Touring Universal Studios in Hollywood, California

THE realistic action on a movie studio tour may give your nerves more of a workout than you and your children expect, writes Madeline Healy.

A moment of excitement on the Universal Studios tour. Picture: Supplied

IT was supposed to be a nice, orderly tour of Universal Studios in Hollywood, Los Angeles. It ended up being the most terrifying 45 minutes my seven-year-old daughter could ever have imagined.

It all happened about 15 minutes in to the multicar tram studio tour of Universal. It's the famous one that everyone seems to know about. Jaws comes out of the water, Norman Bates stands threateningly outside his motel with a large knife in his hand, and dancing cars entertain the crowds. You also get to see special effects from The Fast and the Furious and see Wisteria Lane from the series Desperate Housewives. At one stage, the tram enters a dark tunnel and that's when the fun really begins. Created by New Zealand director Peter Jackson, the 3D King Kong attraction is made up of two massive curved screens, the equivalent of 16 movie theatre screens. The ground starts to move, the trams are tossed from one side to another and King Kong comes to life, jumping on the roof of the car, and battling a 10m T-Rex. While most of the crowd were absolutely loving the award-winning attraction my daughter was screaming as the action went on around her. It's so realistic it actually feels as if you're in the middle of an epic battle and it was certainly effective enough to scare the living daylights out of her. Universal Studios, which opened in 1915, is one of the world's largest operating movie studios and an essential stop when you're in this part of the world. Set high in the hills of Hollywood, it has great views of the surrounding suburbs, and it features dozens of attractions, many of which use outstanding 3D technology. Add to this the movie characters roaming around, including a huge Transformer, who are keen for a photo opportunity, and you have a great day out. There's the Simpsons Ride, a motion simulated event hosted by Krusty the Klown, the Jurassic Park ride which includes a fun log-flume style splash at the end and Water World, a live action show based on the film that bombed at the box office. Actors play out the show, which includes giant fireballs, a crash-landing seaplane and a good soaking if you sit at the front of the seating area (unfortunate for those in wheelchairs who are positioned next to the action). The Transformers: The Ride-3D is another example of great use of 3D technology. Riders sit in hotted-up cars that travel through a war zone as you fight alongside Optimus Prime and protect the world from Decepticons that are more than four storeys tall. That one is not for those who suffer from motion sickness. It's no surprise that my eldest daughter was much more interested in the Animal Actors show. The animals had Miss Seven and Miss Five captivated - guinea pigs chased dogs, dogs chased cats and homing pigeons strutted their stuff. Many of the animals were stars from movies including Hotel for Dogs and Beverly Hills Chihuahua and our Front of Line passes, which gain you quick entry to the rides and attractions, also gain you a special meet and greet with the animals at the end of the show. One of the great aspects of the theme parks in California is that they don't mind if you take your own food in, unlike those in Queensland. However, on the day, we were fortunate enough to enjoy the VIP lunch, which is a buffet served in one of Universal's restaurants. Pasta, steak, salmon and plenty of vegetables helped us gain the energy needed to continue on our Universal journey. The VIP tour is a behind-the-scenes look at the park with exclusive access to soundstages, back-lot sets and you may even get to see some filming of TV shows such as Ellen. There are plenty of places to stay in the suburbs surrounding Universal Studios, including the Hilton Universal City, the Sheraton Universal Hotel and Loews Hollywood Hotel. They all promise to have views of the Hollywood sign, are in nice areas and, if you're planning on doing other things around Hollywood during your stay, they would be a good choice. We stayed on the southern side of Los Angeles in Anaheim, to make the most of our five-day park hopper at Disneyland but we did revisit this area a second time for the shopping on Rodeo Drive and Beverly Hills. The writer paid her own way to the US but was a guest of Universal Studios. Go2 - Universal Studios Getting there The writer and family flew to Los Angeles from Brisbane with Qantas. Ph 13 13 13. Getting around A Dodge Suburban from Hertz cost $1302 for 10 days. Seeing there Universal Studios (VIP experience $299 a person, Front of Line passes start at $139 depending on the time of year, and one-day basic tickets are $84). Staying there Residence Inn Maingate, Anaheim, for $199 a night. "Like" Escape.com.au on Facebook Follow @Escape_team on Twitter