Portions of Kidzone closing January 16, 2023

sonoma15

Well-Known Member
Was really hoping for the Kung Fu panda attraction that Hollywood has taking over the old Barney Theater rather than just the dance show they dud previously..
It won't be the same show as the old Dreamworks Destination show. I don't know what exactly it'll be but it's not the same. There will be a Kung Fu Panda show (kind of, it's an interactive experience like Turtle Talk With Crush) in the Kung Fu Panda section.
 

MisterPenguin

President of Animal Kingdom
Premium Member

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cheezbat

Well-Known Member
This is what I expected it to be…a basic overlay over the original attractions…but I’m gonna say it: Fievel’s play land would be superior to Shreks swamp.

I hope someday we get a few dark rides back in here.
 

Tom Morrow

Well-Known Member
Okay I hate to be negative but I do have an immediate critique - this is an area where very clearly the ground should be the brown concrete or whatever that mimics dirt. Instead they went for standard grey asphalt, and, even worse, painting the ground, which looks tacky every time.

In general, Universal is not very good at making the ground look nice. Before you say "it's just the ground, who cares?" - it is 1/3rd of your field of vision most of the time.
 

sonoma15

Well-Known Member
Could you imagine if Disney came out with this "land" as their summer offering?! This looks beyond cheaply done.
Maybe if you count this as their only summer offering but then that's also ignoring the 2 new shows and summer parade. Oh, and also the fact they are building a whole new theme park down the street. This land isn't anymore cheaply done than something like Storybook Circus, and actually I would welcome with open arms if Disney did something like this because they need more smaller offerings and updates to flesh out the parks and keep them up to date than just 1 big ride every year.
 

DKampy

Well-Known Member
Maybe if you count this as their only summer offering but then that's also ignoring the 2 new shows and summer parade. Oh, and also the fact they are building a whole new theme park down the street. This land isn't anymore cheaply done than something like Storybook Circus, and actually I would welcome with open arms if Disney did something like this because they need more smaller offerings and updates to flesh out the parks and keep them up to date than just 1 big ride every year.
Ummm … I am no storybook circus fan(I am not the demographic however)but I don’t think anyone can honestly say that is just as cheap looking as the new dreamworks land even the Barnstormer with it’s minimal theming Is not as barebones as the troll coaster
 

dothebrdwalk

Well-Known Member
Ummm … I am no storybook circus fan(I am not the demographic however)but I don’t think anyone can honestly say that is just as cheap looking as the new dreamworks land even the Barnstormer with it’s minimal theming Is not as barebones as the troll coaster
Facts. Not even playing a Trolls song on the lift. Even the Woody Woodpecker coaster had a sound effect. The entire land it just "hit this button, make a sound." People would be going wild if Disney called this a new mini land regardless of its target audience. I am not spending $100+ for my kid to go into an amusement park for them to play on a playground.
 

sonoma15

Well-Known Member
Ummm … I am no storybook circus fan(I am not the demographic however)but I don’t think anyone can honestly say that is just as cheap looking as the new dreamworks land even the Barnstormer with it’s minimal theming Is not as barebones as the troll coaster
Ok well Storybook Circus doesn't have an Animatronic and DreamWorks Land does, it doesn't have a show and DreamWorks Land does, it doesn't have a turtle talk with crush type attraction and DreamWorks land does, it doesn't have specialty food and DreamWorks does. We can keep making selective comparisons all day, but the fact is that both projects were a similar size and scope, and something both companies need to be doing more of.
 

dothebrdwalk

Well-Known Member
Ok well Storybook Circus doesn't have an Animatronic and DreamWorks Land does, it doesn't have a show and DreamWorks Land does, it doesn't have a turtle talk with crush type attraction and DreamWorks land does, it doesn't have specialty food and DreamWorks does. We can keep making selective comparisons all day, but the fact is that both projects were a similar size and scope, and something both companies need to be doing more of.
I think you're proving that both projects are not of the same size and scope. Storybook Circus is not a land but rather a neighborhood of Fantasyland. Dreamworks is literally an entire "LAND." If you want to compare it to a land, compare it to Toy Story Land which beats the heck out of it.
 

sonoma15

Well-Known Member
I think you're proving that both projects are not of the same size and scope. Storybook Circus is not a land but rather a neighborhood of Fantasyland. Dreamworks is literally an entire "LAND." If you want to compare it to a land, compare it to Toy Story Land which beats the heck out of it.
No I'd say Storybook Circus is probably the best comparison. Toy Story Land is a lot higher budget, and not meant for just children. It has a dark ride and a major coaster (its not that thrilling but its the main coaster of that park). Maybe the other Toy Story Lands that are just a collection of basic flat rides and RC Racer but not Hollywood Studios.

Also, the Trollercoaster will probably have music, it was most likely just turned off for media previews because it is copyrighted and will (presumably) be blasting.
 

DKampy

Well-Known Member
Ok well Storybook Circus doesn't have an Animatronic and DreamWorks Land does, it doesn't have a show and DreamWorks Land does, it doesn't have a turtle talk with crush type attraction and DreamWorks land does, it doesn't have specialty food and DreamWorks does. We can keep making selective comparisons all day, but the fact is that both projects were a similar size and scope, and something both companies need to be doing more of.
Storybook circus was part of New Fantasyland that also had beauty and the beast, Snow White, and The Little Mermaid areas… just like Dreamworks has Trolls, Shrek, and Kung Fu Panda
 

Tom Morrow

Well-Known Member
After reviewing a couple of videos. Is this improvement over what was there before? I'll say yes, but not by much. The added greenery is nice, especially for a park that has almost none. The level of detail and immersion is pretty minimal though and "standard theme park" though. Like, this is about the level of theming Kings Island put into their kids area, which they overhauled as Camp Snoopy this year. Which is great for Kings Island, but a little odd for UOR in 2024.

Storybook Circus is pretty basic too, but the ground being themed and not just standard asphalt and painted ground goes a long way.

It's really weird that they seem so content with putting mediocre additions and changes into USF.
 

Andrew25

Well-Known Member
DreamWorks is a "Frankenstein" project of good/bad/decent "mini-lands".

The Shrek section is great, the one con is that the trees need to take some time to grow in to give it a true "swamp" feel and they left a lot of the concrete this basic beige color with no mud/brick work theming.

Kung Fu Panda is decent, but rather small. Decently themed, improvement over Curious George.

Trolls is by far the oddest portion of the area. The Trollercoaster lacks theming (not expecting rockwork or anything fancy, but some nicer props along the greenery/bushes would be appreciated) and they left some ugly uncolored walls/fencing plain in site.

Imagination Celebration is a better iteration of the Barney show.

Overall, I would have loved if they expanded on Shrek's level of theming onto Trolls.

The land will be a hit with children as it is now relevant to them (the goal at the end of the day).

USF suffers from poor choices & timing, but I think this is a decent "stop-gap" in between Epic Universe and (hopefully) projects like Pokemon and Rip Ride Rockit replacement.
 

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