Backdraft is a fire special effects show at

Universal Studios Japan is a theme park located in Osaka, Japan. Opened on March 31, 2001, it is one of six Universal Parks & Resorts, Universal Studios theme parks worldwide and was the first to open outside the United States. The park is owned and operated by a whol ...

and formerly at

Universal Studios Hollywood Universal Studios Hollywood is a film studio and theme park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusemen ...

, based on the 1991 film of the same name. Visitors could learn how the pyrotechnic effects were created and experience some of them first hand. It was the first attraction based on an R-rated film at the Universal theme park. The Hollywood attraction was supposed to officially close after

Labor Day Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United St ...

2009 to be replaced by Transformers: The Ride 3D in 2011, but remained open to appease visitors due to temporary closures of other attractions for annual refurbishment. The Hollywood attraction officially closed on April 11, 2010. The attraction remains part of the Osaka park. A similar styled show demonstrating storm effects, Lights! Camera! Action! Hosted by Steven Spielberg, opened at

Universal Studios Singapore Universal Studios Singapore (abbreviation: USS) is a theme park located within the Resorts World Sentosa at Sentosa, Singapore. It features 28 Theme park#Rides and attractions, rides, shows, and Theme park#Rides and attractions, attractions in ...

in 2010.

History

Following the 1986 success of

King Kong Encounter King Kong (better known as ''King Kong Encounter'' and also known as ''Kongfrontation'' during opening and ''King Kong: The Ride'') was an attraction formerly part of the Studio Tour at Universal Studios Hollywood in Los Angeles. The attraction ...

during the

Studio Tour The Studio Tour (also known as The Backlot Tour) is a ride attraction at the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park in Universal City, California near Los Angeles. Studio Tour is the theme park's signature attraction. It travels through a worki ...

, MCA (then-owner of

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

) began expanding the park as a must-visit destination in all of

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

. In 1991,

E.T. Adventure E.T. Adventure is a dark ride located at Universal Studios Florida in Orlando, Florida, United States. Primarily designed in-house by Universal Creative in collaboration with Steven Spielberg, the ride first opened to the public at Universal Stud ...

opened at the park, and a giant set of escalators called the Starway was built on the hillside that lead to various attractions, shops, and food courts. After the 1991 film ''

Backdraft A backdraft (North American English) or backdraught (British English) is the abrupt burning of superheated gasses in a fire, caused when oxygen rapidly enters a hot, oxygen-depleted environment; for example, when a window or door to an enclosed sp ...

'' became a critical and commercial success, MCA Planning and Development (now known as

Universal Creative Universal Creative designs and creates themed attractions, rides, and resorts, for Universal Parks & Resorts. Its divisions include master planning, creative development, design, engineering, project management, and research and development. The ...

) began constructing the attraction and opened it on July 1, 1992. The attraction has been ported to

on the opening day of March 31, 2001.Backdraft in Hollywood and Japan: Part 7A of our Fire Series.
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Summary

Queue

For the Hollywood version, guests entered a

sound stage A sound stage (also written soundstage) is a soundproof, large structure, building, or room with large doors and high ceilings, used for the production of theatrical film-making and television productions, usually located on a secured movie or ...

in the Lower Lot where ''Backdraft'' was being filmed. For the Japan version, guests enter a building facade in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

and into a soundstage where ''Backdraft'' is being filmed.

Pre-show

As guests walk into the "Backdraft filming center",

Ron Howard Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He first came to prominence as a child actor, guest-starring in several television series, including an episode of ''The Twilight Zone''. He ...

appears on a video screen and talks to the guests about making ''Backdraft''. For the Hollywood version, guests enter another soundstage. For the Japan version, guests enter a set of a city alley, where the fire is burning the building. The stars from the film,

Scott Glenn Theodore Scott Glenn (born January 26) is an American actor. His roles have included Pfc Glenn Kelly in ''Nashville'' (1975), Wes Hightower in ''Urban Cowboy'' (1980), astronaut Alan Shepard in '' The Right Stuff'' (1983), Emmett in '' Silverado'' ...

and

Kurt Russell Kurt Vogel Russell (born March 17, 1951) is an American actor. He began acting on television at the age of 12 in the Westerns on television, western series ''The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters (TV series), The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters'' (19 ...

appear on the video screen and talk about the fire. The moment they finish, the fire surprises the guests. They are finally led into a set resembling the warehouse scene in the movie.

Main show

The guests line up on a tiered observation platform, overlooking a simulated warehouse scene. The main show begins with a narration, "There is a fire in the center office. It burned up everything in the room, until it ran out of oxygen. Oh, it may look quiet now, but that is its deception...for hiding inside are unburned natural gases. Waiting...for a breath of fresh air..." Suddenly, fire breaks out in the warehouse, causing a backdraft. A series of explosions creates more fire. After a final explosion, the platform on which the guests are standing suddenly drops a few inches. Participants are then directed to exit through the building. The sound of fire crackling can be heard throughout the show, but this is actually a sound effects recording. The fire is created by igniting jets of flammable gases, which are virtually silent.

In popular culture

The warehouse set was prominently featured in the television show ''

Sliders Slider or Sliders may refer to: Arts * K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise * '' The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex * ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series * ...

'', in the third-season episode titled "The Fire Within". In an episode of

Seinfeld ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld. It aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, over nine seasons and List of Seinfeld episodes, 180 episodes. It stars Seinfeld as Jerry Seinfeld ( ...

titled The Trip,

George Costanza George Louis Costanza is a fictional character in the American television sitcom ''Seinfeld'' (1989–1998), played by Jason Alexander. He is a short, stocky, balding man who struggles with numerous insecurities, often dooming his romantic rela ...

expresses interest in seeing the attraction.

References

{{Universal Studios Japan Attractions 1992 establishments in California 2001 establishments in Japan 2010 disestablishments in California Amusement park attractions based on film franchises Amusement park attractions introduced in 1992 Amusement park attractions introduced in 2001 Amusement park attractions that closed in 2010 Backdraft (franchise) Former Universal Studios Hollywood attractions Universal Parks & Resorts attractions by name Universal Studios Hollywood Universal Studios Japan