Drones recently returned to the skies over Universal Studios Florida for the first time this year, and the Unofficial Guides team was there to capture 2025’s first full performance of Universal Orlando’s CineSational: A Symphonic Spectacular for you!
CineSational: A Symphonic Spectacular, the Universal Studios Florida nighttime lagoon show that debuted in June 2024, celebrates musical scores and scenes from blockbuster films that inspired Universal Orlando attractions of yesterday and today—including the Wizarding World series, Jurassic World, Jaws, Shrek, Ghostbusters, Trolls, Back to the Future, Universal’s Classic Monsters, Transformers, How to Train Your Dragon, E.T., The Fast and the Furious, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Despicable Me, The Mummy, and King Kong.
The 22-minute production projects iconic movie scenes onto multiple enormous mist screens, which are made using 228 fountains with 16,000 individual nozzles, capable of launching water over 130 feet in the air. The use of 4K projection mapping brings the buildings in the background to life, and judicious use of fireworks (deployed sparingly, in deference to the residential neighborhood across the street) adds spark and sizzle to key moments.
But the true stars of this show are supposed to be the fleet of 660 remote-controlled aerial drones, which form glowing constellations of favorite characters that magically appear hovering in midair. Unfortunately, following a serious incident during a 2024 holiday drone show in downtown Orlando, that element has been absent ever since the show returned to Universal Studios Florida’s schedule in April.
We’re happy to report that drones made a welcome return to CineSational on June 16th and (barring weather or technical issue) will hopefully remain in the show on a regular basis. While the rest of the show is still well worth watching without drones, their addition elevates CineSational—making it not only Universal’s best nighttime spectacular but also one of our favorites in any theme park; it even stands shoulder to shoulder with the similar World of Color show at Disney California Adventure.
CineSational is currently scheduled on most nights at Universal Studios Florida’s closing time. The terraced Central Park across the lagoon from San Francisco is the primary viewing location for this show, with additional viewing between Mel’s Drive-In and Transformers, near Duff Brewery.
The terraced Central Park across the lagoon from San Francisco is the primary viewing location for this show. Be warned that row viewers may get spritzed. The grassy field in the rear of Central Park provides the best perspective on the wide-screen presentation. We grabbed a great spot right next to the Universal Visa cardholders reserved section only 10 minutes before the show.
Watch the full first 2025 performance of CineSational with drones in our exclusive video below:
For comparison’s sake, here’s a video of the same show without drones:
Does having the drones back in CineSational make you want to see the show again? Let us know in the comments below!
For all there is to see and do at Universal Orlando, check out The Unofficial Guide to Universal Orlando.
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