Let's see what Joe SeaWorld thinks!
Wonders of Nintendo Parade
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Acting as both a promotion for Super Nintendo World at Universal’s upcoming third gate and as a way to celebrate Nintendo’s greatest IPs, the Wonders of Nintendo Parade is a daytime parade (duh) that shows off the best of what Nintendo has to offer. Along the streets of New York and Production Central in Universal Studios Florida, watch as large floats (that look like traditional parade floats, not like the above image) of characters from Pokemon, The Legend of Zelda, Kirby, Metroid, Animal Crossing, Splatoon, and Super Mario (which is the ending float) roll along the streets, accompanied by orchestrated remixes of popular tunes including World 1-1 from the original Super Mario Bros, Green Greens from Kirby’s Dream Land, and the Paldea overworld theme from Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Along the parade route, you can also interact with costumed characters such as Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Princess Peach, Link, Kirby, Samus, Isabelle, Pikachu, and an Inkling (though the human-like characters are face characters) by meet-and-greeting with them.
A very solid and well done entry to kick things off! As a Nintendo fan I would adore this. You did a good job getting a wider set on series without going too obscure. There's a tendency we have as fans to put all the references everywhere in these kinds of projects, but you showed the perfect amount of restraint to make it fun for fans without being too unrealistic.
+1 Bonus - Really great choice of song to capture the vibe you were going for!
Universal has a lot of cartoon IPs under its belt (including some that aren't owned by Universal), so why not take advantage of that - AND resurrect a long-closed Islands of Adventure show at the same time? Popeye, Betty Boop, Woody Woodpecker, Dudley Do-Right, and their chums make their way down the streets of Universal Studios, performing tricks and riding colorful circus wagons - with Ringmaster Bullwinkle J. Moose at the front of the pack, driving (or attempting to, anyway) the circus train.
Bonus:
I usually am not as into reviving old shows/rides. Not that it's a bad idea to do so (Usually I adore revivals!), but just because they often make less interesting projects for games like this. "The thing you like, let's bring it back" is not a bad idea at all, but not the most fun in this context. BUT the show is so obscure and the concept fits so perfectly for a parade that I absolutely can't complain here. This is a great idea! A perfect way to please Universal history nerds AND to add a classic cartoon parade. Plus, the circus train makes a fantastic framing device! My only note is that the toons featured are not exactly popular IPs anymore. But Universal has been pushing the retro stuff pretty heavily lately so it isn't as outside the realm of possibility as it might seem.
As a sidenote, if anyone missed it Storybook Amusement (one of the best theme park history YouTubers aside from Defunctland) did a ReAnimated project for this show! It's mostly still images and not animation, but it is very very fun
+1 Bonus - This show had a fantastic soundtrack
The Past Roars Parade
A parade dedicated to a bevy of lesser-known Universal movies that didn’t get attractions of their own at any point, from the silent era to today, floats sorted by genre. A celebration of Universal’s entire history, even the more regrettable parts of it, proceeds along with traditional parade music as a contrast to Disney’s parades and more of a “realistic” atmosphere.
Short, sweet, and to the point. Universal history from the beginning. A more grounded style. A focus less well represented films. A very solid idea! You didn't say much but honestly there's not much more to say! Love the concept and it plays really well into the legacy angle Universal has been going for lately. I'm a little unclear what you meant by "Traditional Parade Music," are you suggesting a live marching band or something? If so that would be a really cool idea for a parade and a fun twist on the concept.
The Scare Parade
This new parade at universal is themed around the scariest properties cinema has ever made. The floats will be themed to scream, Friday the 13th, chucky, stranger things, nightmare on elf street, and FNAF. The floats will be themed to their respective franchises and guests who love Halloween horror nights are going to have a blast with this parade.
Bonus: The parade’s soundtrack will kind of be a mix of the most iconic horror songs. Since most of the songs are instrumental, the singing parts of the song will be FNAF songs such as Five Nights At Freddy’s and It’s Been So Long.
Universal is THE theme park home for halloween and horror. And honestly Peacock is THE streaming service home for horror too. Between the Chucky series, FNAF, Blumhouse, etc horror is only becoming a bigger and bigger part of Universal's brand. I like the variety you chose too as you found a good mix of modern, classic, grounded, and corny horror. All franchises that I could see Universal reaching out to. From a personal standpoint, you have all my favorite horror here aside from Cabin in the Woods and the original Halloween (which admittedly would not translate well to a float. I'm picturing just a flat patch of grass with a Michael Myers standing there menacingly without moving the whole time). My only real concern is that this might be a bit too scary of a theme for a parade considering parades tend to be big with kids. If this was a nighttime parade or just for HHN it would make a bit more sense. But personally this would make me very happy.
+1 Bonus - Living Tombstones walked so 8-Bit Big Band could run
Universal's Reels of Adventure
Universal presents a fun look back at some of the greatest movies ever produced by the studio during their first stateside Nighttime Parade with 1000s of LED lights, beginning in the silent era with B&W floats and period appropriate "cinema organ," moving to the classic monster films of the 1930s and 1940s, to the westerns of the 1950s and 1960s, and then the blockbusters of the 1970s and beyond (Jaws, ET, Back to the Future, Jurassic Park, etc, incorporating the score tracks); the parade ends with a "megafloat" of characters from Universal's most recent films (these can be easily swapped out) dancing to the new, original theme song for the parade (this is my bonus):
Tonight is the night when the stars come alive,
Come 'back to the future,' shift the car into drive!
Lights, camera, action! It all starts tonight!
Adventure awaits when the stars come alive!
Silent magic, monstrous and tragic!
Tumbleweeds, a smoking gun!
Killer sharks, and a dinosaur park!
Here it comes, you better run!
Tonight is the night when the stars come alive!
The magic of Hollywood, lights shining bright!
Cut! That's a wrap! Have a wonderful night!
Adventure awaits when the stars come alive!
Love a good nighttime parade! And with control of the lighting I can really see effects like a black and white float working out really well. Your choice of era and themes was really smart too. A good way to encapsulate such a rich cinematic history into a more digestible format. B&W, monsters, westerns, blockbusters, and now. I really like the idea of a more variable finale too so new characters can be added. Keeps it from feeling too stale and keeps the parade actually up to date. Just for the record, since the song was a bonus I'm not counting it as a part of the actual project (that would push you way above 3 sentences anyways lol), but I love that you wrote a bit of music here! the song is really good and it shows how clear your vision for this is!
+1 Bonus - A fantastic original song!
CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT PARADE
Children of the Night Parade, as the name suggests, is a tribute to Universal's (and others) iconic catalogue of horror films and icons, split across three different sections. The Age of Shadows unit celebrates the Universal Monsters, who lure and entice us from their gothic spires, Frankenstein's lab, and the Parisian catacombs, whilst the Age of Blood celebrates the slashers of the 80s like Freddy, Jason, Leatherface, Michael Myers, and Chucky as they prowl the parade route. The third unit, the Age of Fear, includes modern monsters, including Sadako Yamamura emerging from her well amongst other Japanese phantoms, whilst the ghouls of Blumhouse - the Lipstick Demon, Mr. Boogie, Babyface, and a dancing squad of M3GAN - bring this sinister soiree to a close.
This has a similar problem as
@Muppetsfan#1 of being perhaps a bit too scary for a regular parade, but as a part of HHN or maybe as a night parade this would be perfect! I liked your division of the three eras. Rather than a focus of individual franchises or characters, you focus on those characters as one part in the larger landscape of Hollywood horror. You have a lot of characters here that I would almost say is overkill, but since they are all parts of a larger whole it works to have a wide variety of monsters.
+1 Bonus - That mash up is a bop
idealbuildout.blogspot.com
If you think the chaos, magic, and kinetics of Potter's sequel land is crazy enough, it only gets crazier with Universal's festive new parade addition: The Diagonal Menagerie! With magical parade floats and costumed Fantastic Beasts turning around the corner near the Bourne stage, the story goes that after Newt Scamander's mystical suitcase was accidentally opened in the middle of the Magical Menagerie shop in Diagon Alley, the fantastic creatures from the suitcase, including Bowtruckles, Nifflers, Occamy, and Demiguises had escaped with the shop pets into the busy London area. Featuring five parade floats (with the first four subtly themed to the four houses in Hogwarts) and many walking beasts, the animals march festively across dreary Muggle London before being ushered back into Newt's (now giant) suitcase- the final parade float and the last thing muggles see before the rambunctious animals disappear behind King's Cross station...
