Spider-Man appears to sit on the hood of the Scoop vehicle. Image courtesy of Universal Studios Escape.

Something very new in the world of animation is getting ready to unveil at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure (USIOA) this May. The massive theme park combines five areas of entertainment and pop culture myth into one extravagant adventure that brings things to animated and animatronic life in a way never done before. "If you look at the park as a whole, the concept of Islands of Adventure is solely about adventure in all of its different styles and forms," said Scott Trowbridge, show producer USIOA. "We wanted to find the best ways to express this idea, the best mediums to tell the stories, to bring adventure to life while combining it with the thrills and entertainment of a theme park."

Comic Book Paradise
Some of these thrills will be found at Marvel Super Hero Island, an entertainment property that has been created at USIOA. One of popular culture's most endearing modern myths are those of the super hero, and the Marvel Age of Comics (1960-1970) was considered one of the most fertile times for these extraordinary men and women. Thanks to the creative genius of men like Stan Lee, Steve Ditko and Jack Kirby sequential art fans were wowed by characters like The Fantastic Four (1961), The Incredible Hulk (1962), The Uncanny X-Men (1963), The Mighty Thor (1962) and an angst ridden, web slinging teenager, Spider-Man (1962).

For the animation and pop culture fan a full day must be given to the Marvel Super Hero Island, a metropolis of mayhem, mutants and maniacs. "Very early on the concept of the battle between good and evil was evident in our planning," said Trowbridge. "Marvel Super Hero Island is, if nothing else, dynamic, with a sense of energy, fast, hard-hitting and in your face. It is something that you experience, that puts you in the middle of the mix, that brings the four-color pages of the comic book to real life."

Walking down Stan Lee Blvd. visitors will be stunned by the much larger than life images of such heroes as Magneto, Captain America and, of course, Spider-Man, along with the villains Doctor Octopus, Hobgoblin and Hydro-Man. For readers of the comics, it all seems very familiar and just the way it should be. For the uninitiated, the adventures of the living super heroes is immediately awe-inspiring.

Spidey battles Electro and Hydro-man. © Universal Studios Escape; courtesy of Kleiser-Walczak Construction Company.

The Coup d'Etat
For anyone who likes to have fun, The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man attraction will quickly be recognized as the next generation in moving vehicle rides and motion picture entertainment. "This story more than any other is a groundbreaking kind of attraction," Trowbridge said. "We have decided to not push the envelope, but invent a whole new sand box to play in by combining rear-projected 3-D effects in a way never done before and in a way we were told by the experts was impossible."

It took the creative team more than three years to create an experience that encompasses 1.5 acres of space. Climbing into a specially designed proto-type vehicle, the Scoop, guests become a part of the story as they find themselves helping the webbed superhero retrieve The Statue of Liberty from a group of unsavory villains.