Universal copy-cats...

[tinkish]

I was just watching Samantha Brown on the Travel Channel. She stayed at a Universal resort in Orlando, and she went to two Universal parks, and even a "downtown" version of Universal. Is Universal totally copying Disney? Or is it the other way around? Either way....I'm a Disney purist....and say, "Ew" to the Universal attractions!

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

I think you'll find that Universal is copying Disney -
1) Disney arrives in Orlando - Universal follows
2) Disney builds DownTown Disney - Universal builds City Walk
3) Disney builds resort horels - Universal follows
The only "first" for Universal (that I'm aware of) is the front of line privileges that guests staying at the Universal hotels get

 

[Since1976]

Well, Downtown Disney has been around in various forms for a long while (I think it was the Disney Village before Pleasure Island opened), so I'd say Disney's came first.

CityWalk (the Florida incarnation) has only been around since 1999, if I recall correctly.

I personally enjoyed CityWalk, especially Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville.

No harm in checking out the competition. It only keeps Disney on its toes to amp up its attractions keep us away from there!

 

[PuertoRekinSam]

Like DownTown Disney, Citywalk at Universal is mostly Operating Participants. Don't knock them because City Walk had the room while Downtown Disney was full. I venture over to Margaritaville quite often.

 

[Neptune]

Universal has also copyed Ride Types. As with MIB and Buzz Lightyear.

Citywalk I like better than Downtown disney, though. Only thing better in DTD is Disneyquest and thats usually crowded as hell.

 

[MKCustodial]

Instead of being a so-called "purist", you should learn to enjoy what both resorts have to offer. I don't see it as "copying", I see it as competition. Because if you think along the lines of copying, then Walt was copying every little county fair there was when he came up with his "amusement park". In the same vein, Downtown DIsney is just a copycat of any huge mall.

Think about it. :wave:

 

[tampabrad]

Everyone tries to copy Disney since DisneyLand opened in 1955. The idea of a theme park was Disney. Actually, other businesses copy Disney in more ways than just theme parks. Once WDW opened, it created a new level of resort destination. There was a theme park, water park, resort hotels, campground, dinner shows, and a shopping area. Then Epcot opened. Not sure of the exact timeline, (I am sure someone here has exact dates) but as other hotels and Pleasure Island were added, Universal decided to open the Studios in Florida. Disney opened their own studios a bit before Universal, but there was always a Universal Studios park in California, so in a way, Disney copied Universal. In the late 1990's, Disney expanded with DownTown Disney Westside and Animal Kingdom. Universal opened Islands of Adventure, three hotels, and CityWalk.

Copied or not, I think that the competition is a great thing. Universal has stepped up to Disney standards and sometimes surpasses Disney in quality and theaming. The hotels at Universal Orlando are fantastic. The attractions and theaming at IOA are amazing. They are two different resorts that offer totally different experiences. One of the most obvious is that Universal is smaller and "smack right up on" I 4. You can see it from the road. On the other hand, Disney is more subtle. They have the benefit of added space to create more of an escape. You can write a book comparing the two. Many Imaginears left Disney to work for Universal Creative.

One thing for sure, with Universal and Disney at a constant battle to "one up" each other, the quality and innovation will always provide the guest with an exceptional vacation at either property.

 

[Pioneer Hall]

It is copying, but it is all just competition. That is how the world works.

 

[RoninHood]

Got to try the hulk coater & dr.doom freefall.

 

[slappy magoo]

You COULD argue that Pleasure Island is a rip-off slash "Disneyfication" of Church Street, Blizzard Beach & Typhoon Lagoon are rip-offs of Wet n Wild (which was a adrenalized rip-off of River Country,) Disney-MGM is a ripoff of Universal Studios HOLLYWOOD, The Living Seas is a scaled-down Sea World, Space Mountain is just any old Wild Mouse roller coaster, except that it's indoors and in the dark, Fantasia Gardens & Winter Summerland is a ripoff of all the other Goofy Golf parks that existed beforehand...

When it comes to Disney AND US, a lot of the "innovation" comes from taking an existing ride or attraction and making it better, either through design or theming. And the more they try to keep in competition with each other, the more they'll try to wow us and the better it is for us.

Overall I prefer Disney myself, but I'd be an idiot to dismiss US/IOA entirely. They've got some great stuff. Spiderman, the Mummy and their roller coasters humble me.

 

[PuertoRekinSam]

Time to share some little known History of the 'theme park.' This information I learned from Disney Historian Jim Korkis...

Prepair to be shocked in disbelief....

Walt Disney Did not build the first theme park....
nor did he build the first theme park in America

The first American Theme Park was opened almost a decade ealier. Santa Clause Indiana was the home of Holiday World since 1946. This may have been a kiddie park, but the whole park carried a central theme around Santa Clause.

Don't Forget about Storytown USA in Lake George New York. A 5 acre park with the central theme of Mothergoose opened in 1954. In 1957, they opened a second land around the theme of a ghost town. Jungleland was added in the sixties.. In the late 70's, five years before Epcot center opened in Florida, Storytown added a multimillion dollar International Village.

Walt may not have invented these things, but he developed a company that made these things work.

For that manner, Steamboat Willy was not the first Sound Cartoon... it's was infact "Dinner Time," an Aesop's Fable. Why doesn't anyone remember this... because in Dinner time, sound was a gimmick, it did not improve the story, or add depth to the characters. Once again, Walt(and his company) took an idea, and made it work.

 

[crazydaveh]

I like both parks. Spiderman really upped the bar on indoor rides and now Busch Gardens Williamsburg is copying it. How many places have copied Marineland? It's part of the theme park game that only makes it better for us, the consumer.

When it comes to Downtown Disney or Citywalk, I pick Citywalk... Margaritaville for me! It doesn't get any better than a Corona and Buffett after a hard day on the Hulk!

Planet Hollywood just doesn't do that for me!

 

[NemoRocks78]

Universal has also copyed Ride Types. As with MIB and Buzz Lightyear.

....and Disney also copied the "shoot-em-up" ride concept from other amusement parks that had rides similar to that LONG before BLSRS opened.

 

[Lynx04]

I guess what you are saying is that Universal should not have created Citywalk just because Disney has Downtown Disney.

Well I guess America shouldn't have launched a man into space since Russia did it first and it is copying. Or America shouldn't be a Republic, because Rome did that before us and if you study American history you will see that Rome was the model for America.


If you want to create a multi-day experience for your guests and keep them on site, Citywalk attraction is a big piece of that pie.

 

[oochr1soo]

Universal has also copyed Ride Types. As with MIB and Buzz Lightyear.

im going to give the edge to Universal on this one.. MIB is way better in my mind then Buzz Lightyear.. I loved that ride.. Its probably the one ride id go back for..

Chris

 

[1disneydood]

At least the things Disney didn't invent, they made better than those who did.

 

[Borf7]

Well that's what Walt Disney always wanted to do. Even when he made Steamboat Willie. He just wanted to make it better than anyone had ever made a cartoon before. But using the word "better" is dangerous. What's better to one person might not be better to another. Technology will always improve to make things "better," but how you use that technology is the real test. The best example I can think of right now is theme parks in general. There are parks all over the world now but does a six flags park give you the same feeling as a Disney park? I doubt it. Universal is giving Disney some healthy competition and maybe that is just what Disney needs to wake up and start improving themselves and not in the ways of technology but in the ways of the brand experience Disney used to give.

 

[tinkish]

Well, I'm sure that Universal has done a very good job creating their parks....it's just........to have all the same basic attractions repeated, and placed together in such close proximity.....seems.......well, like over doing it a bit. I mean.....do we really need two downtown areas so close together? Do we really need the same basic rides so close together? It just seems like......a lot in one place. Like Universal has leached some of Disney's business....it seems kind of cheap to me. And I know you all adore Disney.....so don't tell me you like Universal better.

 

[bferrara16]

I wish disney would copy the Hulk or Dueling Dragons... :lookaroun

and imho, competing parks = more rides to go on and shows to see = more fun

 

[Ralph Wiggum]

Umm, MGM Studios was 'suddenly' greenlighted when USO was announced. guess who was in the first pitch meeting at Paramount Studios...? Mikey Eisner. Spend enough time in any of the parks, and you'll see no one is 'copying' each other. MIB was in the park well before Buzz Lightyear. all the parks have rides that fit into certain genres, but I can't think of one that copies another. learn to appreciate the distinct differences between the parks, there's a lot of great things happening at all of them down here. Universal has taken business from Disney, that's the whole point. they're doing it by offering a quality alternative to Disney. A lot of former Imagineers now work for Universal. It's Capitalism baby, and we all win from the competition.