The original conceived plot of the ride had riders climbing on Otto Mann's school bus and taking a wild tour of Springfield.
Christopher Lloyd's involvement as Dr. Emmett Brown is an in-joke referring to how this ride replaced Back to the Future... The Ride (1991).
Although Harry Shearer did not participate in the ride all of his major characters make appearances without lines. Mr. Burns and Smithers can be seen in a hot air balloon at the end of the ride. Ned Flanders, Reverend Lovejoy, Lenny, Dr. Hibbert, Kent Brockman, and Officer Eddie all appear in the queue video and in Krusty's midway welcome video. Jasper can be seen in the welcome video as well. Otto appears in the queue video and driving the school bus towards the end of the ride. In Willie's milk bottle booth he imagines the face of Principal Skinner on the bottles in order to knock them over. Scratchy can be seen in various forms throughout the ride and co-stars with Itchy in the pre-flight safety video. Kang can be seen in a spaceship alongside Kodos at the end of the ride. Rainer Wolfcastle appears on a poster in the queue for "Krusty's Wet and Smoky Stunt Show". Ned Flanders also appears on a poster for "The Sea Captain's Queasy Time Lagoon Adventure" and Burns and Smithers also appear on a poster for "Madame Manjula's The Future Looker-After!"
The sign the audience crashes into about halfway through the ride reads "Send money to Universal Studios."