Jurassic World VelociCoaster: Universal Studios Orlando Offers First Look at New Ride

Long the subject of rumor and speculation since construction on the ride has been spotted by eager fans for some time, Universal Studios Orlando officially confirmed their new Jurassic World ride, revealing its name to be Jurassic World VelociCoaster. The new attraction will be coming to Universal's Islands of Adventure park and is scheduled to open in the summer of 2021. Universal also released a video about the ride as whole including conceptual rendering shots of the train that guests will sit in on the ride as well as what some of its moments will look like from the seat. Watch the video in the player below!

The official description for the ride from Universal reads as follows: "Step into Jurassic Park and stand in awe and wonder at a land transformed by science after 65 million years. But don't be deceived by the island's beauty because danger lurks behind every corner. Only here can you live the adventure of coming face to face with giant creatures of the Earth's past, encounter raptors roaming every day, or take a daring raft expedition through jungles teeming with dinosaurs. For those brave enough to visit the raptor paddock, you may be able to carefully approach one of these deadly predators. Then feel the rush of the hunt as you race through the jungle alongside raptors on the Jurassic World VelociCoaster, a new species of roller coaster coming Summer 2021."

The new ride will send guests catapulting up to 70 mph and more than 150 feet in the air with the swift team of raptors seen in the series. In addition the ride will tell an original story that "expands upon the thrills, dinosaurs and environments fans have seen on the big screen." The ride will see the return of Chris Pratt as Owen Grady, Bryce Dallas Howard as Claire Dearing and BD Wong as Dr. Henry Wu.

According to a press release, the ride includes a one-of-a-kind, 360-degree barrel roll right above the Islands of Adventure lagoon; a zero-gravity inverted stall that will send riders upside down across 100 feet of track; Universal's steepest drop yet with a towering "Top Hat," which propels riders 155 feet in the air and then immediately into an 80 degree drop; and a total of 12 heart-pounding seconds of airtime – the thrilling sensation of weightlessness riders feel when they're lifted from their seats – throughout the entire adventure.

The Jurassic World franchise just got a major expansion in the form of the Netflix original animated series Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, which is confirmed to be 100% canonical with the film franchise. The sixth film in the series, Jurassic World: Dominion, is currently filming with Universal keeping its planned June 11, 2021 release date. Though fans and film goers might think the upcoming film will be the final entry in the series, producer Frank Marshall previously promised that it is far from the end of the franchise.