Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Fallon ride shines spotlight on New York
If you scratched your head when you first heard that Jimmy Fallon was getting a ride at Universal Studios, you weren’t alone.
“Late-night talk show doesn’t necessarily scream ‘thrill ride’ to people,” said Jason Surrell, creative director at Universal Creative. “So it was really important for us to come up with an experience that felt organic, that felt that it emerged from the world of Jimmy Fallon and ‘The Tonight Show.’”
The end result is Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon, a big-screen experience set to have its grand opening April 6. The attraction is in its “technical rehearsal” phase, which means it might have unpredictable hours of operation while prepping for its debut.
In the attraction, onscreen Jimmy challenges audience members to a race, with the winner getting the Tonight Show
Cup. The simulated action takes folks into the subway, through Times Square and to the Statue of Liberty.
“We made New York a literal true co-star of the show,” Surrell said. “We get a lot of international guests here at Universal Orlando, and, as you might imagine, ‘The Tonight Show’ doesn’t air in all those markets. But New York City is something that pretty much transcends all borders.”
The façade for the building, once the home of Universal’s Twister attraction, has been altered to resemble another NYC landmark: 30 Rockefeller Center. The art deco structure is home to Studio 6B, where the ‘Tonight Show’ is taped.
“Bringing that landmark to life for people … just because it’s a TV talk show and not a huge movie franchise doesn’t mean that we wanted to treat it with any less deference,” Surrell said. “For us, it was just as important to create a lush environment with a rich attention to detail as it would be if you’re creating Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley or anything else.”
On the ground floor of the queue are displays about hosts of “Tonight,” which debuted in 1954. Included are Steve Allen, Jack Paar, Johnny Carson, Jay Leno and, yes, Conan O’Brien, who had a brief reign while Leno took a stab at prime time.
You’ll probably want to browse while waiting, but the wait might be shorter thanks to Universal’s upcoming Virtual Line. Visitors will sign up — via smartphone app or at kiosks — for reservations for the Fallon ride. At the appointed time, they will show up and be assigned to a color-coded group that will work its way to the ride after admiring the ground-floor displays. Riders then go upstairs, where there’s live entertainment that includes Ragtime Gals and and Hashtag the Panda, “Tonight” regulars.
The experience within 30 Rock should last about 20 minutes, Surrell said.
“I don’t want people to just come in and shoot up the stairs and get on the ride,” he said.