The year is 2015… the lights fade, and the silver screen flickers to life with the first “Jurassic Park” film in 14 years… “Jurassic World.” This was one of the biggest blockbusters of my childhood, and I can never forget seeing a fully realized, operational Jurassic Park brought to life on the big screen. I saw it at least three times in theaters.
So, imagine my excitement when I learned that Universal was bringing the story of the first “Jurassic World” film to life as an immersive escape adventure at Universal CityWalk! Jurassic World: Escape is located at Universal’s Great Movie Escape, alongside its sister experience Back to the Future: OUTATIME – which I covered the hidden secrets and design details of in my last article!
Looking for the behind-the-scenes details of Back to the Future: OUTATIME? Here you go!
So, without further ado, let’s make like a tree… and head to Isla Nublar to discover the details, Easter eggs, and as always, my favorite… lore found in Jurassic World: Escape!
“Jurassic World” Timeline: Contained
Now, Back to the Future: OUTATIME may take players to the year 2015 in the Café 80s scene, but Jurassic World: Escape is set entirely in 2015. Jurassic World: Escape takes place alongside the story of the film, however instead of hopping around that story like OUTATIME, the entire experience here is fully congruent to that fateful day in “Jurassic World.”
“We worked closely with the IP team to ensure every beat aligned with canon, and that authenticity is what makes the experience feel truly embedded in the world,” says Nate Stevenson, show director for the Creative Development Group. I would highly recommend giving “Jurassic World” a rewatch so it’s fresh in your mind before you live the adventure yourself!
A Gene-ormous Amount of Dinosaurs
There are scores of dinosaurs in the “Jurassic Park” film series. With seven films and the animated series (shoutout to my “Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous” and “Jurassic World Chaos Theory” fans!) featuring hundreds of real and original hybrid dinosaurs, you bet Jurassic that the creative team wanted to cram as many species of dinosaurs as possible in this experience. The two in the picture above are the Carnotaurus and Iguanodon, featured in “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” and “Jurassic World: Dominion” respectively.
According to Nate, “The franchise allowed us to pull species from across all three films, and even include some that never ultimately appeared on screen. That range and depth of prehistoric life is something guests may not consciously track while solving puzzles, but for me, seeing that full spectrum represented in one experience is incredibly special.”
Bravo! (the Velociraptor)
One of the most fun scenes of wish fulfilment in Jurassic World Escape is the opportunity to feed a Velociraptor… but not just any Velociraptor – Bravo the Velociraptor! Bravo is unique in that she is also featured in Raptor Encounter at Universal Islands of Adventure and at Universal Studios Hollywood in rotation with Blue.
“We intentionally chose to bring that specific dinosaur into the experience to bridge the park’s live encounter with the film canon, allowing those worlds to coexist in a meaningful way,” Nate explains. “It strengthens the overall narrative and rewards fans who recognize the deeper connection.”
Park Meets World
Jurassic World: Escape, while rooted in the first “Jurassic World” film, still features plenty of details for fans of the entire “Jurassic Park” franchise. During one scene, Riley Matthews (your guide throughout the experience, much like Nico in Back to the Future: OUTATIME) asks your team to save some dino embryos before everyone evacuates Jurassic World. The embryo freezer was inspired by the famous scene where Nedry steals dino embryos in the original “Jurassic Park” film, extending to every detail of the set design. The freezer even opens and closes by moving up and down, just like in the movie!
I Think We’re Back in Business!
Another iconic scene from the original “Jurassic Park” is when Ellie Sattler has to restore the power to the park, narrowly avoiding some freed Raptors. “It was one of my favorite scenes as a kid because it was so iconic and genuinely terrifying, and I wanted to recreate that same escalating tension and sense of danger within the experience,” says Nate. Look forward to feeling nostalgic (or scared) when you encounter this location when you play!
Swinging for the Fences
Remember the iconic scene in the original “Jurassic Park”where Alan Grant makes the questionable decision to scare Lex and Tim by faking getting electrocuted? Well, if not, perhaps this little sign will spark your memory!
A Fully Fledged Theme (& Water) Park!
The first “Jurassic World” movie introduces a number of attractions I have longed to experience, from the monorail, to the Gyrosphere, to the Gentle Giants Petting Zoo and even the water park! (As a theme park fan, the functional aspects of Jurassic World itself in the film, like the attraction count, are my favorite details.)
In Escape, you’ll be taken to the Park Operations Center, where you’ll encounter the full map of Jurassic World and its attractions and work to identify information about the park to make decisions. Many of these attractions were pulled from the film, and the creative team for Escape added a few of their own as well! This level of detail brings the Jurassic World theme park to life unlike never before.
For “Jurassic World”nerds: Here’s the full list from the experience: Gyrosphere, Aviary, Bamboo Forest, Water Park, Gentle Giants Petting Zoo, Hotel Complex, The Scrambler, Innovation Center, Mosasaurus Feeding Show, Gallimimus Valley, Triceratops Territory, Creation Lab, Pachy Arena, Golf Course, Cretaceous Cruise, Botanical Gardens, Gondola Lift, T. rex Kingdom, and of course, the Monorail.
Well… there it is. We’ve reached the conclusion of our Jurassic World journey, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t more to discover! There are a lot more hidden details within the puzzles of the adventures themselves, but I don’t want to spoil them — you’ll just have to go and play to find them for yourself!
Have a notable movie nod you’ve noticed while playing Universal’s Great Movie Escape? Share with us in the comments below!
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