Universal’s Back to the Future: The Ride closed nearly two decades ago, yet the once-revolutionary ride is arguably more popular now than it was during its 15 years of operation.
©Universal Pictures
Based on the mega-successful film trilogy from cowriters Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis, the ride was a mainstay at Universal parks through the 1990s and early 2000s. In fact, if an oft-repeated piece of theme park lore is to be believed, it played an indirect role in Universal Studios Florida being built in the first place.
According to then-Universal Creative executive Peter Alexander, he was giving his former college roommate, Steven Spielberg (you may have heard of him), a tour of Universal’s creature shop while designers were working on the Kong animatronic for the King Kong portion of the Universal Studios Hollywood Tram Tour in the late-1980s.
According to Alexander, Spielberg, who had produced Back to the Future and worked closely with Zemekis and Gale, said at one point, “You guys are pretty good at this. My friend (George) Lucas told me only Disney could do this. He just took me on Star Tours at Disney. He said, ‘You (Steven) screwed up going with Universal. They could never do a Star Tours.’” Then Steven got a devilish glow in his eye and said, “If you guys can do this … why don’t you see what you can do with Back to the Future?”
©Universal
Allegedly, Spielberg’s enthusiasm for both the Kong figure and a potential Back to the Future attraction led to Universal reviving the at-the-time-dormant plans for a Florida theme park, with the two being the lead attractions in development for the park.
Plans called for a Back to the Future roller coaster style attraction; however, Spielberg and Universal creative believed the fast-moving ride system wouldn’t allow the ride to tell the correct type of story. Recalling how Star Tours served as the catalyst for development, it was decided to opt for a simulator ride system instead. However, instead of using individual simulator cabins like Star Tours, Back to the Future The Ride would see a fleet of ride vehicles within a massive OMNIMAX theater dome with a gigantic screen.
©Universal
With development fast-tracked, Back to the Future: The Ride was first announced in 1989 along with the rest of Universal Studios Florida’s attractions, with initial plans calling for it to be an opening day attraction in 1990. However, construction delays resulted in the ride’s opening in 1991.
Despite the construction delays, Back to the Future: The Ride was a massive success for Universal, revolutionizing the park and helping it rebound after a first year plagued by technical issues. A Universal Hollywood version – itself plagued by construction problems – opened in 1993, and a third Back to the Future: The Ride was an opening day attraction at Universal Studios Japan in 2001.
©Universal
Each of the attractions was identical, with guests entering through the Institute of Future Technology, a fictional organization founded by series star Dr. Emmett L. Brown (portrayed by a returning Christopher Lloyd). Brown introduces his new “8 Passenger DeLorean” that will serve as their ride vehicle. However, before boarding, the original time vehicle is stolen by a time-displaced Biff Tannen (once portrayed by actor Tom Wilson, who joins Lloyd as the only actor from the film series to reprise his role). Brown has guests board the time vehicles — near exact recreations of the vehicle form the film, including all buttons and devices, just expanded to seating for 8– and follow Biff through numerous time periods, including the then-future of 2015 as well as the Ice Age before “bumping” Biff back to the correct time frame.
The ride remained a major part of the U.S. parks into the mid-2000s, being heavily featured in advertising and merchandising. However, during this same period, Universal quietly began planning to replace Back to the Future the Ride as part of an initiative to replace older attractions with newer, more “relevant” intellectual properties that had begun with the replacement of Kongfrontation with The Mummy in the early 2000s.
The Universal Studios Florida version of the attraction closed in March of 2007, with the Hollywood version following that September. Universal announced that both would be reopened as The Simpsons Ride the following year. Universal Studios Japan’s version of the attraction outlasted its sister-rides by a decade, finally closing in 2017 to be replaced by a reworked version of Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem.
The Simpsons
Ironically, in the near 20 years since the two American installations of Back to the Future: The Ride closed, the film series has arguably become even more culturally relevant than ever before, with theatrical screenings, streaming and home video releases (several of which featured the ride film as a bonus feature), collectibles, toys, video games, and even a Broadway musical keeping the intellectual property in the public eye even as the first film turns 40.
©Universal
This popularity has led many to hope that Universal would either bring back the original attraction or announce a new BTTF-based ride or attraction. In recent years, the company has seemingly tested these waters. The film plays a large part in Universal Florida’s Mega Movie Parade and Cinesational: A Symphonic Spectacular nighttime show.
Back to the Future
In 2025, Universal Studios Hollywood held a series of special events of Universal Fan Fest Nights, at Universal Studios Hollywood. One of the biggest draws involved a trip to the Back to the Future Courthouse Square set (where the movie was filmed) and featured appearances by characters from the films, as well as Einstein the dog, and the DeLorean itself.
©Universal
In addition, the concept art for Universal’s upcoming UK park seems to show an area modeled on Hill Valley, and — in a full circle moment — a Back to the Future-themed roller coaster. A similar area has been rumored to be coming to Orlando as well, with some sources saying it will be part of an Epic Universe expansion, while other sources put it at Universal Studios Florida. None of these rumors have been confirmed or denied by Universal.
©Universal | UK Theme Park
Nearly 20 years after its closure, Universal fans are arguably more obsessed with Back to the Future: The Ride than ever before! Stay tuned to DFB for more on Universal’s history!
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It was most definitely my favourite ride in Universal. I tried The Simpsons ride but there was too much going on and I don’t have the same emotional attachment to them. We have never been back to Universal since.
My husband managed to source a BTTF simulator for his VR headset. It was amazing! It was exactly like the ride. I loved it.
I miss that ride. It was the best. That and the Hanna-Barbera cartoon ride.
I know I was. Am am. I miss that ride. Was favorite experience at Universal. Loved it since the year it opened.