All things Universal Studios Hollywood

[Rich T]

While at Disneyland we can meet two lonely stormtroopers. Where is the Lothcat meet & greet?

Seriously, how difficult would it have been to create a “creature stables” walkthrough where guests could meet a Bantha, a Dewback, a Tauntaun etc.

In 1977, Marine World in CA had the original Bantha elephant costume on display, and seeing that in person, life size and beautifully staged, was more fun than any of GE’s non-ride offerings.

 

[Rich T]

Disney must be really kicking themselves in the foot right now. Especially since Disney briefly had the theme park rights to the Super Mario Bros series (made by Hollywood Pictures, Disney's defunct film division) back in the 1990s in hopes of the live-action film ending up a successful. The idea was quickly killed after the film's terrible performance as the box office.

I believe Disney didn’t have anything to do with the creation of the awful 90’s Mario film; they just distributed it.

As with Harry Potter, I’m glad Disney didn’t end up with the Mario park rights, as Universal has been making incredibly good use of both IPs. I honestly don’t think Disney would know what to do with them, beyond shoehorning them into existing attractions.

 

[brb1006]

I believe Disney didn’t have anything to do with the creation of the awful 90’s Mario film; they just distributed it.

Correction on the Disney and Nintendo statement, it was Jeffrey Katzenberg who was dreaming of bringing Nintendo products into Disney's business model.

 

[PiratesMansion]

Disney really, really needs to relearn how to build a quality attraction as quickly as they could decades ago. This, of course, would probably mean massive restructuring and giving the parks top priority—Something I find hard to believe could actually happen in such a huge, lumbering media corporation (not the cool Paul Bunyan kind of lumbering).

I think it's a matter of consistency.

Disney can do it if they want to, and RSR and ROTR, to me, are proof of that. However, beyond that, much of Disney's best work from 1994 onwards has been limited to Asia, and much more concentrated in a limited area compared to Universal, which has seen a more even distribution of quality attractions.

What they need to do, IMO, is to put people in place who understand the parks and what people want from them, while also clamping down on irrelevant money sucks that don't directly contribute to making the ride work-costs have ballooned for questionable reasons, and Disney is getting worse bang for their buck than anyone else in the industry. They should want to fix that and be able to do so without attraction quality itself suffering.

 

[Rich T]

How To Train Your Dragon is one of my all-time favorite films, so I’m a little concerned about the recently-announced live action remake. The fact that the original director is at the helm, however, gives me hope. Fingers crossed.

And suddenly a whole land at Epic Universe devoted to HTTYD seems a lot more timely.

 

[Parteecia]

How To Train Your Dragon is one of my all-time favorite films, so I’m a little concerned about the recently-announced live action remake. The fact that the original director is at the helm, however, gives me hope. Fingers crossed.

And suddenly a whole land at Epic Universe devoted to HTTYD seems a lot more timely.

 

[D.Silentu]

How To Train Your Dragon is one of my all-time favorite films, so I’m a little concerned about the recently-announced live action remake. The fact that the original director is at the helm, however, gives me hope. Fingers crossed.

When I saw this announcement I was a little surprised, but I guess all the money Disney has made rehashing their own material was just too tempting. It's bothering me more and more that so much new media is actually something recycled.

 

[gerarar]

As a Nintendo fan, who always tunes in for Nintendo Directs. I've never seen Shigeru Miyamoto look this happy before!

It made me so happy too, been a long time fan and watcher of the Directs ever since Iwata started/did them.

Imagine if he was still here today, he would've been so proud to see how far the brand and these cherished characters have gone..

 

[J4546]

I believe Disney didn’t have anything to do with the creation of the awful 90’s Mario film; they just distributed it.

As with Harry Potter, I’m glad Disney didn’t end up with the Mario park rights, as Universal has been making incredibly good use of both IPs. I honestly don’t think Disney would know what to do with them, beyond shoehorning them into existing attractions.

Have they though? Mario Kart ride is ok....def not great. Pretty dissapointing honestly esp in Hollywood where its the only ride in the land. The land looks great, but its really really small. Def a much needed expansion for USH but the MK ride is just....not what I would want in a MK ride.

I feel like universal has built a couple beautiful lands lately with SNW and Daigon Alley but both only have 1 ride and theyre....not fantastic. Im hopeful Epic Universe will be awesome though, I love the concept and theming of the park.

 

[Phroobar]

Have they though? Mario Kart ride is ok....def not great. Pretty dissapointing honestly esp in Hollywood where its the only ride in the land. The land looks great, but its really really small. Def a much needed expansion for USH but the MK ride is just....not what I would want in a MK ride.

I feel like universal has built a couple beautiful lands lately with SNW and Daigon Alley but both only have 1 ride and theyre....not fantastic. Im hopeful Epic Universe will be awesome though, I love the concept and theming of the park.

It is the second dark ride in a park that a couple of years ago never had any dark rides. With the money they saved on a smaller outdoor area and no Yihui ride they built Secret Life of Pets which is fantastic. There just isn't a lot of space down there.

It would have been cool if the cars where driver controlled in a MK Double Dash fashion but that would cut into capacity.

 

[brb1006]

 

[Rich T]

Have they though? Mario Kart ride is ok....def not great. Pretty dissapointing honestly esp in Hollywood where its the only ride in the land. The land looks great, but its really really small. Def a much needed expansion for USH but the MK ride is just....not what I would want in a MK ride.

I feel like universal has built a couple beautiful lands lately with SNW and Daigon Alley but both only have 1 ride and theyre....not fantastic. Im hopeful Epic Universe will be awesome though, I love the concept and theming of the park.

I’m mainly considering Universal in Orlando and Tokyo, present and future. Hollywood will probably always be constrained by its location, making up for its shortcomings with the energy that comes from being an actual working and historic movie studio.

Even so, regarding Nintendo, the USH land is great and though MK might not be the most exciting ride ever, it does colorfully capture the look and atmosphere of the videogame. I’m hoping that, at Epic Universe, the DK coaster will round out Super Nintendo World into a more balanced and complete land.

The current Potter experience in Florida, taken as a whole, is the best representation of a fantasy world I’ve ever seen. The 2 lands are both phenomenal, and the current ride lineup—Forbidden Journey, Hagrid’s, Hippogriff, Hogwart’s Express and Gringott’s—is very strong (I think Gringott’s, though the weakest of the three headliners, is still a fine ride and a good representation of the franchise). I’d even count Knockturn Alley as a walkthrough attraction on par with similar hidden walkthroughs at Disneyland Paris and Disneysea.

I usually spend the bulk of my Universal Orlando visits by starting in Hogsmeade, taking the Train to Diagon Alley for lunch and Gringott’s, then heading right back on the train to Hogsmeade and the rest of IOA. That, I believe, is one of the very best and most enjoyable theme park day-trips currently available in the U.S. (I think the rest of the Studios park is in dire need of a major makeover.)

Epic Universe is going to be a huge and fascinating look at what Universal’s capable of delivering, in many categories, so they’d better pour everything they’ve got into it. Fingers crossed!

 

[jpinkc]

I hate to agree but it was probably a blessing that Rowling did not go Disney. They could never have built anything close to what Universal has (with the current management IE the "BOBS"). At one time they might have, but anymore...... I just dont see it.

 

[Consumer]

Harry Potter is distinctly part of British culture and has no place in Disneyland.

 

[Rich T]

Harry Potter is distinctly part of British culture and has no place in Disneyland.

But… Mary Poppins? Peter Pan? Alice? Pooh? The Wind in the Willows?

 

[Consumer]

But… Mary Poppins? Peter Pan? Alice? Pooh? The Wind in the Willows?

Those are Disney pictures and are parts of American, not British, culture. Their source material? Distinctly British. The film adaptations? Distinctly American.

 

[brb1006]

Those are Disney pictures and are parts of American, not British, culture. Their source material? Distinctly British. The film adaptations? Distinctly American.

I didn't know P.L. Travers had a WDWMagic account.

 

[Rich T]

Those are Disney pictures and are parts of American, not British, culture. Their source material? Distinctly British. The film adaptations? Distinctly American.

What if Disney had made the HP films? I do agree that in their current incarnation/look/style, I don’t think the Wizarding World is a good fit for DL.

But, then again, I don’t think Avatar or Star Wars are good fits for the park either.

 

[Phroobar]

Where is Black Hole Space Mountain? When Space Mountain was new, the exit hallway had pictures from the movie.

 

[Rich T]

Where is Black Hole Space Mountain? When Space Mountain was new, the exit hallway had pictures from the movie.

If it means an Ernest Borgnine AA and Maximilian standing in hell at the end (whoops, spoiler), I say replace Ghost Galaxy with Black Hole!