Extinct Attractions – The Flintstones Show

Welcome to Extinct Attractions. This week, we’ll be taking a trip back thousands of years to the little town of Bedrock.

Via Variety

In these times, everyone needs a little laughter, so why not revisit some old shows like The Flintstones as an escape? Hanna-Barbera shows just instantly transport many people to their childhood because not only were the shows hysterical but they also had a sense of childhood bliss that you don’t see in cartoons today.

A lot of people remember the show fondly, but it’s crazy to think about how influential The Flintstones was on all future animated shows. It was the first animated series to hold a primetime slot as well as the first to be nominated for Best Comedy Series at the Emmy Awards. Reruns of the show were in syndication for years, but there was no new content that caught on until 1994 when Universal Pictures released a live-action film starring John Goodman and RIck Moranis.

Via HBO

Though critics derided the film to the tune of a 22% on Rotten Tomatoes, audiences ate the film up, with it grossing $342 million worldwide, making it the sixth highest-grossing film of the year. It did well enough to spawn a prequel a few years later, though pretty much none of the original cast returned for that film.

Universal had already worked with Hanna-Barbera to create The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera (with Flintstones characters in it). With that working relationship in hand, Universal had a suspicion that The Flintstones would do well, so they had their creative teams create a show for Universal Studios Hollywood centered on the beloved characters. I do not have the date that the show opened, so it is difficult to tell where it came in the development cycle of the film, but it did open in 1994, so it is clear that it was meant to compliment the film’s release at the very least.

Via The Studio Tour

The Flintstones Show took the spot of Star Trek Adventure at Universal Studios Hollywood and provided a new breath of fresh air to the area. The park needed a blast of fun at the time because many of the attractions were a bit on the serious side, so having this funny musical to perk people up was a perfect addition.

I never got the chance to see the show in person because I was barely a month old when it closed, but watching it a few days ago, I was struck by how ambitious the show was. It used pretty large set pieces and had 3 major scene changes that all moved pretty seamlessly. This was a twenty-five minute theme park show based on a 35 year old television show that was not a musical, but they really put in the money to make it a worthwhile experience for guests.

The story was focused on Fred Flintstone winning a chance to visit Hollyrock and star in the first ever rock music video for Univershell. It was a fun idea for a story, even if it’s execution wasn’t quite as strong as one would hope. I was also hoping for another song in the middle because it became a bit dialogue heavy at that point, but for the most part there was a lot to like in this show.

Via The Studio Tour

Outside of the impressive sets, the show also had a cast of nearly twenty and a scene where our main foursome flew around the theater on a giant bird. They pulled out all the stops to make this show feel like a big budget musical you’d see on Broadway. It just felt big. I really wish I could have seen it in person because the video can only do the scope and effort so much justice.

Via The Studio Tour

What was cool about The Flintstones Show was that they went all out with the theming of surrounding area as Flintstones Bar-B-Q opened the same year as the show but managed to stick around until 2014. I have a lot of fond memories of working at that restaurant when I worked at Universal and was sad to see it go, but at least it managed to stay in the park a lot longer than the show, which closed on January 2, 1997 to make way for a new show called Totally Nickelodeon. It’s a bummer that The Flintstones Show didn’t get another year or so in the park because it was clear that they put a lot of effort into it, but at least it was able to entertain guests after the film for at least two and a half years.

Well, that’s all for today, but here’s your peek at what’s coming next week.

Via MemeCentral

Thanks for reading and have a magical day!