The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man (5K) POV - Universal Studios Florida 2024

Front Seat POV©
The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man is a 3D motion simulator and dark ride located at Universal Islands of Adventure in Orlando, Florida. Based on the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man, it was originally built for Islands of Adventure's grand opening in 1999. A second version of the attraction also existed at Universal Studios Japan from 2004 to 2024. The attraction has a hybrid configuration that combines motion vehicles with 3D projection and elaborate physical sets.

The ride turns park guests into last-minute reporters for the Daily Bugle. After boarding a vehicle known as the "Scoop", they learn that the Sinister Syndicate has captured the Statue of Liberty with an anti-gravity gun. This evil group is made up of five famous Spider-Man villains: Doctor Octopus, Scream, Electro, Hydro-Man and the Hobgoblin, and it is up to Spider-Man to defeat them and save the guests.

The attraction took three years to develop, and required the development of new multimedia technologies. It has received critical acclaim, winning several awards including the Golden Ticket Award for Best Dark Ride for 12 consecutive years.

On March 27, 1999, Universal Islands of Adventure opened for technical rehearsals, with The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man being one of its debut attractions. On May 28, 1999, the attraction officially opened to the public. Due to its success, Universal Studios Japan opened a version of the ride on January 23, 2004.

On May 19, 2011, Islands of Adventure announced a major refurbishment of the attraction, with plans to remaster its entire video content in high definition, update its mechanics, and replace its film projectors with Infitec digital projectors. The refurbished attraction debuted on March 8, 2012, in time for the release of the 2012 film The Amazing Spider-Man. In 2013, the attraction at Universal Studios Japan underwent a similar refurbishment with 4KHD projections and reopened on July 5, 2013.

After Stan Lee died on November 12, 2018, a desk in the Islands of Adventure attraction's queue area was decorated with Spider-Man items, flowers, and photos of Lee.

Universal Studios Japan announced on May 16, 2023, that their version of the attraction would be closing on January 22, 2024. This date held significance as it marked exactly 20 years from the Osaka version's opening on January 23, 2004. The park ran a farewell promotion "Spider-Man The Ride - Final Campaign" from July 4, 2023, until the ride's closure.

Ride experience
After donning night vision goggles (3D glasses), the "cub reporters" get in the Scoop and leave the loading docks to a Manhattan back alley where they encounter Spider-Man. He warns that he is in for "the most dangerous night of his life" and for the guests to "be careful". In this scene, a series of synchronized effects are used to simulate Spider-Man jumping on the Scoop. Barely missing a trash truck driven by a Stan Lee cameo, the guests enter a warehouse where the Sinister Syndicate are holding the Statue of Liberty hostage. Once spotted, Electro tries to shock the guests with a sparking wire. The Scoop absorbs the electricity and vibrates, knocking Electro backwards. After this, Scream tries to shred the guests as Doctor Octopus pulls her out of the way and fires his anti-gravity ray at the Scoop. A part of the Statue of Liberty is shown in the green light. Guests enter the sewers where Spider-Man is waiting. However, Hydro-Man appears behind him as he slams a pipe into the Scoop while Spider-Man attacks him. Following this, Doctor Octopus busts through a brick wall and grabs the Scoop's front bumper, preparing to attack with a fiery claw. Spider-Man comes to catch one of the incoming pumpkin bombs, but Hobgoblin throws another pumpkin bomb as a fireball explodes above the guests.

Daily Bugle bikes in the extended outdoor queue area at Islands of Adventure
In the ride's climax, Doctor Octopus lifts the Scoop up to a simulated height of 400 feet using the anti-gravity cannon. A number of synchronized effects help achieve this without the vehicle leaving the ground, including a movable building set, lighting cues, simulator movements, projections and wind effects. Spider-Man attempts to pull the Scoop down, but is attacked by all the supervillains. Spider-Man thwarts them, but not before Doctor Octopus disengages the anti-gravity device, sending the Scoop on a simulated free fall until it is rescued by Spider-Man's webbing right above the ground and another Stan Lee cameo. Spider-Man captures all of the supervillains using his webs, and Doctor Octopus unsuccessfully tries to attack him one last time. As the vehicle pulls into the unloading station, Spider-Man thanks the guests for their help and sends them back to the Daily Bugle, where he has rigged the anti-gravity cannon to lift Jameson up to the ceiling in his office.