For many people, The E.T. Adventure had a very special place in their hearts. Kids (of all ages) loved the attraction. By the time it closed, it was getting more than a little creaky, and it was in need of an update, but it had a lot more than many other attractions - it had a heart, and it had a story.
The story was simple - get on a bike with E.T. in the basket, and help him get back to his home planet. Mirroring many of the iconic images from the movie, police officers with torches and lurching cars had to be avoided, along with mysterious space-suit clad figures. One of the highlights was the soaring flight above the city and across the moon. The ride went where the film didn't go, though - due to an unexplained warp in space-time, the bike ended up actually landing on E.T.s planet, and seeing all his little friends, before dropping him off, then landing back on earth.
The "heart" was demonstrated by the simple device of every visitor telling their first name to a crew member as they entered the queue line. At the very end of the ride, an E.T. figure at the side of the ride vehicle said "goodbye" to every visitor, by name. Beautifully simple, but that personal touch made a massive difference. Of course, it also enabled teens to make E.T. say all sorts of unsavoury things by combining names together to make naughty words.
All that's now left of the E.T. Adventure at Universal Studios Hollywood is the old painted-out logo on the roof of the show building now playing host to The Revenge of the Mummy. The "E.T. The Extra Terrestrial" logo was added to the roof as part of the 20th Anniversary celebration of the film in 2001 (see photo, right). It was painted over in 2003 when the ride was removed.
The E.T. Adventure can still be experienced at Universal Orlando in Florida.
More information:
- E.T Ride Trivia
- The Preshow Video
- Ride System and show building
- Timeline
- Photos (coming soon)
