On June 20th, 1975, Universal Pictures released a film that would forever change the face of summer cinema. Jaws, produced by Stephen Spielberg, was a game-changer in the industry, causing people to forever change how they looked at and interacted with the beach and the deep blue sea. This year, this landmark film is celebrating its 50th anniversary, a golden milestone that proves that the best cinema truly is timeless. To celebrate 50 years of Jaws, Universal Studios Florida has decked out the San Francisco area in and old Amity Island flair, harkening back to the days before The Wizarding World of Harry Potter took over the little beach town where it was eternally the 4th of July.
Situated in The Candy Factory on the San Francisco Strip – right next door to Richter’s Burgers – the sweets shop has been transformed into an homage to the classic film and its presence as one of the earliest theme park experiences at Universal Studios Florida when the park opened in the 90s. As soon as guests pass Richter’s, they’re created with the infamous billboard from the film, in all of its vandalized glory.
Amity Island welcomes you!
And once guests enter The Candy Factory to take a peek at all the other fin-tastic display and merchandise items that Universal Studios Florida has debuted for this landmark occasion, things only get fishier. The inside of the Candy Factory has been given a fisherman’s makeover, decked out in nautical gear, new signage, and some familiar visual gags that will have you feeling like it’s the early aughts again.
Man, we miss that ride. While this shark’s fifteen minutes of fame is all about the movie’s golden anniversary this year, Universal Studios Florida hasn’t forgotten its roots. Plenty of Universal Studios fans still reminisce fondly over the old Jaws ride, and just outside of the Candy Factory, past Chez Alcatraz, guests can find another fun photo op prop waiting for them that brings back all those fond memories.
Ah, memories! This photo op is available just around the building, and for Skippers with a keen eye, the interior of the boat prop has some interesting details, too! This boat prop features three pages showcasing behind-the-scenes elements of the original Jaws ride with a faux-marginalia flair, including the cover page for the Timed Script/Storyline (last revised in 1986), a page from the script that details the boathouse scene from the original ride, and the original ride layout complete with story beats
If you look closely at the margin notes and scribbles, you can see that changes have been made to the original script, which reflect the real history of the Jaws ride at Universal Studios Florida. Though the ride operated with minimal changes for most of its lifespan at the park, Universal Studios Florida actually operated two different versions of the ride. The first version of the ride, which was prone to breaking down and caused Jaws to be closed for much of the first year of operation, featured the classic ending of the original Jaws movie, where the shark is blown to smithereens by the oxygen tank. The second version of the ride, which did not require shark bits to be blown everywhere, featured the ending from Jaws 2, where the shark is electrocuted at the end of the boat tour.
Though there is little surviving footage of the original Jaws ride featuring the exploding shark, most guests are familiar with the secondary version – as the original was put out of commission not long after the park opened in the 90s.
But even though the original version of the ride didn’t last very long, it’s still a beloved part of the history of Universal Studios Florida, and is clearly still regarded as such with this subtle nod to the extravagant changes that were made to the ride’s operation in the 90’s. Even if you never got to see the original version of the Jaws ride – or even if this is your first time hearing about the original version – that doesn’t change the fact that the Jaws ride was a beloved star in the early Universal Studios Florida lineup, with many still missing it today.
Thankfully, Universal still honors this classic ride with mini-events like this, as well as new merchandise featuring the beloved franchise that can be seen throughout Universal Studios Florida, both at this pop up shop and throughout the park.
Theme Park Shark recently covered the merch that Jaws received on the West coast as part of Universal Studios Hollywood’s Mega Movie Summer – and we’re pleased to report that much of that merchandise has made it cross-country to Orlando for Jaws 50th anniversary!
San Francisco isn’t the only spot in Universal Orlando Resort that got the Jaws 50th Anniversary treatment, either! Guests can find Jaws 50th Anniversary merchandise throughout the park, at participating retailers in Universal Studios Florida, and on CityWalk at the Universal Studios Store, which has erected a special display dedicated to the Great White himself:
Featuring even more new merchandise celebrating the 50th anniversary of this landmark film, the Universal Studios Store on CityWalk has gone all-out on this display with a fully-realized Bruce reproduction (though much smaller than the original shark) that lurks through the seaweed of the shallows.
And if you’re an Annual Passholder, you can swing by the Tonight Shop (the giftshop of the Jimmy Fallon’s Race Through New York ride) or the UOAP Lounge in Toon Lagoon for your specialty magnet this month, which was designed in honor of the 50th anniversary of the classic film.
Featuring an Amity Island (1975) life preserver with a sizeable chunk taken out of it and a shark fin in the arch of the A, this magnet is a beautiful addition to the lineup of collectible UOAP magnets, and a nice addition to the festivities that Universal Orlando Resort has brought to their parks in order to honor the shark who changed Summer Movies for generations to come. But through it all, the most important thing you can experience at Universal Studios Florida this year to celebrate the golden anniversary of this industry-changing film?
Go visit our good old friend, Bruce! I mean, look at that winning smile! He’s still hanging around the San Francisco docks by Chez Alcatraz, and is always happy to take pictures with fans. If you stick your head in his mouth, he might even let you keep it!
That’s all for the new offerings as a part of this year’s Jaws 50th Anniversary celebration at Universal Studios Florida. Check back soon, as Theme Park Shark will continue to report on movie milestones at Universal Studios, as well as theme park news from Disney, Universal, and theme parks from all across the world!
