Wender·Vista
Jaws
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileFlorida · United States
in Universal Studios Florida, Orlando

Jaws

— — the boat ride that taught a generation to fear the lagoon.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“The lagoon at Amity Island, built on a back lot in Orlando. For twenty-two years a small skipper boat rounded the dock and the great white came up under the bow. The ride closed in January 2012 and Diagon Alley took the footprint. People who rode it as children still remember the dock pilings and the smell of the smoke effects.

from the studio
Jaws
— bring it home

Jaws, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Jaws

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Jaws: The Ride operated at Universal Studios Florida from June 7, 1990 to January 2, 2012, in the Amity area of the park, a recreation of the New England fishing village from the 1975 Steven Spielberg film. The roughly 5-million-gallon lagoon held a 32-foot animatronic shark and a small fleet of tour boats. The attraction sat in Orlando's I-Drive corridor, west of downtown, and was replaced by The Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Diagon Alley, which opened on July 8, 2014.

— the water

The lagoon was a real body of water, about 5 million gallons, carved into the Florida flatland. Skippers ran the boats and delivered live narration on every cycle, one of the last attractions at Universal where the operator's performance was the show. The water was treated, filtered, and dyed for the camera. After demolition the basin was filled and the London Embankment of Diagon Alley now sits on top of it, with the Hogwarts Express running where the boats once turned.

— the year

Jaws opened with the park on June 7, 1990, broke down repeatedly in its first two summers, and was rebuilt in 1993 with a new propulsion system designed by Ride & Show Engineering of California. It ran for nearly two decades after the rebuild without major redesign. Closure was announced on December 2, 2011; the final boat left the dock at 9 p.m. on January 2, 2012. Demolition began the following week and the Amity gateway sign came down within the month.

— where
United States · Orlando, Florida
— within
Universal Studios Florida
— position
28.4744° N · 81.4678° W
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
at the lake
Diagon Alley
theme park land
1 km S
Islands of Adventure
theme park
1 km E
International Drive
tourist corridor
N
Jaws
Diagon Alley
Islands of Adventure
International Drive
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Jaws — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

Jaws was a water-based attraction in the Amity section of Universal Studios Florida in Orlando, modeled on the New England fishing village from the 1975 Steven Spielberg film.

The ride closed on January 2, 2012. Universal Studios Florida demolished the lagoon and built The Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Diagon Alley on the site, opening it on July 8, 2014.

A full cycle ran about seven minutes from dock to dock, with the boat circling a roughly 5-million-gallon lagoon while live skipper narration carried the story.

The animatronic shark, about 32 feet long and nicknamed Bruce by the crew after the original film prop, was built by Ride & Show Engineering of California during the 1993 rebuild.

No version of the original ride still operates. Universal Studios Japan in Osaka ran a similar Jaws attraction from 2001 until it closed in May 2009.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Diagon Alley opened on the Jaws footprint on July 8, 2014, with the Hogwarts Express linking it to Hogsmeade at Universal's Islands of Adventure.

— about the piece in your home

It carries memory well for those who rode the original. A Small or Medium in a hallway, with the dock pilings and lagoon recognisable across the room, holds the moment without taking the wall.

The blue-green lagoon palette and weathered New England dock textures sit well with Coastal-modern interiors, warm Mid-century rooms, and a Cinephile gallery wall alongside other film-history pieces.

A single Large reads above a sofa. For a longer wall, a 4-tile Mural carries the lagoon and dock at full presence. A 9-tile Mural is the showpiece scale.

Yes. Order the Dura Satin or Matte finish for vertical wet installations like a backsplash or shower wall. The colour and surface hold up indefinitely in steam and splash.

A soft microfibre cloth with water. The colour is inside the ceramic surface, so cleaning never touches the image. Avoid abrasive sponges and ammonia-based sprays.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is created in-house by Reid Wender as the curating eye, hand-finished in the Knoxville studio. Nothing is licensed from a third party.

— if this one stayed with you

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