Universal Studios Hollywood announced today that their classic Jurassic Park ride is "going extinct" later this year. Fans of the franchise shouldn't panic, however, as the popular attraction, much like the animals in the films, is evolving into something stronger - a new ride based on Jurassic World.

First opening in June 1996, Jurassic Park - The Ride redefined theme-park thrill-rides as as much as as the original Jurassic Park film set a new standard for digital special effects in film. Utilizing a combination of cutting-edge mechanics, space-age robotics, and hydraulic physics, the ride was widely praised and hailed as a triumph of artistic showmanship and technical achievement. With the assistance of a group of scientists, including paleontologists and aerospace engineers, the team at Universal Creative (the division of Universal Studios which oversees Universal Studios' theme park attractions) was able to create convincing, animatronic dinosaurs - some of them as large as five stories tall. But now it's time for them to enter a new era.

Universal Studios Hollywood announced the "Countdown To Extinction" in a video on their official Youtube channel, which can be viewed above. The ride will remain open through the summer of 2018, allowing park guests a chance to say goodbye to the classic attraction. The Jurassic Park ride will close its gates for good on September 3, 2018, but it will be replaced by something new.

Jurassic World Ride Teaser Poster

Details are scarce regarding what park attendees can expect of the upcoming Jurassic World attraction, which is scheduled to open sometime in 2019. A press release from Universal Studios promises that the new ride will pay tribute to its ancestor, while still delivering a wholly new entertainment experience, one that makes use of the finest technological advancements over the past two decades to create a more immersive attraction.

Park attendees can expect the new Jurassic World ride to feature "enhanced storytelling, lush scenic design, an entirely new color scheme and uncompromised state-of the art technology," claims the press release. The biggest draw, however, may be the inclusion of new genetically-engineered dinosaurs, like the Indominus Rex from the 2015 Jurassic World movie, that will be unique to the Jurassic World ride.

There is no small irony that a theme park attraction built around a disaster movie set in a theme park should prove to be so popular and so long-lasting. Given Universal Studios' track record with the original Jurassic Park ride, and the upcoming release of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, it seems that Universal Studios is banking on transforming the iconic ride into another hit attraction, one that's more modern.

More: Universal Studios Opening a Fourth Theme Park in Florida

Source: Universal Studios Hollywood

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