“Welcome aboard Captain Jake’s Amity Boat Tours, we are the BEST!….and the only scenic tour on the island. My name is Andrew and I’ll be your skipper today…”
If you’re like me, you’ll forever have at least some of the ride spiel from Jaws: The Ride ingrained in your memory for a long time. Debuting in 1990, that bad old shark Jaws devoured those poor, innocent islanders, and terrorized park guests at Universal Studios Florida until Captain Jake’s gave their last tour around Amity Island on January 2, 2012.
With his new book, Adventures in Amity: Tales from The Jaws Ride, author Dustin McNeill has set out to create is the ultimate guide to the original Universal Studios Florida attraction. Following the debut of his book on August 18, we were able to catch up with Dustin to learn more about his book and his Jaws Ride fandom.
Coaster101: For our readers who might not know the name Dustin McNeill, tell us a little about yourself.
Dustin McNeill: I’m an indie author primarily known for publishing books on horror films like Phantasm and Freddy vs Jason through my own imprint, Harker Press, but I’m also a huge theme park enthusiast. Jaws has long been one of my all-time favorite films, which naturally made the Jaws ride one of my all-time favorite attractions. Not everyone gets the opportunity to step into the fictional world of their favorite movie or show, but I did. The Amity section and Jaws ride collectively gave me that experience, which was so incredibly fun.
Coaster101: What’s your personal history with Jaws: The Ride and Universal Studios Florida?
Dustin McNeill: I’ve been visiting the park with my family ever since I was a child and have simply loved it at every age. It’s really interesting to see how the entire resort has evolved since first opening in 1990. I enjoy the park in its current form, but remain hugely nostalgic for what many consider to be the more classic bygone attractions like Jaws, Kongfrontation, Earthquake, and so on.
Coaster101: What inspired you to write a book about Jaws: The Ride?
Dustin McNeill: I tend to write books that I would personally like to read. Being fascinated by the Jaws ride, I wanted to learn more about it, things like how it was first created and operated all those many years. In my opinion, there wasn’t really a great resource for that out there. I figured a subject such as this would be best explored through the stories of people who were actually there, so I set about finding and interviewing the ride’s designers, engineers, and skippers.
Coaster101: What was the research and writing process like for the book? How did you curate all the information?
Dustin McNeill: For research, I basically scoured the internet for leads on people I knew had been involved in the ride. Social media was a big part of that. I was also able to network my way into connecting with more ride veterans after my first few interviews. As for curating the information, I felt it was best to print the interviews in their entirety rather than break them up. So, there are ten pages of stories from a mechanical engineer, then eight pages of stories from a skipper, then maybe another ten pages of stories from an attraction supervisor. The storytellers in my book offer a variety of perspectives on the Jaws ride depending on their role and the years in which they were there.
Coaster101: How long did it take from the original concept to publishing? What was the creative process like?
Dustin McNeill: The idea had been in the back of my mind for a couple of years, but I’d say about a year passed from the first interview to publication. I wasn’t initially sure how I was going to present the interviews, but once I’d amassed enough of them I began to realize that chronological was best. I eventually had enough perspectives to go through the complete history of the attraction from its original development pitch in 1987 to its closure in 2012.
Coaster101: How many different people did you interview, and how did you decide to cut down from there?
Dustin McNeill: All in all, I interviewed over thirty people involved with the attraction. The unfortunate part is that I began to realize there needed to be an end to that process. I could have ultimately interviewed several hundred people that helped build, maintain, or operate Jaws over the years. That would have resulted in a two-thousand page book, however, which would not have been a fun read. I think the current collection of stories make for a satisfying and thorough overview of the attraction from opening to closure.
Coaster101: What was something you learned specifically about Jaws: The Ride that you didn’t know before writing the book?
Dustin McNeill: Anecdotally, I didn’t know that the skippers were actually involved in operating the boats in the original 1990 version of the ride. They were in full control of the boat’s throttle, which led to major problems with the infamous scene where the shark chomped onto the boat and dragged it through the water. The better remembered 1993 Jaws ride had fully automated boats due to this very issue. But more than that, I was surprised to learn just how passionate the Jaws skippers were for the attraction. It’s always been obvious that they enjoyed their jobs, but the skippers also had and continue to have an incredible passion for the Jaws ride. It was kind of its own sub-culture at Universal Studios Florida. I can’t think of any other ride team in the entire park whose pride and camaraderie rivaled the Jaws skippers.
Coaster101: What are some of your favorite bits of history or memories about Jaws: The Ride?
Dustin McNeill: I think my best memories of the attraction are when I was riding it at night, which was a completely different experience than during the daytime. This was commonly known as “shark in the dark.” Everything about the attraction was scarier at night because visibility was so much lower. It felt as though the shark could be lurking in the darkness beneath every wave. The gas dock explosion in Scene Four was also way more fantastic by night. It lit up the sky brilliantly. It almost felt like an entirely different attraction – I loved it.
Coaster101: Have you experienced all of the Jaws ride versions? (Hollywood Tram Tour, Jaws: The Ride in Orlando, Jaws: The Ride in Japan)
Dustin McNeill: Sadly, I have not! I don’t know that I’ll ever get out to Osaka, but getting out to Hollywood to see the backlot shark is definitely on my bucket list. I just hope they keep it around for a few more years. I experienced the Orlando version countless times, so I’ll always have those memories. If those happen to fade, I’ve got lots of pictures and video I took as well.
Coaster101: Do you have a favorite show scene or spiel line from Jaws: The Ride in Orlando?
Dustin McNeill: My favorite part of the ride was Scene Two as you rounded Lighthouse Cove to find the sinking Amity Three. That was a bit unnerving, to see a boat exactly like the one you are on torn apart and sinking. Then that glorious dorsal fin pops up and goes under the boat. Scene Two was when the tension really began to build, in my opinion. I also love the incredulous reaction of the skipper in that scene. They go, “I don’t know what could’ve done this!” That was always hilarious to me because, I’m sorry, did they not see the massive teeth marks on Amity Three? They were huge! Then the skipper goes, “Except a shark…” as if that wasn’t the most immediately obvious explanation. It was a funny moment in an otherwise harrowing scene.
Coaster101: There’s obviously some controversy involved with the early versions of Jaws: The Ride, how’d you get both sides to talk, especially about the early version of Jaws at Universal Studios Florida?
Dustin McNeill: I’m not sure everyone knows this, but the Jaws ride first opened with Universal Studios Florida on June 7, 1990 and was shut down several months later due to numerous technical issues. Universal filed a multimillion dollar lawsuit against the ride makers, gutted the attraction, and had it rebuilt with new scenes across the next several years. The second Jaws ride opened in late 1993 and remained the same until its 2012 closure. Up until now, the original 1990 ride has been a thing of mystery. I was fortunate in that the 1990 version’s engineers, designers, and skippers were more than happy to reflect on that iteration. I thought they might not want to discuss it, particularly some of the engineers Universal blamed for the ride’s problems, but they were quite forthcoming. That my book contains rare photos and stories from the 1990 Jaws ride is, in my opinion, a highlight of the entire project.
Coaster101: What do you miss most about Jaws: The Ride?
Dustin McNeill: I miss how authentic it all was. It’s a common criticism to say that Universal has too many screen-based attractions these days, but the Jaws ride was not about screens. The Jaws ride was about getting on a boat and sailing out into a giant lagoon filled with scary-looking mechanical sharks. It was outdoors in the fresh air with all of the natural elements present. I thought it was a wonderful execution of a concept based on one of the greatest films of all time.
Coaster101: What do you hope people take away most from your book?
Dustin McNeill: I hope they realize that, for most everyone involved with the attraction, it was more than just another job. It was something they took so much pride in. The ride’s designers and crew put so much thought and heart into their work. They loved the ride as much if not more than its biggest fans.
Coaster101: Jaws had quite a loyal (some would even say cult-like) following from fans, but also the people who worked on the attraction. Why do you think that so many people enjoyed it?
Dustin McNeill: I think we can attribute its cult following these years later to just how unique the Jaws ride was. Not to knock roller coasters at all, but it wasn’t just another coaster or dark ride. Even among water rides, nothing else even came close to the level of thrill that the Jaws ride offered. I think its enduring legacy also owes to the strength of the Jaws brand in general. Jaws continues to be a much-loved property despite being over forty years old.
Coaster101: Outside of the Jaws ride, what are some of your other favorite theme park attractions (Universal or otherwise)?
Dustin McNeill: I’m a huge Universal nerd, so I’ll stick to their Orlando parks. I could wax nostalgic all day about their shuttered offerings, so I’ll try to list attractions still in operation. I still find Revenge of the Mummy and the Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man to be tremendous fun. Those are kind of obvious picks, but I also still dig the Horror Makeup Show and Men in Black: Alien Attack. I hope the Horror Makeup Show never, ever leaves the park. Update it, upgrade it, whatever – just leave it there! The classic Universal Monsters should always have some presence in that park.
Coaster101: Is there anything else you’d like the Coaster101 Audience to know, either about the Jaws ride or your book?
Dustin McNeill: Yes! Even though my book is primarily about the Jaws ride, there is still a lot in here about the early development and launch of Universal Studios Florida. I’ve included stories about other opening day attractions like Kongfrontation, Earthquake: The Big One, and also Back to the Future: The Ride. The book’s first three interviews with execs Peter Alexander and Bob Ward as well as architect Tom Reidenbach cover these subjects and will be fascinating for theme park fans to read over.
Thanks to Dustin for his time. For more information, you can visit the website for Adventures in Amity: Tales from The Jaws Ride, and purchase the book on Amazon!
Coming soon, we’ll review Adventures in Amity: Tales From The Jaws Ride!
“Ladies and Gentleman I really want to thank you for your incredible bravery out there today in reading this interview. But hey… You know… we probably shouldn’t tell anyone that this interview happened. I mean…if word of this little fish episode were to leak out that would be it for Captain Jake and all the other businesses around here, so just keep it to yourselves, alright?
…Actually if you enjoyed this interview, tell everyone you know about it, and we can continue preserving the memory of Jaws: The Ride!
Bruce