B’klyn kids see magic
It’s Universal joy in Florida
LIGHTS, CAMERA — and they were ready for more action!
The Brooklyn class that scored a free trip to Universal Studios Resort from New York’s Hometown Newspaper continued their three-day adventure Tuesday, going behind the scenes for a closeup look at moviemaking magic.
The second-grade class of Public School 31 Samuel F. Dupont in Greenpoint first took a special tour of the resort’s back lot, outdoor areas reserved for filmmaking.
The students felt right at home during a stroll through the resort’s New York section, complete with a facade of the New York Public Library and a winding path through Central Park — but it was a parent who had the biggest reaction seeing the lifelike set.
“Whoa! That's the coffee shop from ‘Final Destination?’ That’s so cool!” mom Jennifer Soto, 30, of Williamsburg, said when she passed by the cafe featured in the blockbuster film as “Death By Caffeine.”
“It’s insane. You would never think that's where they filmed it!” she exclaimed. “It’s amazing what they can do with CGI (computer-generated imagery)!”
The winners of the Daily News’ annual Win a Universal Orlando Class Trip contest, organized by the paper’s circulation sales and marketing head Ric Flattes, lunched at Mel’s Diner, courtesy of the Brooklyn Greenpoint Lions Club.
The kids then boarded bicycles and flew through the stars on the indoor roller coaster E.T. Adventure.
“It was so fun! It was awesome!” said Soto’s 7-year-old daughter, Leila, who watched in awe as the group passed over the extraterrestrial’s home planet.
From zapping aliens on Men in Black Alien Attack to swinging over the jungle on the Pteranodon Flyers, the lucky students wrapped up the trip of a lifetime by getting a little wet.
“This was the best day ever,” said Jayden Colon, 8.
“I got soaked!” Jayden said after sitting in the front row of the Jurassic Park River Adventure water ride.