Clock Tower Back To The Future

During the test run, Tippie hid behind one of the pillars of the clock tower and stared up, counting the stunt crew as they made their way through the face of the building—one, two, three, four. Once he could see they were all in, he pressed the button and down they came. But today he decided to move inside the tower.

Courthouse Square is a backlot located at Universal Studios. The set is composed of several facades that form an archetypal Americantown square with a courthouse as its centerpiece. The set is best known for being featured as downtown Hill Valley in the Back to the Future trilogy, and as Kingston Falls in the Gremlins series.

Prior to the Back to the Future series, the area was known as Mockingbird Square owing to its role in the film To Kill a Mockingbird. It has been severely damaged by fire several times, including in 1957, 1990 and 2008. It was reconstructed after each incident.

Fires[edit]

A three-alarm fire broke out at the Universal back lot in the early morning hours on June 1, 2008. It was reported that Courthouse Square was destroyed, though the Courthouse facade and town facade to the north are still standing.^[1] The King Kong attraction and New York Street were destroyed.^[2] The set had previously been damaged by fire in 1990.^[3]

Productions[edit]

Following is a list of productions that used the Courthouse Square set:^[4]

• An Act of Murder (1948)
• Ma and Pa Kettle (1949–1954)
• It Came from Outer Space (1953)
• Tarantula (1955)
• The Monolith Monsters (1957)
• Rock-A-Bye Baby (1958)
• Leave It to Beaver (1957–1963)
• The Twilight Zone: 'Where Is Everybody?' (1959; first episode)
• Inherit the Wind (1960)
• To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
• Bye Bye Birdie (1963)
• Village of the Giants (1965)
• How to Frame a Figg (1971)
• The Alpha Caper (1973)
• The Incredible Hulk (1977–1982)
• The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo (1978)
• Psycho II (1983)
• Simon & Simon (1981–1988)
• Knight Rider (1982–1986)
• Street Hawk: 'Vegas Run' (1984)
• The New Leave It to Beaver (1984–1988)
• Gremlins (1984)
• Back to the Future (1985)
• Magnum, P.I. (1986)
• The Monster Squad (1987)
• Elvira, Mistress of the Dark (1988)
• Back to the Future Part II (1989)
• Sneakers (1992)
• Weird Science (1994–1998)
• Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (1994)
• Three Wishes (1995)
• The Nutty Professor (1996)
• Jingle All the Way (1996)
• Escape from L.A. (1996)
• Batman & Robin (1997)
• Casper: A Spirited Beginning (1997)
• Amistad (1997)
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1998)
• Sliders (1999)
• The Offspring: 'Why Don't You Get a Job?' (1999)
• Bruce Almighty (2003)
• The Cat in the Hat (2003)
• Ghost Whisperer (2005–2010)
• Falling Skies (2011–2015)
• The Campaign (2012)
• House M.D.,'The Confession' (2011/12)
• 'Hairspray Live!' (2016)

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^6/3/08 – Universal Studios Hollywood Backlot Fire Update – News and Photos – MiceChatArchived June 4, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
2. ^'Archived copy'. Archived from the original on June 3, 2008. Retrieved June 1, 2008.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
3. ^the studiotour.com – 1990 FireArchived April 12, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
4. ^the studiotour.com – Courthouse Square – Universal Studios HollywoodArchived September 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine

External links and references[edit]

Coordinates: 34°08′29″N118°20′59″W / 34.141395°N 118.34978°W

Contents.History Development and opening The idea of a Back to the Future–based ride was first discussed in a 1986 meeting between and 's on the backlot on the eve of the debut of the scene for the park's. Spielberg recalled how his friend had just taken him for a ride on Lucas' ride at, telling Spielberg that '‍‍ could never do a Star Tours'. Spielberg requested that Alexander see what he could do with Back to the Future. At the time, the proposed concept of the project was put on hold and considered to be dead, and, according to Alexander, Spielberg's suggestion helped to bring the project back to life.Initial planning for the ride began in 1988. A was the original concept for a Back to the Future ride, however, the designers realized it would be too hard to effectively tell a story due to the fast motion.

The second concept of a simulator ride ultimately came to fruition. Riders would board motion-based vehicles modeled after the featured in the films, and watch a film projected onto a large, dome-shaped screen. During the development of the ride, the designers traveled with foam models of the DeLorean to the in, Canada, where an theatre was the setting for trial runs of the ride's film.

Was eventually contracted to develop the ride system for the attraction.The ride was first publicly announced in February 1989 as one of the many ones being added as part of the new Universal Studios Florida theme park, scheduled for opening in mid-1990. In July 1989, it was announced as a 1991 addition to Universal Studios Hollywood. Construction problems caused the attractions at both parks to have delayed openings.

The one at Universal Studios Florida officially opened on May 2, 1991, costing $40 million. Foundation issues for the Universal Studios Hollywood attraction delayed its opening to June 12, 1993, resulting in the total cost of it being put at $60 million.On March 31, 2001, a third installation of the ride opened at the new theme park in.The buildings for Florida and California had completely different layouts. In Florida the two arenas were back to back. Designers found that this led to some operational problems so the California building was designed so that the arenas were on opposite ends of the building with the queue and pre-show in between them. The California building was also built upon huge rollers as opposed to being anchored into the ground as a precaution for earthquakes. In 2015, The Back to the Future gift shop in Universal Studios Japan was replaced by Minion Mart, a Despicable Me 2-themed store.Closure In mid 2006, first rumors surfaced that Universal Studios Florida would be closing the ride.

Several reports indicated it would be replaced by an attraction based on either TV series or film franchise. On September 7, 2006, Universal Studios Florida officially confirmed the ride's closure. According to a Universal spokesman, the park had not formalized any plans for a replacement but decided to close one half of it immediately to 'explore possibilities for future rides'. The full ride's closure was initially suggested by media to be as early as October 2006, however, it wasn't until March 30, 2007, that it closed for good.The California ride publicly closed on, September 3, 2007. In commemoration of its final month of operation, a special event was held with and beginning the countdown to the ride's closure in early August 2007. Additionally, a contest was announced with the grand prize winner receiving a classic 1981 DeLorean.A new attraction based on the animated sitcom, known officially as, replaced the ride at on May 15, 2008 and at on May 19, 2008.

In homage to it, on the previous construction walls of The Simpsons Ride, the wore Marty's futuristic jacket from. Also, in the line satirical video, an animated (voiced by ) attempts to borrow money from a loan office to save the Institute of Future Technology. However, crashes back in time in a DeLorean and crushes the banker, and Doc is upset that he must 'sell the Institute of Future Technology to!' .In 2016, it was officially announced that the Japan ride would close on May 31, 2016.

On June 20, 2016, the park announced that it would be replaced by and was opened on April 21, 2017.Home media About two years after the ride opened, one of its employees recorded the entire ride projector footage, in-car footage, and pre-ride line footage from the master laser discs to a VHS tape and sold copies of it. Copies can still be found in online auctions, and some footage has been posted on YouTube. As a result, in February 2009, Universal included all of the queue, pre-show and ride footage on the 2009 DVD re-release of as part of a second bonus disc.

The DVD release includes some minor edits in the queue video portions.As a result of the editing, the music played during the queue videos has been removed, and a section when Doc asks volunteers if they have seen Biff has also been removed. The pre-time travel systems check section of the pre-flight video has also been removed. In the main ride portion on the DVD release, the DeLorean based vehicle and ride cabin is virtually re-created (not totally accurate to the ride's dashboard). The time travel coordinates bear May 2, 1991 as the starting date in the beginning of the portion, which was the opening of the Florida ride as well as the fictional opening of the Institute within it.

All of the pre-show and ride footage have been included as a special feature on the 2010 release.Quality IssuesThe ride footage available on the DVD and Blu-ray is identical in quality. The resolution of the footage available on the discs is 852x480 6000kbit/s at 29.97fps, which is well below the quality capable of IMAX film and Blu-ray media. The original IMAX film reel scanned in 2002 was massively cropped to about 20% of the original size. Several areas of the footage with important elements were cropped from view that would be seen during the ride. A 2d computer generated image of a DeLorean dashboard was also superimposed over the footage to reduce the viewing area to 60% of the 4:3 frame. The reel was also slightly damaged and has visible flicker during an end scene involving a volcano, as well as a frame jump during a scene with a prehistoric ice version of.It is currently unknown why the footage was cut down heavily from the original.Plot. Entrance of Back to the Future: The Ride at Universal Studios JapanFollowing the events of, moves to the present time in where, in 1991, he founded the Institute of Future Technology, a scientific institute specializing in his 'futuristic' inventions.

On May 2, 1991, he invites tourists into the facility as 'volunteers' in order to test out his newest invention, the eight-passenger DeLorean time machine, by traveling one day into the future.Meanwhile, Doc travels to 2015 in the original DeLorean (a new time machine being built out of another DeLorean) to make sure the space time continuum is back to normal after the events of his previous time traveling adventures, while his other Institute scientists traveled to 1885 and 1955. However, in 1955, stows away on the IFT scientists' time machine, hitching a ride back to the present-day Institute, which sets up the ride's main storyline.Queue Visitors to the Institute wait outside the facility. The queue video features clips from the Back to the Future trilogy, as well as new footage featuring Doc, diagrams for other innovations, ostensibly created by him, newsreel footage of him with and other historical figures, and a 'live' video feed from 2015 in which he explains the experiment.Pre-show Riders enter the ride as 'volunteers' for the time travel experiment at the Institute of Future Technology. Doc explains that the plan was for them to travel one day into the future, but this caution must be exercised as Biff, who graduated from Hill Valley High School in 1955, has escaped his time period and is now running amok in the space-time continuum.

Once inside, Doc reveals some of the inventions he had been working on, including his 'crowning achievement' – an 8-passenger time machine (also a convertible), which is what the riders will be using in the experiment. Unbeknownst to Doc, Biff has infiltrated the Institute – he appears to the riders, asking for assistance in finding Doc's time machine. Heather then announces that the pre-flight system checks were in progress and informs the riders to stand by for an announcement from Doc.Biff traps Doc in his office, and it was revealed that when one of the time traveling teams was conducting an experiment back in 1955, Biff stowed away. He takes the DeLorean and vanishes into time.

Worried about the havoc Biff will cause to the space-time continuum, Doc frantically pleads with the riders to assist him and says that the only way to bring Biff back to the present is to accelerate to 88 miles per hour and bump him (which will open a time vortex that will send both time vehicles back to their original point of departure); they enter the 8-passenger time vehicle, led by one of Doc's assistants, after going over final safety instructions. Doc then informs them with some helpful advice saying that the time vehicle Biff has stolen had a sub-ether time-tracking scanner; that way whatever time period he may be, the riders' vehicle will pin-point to that exact location. They then follow Biff into time.Ride When the time machine's doors close, Doc uses his remote control to control it, hover it, and accelerate to 88 miles per hour (with electric sparks coming from it, speeding through the open door and passing through the wormhole) and the ride begins. First, Biff lead the riders to in 2015 where they chase him through town. They smash into neon signs, fly over neighborhoods and the town square, and the chase culminates at the iconic clock tower.

He then departs for the. The riders follow, and slowly lower into the icy caverns. Biff honks his horn, causing an avalanche that damages the riders' vehicle. Flying out of the caverns, the riders see Biff shoot away into time, but their own engine had failed, and begins to plummet down a chasm.

Doc manages to restart the vehicle, accelerating backward and through time into the.Upon arriving, the clock display on the DeLorean's dashboard blinks 12:00, as a reference to a that had lost power. The riders follow Biff's vehicle into a dormant volcano in which a is discovered. Biff goads it into attacking the riders, who barely escape. It strikes Biff's vehicle, sending it flying out of control; the dinosaur then swallows the riders' vehicle, but spits it out mere seconds later. It then drops down onto a lava river to see Biff's DeLorean, now damaged and unable to maneuver, moving down an active flow toward the edge of a cliff, with Biff pleading for help from Doc.

As both vehicles plunge over the edge, the riders' one accelerates to time travel speed and bumps Biff's, sending both of them back through the vortex to the original point of departure – the present, at the Institute of Future Technology (in which they crash through the Back to the Future logo in front), where Biff get out and thanks the riders and Doc for saving his life, but is soon seized by security. Riders exit the vehicle, as Doc thanks them and reminds them that, 'The future is what you make it!' An animated logo of the Institute of Future Technology flashs up on the screen with the words 'Please lift lap bar and exit' and after a few seconds Doc warns, 'Hurry up! Before you meet yourself coming in!'

As guests leave, the song ' plays.Production Ride system The ride was a with the DeLoreans located under a 70-foot (21.3–m) OMNIMAX Dome screen. Each of the 24 vehicles (12 per dome) were mounted on three pistons, allowing it to rise, fall, and tilt, following the motion on the screen. The vehicles were arranged on three tiers and were staggered to prevent riders from seeing the other vehicles in the theater. The front section rose eight feet (2.4 m) out of the 'garage' when 'flying'. The actual range of motion from the simulator base was about two feet (0.6 m) in any direction.

The motion and the visual input from the screens images, as well as physical effects like wind, water, and smoke, combined to make the guest riders feel as if they were in a high-speed pursuit.The ride was actually composed of two OMNIMAX Dome screens with vehicles arranged around them. The experience of both was identical, but the ride enjoyed a very reliable in-service record as a result. If one screen was shut down by a mechanical problem, the other ordinarily remained in service. This increased wait times, but essentially eliminated a complete shutdown of the ride as a whole.Ride film Although Back to the Future creators Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale had no involvement with the ride, they were consulted as to whether they 'got Doc right'.

They responded with a 'yes'. They have also commented that 'it's a great ride.' In addition, references were made to a 'Zemeckis-Gale diagram' and 'Gale-Zemeckis Coordinates.'

When the ride footage was made, computer animation was not widely used, so all the special effects, sets, and other things in it were actually very detailed miniature sets recorded in filming. The miniature sets were large, with the replica 2015 buildings as much as half a grown man, and the Tyrannosaurus model being about 7 feet tall. The Institute of Future Technology that the riders crashed into at the end of the ride was actually a model of the Florida version of the building. Cast The film produced for Universal Studios parks in the United States saw and reprise their roles as Doc Brown and Biff Tannen, respectively. Starred as Heather, a receptionist for the Institute of Future Technology (IFT). Members of the production crew were also featured in the film. Directors and David de Vos starred as IFT scientists, while Michael Klastorin who was a unit publicist for the second and third films, was an IFT security guard in the ride's film.

Provided the vocal effects for the Tyrannosaurus. The and on display outside the former Florida rideIn keeping with the theme of the ride, many prop-replicas from the films were on display as guests lined up.

Notable items included the Hoverboards from the second and third movies and letters from Doc Brown to Marty McFly. The locomotive from the third film and one of the modified DeLoreans were on display outside the ride; the DeLorean outside the Florida ride was removed on September 3, 2007, later to be seen with Doc driving it until it was put on display outside of Soundstage 54.The Jules Verne time train from the third film was also on display outside the Florida ride until it was removed on July 24, 2007. After being sighted in various prop warehouses, it is currently on display with the DeLorean in the Hollywood section of the park. It has recently been relocated near the ride, and has undergone some minor restoration. See also.References.

Parkz. ^ Alexander, Peter (June 14, 2010). Totally Fun Company.

Archived from on October 10, 2013. Retrieved September 7, 2014.

Strother, Susan G. (June 3, 1990).

Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved September 7, 2014. (PDF). Retrieved September 6, 2014. Yeomans, Adam (February 28, 1989).

Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved September 7, 2014. (Press release). Universal Studios Hollywood.

Retrieved September 7, 2014. ^ Hill, Jim (February 4, 2003). Jim Hill Media. Retrieved September 7, 2014.

Strother, Susan G. (January 31, 1990). Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved September 7, 2014. Strother, Susan G. (March 28, 1991).

Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved September 7, 2014.

Hinman, Catherine (April 30, 1991). Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Publishing.

Retrieved September 7, 2014. (Press release). Universal Studios Hollywood. June 10, 1993. Retrieved June 7, 2015. ^ Powers, Scott (September 7, 2006).

Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. Retrieved 20 September 2014. Strother Clarke, Susan (August 9, 2006). Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved 20 September 2014.

Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Publishing. March 22, 2007.

Retrieved 20 September 2014. Archived from on 2007-12-21. Retrieved 2019-10-08. Theme Park Insider. Retrieved 2016-03-31. December 16, 2008, at the.

Los Angeles, California. Inside Universal. Archived from on 2007-11-11.External links.

on. A website devoted to the movie trilogy as well as the ride.