Review: Jurassic World the Exhibition in Toronto
BY: Becca V. RHODES
Jurassic World the Exhibition HITS TORONTO
Welcome to Jurassic Park! Jurassic World the Exhibition has just opened in Toronto. Let’s get into my thoughts!
First of all, what is Jurassic World the Exhibition? Jurassic World the Exhibition is an immersive experience that allows guests jump into the Jurassic Park franchise. This is a theme park quality experience, tucked away in Mississauga. Between the Jurassic Park gate, Hammond’s InGen Lab, and the Raptor Paddock, you’re practically living the movie. Not to mention the life sized dinosaur animatronics!
This experience is traveling around North America, and is in Toronto until October.
What Can You Expect?
Without spoiling too much, let’s get into the experience. Guest are taken on a “ferry” to Isla Nublar. The giant “Jurassic World” gate greats you as you see your first dinosaur, a Brachiosaurus. The Brachiosaurs animatronic is actually life sized, and is motion censored. If you wave at the dinosaur, she will come towards you for a photo. This is one of the coolest rooms, and has the best photo-op of the experience: The Gate. Guests move though into Hammond’s Lab where there are baby dinosaurs to pet! Then you get to see the raptor Blue, the raptor from Jurassic World. And it wouldn’t be a true Jurassic Park experience without something going wrong at the end! Younger guests are even treated to educational dinosaur facts along the way.
MY THOUGHTS
Toronto has had so many incredible themed experiences lately, but Jurassic World the Exhibition is unlike any of them. Unlike the Friends Experience and the Office Experience, Jurassic World the Exhibition features seven giant animatronics! Theme park quality animatronics! As far as I know, Toronto has never had something like this before. I would say that the quality and immersion of Jurassic World the Exhibition is closer to The Stranger Things Experience. And the staff was also fantastic, everyone was really playing their part. Making sure all the guest really felt they were talking to scientists, and raptor handlers.
If you are going just for the photo ops, make sure you bring a portable ring light, as the experience is really dark. They will let you spend as much time as you want in the first room with the gate, but the rest of the rooms you are expected to follow the group though the different rooms.
YES, A MUST FOR FANS
This is obviously a big recommendation from me. Especially if you are a Jurassic Park fan, this really hits in all those nostalgic feels. Younger fans will really enjoy the educational aspect and how hands-on everything is. The final room does have some flashing lights during a “staged emergency”, so if your child is susceptible to that just be aware.
Check out Jurassic World the Exhibition from April 2023 - October 2023. And don't forget to check their website to see if Jurassic World the Experience is traveling to a city near you.