Production Central is the entry land for Pi's Universal Studios!
It borrows a lot from the visuals of Universal Orlando irl (the pre-Minion take over version at least) and will likely be the most familiar land in the park. Modelled after a studio Backlot, buildings are generally done in the Spanish Colonial Revival architectural style commonly found in 1920s LA mixed with Soundstages and other production facilities. This land is a celebration of movies and the people who make them!
Entry Courtyard
As guests walk through the grand archways, they'll find a courtyard with the
Universal Globe Fountain as a grand centerpiece! Moving that iconic structure into the park itself instead of outside the gate will attempt to give the globe the respect it deserves as one of the most important symbols in theme park history. Placing it on the same level as the partners statue rather than just keeping it out front as a photo op.
The Studio Store will be the main gift shop for the park. Nothing too unique or special, but the facade will feature a large tile mosaic dedicated to some of the most iconic moments in Universal movie history!
The Gofer's Lounge will serve as Guest Relations for the park. Named after a nickname for Production Assistants ("Gofer" because they "Go For" stuff getting whatever is needed), this classic LA facade will house some of the most helpful team members in the park.
Nearby in a more modern building,
The Green Room will be a simple bakery/coffee shop. A perfect first stop in the morning to start your day! Adorning the walls will be behind the scenes photos of cast/crew relaxing between takes. You might even notice that Brendan Fraser finally got that cup of coffee.
The Soundstages
Pi's Universal Studios is intentionally going to avoid the hyper immersive single IP lands that Universal has become known for (though one is planned and potentially more in the second gate), in favor of more broad themes and genres. But I wanted to include a bit of that here since it's become so associated with Universal parks. So, as a part of Production Central, there will be 4 Soundstages each with their own immersive, heavily themed mini-land inside. Each mostly just a single attraction and possibly some dining/shopping, but still it will give a taste of modern Universal's design sensibilities fully transporting guests into these movies/shows.
Stage 82 - E.T. Adventure
Enter the soundstage and step on the hot set where Universal is filming a new E.T. Adventure!
This is not really a mini-land and is really more of a highly themed rest area in front of the classic ride, but the whole space is immersively themed to a dense forest similar to the incredible indoor queue for E.T. Adventure in Orlando. Relax on some benches made of fallen trees or take photos by the alien space craft! Elliot's house can be seen at the edge of the forest, housing the
Toy Chest Gift Shop where plushies, collectibles, and other play things can be found.
The main feature of Stage 82 is an updated take on the Universal classic:
E.T. Adventure! One of the only cloned attractions found in the park, this ride is too iconic to mess with and too important to Universal history to ignore. A fresh coat of paint and some updated effects are the only real changes. It is intentionally kept as a slightly dated design to lean into the nostalgia of the ride.
Stage 01 - Shrek's Freaky Fairytale
Enter the soundstage and step on the hot set where Universal is filming a new Shrek Adventure!
Just like with E.T. this soundstage is mostly centered around one ride, but there is still a nice indoor entry area themed to Shrek's swamp! Meet Shrek, Donkey, and Fiona in front of
Shrek's House or snack on some
Swamp Treats from a snack stand before passing by the Onion Carriage into a cave that will whisk guests far far away for a brand new bus bar dark ride
Shrek's Freaky Fairytales!
The story will be set up with a pre-show video introducing guests to a newcomer to Shrek franchise: The Pied Piper (technically has cameoed and appeared in the alternate universe of Shrek Forever After, but has barely been seen in the main series universe). The Pied Piper has set up a fun theme park dark ride to celebrate the fairytale creatures who make Far Far Away such a magical place! Guests are invited to be some of the first to ride it, along with Shrek and his family.
The ride itself starts off very cheesey and goofy as a parody of old Disneyland dark rides. Intentionally bad effects, visible strings, barely moving cut outs, etc showing vignettes of classic fairytales. Shrek and Donkey can be heard making fun of it as you go pointing out all the inaccuracies and flaws. Then, Shrek and his friends start to mess with the ride. They're seen as actual modern animatronics so they look real compared to the "fake" effects.
The Pied Piper gets really upset that Shrek is messing with his "masterpiece" and starts trying to stop him! Hijinks ensue in this gag filled ride as Piper tries to stop Shrek's crew while Shrek's crew in turn keeps messing with him. Eventually leading to Piper getting crushed under the incredibly inaccurate "animatronic" of Shrek Piper made for the ride (which looks like the original book design of the Ogre as an Easter Egg). This might be a bit larger in scale with some more modern tech, but this is a spiritual successor to the madcap wackiness of Mr Toad's Wild Ride showing as much love to the Fantasyland classics while still satirizing them in the reference filled irreverent way Shrek is known for.
Stage 10 - Despicable Me
Enter the soundstage and step on the hot set where Universal is filming a new Despicable Me adventure!
Unlike E.T. and Shrek, this soundstage is smaller in size, but is fully explorable rather than being mostly taken up by a dark ride. Guests can step inside of Gru's Lab for some Minion mayhem and zany gags! Not only is this a good place for younger kids and families to relax indoors when needed (with some quiet spots for napping babies or kids that need to destress), but it is also mostly a huge playground! Kids can run around the
Minion Training Lab to see if they have what it takes to join the Gru Crew! Slide down old missiles, climb around crazy gadgets, and go bananas!
Adding some extra pizzaz to the soundstage (as well as some kinetic energy), the kid's coaster
Despicable Weeee weaves around the area! Roughly the same thrill level of the Trollercoaster or Goofy's Barnstormer, this will be a perfect first coaster for younger visitors!
Stage 26 - NBC Studio Tour
The Final soundstage takes guests into the world of television! Primarily, classic NBC sitcoms!
The bottom floor serves as the primary quick service location for the park. Taking inspiration from Fast Food Avenue at Springfield or Harambe Market at DAK, this will be a sort of food court with a shared dining area and multiple heavily themed stands to get meals that share one kitchen. Order from Shirley's Sandwiches (Community), get some breakfast food from JJ's Diner (Parks & Rec), grab dessert from Yogurt Yoghurt Yogurte (The Good Place), and top it off with a drink from Shaw's Bar (Brooklyn Nine-Nine).
Upstairs, guests can take a walkthrough guided tour of recreations of iconic NBC sitcom locations! There will be a live Team Member acting as the NBC Page guiding us on our way as well as video screens where pre-recorded segments hosted by Kenneth Parcel (Jack McBrayer's page character from 30 Rock) sharing fun facts/anecdotes. The live page and Kenneth will have some fun banter as well while taking guests on a fun photo tour through Dunder Mifflin (The Office), Jack's Office (30 Rock), the Greendale Library (Community), Pawnee City Hall (Parks & Rec), and more! The shows represented will mostly be from the 2010s as they will be recent enough to still be relevant yet will have been around enough to have proven themselve to not be fads. Although the walkthrough attraction will be simple enough that it could be easily updated over time.
Central Plaza
The final section of Production Central goes all in on the Spanish Revival architecture to showcase some stunning, timeless SoCal buildings housing some major features for the park! With a fair bit of greenery to bring some life into the park which has up to now been mostly of concrete and show buildings as well as views of the park's central lake, this will be a lovely bright spot feeling like a central park at the center of the park.
Music Plaza
This open air concert space will host special performances and seasonal events throughout the year. When there's nothing specific to the time of year going on, then there will be rotating performances by the
Blue's Brothers and
Scott Pilgrim's New Band (same as the old band, but legal made them change the name) to add a bit of life. But even without a music, this is a great spot to relax on the soft astroturf and maybe grab a bite to eat from the nearby
Hollywood Jammin' snack stand.
While the design of the stage and the astroturf lawn in front is similar to the one in Orlando #1 IRL, the version seen in Pi's Universal Studios will be designed to be more visually reminiscent of the iconic Universal archways at the entrance.
Spielberg Park
Sharing a similar layout to the World of Color viewing area at DCA, Spielberg park will be a multi-tiered viewing area for the nighttime show over the lagoon. With each "level" being separated by short gardens and each "level" closer to the lake being a step or two shorter to allow for proper, unimpeded viewing from any angle. While this is primarily just a viewing area, it's worth checking it out during the day to see a mural dedicated to Spielberg's incredible filmography along the back of the shop/restaurant that runs alongside the park.
The Universal Studios Tribute Store
The seasonal Tribute Store is one of my personal favorite things at Universal Orlando! Every 2-3 months, the store is entirely redone and decked out in new decor and new themes. Blurring the line between shopping and walkthrough with an impressive amount of detail, passion, and care. The facade is kept simple since it changes so frequently, but one constant is a large screen on the side pointing towards the main path which switched between useful park info and fun shorts related to the tribute store's current theme.
Stars
Stars is the signature table service restaurant for the park. The most expensive dining option, but one that is well worth it. The classy interior is subtly themed to maintain an upscale ambience, but look to the ceiling and you'll notice a hand painted mural of the night sky. Complete with constellations that reference classic Universal movie moments. The title has a double meaning though as it references both the constellations and the way that when dining here you will feel like a pampered celebrity.
For those who want a taste of the drink/appetizer menu but can't afford a whole dinner, there is a roof top bar as well overlooking the lagoon. At night, this bar is used for dessert party viewing of the nighttime spectacular
