Another one bites the dust …
Animal Actors on Location — one of three remaining opening day attractions at Universal Orlando still in operation today — will close for good later this fall. In a statement, the park said:
As Universal Orlando Resort continues to evolve, Animal Actors On Location! will take its final bow on November 2, 2026, making way for a future experience. A beloved part of Universal Studios Florida since opening day, the attraction has created lasting memories for Guests and Team Members for 36 years.
Animal Actors On Location, featuring real animals performing various tricks with their trainers, was originally called “Animal Actors Stage” when it opened with the rest of the Universal Studios Florida theme park on June 7, 1990.
At that time, Universal Studios Florida was heavily themed as a working film and television studio, and many of the attractions were designed to show guests how their favorite movies and TV shows were made. When the park first opened, Universal also had many working soundstages, and films, TV shows, and commercials were regularly produced there.
Over time, the productions dried up to almost nothing, and gradually the behind-the-scenes attractions (like the Murder, She Wrote stage or a whole pavilion built around the films of Alfred Hitchcock) were phased out, replaced by thrill rides and more immersively themed lands. Instead of taking you behind the scenes, the park puts you inside of IP people that love, like Harry Potter and The Simpsons.
But through all the changes, Animal Actors on Location hung on in several iterations — at least until the fall of 2026.
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When the show closes that will leave just two opening day attractions still in operation in Florida: The E.T. Adventure and the Universal Horror Make-Up Show (which is currently closed for renovations and updates). Universal Studios FLorida a very different park than it used to be. (R.I.P. Nickelodeon Studios. May a flight of slime-colored angels carry thee to thy eternal rest.) But I guess movies and TV shows are very different than they were in 1990 as well.
