Rare ‘Sailor Moon’ Short Will Screen at Universal Fan Fest Nights

by

Good news for dedicated Sailor Moon fans! A special, rare Sailor Moon short will be shown exclusively at Universal Studios Hollywood this spring during a special event.

As a huge movie buff, I was thrilled when Universal launched “Fan Fest Nights” in spring 2025! It’s basically a super fun, separate-ticketed event that runs alongside Halloween Horror Nights, but instead of scares, it’s all about celebrating the things we love – think special attractions, themed food, and experiences pulled straight from our favorite films and TV shows. It’s a total geek-out session!

As a huge movie fan, I loved last year’s Fan Fest Nights – they showed classics like Back to the Future, Star Trek, and Dungeons & Dragons. This year sounds even more amazing! They’re doing a really cool walk-through experience combining Scooby-Doo with the Universal Monsters. Plus, instead of the Waterworld show, they’re showing something from One Piece in that theater. If you’re a Harry Potter fan, there’s a “Search for the Hippogriff” happening, and they’re even showing a special Sailor Moon short! It’s going to be incredible.

“Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon the Miracle: Moon Palace Chapter Deluxe” is a brand new, fully computer-animated anime short film made in Japan.

Guests will be invited to DreamWorks Theatre to watch a special subtitled showing where Super Sailor Moon fights a new enemy. This villain is determined to steal the powerful Legendary Silver Crystal from the beautiful Moon Palace. With courage and help from the audience, Super Sailor Moon will defeat her opponent and bring peace back to the palace, proving that good always triumphs over evil.

DreamWorks Theatre at Universal Studios Hollywood is a 4D cinema that goes beyond 3D movies. It uses special effects like moving seats and wind to make you feel like you’re part of the action. Right now, it’s showing a 4D short film based on Kung Fu Panda.

This unique Sailor Moon short film was originally shown at Universal Studios Japan in 2018 as part of a 4-D experience. It was the first theme park ride based on the beloved anime series.

Universal Fan Fest Nights are happening on select dates this year: April 23-25 and May 1-3, 7-9, and 14-16, 2026. You can purchase tickets now for all of the event dates.

Amazing Theme Park Rides Based on Movies That Were Never Built

Indiana Jones and the Lost Expedition

Disneyland features the Indiana Jones Adventure ride, which debuted in 1995. However, Disney’s original plans for an Indiana Jones area were much grander and would have significantly changed Adventureland. They envisioned a large pavilion called The Lost Expedition, containing two rides: a roller coaster inspired by the mine-car chase in ‘Temple of Doom,’ and a Jeep-based dark ride revisiting classic Indy moments. The plan also included integrating the existing Jungle Cruise. Ultimately, the space allocated for The Lost Expedition was used to build Splash Mountain instead.

Indiana Jones Ore Car Attraction

Let’s take a look at the planned “Ore Car Simulator” that would have been part of the never-built Indiana Jones land. While that land didn’t happen, Disney does have one Indiana Jones roller coaster: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril at Disneyland Paris. Interestingly, it was the first looping coaster ever built at a Disney park. I remember riding it as a teen, and it unfortunately got stuck – not a fun experience!

Indiana Jones Jungle Cruise

The “River Idol” was designed to be a major feature of a revamped Jungle Cruise ride, intended to fit within a larger area themed around Indiana Jones adventures. It strongly resembles a prop from an Indiana Jones film.

The Hauntington Hotel

Long before popular Orlando attractions like Toy Story Midway Mania and Men in Black Alien Attack offered interactive shooting experiences, Six Flags designed a Ghostbusters ride called the Hauntington Hotel. Guests would have driven through a haunted building, using proton packs mounted on their cars to shoot targets. The ride’s designer shared on 2600connection.com that the entire attraction was fully built and tested, ready to be installed in Texas, when Six Flags was sold. The new owners cancelled the project, a loss the designer dramatically calls ‘the greatest tragedy in human history.’

Nostromo

For nearly eight years, Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom featured a very intense ride called ExtraTERRORestrial: Alien Encounter. Guests were securely fastened into their seats while a frightening alien creature appeared in the dark and seemed to physically interact with them. Originally, the ride was designed around the terrifying alien from Ridley Scott’s 1979 film ‘Alien’ – specifically, the creature designed by H.R. Giger. It’s surprising that Disney even considered adding such a scary element to their theme park! Eventually, they realized it was too intense and changed the ride, removing the ‘Alien’ theme (and the original name, Nostromo, taken from the film’s spaceship). But the basic idea remained. After scaring many children – including me! – for almost a decade, Alien Encounter closed in 2003. Today, the same location is home to a much milder ride featuring Stitch from ‘Lilo & Stitch.’

The James Bond Live-Action Stunt Show

As a movie buff, I recently stumbled upon some fascinating concept art for the original Universal Studios Florida, and it really blew my mind. Apparently, they planned a James Bond stunt show featuring artwork by Ralph McQuarrie – yes, the Ralph McQuarrie from ‘Star Wars’! The idea was a huge circular arena where Bond’s iconic villains would appear on screens, seemingly watching his defeat and a nuclear launch. Sadly, it never materialized. It’s wild to think what could have been! Universal did end up doing stunt shows over the years, though, with themes like ‘Conan the Barbarian,’ ‘The A-Team,’ ‘Miami Vice,’ ‘Spider-Man,’ and even ‘Waterworld.’ Still, that Bond concept… now that would have been something!

Mel Brooks’ Hollywood Horror Hotel

The Tower of Terror wasn’t always the spooky ‘Twilight Zone’ ride we know today. Originally, Disney planned to create it with Mel Brooks, envisioning a combination hotel and attraction called ‘Hotel Mel.’ The idea included a murder mystery for guests to solve. However, Brooks left the project to film ‘Life Stinks’ around the time Disney Imagineers came up with the concept of the ride’s thrilling, free-falling elevators. It’s fun to think about how close we were to a Mel Brooks-themed hotel – it almost feels like a missed opportunity!

Batman Island

Comics101.com recently detailed the initial concept for Universal Studios’ Islands of Adventure. Originally, instead of a Marvel Super Hero Island, the park was going to be heavily themed around Batman. Created in the early 1990s during the height of Tim Burton’s Batman films, this area would have featured rides like the Batmobile and Bat-jet, as well as a live stunt show with Batman, Robin, and Superman. However, those plans changed, and Marvel characters – including Spider-Man and Hulk – ultimately took over that section of the park.

Batwing: Batman vs the Penguin

Batman Island, a planned area for Islands of Adventure, was envisioned to feature a unique roller coaster. Guests would have been able to choose between two tracks – one themed to Batman and the other to the Penguin – each offering a completely different ride experience with special effects and pyrotechnics. A sign for Shreck’s Department Store, referencing Christopher Walken’s character from ‘Batman Returns,’ was included in the plans. Although this specific ride wasn’t built, the idea of two dueling coasters was later realized with the Dueling Dragons ride (now Dragon Challenge) in the park’s Harry Potter area.

Dick Tracy’s Crime-Stoppers

Before the 1990 release of Warren Beatty’s ‘Dick Tracy,’ it was predicted to be a blockbuster, and Disney planned a theme park ride based on the film. The ride would have put guests in the role of detectives chasing criminals through Chicago in a dark ride setting, and each vehicle would have featured tommy guns for shooting at targets. Although ‘Dick Tracy’ didn’t become a long-running franchise and the ride was cancelled, the vehicle design was similar to what was later used for Indiana Jones Adventure, and the concept of shooting at targets was later implemented in Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin.

‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ Ride

A ride based on Tim Burton’s 1993 film The Nightmare Before Christmas was planned where guests would ride in coffin-shaped vehicles, similar to Peter Pan’s Flight, but with a darker, creepier feel. While Disney was interested, Tim Burton, who had creative control over the characters, didn’t approve, so the ride was cancelled. Instead, each year Disney reimagines the Haunted Mansion attraction as “Haunted Mansion Holiday,” incorporating characters and themes from the movie.

Godzilla Bullet Train

As early as the 1970s, Disney considered adding a bullet train ride to the Japan Pavilion at Epcot. The original idea involved guests viewing simulated scenery of the Japanese countryside through windows. A more exciting concept would have featured Godzilla attacking the train as it traveled through Tokyo Bay. However, the project stalled after initial talks with Toho, the company that owns Godzilla, because Disney felt a giant monster didn’t fit the peaceful and natural theme of Epcot.

The Great Muppet Movie Ride

For over 20 years, The Muppets have been a popular attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios thanks to their MuppetVision 3D show. Originally, Disney planned an even bigger Muppet presence – a parody of the Great Movie Ride, called The Great Muppet Movie Ride. This attraction would have featured Jim Henson’s characters recreating iconic scenes from famous films. The idea came about while Disney and Henson were discussing a merger, but the deal was canceled when Henson passed away in 1990, and the ride never happened. However, Disney eventually acquired The Muppets in 2004, leaving fans to wonder if a major Muppet attraction might still be in the works.

Jurassic Park Jeep Safari

Universal’s Islands of Adventure features a Jurassic Park River Adventure ride with animatronic dinosaurs, but it doesn’t closely follow the movie’s plot. Originally, the park planned a more immersive Jeep Safari ride that would have recreated key scenes from the film – visitors would have been driven through the park in remote-controlled jeeps, encountering dinosaurs like brontosauruses, the T-Rex, and raptors. However, according to DisneyAndMore.Blogspot.com, park officials decided the Jeep Safari was too similar to the existing River Adventure ride, and they didn’t want both attractions to be so alike.

Jurassic Park Jeep Safari

Okay, so I was just checking out photos of the Jeep vehicles from the Jurassic Park ride, and honestly, they totally remind me of the old 8-seat DeLoreans they used to have on the ‘Back to the Future’ ride. They have a really similar feel to them, you know? It’s a cool callback for a movie buff like me!

Baby Herman’s Runaway Buggy Ride

While Disney created one ride based on ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’ – Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin – they initially envisioned a much larger attraction. One planned ride, ‘Baby Herman’s Runaway Buggy Ride,’ would have put guests in the role of stunt doubles for the mischievous baby, riding in baby carriage-shaped vehicles. Guests were even supposed to wear baby bonnets to enhance the experience and create fun photo opportunities. Unfortunately, disagreements between Disney and Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment regarding the direction of the ‘Roger Rabbit’ franchise ultimately stopped this ride, and others, from being built.

Toontown Trolley

Similar to how disagreements over the Baby Herman ride fell through, plans for a Star Tours-like simulator ride set in Toontown – the cartoon world from ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’ – were also cancelled. Initially, all these rides were intended for a new section of Disneyland called Hollywoodland, but the area was later redesigned and became Mickey’s Toontown. Unfortunately, that meant the Roger Rabbit ride didn’t happen.

Toontown Trolley

This is another concept sketch from the Roger Rabbit trolley ride. It has a really psychedelic look! Kids would have especially enjoyed it, particularly if they were full of energy from sugar.

Read More

2026-03-12 20:59