All things Universal Studios Hollywood

[Phroobar]

How about a Ghostbusters ride replacing the Simpsons. It would probably still be some kind of simulator. The building facade could look like New York.

 

[mickEblu]

How about a Ghostbusters ride replacing the Simpsons. It would probably still be some kind of simulator. The building facade could look like New York.

I’d be 100% on board with this. A shooter would also make a ton of sense and probably fit in there too.

 

[Phroobar]

I’d be 100% on board with this. A shooter would also make a ton of sense and probably fit in there too.

As long as the shooter doesn't look like this


Make it trackless multi-level with pepper ghost effects. Less screens and more AA figures. More along with lines of Men in Black.

 

[mickEblu]

As long as the shooter doesn't look like this


Make it trackless multi-level with pepper ghost effects. Less screens and more AA figures. More along with lines of Men in Black.

Oh wow I didn’t know one existed. Yeah please not like this one haha.

 

[Professortango1]

The popularity is due to the characters and creatures. Nostalgia obviously helps but Disney takes advantage of that as well.

Kanto and Johto take inspiration from real world Kanto and Kansai which could produce a Japanese inspired town, not too different from how Bavarian influence was used in Fantasyland.

As another user suggested, you can create an attraction based off Pokémon Snap where you go through “wildlife” taking pictures of wild Pokémon. Or a Pokémon Go inspired ride where capture wild Pokémon and fight a gym leader at the end of the attraction, using technology similar to Mario Kart. Or just hop on a Lapras and take a slow water dark ride through caves, mountains, forests, desert, and sea to observe Pokemon native to each biome and fill your Pokédex.

It would be a ridiculously IP to adapt to a theme park.

I know I'm not the target demographic, but sounds like a land based around the Hide and Seek Monsters Inc Ride. Or a really low budget Kilimanjaro Safari with random cartoon animals chilling. Until we poach them with our poach-e-balls.

As for battling, not sure how that works as a ride. And even still, I would prefer to be in the action rather than controlling an Augmented Reality animal that's fighting a screen.

Pokemon, for me, is franchise that makes sense in the media it is in (games and product-pushing cartoons), but works only in a limited way for a theme park ride and even worse as a land.

 

[TragicMike]

I know I'm not the target demographic, but sounds like a land based around the Hide and Seek Monsters Inc Ride. Or a really low budget Kilimanjaro Safari with random cartoon animals chilling. Until we poach them with our poach-e-balls.

As for battling, not sure how that works as a ride. And even still, I would prefer to be in the action rather than controlling an Augmented Reality animal that's fighting a screen.

Pokemon, for me, is franchise that makes sense in the media it is in (games and product-pushing cartoons), but works only in a limited way for a theme park ride and even worse as a land.

Again, the appeal are the creatures. Dark ride for the family with “cute” Pokémon.

Make a coaster with “cool” Pokémon for older demographic.

Race with a Dragonite. Escape from Lavender town with Ghost Pokémon. Take a trackless ride as you weave in and out of action as the best Pokémon trainers in the world battle it out at the Indigo Plateau.

I’m not even putting much thought into these ideas. The point is that there’s plenty to be done with the Pokémon IP. You and I aren’t imagineers so we may not be able to create feasible solutions but that isn’t our job.

 

[Professortango1]

Again, the appeal are the creatures. Dark ride for the family with “cute” Pokémon.

Make a coaster with “cool” Pokémon for older demographic.

Race with a Dragonite. Escape from Lavender town with Ghost Pokémon. Take a trackless ride as you weave in and out of action as the best Pokémon trainers in the world battle it out at the Indigo Plateau.

I’m not even putting much thought into these ideas. The point is that there’s plenty to be done with the Pokémon IP. You and I aren’t imagineers so we may not be able to create feasible solutions but that isn’t our job.

I get that it isn't our job, but it just sounds like SLoP with different show scenes. Not bad, but nothing demanding a whole land. I think they could add a Pokemon ride to the already existing World of Nintendo since Pokemon is a Nintendo property and considering the land is limited in attractions. Maybe instead of the Yoshi ride, they just have a Pokemon ride where you see random cartoon animals.

 

[October82]

I get that it isn't our job, but it just sounds like SLoP with different show scenes. Not bad, but nothing demanding a whole land. I think they could add a Pokemon ride to the already existing World of Nintendo since Pokemon is a Nintendo property and considering the land is limited in attractions. Maybe instead of the Yoshi ride, they just have a Pokemon ride where you see random cartoon animals.

Pokemon is a bit like Harry Potter in that a theme park translation won't be primarily about replicating the 'core mechanic' of the games, but about recreating environments from the games and the rest of the world, 'Pokemon centers' for example.

A lot of the game lore is also based on Japanese culture, myths, and history. Lots of potential for attractions that build on those ideas without limiting things to a 'Pokemon safari'.

 

[Professortango1]

Pokemon is a bit like Harry Potter in that a theme park translation won't be primarily about replicating the 'core mechanic' of the games, but about recreating environments from the games and the rest of the world, 'Pokemon centers' for example.

A lot of the game lore is also based on Japanese culture, myths, and history. Lots of potential for attractions that build on those ideas without limiting things to a 'Pokemon safari'.

Gotcha. The locales in the cartoon never looked too distinct or elaborate to me, which is why I have a disconnect with it as a theme park concept.

Plus, being a wizard is something I can immediately buy into and presents a ton of possibilities. Flying, shooting things with wands, seeing classic fantasy creatures, etc. I am doing things. For Pokemon, I get stuck in the mindset that I am cheering on my animal that I put into a fighting pit. I'm not really doing much.

 

[Professortango1]

I'd love to see Springfield become 80's NYC. Have a Ninja Turtles ride, Spiderman, Ghostbusters.

 

[Rich T]

What would Pokemon Land even entail? The IP fairly limited considering it's about capturing animals and training them to fight in dog fights. Doesn't really sound like a ton of ride or experience possibilities.

As others have mentioned, the big concept that instantly comes to mind is the photography-safari-on-a-ride game “Pokemon Snap.”

Nearly everyone who plays this simulated ride experience instantly says, “This would make such a great ride at a park!”

Aside from that, there are haunted house scenarios involving ghost Pokémon, water rides for the water Pokémon, and a generally pleasing kinda-futuristic-but-could-exist-today style to the central cities of the Pokémon World.

And the gift store could easily be the size of a Walmart and still not have enough room.

 

[Rich T]

…I get stuck in the mindset that I am cheering on my animal that I put into a fighting pit…

But they LOVE to fight each other! … … except when they don’t…

(One of the games… I think it was Black and White… actually used the debate over Pokémon rights as the core story theme).

 

[Phroobar]

This discussion reminds me of a six hour trip from Scout camp in a van full of Pokemon obsessed thirteen year olds where no one took a shower for a week and my son about to kill the kids in back over who could win in a Pokemon battle.

 

[Professortango1]

But they LOVE to fight each other! … … except when they don’t…

I think Michael Vick said the same thing.

 

[October82]

Gotcha. The locales in the cartoon never looked too distinct or elaborate to me, which is why I have a disconnect with it as a theme park concept.

Plus, being a wizard is something I can immediately buy into and presents a ton of possibilities. Flying, shooting things with wands, seeing classic fantasy creatures, etc. I am doing things. For Pokemon, I get stuck in the mindset that I am cheering on my animal that I put into a fighting pit. I'm not really doing much.

I don't think you're alone in that perception. Harry Potter probably has more cross-generational appeal since Pokemon has always marketed itself as an IP for children. Part of that is Nintendo is very conservative and hasn't let the IP evolve as much as other franchises have (Harry Potter has very intentionally matured as an IP with its audience), but it also has a lot to do with HP being rooted in western culture that is more familiar to US audiences.

A lot of the deeper parts of the Pokemon mythos are straightforward retellings of Japanese stories, ideas, and themes that just aren't familiar to Americans. Most Pokemon, for example, are taken from either Japanese culture, mythical animals (dragons being an obvious example), or Shinto spirits. As someone else mentioned, the locales from the games are basically real world locations, either in Japan, in the US, or Europe. The games often feature events from various myths.

A well executed theme park land would have to be very well designed to convey that to audiences, but Pokemon themed entertainment is pretty well explored territory overseas. They could easily go the quick route and do what everyone would expect them to do - something based early takes on the IP - but I would be pretty optimistic about Universal Creative's ability to do something meaningful with it.

 

[mickEblu]

I'd love to see Springfield become 80's NYC. Have a Ninja Turtles ride, Spiderman, Ghostbusters.

I love this idea. Any chance we get the 80's animated Turtles and not the either the new animated or live action Turtles?

 

[Professortango1]

I love this idea. Any chance we get the 80's animated Turtles and not the either the new animated or live action Turtles?

I'll take the Mutant Mayhem version of the Turtles. It draws a lot off the old cartoon and toys. But I'd love to explore a fun brooding NYC that is populated by Superheroes overhead, ghosts hiding in the buildings and mutant crime fighters in the sewers below. Plus, it is a way to have 3 great IP's making one land strong rather than one IP stretched thin over a land and a few attractions.

That is my issue with Nintendo Land at USH. It is just Mario. It looks cute, but it is kind of one-note and the ride is more of the same. Donkey Kong adds at least a little variety.

 

[mickEblu]

I'll take the Mutant Mayhem version of the Turtles. It draws a lot off the old cartoon and toys. But I'd love to explore a fun brooding NYC that is populated by Superheroes overhead, ghosts hiding in the buildings and mutant crime fighters in the sewers below. Plus, it is a way to have 3 great IP's making one land strong rather than one IP stretched thin over a land and a few attractions.

That is my issue with Nintendo Land at USH. It is just Mario. It looks cute, but it is kind of one-note and the ride is more of the same. Donkey Kong adds at least a little variety.

Mutant Mayhem is probably my next favorite version of the Turtles. Not sure what all that stuff I’m between the 80s animated and Mutant Mayhem was. With the latter though that wouldn’t feel very 80’s

 

[TheDisneyParksfanC8]

Based on rumors, it seems Pokemon is not destined for USH at this time. Someone over on the IU forums said he thinks Pokemon is not coming to USH at all.

 

[mickEblu]

Based on rumors, it seems Pokemon is not destined for USH at this time. Someone over on the IU forums said he thinks Pokemon is not coming to USH at all.

Phew! Like Marvel, Pokémon doesn’t feel very transportive to me. It’s mostly about the characters. Marvel can be but it’s mostly about the characters. I guess if they made a nice Japanese themed land that could work for me. I’m talking Japanese countryside, temples and cherry blossoms. Not sure if that’s the Pokémon motif though. Never got into it. It was more my younger sisters generation.