From Coraline to Kubo Exhibit at Universal Studios, Hollywood

Today I had the pleasure of attending the From Coraline to Kubo exhibit at Universal Studios, Hollywood.  If any of you have interest in stop-motion, this exhibit highlighting some of Laika's best work is absolutely breathtaking.  The exhibit takes you from the early days of Coraline and single-color 3d printing to the newest technology available for Kubo, including the largest stop-motion pupped in existence.  And just think, a lot of this artistry had to be created by hand.  I will just leave some photos as I think they speak for themselves.

While I was at USH, I managed to check out a few attractions, too.  If you haven't been to USH in the last 5 years, now's the time to go.  I wrote about the Wizarding World of Harry Potter a while ago, but it's always worth mentioning. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is by far one of the best rides in existence.  It utilized the right amount of modern ride technology, animatronics, and screen-based interaction to create a truly memorable experience.  And, it's easily one of the most immersive lands in southern California theme parks.  The only Disneyland Resort area that comes close right now is Carsland.  We'll see how this influences Star Wars Land in a few years.

I once worked on a little ride at Universal Studios called Back to the Future: The Ride.  Understandably, I was more than a little upset when said ride got re-themed as a Simpson's ride.  But, years later, the entire area surrounding the ride has undergone some amazing re-theming.  Now, when you walk out of the Wizarding World, it feels like your headed straight into Springfield.  The Duff Beer, d'oh-nuts, and Cleetus' fried chicken really make the land work.

I didn't have much time to explore, but the creative team at Universal has also done wonders with their child-based area, focused on the world of Despicable Me and the Minions.  And, there's that other new thing...something to do with the Walking Dead I think it's called?  The line was a bit too long for me (and I'm secretly not brave enough to explore it on a solo trip).

I'll leave you with some shots from the tram ride.  It hasn't changed much recently.  The newer Fast and Furious section is kind of cool, but I miss the dancing cars from Tokyo Drift.  Here's the shots:

Overall, it was a good, solid summer trip.  If you're trying to decide if Universal is worth the money and the time while you're in the L.A. area, I think it is.  I've seen it go from barely being considered a theme park, way back when all you really had was the tram, a handful of shows, and a playground, to a point where now they are challenging Disney to keep up with them in some ways.  It's a good time to be Universal.