OK, I’ll confess right up front - I have never really liked the Simpsons. Over the course of however many years it’s been on I’ve seen 2, maybe 3, episodes. DW has seen fewer than that. That as background, here’s sort of a multi-part question. Should we even bother with the Springfield and/or ride? If it’s worth seeing, would watching just the Simpson’s Movie be enough background to appreciate the ate area?
It’s worth a look beyond walking through. I recommend sitting in Moe’s and getting a Duff beer, enjoy the atmosphere and chill some. Duff Gardens is cool, and Fast Food Boulevard is one of the best quick service places in Orlando. The Simpsons Ride I like, but my mom did not (not a huge simulator fan). The queue is hilarious and I think it’s worth your time. Springfield is one of the lands I spent the most amount of time last trip.
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I have never been a big fan of the Simpson’s either @bswan26! But we love the Simpson’s ride. The little videos they play in the queue are hilarious! I wouldn’t skip it. We ate in Fast Food Blvd and thought it was good for theme park food.
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We skipped it in Feb., assuming it was a kiddy area and ride. Next winter we are going to see what it is all about tho. I also am not a Simpsons fan.
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If you turn on the FXX network (might have to do some searching to find it on your cable provider), then they’re showing every Simpsons episode ever made right now. It’s gonna take awhile to get through them, but if you watch a few today or tomorrow, then you can still catch some of the good early episodes. I’d watch these before I’d watch the movie.
Of course, you could also take the approach I take when visiting Islands of Adventure and experience the Harry Potter rides without having seen the movies or read the books. My first to Universal made me a fan. However, doing so would delay your indoctrination into Simpsons fandom, so I’d suggest you start now!
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We didn’t have a lot of time to spend in Springfield, so our priority was the ride. DD’s had never seen a Simpsons episode. It didn’t matter- we all LOVED the Simpsons ride. We were cracking up. Super fun! Even though DD’s were not familiar with the Simpsons, we were all wishing we had more time to spend in the area. It has a great vibe.
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While knowing something about the Simpsons could increase your understanding of the type of humor they use, the ride is not to be missed! It is a very well done simulator ride. Because the action is a cartoon/animated there are no boundaries .
Do it, you will love it IMHO
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Agree with others, the simpsons ride is very well done and great fun even for those of us not into the simpsons. I actually come down on the side of being sick to death of the simpsons (no 1 son has been a huge fan since he was a little boy), but I think it’s a great ride, and the Springfield area is pretty cool too.
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A good attraction is enhanced by its source material, but not dependent on it. Millions of people ride Splash Mountain every year, and I’ll bet fewer than 1000 of them have even seen Song of the South. Ditto Mr. Toad, Tower of Terror, even 7 Dwarfes Mine Train…all popular rides regardless of how relevant the IP is.
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Totally agree with above. We had skipped it on our first visit to UoR, but just did it last week. It was wonderful from the cue to the pre-show to the ‘ride’ itself. Very immersive like many of the UoR rides and not dependent on being a huge fan. I have watched Simpson’s from time to time, but it was funny for our whole family - and our 3 kids had almost no idea what the Simpson’s was…we just told them it was a funny cartoon and it was enough. Don’t miss it! I was told that the ride is in the same spot as the old Back to the Future ride…wish I could have tried that one years ago.
I did get a chance to ride the Back to the Future ride on my last US visit; it WAS very well done.
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