Jimmy Fallon’s dream of having a theme park ride based on his personas and TV show is about to be realised.
The TV star, who presents the popular Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, came up with the idea for his own attraction and pitched it to Universal.
Now the ride, Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon, has an official launch date of 6 April at Universal Orlando, promising the ultimate Tonight Show experience and a wild ride through the city.
The 3D ride will be a 72-seat flying theatre, with appearances from show announcer Steve Higgins as well as Grammy award-winning band, The Roots, who wrote the original attraction score.
Riders will speed through the streets of New York and all the way to the moon and back, encountering iconic landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building as they race against Fallon.
“It’s like visiting New York City by going on the craziest, awesomest rollercoaster simulator and going to the Tonight Show all in one ride,” Fallon says. “It’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever done. It’s so cool. It’s the most exciting, fun thing ever.”
It’s a multi-sensory experience, so riders will be getting wet from the river, smelling pizza and “floating” on the moon. There’ll also be cameos from some of Fallon’s alter egos, including teenager Sara and her puppies, and Jimmy Tight Pants.
“You can’t have a ride without puppies and a 40-year-old dressed as a teenage girl,” Fallon says. “You need both of these things, or else it’s not an attraction.”
Fallon’s career started on Saturday Night Live in 1998. He’s appeared in films like Taxi, Fever Pitch, Ted 2 and the Arthur films.