How WaterWorld Keeps Making a 50-Foot Splash at Universal Studios Hollywood

Behind-the-Scenes Look at WaterWorld at Universal Studios Hollywood

If you have ever left Universal Studios Hollywood muttering, “Did that just happen?” after seeing WaterWorld, you are not alone. This 20 minute stunt spectacular has been soaking audiences since 1995, and somehow it still manages to crank the adrenaline to eleven with jet skis, fireballs, fistfights, and that jaw dropping seaplane crash that feels like it is headed straight for your popcorn.

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WaterWorld is the second longest running attraction in the park, right behind the legendary Studio Tour. Since 2014, the production has been overseen by Action Horizons, a company founded by veteran stunt performers, including original 1995 cast members. They have fine tuned the show over the years, even adjusting the script to give Helen a stronger heroic presence rather than playing the damsel role. It is still pure chaos on the surface, but beneath that rusted atoll façade is a finely tuned machine.

New performers are hired annually and undergo four weeks of intense training. One week happens off site, focusing on action choreography and character development. Then come three weeks of late night rehearsals inside the actual WaterWorld set after the park closes. These performers are not just memorizing lines. They are mastering sub launches where jet skis blast up from underwater, syncing with pyro cues, and in some cases, plunging 45 feet into the lagoon. Every stunt has a manual. Every performer is trained not only in their own action beats but in the safety protocols for the stunts happening around them.

And then there is the plane. Yes, that plane. The moment when the show peaks and a full scale seaplane rockets toward the audience at roughly 25 to 30 miles per hour is powered by hydraulics and guided along a concealed roller coaster style track. Pyro, sound, timing, and water displacement all have to align perfectly. When it hits the lagoon, the splash feels biblical. The fact that this same core technology has been operating since the mid 90s is a testament to just how ahead of its time the show really was.

What keeps WaterWorld from feeling like a relic is its cast. Many of the performers actively work in Hollywood film and television, bringing serious stunt credentials to the atoll. Every actor adds their own flavor to the role, which means no two performances are ever exactly the same. In an era where large scale live stunt shows are disappearing across the country, WaterWorld remains one of the last of its kind, and it shows no signs of drying up.

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The show has even inspired versions at Universal Studios Singapore, Universal Studios Japan, and Universal Studios Beijing. But there is something about seeing it on the original Hollywood lagoon that just hits differently.

If you are planning a trip to Universal Studios Hollywood, make this your first stop of the day. Grab a seat, maybe in the splash zone if you are feeling brave, and prepare to ask yourself that same question all over again. Did that just happen?

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