1902 Carthay Circle

[Tegan pilots a chicken]

I confess I'm not that familiar with Maid Sama.

Realistically, I think an anime area would probably be done using Shonen Jump properties, such as Dragon Ball Z, One Piece, and My Hero Academia (to give some examples of potential IPs). That said, this is a Blue Sky idea, so if it's not too unrealistic, I could see some fun options outside of Shonen Jump that could work and make it more of a general anime showcase, like Sailor Moon or Lupin III.

Oh! So Maid Sama is a slice of life anime about a girl (I think she’s 16 or 17 in the show) who is class president but also works in a maid cafe. She tries to keep it a secret because she thinks if her classmates find out they won’t respect her. And then there are shenanigans and it’s hilarious and heartwarming. An actual Maid Sama cafe might be a cool addition if there is space for such a thing.

 

[DashHaber]

So I must admit, I'm a bit clueless when it comes to anime. I know Studio Ghibli and that's it. But I agree that it should appear in our resort somehow. It's becoming increasingly prevalent among Western audiences, and if Despicable Me gets a land, anime more than deserves it.

Not to worry! I'm a bit of an anime fan, so if we do go ahead with an anime land, I can help out with info on that front. In general, I'd lean towards anime that is more well-known to Western audiences, or that has easy-to-present set-ups for a Western audience (for example, Lupin III is basically about the crazy adventures of master thief Arsene Lupin III).

Oh! So Maid Sama is a slice of life anime about a girl (I think she’s 16 or 17 in the show) who is class president but also works in a maid cafe. She tries to keep it a secret because she thinks if her classmates find out they won’t respect her. And then there are shenanigans and it’s hilarious and heartwarming. An actual Maid Sama cafe might be a cool addition if there is space for such a thing.

I'll have to give the show a try.

 

[DashHaber]

Did anyone else have any ideas for potential lands in a Blue Sky Universal Studios? I could see an area devoted to spy movies or thrillers, or maybe an area that can have a focus on action films.

 

[Outbound]

Did anyone else have any ideas for potential lands in a Blue Sky Universal Studios? I could see an area devoted to spy movies or thrillers, or maybe an area that can have a focus on action films.

Oh I know, what about Venice! /s

Perhaps a Monte Carlo area? James Bond would work well in that theme. TBH not sure about other the spy franchises. We might not need an entire land for them, maybe keep things simple by featuring them in a “New York” land? Only this time actually theme it to New York.

 

[DashHaber]

Oh I know, what about Venice! /s

Perhaps a Monte Carlo area? James Bond would work well in that theme. TBH not sure about other the spy franchises. We might not need an entire land for them, maybe keep things simple by featuring them in a “New York” land? Only this time actually theme it to New York.

True. Honestly, a spy-themed area doesn't work quite as well as inserting those spy IPs in areas like New York or Monte Carlo.

I'd still probably lean somewhere more like a European setting if we did a place like that, seeing as there are plenty of things you can do with New York without pulling in the spy stuff.

 

[DashHaber]

Something else that's interesting to consider is how Universal does lean more into IP use. Not a bad thing at all, given their original ad slogan was "Ride the Movies". I bring it up because it does offer an interesting factor when considering potential IPs to reflect or use in lands when dreaming up a Universal Studios core park.

For example, consider the New York area. Some IPs that could make for solid and thematic uses there include:

• Ghostbusters
• King Kong (2005 film)
• Men in Black
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
• Cloverfield
• The Great Gatsby (2013 film)
• Gremlins (the sequel was set in NYC, so I'd say the IP in general could work here)
• Elf

 

[Outbound]

Something else that's interesting to consider is how Universal does lean more into IP use. Not a bad thing at all, given their original ad slogan was "Ride the Movies". I bring it up because it does offer an interesting factor when considering potential IPs to reflect or use in lands when dreaming up a Universal Studios core park.

For example, consider the New York area. Some IPs that could make for solid and thematic uses there include:

• Ghostbusters
• King Kong (2005 film)
• Men in Black
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
• Cloverfield
• The Great Gatsby (2013 film)
• Gremlins (the sequel was set in NYC, so I'd say the IP in general could work here)
• Elf

The more I think about it the more I love the idea of a New York themed area. So many movies work wonderfully in that location.

I’d suggest Ghostbusters and TMNT as the main attractions (they’re the two with the most longstanding pop culture influence imo) with space for the other properties in subtler ways, like a Kong animatronic show or an Elf-themed Christmas overlay.

 

[DashHaber]

The more I think about it the more I love the idea of a New York themed area. So many movies work wonderfully in that location.

I’d suggest Ghostbusters and TMNT as the main attractions (they’re the two with the most longstanding pop culture influence imo) with space for the other properties in subtler ways, like a Kong animatronic show or an Elf-themed Christmas overlay.

Ghostbusters and TMNT would definitely be my top picks for main attractions as well, with King Kong as a close second to either of them.

Good idea with an Elf-themed overlay for the area at Christmastime. Honestly, we could also use restaurants or shops as a way to reference NBC TV shows set in New York as well, such as Monk's Café from Seinfeld or Central Perk from Friends.

 

[Orange Cat]

A New York land sounds pretty cool, & i can’t go without mentioning it even if I find it unnecessary but y’know Madagascar would fit there

 

[DashHaber]

The more that I think about it, that Kong animatronic show idea could be pretty cool. Base it around Carl Denham's show when he's presenting King Kong to the public, just before his iconic New York rampage. Maybe even call it King Kong: The Eighth Wonder.

 

[D Hulk]

The more that I think about it, that Kong animatronic show idea could be pretty cool. Base it around Carl Denham's show when he's presenting King Kong to the public, just before his iconic New York rampage. Maybe even call it King Kong: The Eighth Wonder.

Fully onboard with this.

​

FALL OF KONG

A highly-themed drop tower experience meant to complement Kong: Skull Island over in Islands of Adventure.

The attraction begins with a a pre-show, a staged recreation of Carl Denham’s “Eighth Wonder of the World” Broadway show, complete with live dancers and an incredible, full-scale animatronic of King Kong shackled to a platform.

But soon Kong breaks free from his constraints (shadows projected against the shutting curtains depict his backstage rampage), and theater ushers soon evacuate guests down to sewer level and then up into the Empire State Building’s elevator shafts, all in an attempt to escape Kong’s path of destruction throughout New York City.

Guests ride an elevator car up the Empire State Building to presumed safety, only to find themselves in the middle of a pitched battle between Kong and a squadron of biplanes! The monster mayhem is realized with a combo of genuine banana-smelling Kong animatronics and screen projections of the biplane attack and NYC below. Elevator cars drop and rise unexpectedly - as Kong yanks the cables up to use as weapons - all climaxing with a thrilling plunge to street level just as the biplanes (& beauty) fell the savage beast!​

 

[DashHaber]

Fully onboard with this.

I remember when you had posted that King Kong drop tower idea. It's such a good idea, and pretty much one of the main reasons why I could see King Kong has a potential main attraction alongside (or in place of) Ghostbusters or TMNT. That said, even if it were ranked a little below those others in terms of "Ticket" status, even an animatronic King Kong show could be quite the spectacle.

 

[DashHaber]

In terms of Ghostbusters and TMNT, I've mentioned during SA7 that I'd see a thrill ride of some sort for TMNT. I had designed a slot car attraction in that competition, but a KUKA Arm coaster, a motion-based dark ride, or even just a roller coaster would fit the IP well.

As for Ghostbusters, a shooter dark ride really is the most obvious route to take, given the idea of wielding weapons akin to proton packs to hunt ghosts with. Of course, a trackless dark ride could also work, or even a bus dark ride (my term for high-capacity dark rides like Kongfrontation) with us as citizens while ghosts are getting loose might be another tack. Honestly, a drop tower might be possible, though that could seem a little close to Tower of Terror.

 

[Outbound]

In terms of Ghostbusters and TMNT, I've mentioned during SA7 that I'd see a thrill ride of some sort for TMNT. I had designed a slot car attraction in that competition, but a KUKA Arm coaster, a motion-based dark ride, or even just a roller coaster would fit the IP well.

As for Ghostbusters, a shooter dark ride really is the most obvious route to take, given the idea of wielding weapons akin to proton packs to hunt ghosts with. Of course, a trackless dark ride could also work, or even a bus dark ride (my term for high-capacity dark rides like Kongfrontation) with us as citizens while ghosts are getting loose might be another tack. Honestly, a drop tower might be possible, though that could seem a little close to Tower of Terror.

I like this! Whatever ride system we choose for ghostbusters I think some kind of interactive shooting element should be incorporated.

TMNT is a versatile IP that I think almost every ride system would work with. Another idea - what about a rapids ride through the sewers?

 

[MickeyWaffleCo.]

Another idea for TMNT - what about a rapids ride through the sewers?

Outsider’s opinion: I’m not a TMNT fan, but that would be awesome.

 

[DashHaber]

TMNT is a versatile IP that I think almost every ride system would work with. Another idea - what about a rapids ride through the sewers?

Oh, I hadn't considered that! It would work as a way to add a water ride to Universal (which the studio park tends to lack on that end), and the spinning motions of a river rapids ride can evoke a spinning shell. Plus, I feel like indoor river rapids rides aren't as much of a thing, so that would be a bit more unique.

 

[DashHaber]

Oh, and the perfect name just occurred to me for that TMNT river rapids ride.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Sewer Surfin'

 

[DashHaber]

So, if we do go with an anime area in Universal Studios and opt for a more general anime showcase in our core park, I thought about some potential anime franchises that we could use that are more well-known to Western audiences and/or easier to pitch to them. Here's a list of some potential IPs (along with small sentence descriptions to help give folks who aren't as familiar a basic idea of their plots):

• Dragon Ball Z (a strong alien martial artist battles powerful threats to our existence)
• Sailor Moon (a magical girl warrior defends Tokyo from mysterious threats with the help of her friends)
• Lupin III (a master thief pulls off all sorts of crazy heists)
• My Hero Academia (a powerless boy is chosen to be a hero's successor, attending a school training new hero students)
• Astro Boy (a robot boy fighting for a peaceful world for both humans and robots)
• Speed Racer (a skilled racer takes on crime in high-speed races)
• Cowboy Bebop (a ragtag group of space bounty hunters travel the stars)
• Ghost in the Shell (a cyborg cop deals with cybercrime in a cyberpunk future)
• Mobile Suit Gundam (a young man is pulled into wars between Earthbound people and space colonies, with his giant robot)

I'm probably missing some potential stuff, considering my selection does skew slightly older for the most part. Also, if we went with a land design that was like an anime-esque spin on a modern city, we could call this land Animetropolis.

 

[JokersWild]

I don’t plan on contributing to this, but One Piece has some of the most striking visuals in anime. That might be a worthwhile IP as well.

 

[DashHaber]

I don’t plan on contributing to this, but One Piece has some of the most striking visuals in anime. That might be a worthwhile IP as well.

Very good point. One Piece would offer some incredible visuals.

If we go with the general anime showcase, I could still see this as a possibility. However, if we made this section devoted to Shonen Jump (in a more realistic take), then One Piece would definitely have to be there.