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Jimmy Fallon Universal Studio Tour
Image via Universal Studios

Universal Studios Hollywood Accused of ‘Dumbing Down’ Local Tour With ‘Cheesy’ Jimmy Fallon Skit

Some fans don't find Fallon tram-tastic

The Universal Studios tour gives movie and TV fans a firsthand look at various filming locations for old classics and new hits alike. However, one late-night talk show host’s role in the tour has fans divided.

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The Studio Tour has a 60-minute runtime, during which guests enjoy audio narration as a tram drives them to various studio lots. While fascinating for those old enough to enjoy the lore, some parents have had to get creative over the years to keep their younger ones engaged during such a lengthy ride. It’s this, perhaps, that led to the choice to add Jimmy Fallon as a “Video Studio Tour Guide” for the Universal Studios Hollywood tour.

What is a video studio tour guide? This mainly consists of using the in-tram TV sets to air clips of Fallon doing various skits to “augment” the standard Studio Tour narration. Though his video tour guide status with Universal Studios began in 2011, Fallon continues to be a big TV personality these days, naturally bringing his share of criticism.

Now, movie buffs returning to the tour for the first time since Fallon’s bits were added aren’t so sure his brand of humor is the right fit for a tour that’s intended to be educational.

As one user puts it on X, the skits take away from the “movie magic experience.” The Fallon “tour guide” skits are sometimes used in places where the TVs once displayed clips from the movies and shows that were filmed on tour stop sets, For some, this reduces the experience to a gimmick, pulling away from the chance to revisit film history and leaning into quick laughs and entertainment value instead.

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Some of the movies and TV series featured in the tour are older, and some fans feel Universal’s pivot to using a familiar face is an insult to modern Studio Tour attendees. As one fellow film buff puts it, “Donā€™t assume modern guests are incapable of appreciating the classics.”

Indeed, some locations visited by the tour are from older films like Psycho, Back to the Future, and War of the Worlds, which would certainly be less familiar to younger audiences. That lack of familiarity, however, isn’t the point for many, who want the tour to stay focused on the history of what was actually filmed in the tour locations.

However, not all fans agree that the change is a bad thing. As one response notes, the skits may be cheesy, but at least they’re entertaining – especially for a younger crowd that might otherwise be bored enough to distract other passengers from the tour narration.

Divisive though it may be, Fallon’s skits have enjoyed quite a run with the tour and are likely to stick around for some time alongside some of the other new elements of the tour like the King Kong: 360 3D encounter.

Fallon’s original “Tram-tastic” song, written specifically to end the tour on a cheerful note, may have already gone the way of those older classic movie clips. Some fans who’ve done the tour in recent years report they’ve stopped playing it because the tour guides couldn’t handle hearing it anymore. Clearly, not everyone is a fan of Fallon’s role as a video tour guide, however much many may enjoy his show.


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Author
Image of Amanda Kay Oaks
Amanda Kay Oaks
Contributing Writer
Amanda Kay Oaks has been a freelancer writer with The Escapist since February 2024. She's a lifelong gamer with an affinity for Pokemon, RPGs, and cozy games, especially The Sims. Amanda has an MFA in Creative Nonfiction, with prior work on pop culture and entertainment at Book Riot, Fanfare, and Gamepur.