Welcome to Krustyland

After 19 seasons and 420 episodes, Springfield comes to Hollywood on The Simpsons Ride. The six-minute simulator adventure features 29 authentically-voiced Simpsons characters and enough bumps, shakes, pitches and yaws to satisfy even the most hardened amusement seekers.

Without giving away too many spoilers, the premise is appropriately predictable. Inevitable antagonist Sideshow Bob chases riders, and the Simpsons through the sufficiently dilapidated Krustyland; tumbling out of control and eventually out of the park while encountering a slew of classic Simpsons characters.

Located within the smoldering ruins of the now-defunct "Back to the Future" ride at Universal Studios Hollywood, the attraction itself makes good use of impressive technology. The ride employs computer generated 3D graphics to reify virtual Springfield, faithfully drawn and stylized by Film Roman, the same studio that creates the television series. The music, composed by Jim Dooley fits the franchise nicely. Previously, Dooley worked with composer Hanz Zimmer on "The Simpsons Movie."

The screens consist of two 80-by-85-foot domes, illuminated by custom-made projectors that stream images at 60 frames per second (as opposed to the usual 24) through a custom-made fisheye lens. Equipped with a Dolby 6.1 sound system in each car and 90 speakers in each room, the ride grants upon patrons an unparalleled aural experience, delivering crisp and immersive audio to riders.

The ride strives to entertain from start to finish; the queue is laden with television screens blasting theme-park related Simpsons clips from the moment you enter Krusty's gaping maw at the beginning of the line. Even the rider safety video is moderately entertaining, showcasing the most violent anthropomorphic duo in the solar system, Itchy and Scratchy.

Like all simulator experiences, The Simpsons Ride isn't flawless. It suffers from the same maladies as its forsaken predecessor Back to the Future; a visible mechanical frame around the bottom of the vehicle, an obvious lack of G-Force, and rather hokey mist and water effects. While their efforts to bring riders into their virtual world is certainly noble, the simulator medium is so inherently limited, it's hard to overlook the ride's shortcomings.

Overall, it's a fun ride. Universal Studios Hollywood lays in wait just down the block, waiting to sucker unwitting Valley students into purchasing $8 churros and billion dollar burgers. Take one of your no-class Fridays, slather on the sun block, grab a hat and roll on over the Universal. Join the Simpsons in their living room; it's way more fun than waiting for them to come to yours. (Plus their TV is a lot bigger.)