outside the ride teasing the debut. In the photo below, you’ll notice the countdown clock read 2001 hours. This translates to roughly 83 days. However, the picture was taken in December 1990 and the ride didn’t open to guests until May of 1991.

The façade for Back to the Future: The Ride was the Institute of Future Technology building.

Actor Christopher Lloyd reprised his role of Doc Brown for the attraction.

Actor Thomas Wilson also appeared in the attraction, reprising his character of ne’er-do-well Biff Tannen.

The storyline of the attraction involved Biff stealing one of Doc Brown’s DeLorean time machines and using it to travel into the space-time continuum.

Via the use of a remote control, Doc Brown was able to send theme park guests back in time to follow Biff in a modified DeLorean. In my book, this is on the Mt. Rushmore of Theme Park Ride Vehicles.

During the ride itself, guests got to travel to a “future” version of Hill Valley and all the way back to the past to have an encounter with a dinosaur.

Here is a video showing the entire experience of BTTF: The Ride, including the pre-shows and ride warnings.

You can also check out the Back to the Future: The Ride experience at home on several of the Back to the Future DVD releases.

In 2007, Back to the Future: The Ride closed to make way for The Simpsons Ride. As a huge fan of both BTTF and The Simpsons, I’d be torn on picking which was my favorite experience. BTTF had the awesome DeLorean ride vehicle, but The Simpsons ride converted the generic BTTF gift shop into the Kwik-E-Mart, one of my favorite stores at Universal. In 2013, Universal expanded The Simpsons presence by adding Kang & Kodos’ Hurl ‘N’ Twirl, Duff Brewery, Bumblebee Man’s Taco Truck, and the amazing Fast Food Boulevard to make Springfield USA an actual “land” in the park (and – in my opinion – one of their absolute best outside of the Wizarding World.)

# 5 – Backstory of How Doc Brown Lost the Institute

Longtime readers of this blog series know how much I love extinct attraction tributes in current rides, and The Simpsons Ride doesn’t just have a reference to Back to the Future: The Ride, it explains the entire backstory of how Doc Brown lost the Institute of Future Technology to Krusty the Clown!

In the outdoor queue of The Simpsons Ride you’ll see TVs playing classic moments from The Simpsons where the family went to theme parks mixed in with all new material made exclusively for the ride. These new segments include some absolutely incredible moments, including Krusty the Clown explaining how he has assembled a team of artists and visionaries for his new park that include “…the best people who were fired from other companies for inappropriate behavior.” Another segment includes one of my favorite characters – Cletus the slack jawed yokel – giving tips on how to save money on food when taking your family to the park.

However, the absolute best use of these new segments begins with Simpsons character Professor Frink looking at a picture of Doc Brown in front of the Institute of Future Technology. It is revealed that Krusty the Clown’s new park – Krustyland – sits in that space, so Frink gets in a DeLorean time machine and races to the past to stop this from happening.

Back in the past, Doc Brown is about to sign off on a deal to keep the Institute of Future Technology around “for years to come.”

However, right as Doc Brown is about to sign the paperwork, Professor Frink and DeLorean appear and…

…crash into the lawyer who was holding the paperwork for Doc Brown.

This actually causes Doc Brown to lose the Institute of Future Technology to Krusty the Clown. Just a classic sci-fi trope of a character using time travel to prevent something but ends up being the actual cause of what they were trying to prevent. Absolutely incredible that this exists inside a theme park.

# 4 – Doc Brown Walkaround Character

While the Back to the Future ride may be gone, one of the best meet and greet characters at Universal continues to be Doc Brown.

I can’t tell you how many times I have encountered Doc Brown in the park over the years, and its always great to see his character react to anything you toss at him.

While nowhere near as popular compared to their Disney park counterparts, Universal characters will sign autograph books. Here’s a look at Doc’s signature.

Doc is hands down one of the absolute best characters to have interactions with as he is unflappable.

Sometimes you will see even Doc with a clipboard detailing his plans to get the Institute of Future Technology back!

Let’s face it, if you go to Universal and you don’t come back with a picture of yourself and Doc Brown, you are officially doing it wrong.

While Doc Brown can be seen regularly in the parks, you can also occasionally see Marty McFly. I’ve never actually seen Marty in person, but several of my friends have over the years.

There’s also two other related BTTF items that make great photo-ops, including a DeLorean Time Machine!

The DeLorean time machine is one of the most iconic vehicles in the history of cinema.

Inside the DeLorean you’ll see a working clock that shows two incredibly significant times from the Back to the Future film series, along with the current date.

You’ll also see the flux capacitor and other fun stuff.

You can also find one of the screen-used Jules Verne trains from Back to the Future III as well.

You just may see Doc Brown himself  on the train!

# 3 – Tribute Stores

Over the last ten years there have been an unbelievable amount of incredibly themed Tribute Stores at Universal Studios Florida. These are elaborately themed gift shops that are off-the-charts good (with my personal favorite being the Haunted Comic Book Store from HHN 32.) In the Summer of 2022, the Tribute Store theme focused around three classic Universal films: Jaws, E.T., and Back to the Future.

The outside of the store was set up like you were walking into a movie theater. One of the details in the lobby area was a whole bunch of ticket stubs for the three films. Each of these stubs had a fun reference from that particular movie. In the picture below you’ll see “OUT TIME” for the Back to the Future ticket. This is referencing the iconic OUTATIME license plate from the DeLorean.

Let’s head into the Back to the Future themed room…

The BTTF room was themed to Doc Brown’s garage and was filled with tons of references to all three Back to the Future films, including all of Doc Brown’s clocks (as you can imagine, the concept of time plays an important part in every BTTF film.)

One part of the room had the photo that many BTTF fans know from the first movie. This was a photo of Marty McFly along with his brother and sister. The characters in the photos started to disappear during the events of the film, including Marty himself when it looked like all hopes of getting his parents together was lost.

This other photo is for the real sickos though. It features a similar photo as the one above, with Marty McFly’s brother and sister. However, the third person in the photo is not Michael J Fox, it is actor Eric Stoltz.

Every BTTF fan worth their salt knows that the original movie originally cast actor Eric Stoltz in the role of Marty McFly. They filmed with Stoltz for about a month or so and realized it wasn’t working. Michael J. Fox was then recast in the role and history was made. For many years this casting change was right up there with Nicholas Cage’s costume fitting for a Superman movie as a part of Hollywood lore that was talked about but never shown. However, footage of Stoltz’s time filming BTTF finally did show up…

Everywhere you looked the room was jam packed with references and Easter Eggs for BTTF fans.

Doc’s scale model of Hill Valley, which he used to explain to Marty (and us, the audience) of how he was going to get Marty “back to the future.”

Elements from all three BTTF movies were represented in the Tribute Store.

I love that we get to see Marty’s original letter to Doc that he wrote in 1955…

…along with Doc’s reconstruction of the letter years later.

It is so wonderful as a BTTF fan to see items from the movie brought to life in the Tribute Store.

There was even a reference to Back the Future: The Ride!

Several of the Tribute Stores featured Mold-A-Matic machines where you could get an extremely cool souvenir.

One of the molds for the 2022 Summer Tribute Store was the clock tower from BTTF.

Blogger-in-the-sky @bioreconstruct, who regularly breaks the space-time continuum while covering the theme parks, made sure to note every color variation of the clock tower mold. As one does.

Now we’ll check out Back to the Future references in other Tribute Stores over the years…

The Legacy Store in CityWalk also contained several items from BTTF, including a memorial to the ride.

In 2023, the Legacy Store had a Christmas tree that was decorated with tributes to past attractions, including BTTF: The Ride. Check out the small scale 8 seat DeLorean ride vehicle!

All the details were perfect.

The “screen” inside the vehicle even had Doc Brown, just like the ride! I would buy this vehicle in a second if Universal sold it in the parks!

Over at Mel’s Diner, the menu screens will occasionally switch to feature a retro tribute to a Universal movie, including Back to the Future.

Making just as much sense is this reference to Doc Brown at Richter’s Burger Co.

Over at Fast & Furious – Supercharged, the exact opposite of a beloved ride like Back to the Future, there is an area which features “pink slips” and keys from vehicles that the Fast & Furious crew has won over the years in street races. One of those vehicles is a DeLorean with a title signed by Emmett Brown.

Also at Fast & Furious – Supercharged is a well known license plate leaning against a tool box…

# 2 – Schwab’s Pharmacy 40th Anniversary Overlay

In honor of BTTF’s 40th Anniversary, the Schwab’s Pharmacy ice cream shop got a small makeover. Outside the restaurant there are BTTF related graphics on all the windows.

These include a DeLorean time machine, flux capacitor, and a pair of Marty McFly’s Calvin Klein underwear.

While another large window contains elements from Back to the Future II and even Doc Brown’s dog, Einstein.

There were two new milk shakes at Schwab’s available for the BTTF 40th.  The shakes were served in a special BTTF 40 branded cup.

One of the specialty items was the Rock & Roll Shake, which was served with Rocky Road Ice Cream with Marshmallow Cream, Popping Milk Chocolate, Whipped Topping and a Chocolate Guitar. This is referencing Marty McFly’s dream to be a guitar player in a rock and roll band, including his performance at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance.

The other shake was called Wake Up Juice and featured Strawberry Ice Cream with Strawberry Crumbs, Whipped Topping, and a “Wake You Up” Cayenne Spice.

Wake Up Juice is a reference to BTTF III, as it was an “antidote” to the over consumption of alcohol that Marty gave to Doc.

Let’s check out some other BTTF related snacks at Universal over the years including my personal favorite: the BTTF themed candy bar.

Each of Universal’s candy bars not only have a great wrapper and flavor themed to the brand, but the bars also have another fun element on the actual bar itself. For BTTF, the bar itself is designed to look like the iconic DeLorean Time Machine license plate.

The Tribute Stores all had snack cases with items related to BTTF.

The special BTTF churro was an excellent idea in theory, with E-Ticket “concept art” but the actual churros at the park looked nowhere near as cool and didn’t taste that great.

# 1 – Mega Movie Parade

Daytime parades are win-win for theme park fans. For people that enjoy them, it’s a blast to see larger-than-life floats pass by along with interacting with the parade unit team on the ground. For people that don’t like them…hey, all the lines throughout the park are lower because people are watching the parade! For me, the Universal Mega Movie Parade is one of the best theme park parades ever because it focuses on several of my personal all time favorite films: Ghostbusters, Jaws, and Back to the Future. It also features many other movies that are fun as well (E.T., Jurassic World, Minions, Trolls, Sing, and Kung Fu Panda.)

The Back to the Future themed float may be the largest of all the floats in the parade. One side of the massive float features a DeLorean Time Machine going through a clock, while the other side recreates the Hill Valley clock tower.

Pretty much all your favorite BTTF references are represented somewhere on the float.

One of my favorite details are the mall clocks on opposite sides of the float. One features signage from Twin Pines Mall…

…while the other features signage for Lone Pine Mall. This is one of the best “Butterfly Effect” gags in film history in my book because its referencing a moment earlier in the film when Marty went back into the past and accidentally ran over one of the pine trees.

The street unit for the Back to the Future float are a “hoverboard gang” from BTTF II.

Back to the Future also gets a nice spotlight in the nighttime spectacular: CineSational!

Honorable Mention – Great Movie Escape

In 2022, Universal CityWalk opened the GREAT MOVIE ESCAPE. This escape room concept had two room environments for guests to choose from: Jurassic World and Back to the Future. While not talked about nearly as much as you would think, partly because it is almost hidden from view to people walking from the Universal parking garages to the theme parks. While not the most challenging when it comes to escape rooms, they are definitely worth checking out if you are a fan of the movies they are based on.

There is a bar in the lobby of the Great Movie Escape that you can enjoy whether or not you have a escape room experience booked. The bar menu features several specialty cocktails themed to Jurassic World and Back to the Future, including the Hill Valley Gin & Tonic, Gigawatt Glow, and Wake Up Juice.

The name for the Back to the Future escape room experience is OUTATIME (based on the iconic DeLorean time machine license plate.)

While no pictures are allowed of the actual escape room experience, Universal has posted some glimpses inside the rooms.

While I wouldn’t go for the escape room “challenge,” if you are a BTTF fan, these are a must do. The props, scenes and overall ambiance are straight up E-Ticket. You’ll have a blast.

And the end of each escape room experience there is a photo-op for participants.

 

There is some merchandise that you can pick up at the Great Movie Experience that feature BTTF, including t-shirts, mugs, and keychains.

However my favorite piece of merch is the jigsaw puzzle. I think that fits perfectly in-theme with an escape room.

Double Secret Honorable Mention – Skill Game Prizes

Pinch me I’m dreaming.

Many of you know how much I love Skill Games at the theme parks. Well, when it comes to theme park souvenirs, one of my favorite lines is what I refer to as “cute plush” at Universal, which features tons of different characters across their parks all done in the exact same style (similar to Disney’s awesome Toy Box line of action figures.) For someone with merchandise OCD like myself, that means I can properly display plush featuring Marvel superheroes, Universal Classic Monsters, and John Hammond from Jurassic Park all next to each other as if they all exist in the same universe.

Two of my favorite things came together when the skill games in-between Toon Lagoon and Marvel Superhero Island offered Back to the Future themed cute plush as prizes!!

They even had Doc Brown’s dog Einstein!! We are truly living in the greatest timeline.

Let’s take a look at a small sampling of some other BTTF related merchandise that has been available at Universal over the years. There was a time when finding merchandise for a property like BTTF was just about impossible to get (whereas now its in every pop culture related store along with big chains like Target and WalMart. Imagine how many OUTATIME license plates that Universal Studios Florida sold after the ride made it’s debut…

The current plate available at the parks is more of a dead on recreation of the plate from the film series.

If Universal had an Outlet Store…

 

Triple Threat Honorable Mention – References across Universal Orlando

One of the neat things that Universal did when creating Dockside Inn & Suites was make several garden areas that had theming to various Universal properties. For example, one of the areas was “Snowball’s Garden.” This is named after a character in Secret Life of Pets and – appropriately enough – is also a pet relief area.

Another area was the “Back in Time Garden” themed to Back to the Future. This area also allowed people to take a quick rest.

However, a closer look at the sign reveals a quote attributed to “Dr. Emmit Brown” from Back to the Future. The character’s name is actually spelled Emmett, which allowed us to immediately induct this typo into the Theme Park Signage Hall of Shame.

Meanwhile over at Epic Universe, the incredible Stardust Racers rollercoaster has possibly the all time greatest Back to the Future reference in the history. Each coaster train is equipped with a Flux Capacitor on the back of the train!!

Just INCREDIBLE. You can read about this and more of our favorite Epic Universe details by CLICKING HERE.

So there you have it: The SATURDAY SIX Celebrates 40 Years of BACK TO THE FUTURE! See you next weekend for the latest installment of the SATURDAY SIX, where we’ll look at something fun from the world of Disney and Universal. If you enjoyed yourself, be sure to check out the THEME PARK ENJOYMENT INDEX, giving a monthly recap of all the theme park news you need to know (and a lot more you don’t need to know, but we’re gonna tell you anyway). You can also follow Your Humble Author on BlueSky (@derekburgan).

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Special Thanks to The Dynamic Duo (Thomas Wagner and Darren Schmidt), The Elite Brandon Glover, Digital Maestro Scott Walker, the bio-est of all reconstructs @bioreconstruct, Captain Cruiseline Scott Sanders of the world famous Disney Cruise Line Blog, my personal protege Hunter “Elvey” Underwood, artist @SonderQuest, the mighty maven of merchandise Hedgehog’s Corner, the SAT SIX Fun Squad of Parkscope Joe and “the Dadalorian” Nick, hot shot Michael Carelli, charter member of the Universal Four @Nitro230, the permit princess Alicia Stella, master cartographer Tommy Hawkins, and Hermione Granger’s tutor Megan Stump for their invaluable assistance with this article. Absolutely no help was added by SeaWorld Influencer @SuperWeenieHtJr. The SAT SIX is inspired each week by goofballs Aengus Mackenzie and LitemAndHide and you Potterheads will enjoy Meg’s other blog work over at the Central Florida Slug Club.