ORLANDO, Fla. — Sunday marks the final day to experience "Terminator 2: 3D" at Universal Orlando Resort.
The attraction is closing to make way for “an all-new live action experience based on a high-energy Universal franchise,” according to Universal.
The new show is slated to open in 2019, Universal officials said.
Read: Linda Hamilton set to return to 'Terminator' franchise
The live-action 3D show opened in late April 1996. Here’s the script from WFTV’s opening day story from the archive:
The Terminator came to life at Universal Studios...Well... virtual life, that is!
The 60-million dollar attraction opened today featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger and the original Terminator 2 cast.
The 12-minute, 3-D ride is a "virtual-adventure" experience that makes its visitors feel like they're part of the actual movie.
It's the first time the cast and team of a blockbuster movie have reunited to bring the motion picture concept to life.
Watch: WFTV file footage of development and opening of T2: 3D
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The original pre-show for the attraction -- a mock product expo sizzle reel for Cyberdyne, the company that develops the terminators -- featured Shaquille O'Neal, who played for the Magic at the time, using special contact lenses that "make human error a thing of the past" to shoot free throws.
Shaq would then leave the Magic a few months after the attraction opened.
Watch: Shaq's cameo in the T2: 3D pre-show
Apparently part of the scenes were filmed in Florida about a month before the attraction opened. We found a story in the WFTV archive from April 3, 1996, that showed some of the explosions were filmed at the St. Petersburg pier that day. Here's the script:
Universal Studios Florida is filming what it calls one of the most action-packed productions ever.
The camera's rolled yesterday in St. Petersburg where they filmed explosions from the pier.
The shoot features spectacular pyrotechnic explosions, harrowing speedboat stunts and a veteran stuntman who, while on fire, jumps his motorcycle 80-feet off of the pier.
The filming is for a 3D presentation of scenes from Arnold Schwarzenegger's "Terminator 2."
The grand opening for the multi-million dollar attraction is scheduled for early May.
The show can still be experienced at Universal Studios Japan.
Cox Media Group
