JAWS was one of Universal's most iconic theme park rides before its closure. Could the great white shark make a comeback at Universal Studios Bedford?
For many theme park enthusiasts, the closure of JAWS at Universal Studios Florida in 2012 remains one of the most painful losses in the industry's history. The boat ride through Amity — with its lunging great white shark, burning fuel on the water, and grenade launcher finale — was a masterpiece of practical effects and atmospheric storytelling. It was replaced by the Wizarding World of Harry Potter's Diagon Alley, a worthy successor but one that left a shark-shaped hole in many hearts. With Universal Studios Bedford offering a fresh start, could JAWS finally return?
JAWS: The Ride opened at Universal Studios Florida in 1990 (after a disastrous initial version in 1990 was gutted and rebuilt by Ride & Show Engineering). The rebuilt ride became one of the park's signature attractions, guiding guests on a boat tour of Amity Harbor that goes terrifyingly wrong when a great white shark attacks. The ride's use of practical effects — real fire on real water, compressed air blasts, and remarkably convincing animatronic sharks — created a visceral experience that screen-based attractions simply cannot replicate.
Universal Studios Japan retained its JAWS ride when the Florida version closed, and it remained operational until 2024, drawing enormous crowds throughout its lifespan. The ride's enduring popularity in Japan demonstrated that JAWS has cross-cultural, multigenerational appeal — the 1975 film remains one of the most recognised movies in cinema history, and the theme park experience captured its essence perfectly.
A JAWS attraction at Bedford could take several forms. The purist's dream is a faithful recreation of the classic boat ride, updated with modern animatronics, enhanced water effects, and improved fire sequences. Current animatronic technology could produce a great white shark that moves with terrifying realism — far beyond the impressive but somewhat mechanical sharks of the original ride.
A more ambitious approach would combine the boat ride concept with modern dark ride technology. Imagine a journey that begins as a peaceful Amity Harbor tour, transitions into an enclosed show building where projection mapping and physical effects create an underwater attack sequence, and culminates in an outdoor finale with a full-scale shark animatronic lunging from the water. This hybrid approach would honour the original whilst delivering something genuinely new.
Universal could also develop a JAWS-themed area beyond the ride itself — Amity Island as a themed zone with a boardwalk, seafood restaurant, arcade games, and beach-themed retail. This would allow JAWS to serve as both an attraction and an area anchor, maximising the IP's value and creating a distinct atmosphere within the park.
Steven Spielberg's JAWS is a cornerstone of popular culture in Britain, where beach culture and seaside towns make the shark-attack premise particularly resonant. The film regularly appears in polls of Britain's favourite movies, and its cultural footprint — the theme music, the 'you're gonna need a bigger boat' line — is deeply embedded in British consciousness. A JAWS attraction would generate enormous nostalgia-driven publicity and draw visitors who might not otherwise consider a theme park visit.
JAWS at Bedford is considered a genuine possibility, though not a certainty. The IP's age and the franchise's dormant state (no new films are in production) could count against it. However, the ride's legendary status among theme park fans, the IP's enduring cultural recognition, and the relatively manageable construction cost of a boat ride make it a smart investment. Universal knows that JAWS holds a special place in their heritage, and Bedford would be the perfect place to bring it home.
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