Bob Gale, co-writer and co-producer of Back to the Future, suggested fans start a letter-writing campaign to bring the Back to the Future ride back to Universal parks.
Back to the Future the Ride
Screen Rant shared Gale’s suggestion, which he made during a Universal event on October 21 honoring the 40th anniversary of the film.
Back to the Future: The Ride first opened at Universal Studios Florida in 1991. A second version opened at Universal Studios Hollywood in 1993. Both of these closed in 2007 to become The Simpsons Ride, which remains standing today.
The status of The Simpsons Ride and surrounding Springfield area has been in question after Disney acquired 20th Century Fox and The Simpsons in 2019. Universal’s Simpsons contract is reported to last for 20 years, so it could end in 2028.
The Simpsons co-showrunner Matt Selman recently said removing The Simpsons Ride would “destroy” Universal.
A third version of Back to the Future: The Ride operated at Universal Studios Japan from 2001 to 2016 before being replaced by Minion Park.
Back to the Future: The Ride was a simulator ride, manufactured by Intamin. It had guests enter Doc Brown’s Institute of Future Technology as volunteers for a time travel experiment. Guests boarded an eight-seat, convertible version of the classic DeLorean time machine. Things went awry when 1955 Biff Tannen stole the original DeLorean, launching a chase through the space-time continuum. Christopher Lloyd and Thomas F. Wilson reprised their roles as Doc and Biff, respectively.
Starting in 2009, DVD and Blu-ray releases of Back to the Future included footage of the queue, pre-show, and ride.
Back to the Future at Universal Parks
Universal Studios Florida guests can still see the DeLorean and Doc’s train time machines on display near Springfield, The Simpsons area. Doc Brown sometimes roams the area and interacts with guests. Doc’s dog, Einstein, appears for special meet and greets during events like during UOAP Nights. This summer, the Schwab’s ice cream shop got a Back to the Future overlay.
At Universal Studios Hollywood, guests can see the Hill Valley Courthouse Square set as part of the World-Famous Studio Tour. Back to the Future was featured during Universal Fan Fest Nights.
Back to the Future will be back in theaters beginning on October 30. This includes the Cinemark at Universal CityWalk. AMC will have a DeLorean time machine popcorn bucket.
Back to the Future was first released in theaters on July 3, 1985. It’s often celebrated in October and November, however, because those months are featured in the film. October 26, 1985 is the date Marty McFly first travels in time, arriving in 1955 on November 5.
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