Universal ushers new event’s fans into movie magic

THEME PARK INSIDER

A segment of Universal Studios Hollywood’s new Fan Fest Nights aims to bring the world of “Back to the Future” to life, with actors portraying movie characters whom visitors can interact with, on the back lot where much of the 1985 movie was filmed. Courtesy of Universal

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To borrow a catchphrase from one of its featured entertainment properties, the new Universal Fan Fest Nights seek to boldly go where no theme park after-hours event has gone before.

Universal Studios Hollywood debuted its new Fan Fest Nights last weekend. The event invites comparison to Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights — the company’s wildly successful after-hours event in the fall. But Fan Fest Nights are something more than Horror Nights with a different theme. With Fan Fest Nights, Universal is bringing a new type of experience to the theme park industry.

The event features walk-thru attractions themed to “Star Trek” and Dungeons & Dragons in locations typically used for Halloween Horror Nights houses. In each, a group of fans is guided through a series of short performances, rather than offering a conga line through a maze like Horror Nights.

But the event’s highlight is its Back to the Future: Destination Hill Valley experience. Playing on the Courthouse Square lot where the 1985 movie was filmed, Destination Hill Valley re-creates several moments from “Back to the Future” as a site-specific, immersive theater experience. Fans stand side by side and engage with actors performing as characters from the film. That leads to some wild off-script moments, such as when a fan cosplaying as Marty McFly tried to present Universal’s Marty McFly with a copy of the Sports Almanac that helped bully Biff Tannen transform into a powerful tycoon in the “Back to the Future” sequel.

But Universal’s performers last weekend showed their improv skills by humoring fans while keeping the story moving. Universal long has promoted itself as a destination where fans can step into movie magic, but Destination Hill Valley comes as close to realizing that promise as anything Universal ever has done.

Its closest local comparison might be Knott’s Berry Farm’s Ghost Town Alive!, but that example of immersive theater is not based on a beloved intellectual property, set on the very ground where it was filmed. By marrying immersive theater with studio IP, Fan Fest Nights have created something special and engaging for dedicated fans.

Universal also provides a set used in film for the finale of its Star Trek: Red Alert attraction. But that walk-thru uses an original storyline that lacks the detail of the Hill Valley experience. Many “Back to the Future” fans know those movies were filmed on Universal’s Courthouse Square, but it’s not obvious that Red Alert’s USS Enterprise-D bridge is a film-used set.

I knew that, but I still did not find the experience of standing on that set as powerful as standing in Courthouse Square. Perhaps that is because no episode of “Star Trek” was filmed at Universal — the park simply brought the set over from Paramount. Maybe being in the authentic place means more than just looking at the authentic thing when we try to connect with the past.

However it happens, though, we long to connect more deeply with the stories we love. Theme parks have done that in the past with rides, shows, lands and experiences like Halloween mazes. Now, Universal has added the immersive theater of Fan Fest Nights to that mix.

Robert Niles covers the themed entertainment industry as the editor of ThemeParkInsider.com.