Hi folks,

Went to Universal last month and got to see the Waterworld stunt show...definitely lots of action. But I was wondering towards the end of the show, it sounded like some type of plane was supposed to fly in to help, but I heard crash effects and one of the characters saying something to the effect of "and our planes can't even make it over our walls." Was there an effect of a plane flying in that we didn't get to see that day?

thanks a bunch!

It appears you missed the most thrilling part of the show. Yes, a plane "flies" over the wall and skids to a halt in the water just before it would crash into the audience. Very exciting, too bad you missed it.:(

Sounds like when I saw the Poseidon show at IoA. The big final effect didn't happen so it ruined the whole thing. I understand that technical errors come up, but if Universal is really trying to compete with Disney then they need to put more effort into the "show".

Actually I believe I can clear that up somewhat. The last time I saw Waterworld, the plane did not come crashing out, but the time before that it did. So I asked one of the performers after the show, and he explained that the plane is used only when the wind isn't up because if they don't time it just right, it could be very dangerous for the performers and quite possibly the audience. Now, don't you think that the audiences and the performers safety should be a top priority?

Originally posted by CaliforniaCrazy
Now, don't you think that the audiences and the performers safety should be a top priority?

Absolutely! Which is why they should have designed it better in the first place. If a major show element that at least one person here describes as "the most thrilling part of the show" is on again/off again because of wind, that's a poor design. I don't know what the explanation for the Poseidon show was, but that's an indoor theater so I doubt safety was the explanation.

Well it is a place (sort of) and odds are it is really sensitivie to any wind (kinda like 2 DCA attractions before they were fixed) and I think that the actual area it can land in is rather tight since it could hit a set or even the audience but yeah they should have desgined it better.:)

Hey folks! Thanks for the info...I thought it was kind of strange to have that big build up and end it like that. Too bad it didn't happen...that was about the fifth time I got to Universal and finally was able to see the show to see what the big deal about it was. Chalk it up to bad timing, I guess...:( At least I got to see Terminator 3-D...now that was entertaining! :D

Having seen Waterworld literally hundreds of times (job hazard), the plane launches about 90% of the time.

If it doesn't launch, it is indeed due to weather conditions. What makes the plane so amazing is that it isn't tethered to anything; that's also what makes it dangerous.

If you've seen the show numerous times, you've probably noticed that certain pyro effects don't go off all the time--due to the actors not getting to their marks quickly enough or to wind speed or direction.

wordyone

Waterworld is simply trying to compete with the Indiana Jones ride with the concept of "no two rides/shows are ever the same".
I've seen the Waterworld show maybe 5 times and the plane was used only twice ............

When one considers all of the variables involved in Waterworld, it is pretty amazing that it can be done on a consistent basis at all - the timing of the live actors, large props, explosives and sound staging is so precise it is a pretty amazing show to watch ........

The old Conan show at USH was pretty consistent, but that show was very much staged at semi-slow motion and only had actors running to marks and did not involve vehicles or watercraft like WaterWorld .........

Funny about the Poseidon show - saw it twice (once each on two different days at IOA) and the second time the ending didn't work ..... this was last April however, before the new version ....

And Disney doesn't do that much better - in my last 3 trips to WDW, at the Indiana Jones Show in DS the plane was not used at th end once and another time they didn't have the rolling boulder set (somebody said it was broken). And often times the Cairo battle scene gets changed (don't sing on the large pole, don't have the high fall by the stunt man, etc..) However, better that they don't do a trick if there is a chance for a problem - last thing anybody wants to see at a theme park is some performer getting hurt .........

That was "swing" on the high pole - but who knows, maybe some day they will have a singing version ("Springtime for Hitler?????")

Coronamouseman, Waterworld *does not* bill itself as being a different experience each time. The show differs from time to time--much like any live show at any theme park--due to a variety of factors: the actors and their timing, the weather conditions, and the current state of the special effects, the actors' safety being of utmost importance.

And you've only seen the plane twice...but I've seen the show many more times than you have. It does indeed launch during the vast majority of performances, and we almost always know in advance if the plane will not launch.


wordyone

wo - the comment about WaterWorld being like Indy was of course, tongue in cheek ......

And I do believe that one time I think it was posted somewhere in the park (ticket booths or near the show area) that the WaterWorld show would not have the plane ............

Don't get me wrong - it's a good show ..............

I go to USH regularly (it is just one stop down the subway from my school), and I have seen Waterworld many times (when I got to the 100th time, I stopped counting). In all those times, I've only see the plane fail twice. If you look carefully at the set, you will notice that there are six annemometers (wind gauges) visible, plus, according to one of the show controllers that I taked to, there are four backstage and two in the seating area. All of the effects are dependant on the stage manager backstage, all the actors near the effect, and the stage manager up in the box pressing the "go" button, as well as several automated checks of things like the amount of wind, ingnition or launch system functionality, and that "hot zones" are clear of actors and props. Therefore, any effect, from the plane to the collapsing tower, to the "chicken of the sea" pyro is depandant on many, many safety checks. I'd say that in 70 percent of the shows, every single effect and pyro works (mostly it's small pyros that fail), and the plane has worked better than 98% of the time. Plus, at the end of the show, they make an announcement if any major effect didn't work.