Team Mystic Presents
Imagine a world where our world is over run with the living dead... One must constantly live in fear, in fear of one day being attacked by those haunting our every move... The Walking Dead will reign supreme and there's nothing us vulnerable, helpless mortal souls can do about it.
Universal Orlando Resort has decided to capitalize on this fear with an all new theme park experience coming to Universal Studios Florida.
Location
The new Walking Dead area at Universal Studios Florida will take the place of a large portion the World Expo "themed" area at the park. The Men In Black attraction show building will be gutted and used for the main, E-Ticket attraction. In addition, a portion of the Fear Factor Live! land plus the area directly surrounding the former Men In Black: Alien Attack will be dedicated for the rest of the new land, including the C-Ticket flat ride.
Note: The rest of the Fear Factor Live! area will be used in upcoming expansion of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic.
Area Description
Entering from the Harry Potter side, a brief green area creates a visual break to the guests. This green area acts as a Segway to the Walking Dead area. Unlike coming from the Simpsons Land, guests entering from Harry Potter become wanderers (like Rick’s group) entering from trekking through the woods to a seemingly abandoned town in the aftermath of the apocalypse. Entering into the land from this side, guests will see on either side of the walkway are two chain fences. On the left hand side is a sheet with the message “Just Listen” scrawled on it. The pavement has a similar foreboding message painted across the crosswalk “Turnaround and Live”.
Entering from the Simpsons Land, guests leave the cherry, brightly colored town to come across an abandoned, deteriorated carnival. The area has rapidly decayed, its bright colors tarnished and faded. Growling sounds and the shadows of walkers inspire the guests to move quickly ahead, passed the military barricade. Safety is still dubious, but a map pointing to Terminus may offer some relief.
This town does not resemble any specific area from the TV series, but looks as if it could be plucked from the show. A map to Terminus is located at either entrance to the land, indicating the main attraction. Several overturned military barricades are scattered throughout the land (mostly behind fences or railings). Guests have entered into the land of the Walking Dead. There are very few clocks in this area as time besides (night and day) have lost all meaning. Those clocks that are visible have died at 2:17 (a nod to those in the know).
If guests look down the alleyway next to the C-ticket ride, beyond the bodies of dead walkers, they can make out the CDC building (using forced perspective) with the surrounding area littered with bodies and a tank.
A similar alleyway is next to the restaurant depicting the rear of the hospital where Rick first woke up. Dead bodies wrapped in white sheets are lying side by side near an open doorway.
Passing by several buildings in different states of decay and destruction, guests notice that the windows are clouded over with dust and debris. A door of a building is chained shut with the words “Dead Inside Don’t Open”. This is an interactive door, when a guest pulls on the handle, the sound of growling walkers comes from the entryway.
Across the street, a department store window (utilizing screens) shows several walkers ambling brokenly through the racks of clothes. The revolving door is permanently barred against the horde of walkers trying to break down the door (screens).
Further in, guests pass several abandoned cars, where a car radio can be heard playing two distinct messages: “All who arrive, survive” and the garbed message that sounds like “Terminus..is a lie”. Someone has written in the dust of a mini van’s windshield “Let Momma Be”. If guests lean in close enough, the body of a zombified woman is in the backseat.
Nearby, railroad tracks are embedded into the concrete leading to the main tunnel to Terminus.
Escaping Terminus
E Ticket Attraction
Vehicles
Similar to an arcade style video game, guests are loaded two per vehicle (player one and player two), into a trackless ride vehicle. “Guns” are tethered to the vehicle so as to allow free range of motion of shooting not only at the screens, but at the practical effects as well. A miniature screen is embedded into the console for each player to display their points. Guests use their guns to shoot down the walkers to earn points. The vehicles are randomly placed either close to the screen or farther away. The further away a vehicle is, the more points are earned for each target hit. Much like Toy Story Mania, screens will react to the guest’s guns. Unlike Toy Story Mania however, there will be practical AA that will add in a scare factor and well as be a chance for extra points.
Queue
As the building for Terminus proper looms nearby, guests will pass by signs that declare Terminus a sanctuary.
Upon leaving, guests will see the back side of these same signs desecrated to say No Sanctuary.
Approaching the Terminus building, guests pass trains cars with banners saying: “Sanctuary For All. Community For All. Those Whose Arrive, Survive”. Troughs of bright sunflowers mark the beginning of the queue. Passing through a wire fence with a sign stating: “Lower Your Weapons. You Will Be Met. You Have Arrived at Terminus”, guests are led into the main courtyard.
This open area is populated with dilapidated umbrella covered patio furniture, laundry wash bins, and piled near one of the tables is a familiar orange backpack and stack of riot gear. A boxed off garden is in the middle of the courtyard surrounded by what looks like several kitchen counters. A nearby barbeque pit smokes faintly, and a smell of cooking meat wafts on the breeze (which should be fairly awkward).
Turning left, gated off is a collection of bloody body parts lying on a blue tarp, hinting at what’s in the next building. If guests listen carefully, muffled cries for help can be heard from the rail cars stationed nearby.
Through the next door marked with an A, is the butchering room. Several bodies are collapsed over the bleeding trough, and behind an opaque plastic sheet, the silhouette of one of the termites butchering a body can be seen. Once the body is cut up, another body is brought in. This sequence plays on repeat.
Entering into the train’s roundhouse, an eerie if beautiful sight greets guests. Candles are grouped in threes on the floor; their glowing flames flicker across names etched into the floor surrounded by what guests can assume are the personal effects of that person. As the queue hugs the wall and circles the room, a message scrawled on the wall catches everyone’s attention: “Never Forget. We First, Always.”
The final building (doorway marked with an A) houses the map making room. Guests will be directed into one of several rooms by a Termite. On a screen which takes up an entire wall, the guests can see a woman seated at a table repeats Terminus’s message into a microphone. A group of people with their backs to us, hunch over tables working on banners and map. Once the door to the room closes, the woman on the microphone notices us, takes off her headphones, and calls out to Gareth. Gareth turns around to face us and welcoming us to Terminus.
Gareth: “There you are! Welcome to Terminus.” He holds his hands wide in a welcoming gesture. “We’re so glad you decided to join our little community.”
A door opens in the background and Mary walks in, making her way quickly over to Gareth.
Mary: “Gareth, who are our new friends?” She smiles benignly.
Gareth: “They have agreed to join our community, Mother.”
Mary: “Oh, that’s wonderful. My name is Mary. Welcome to Terminus. You look like you’ve been on the road for quite a while.”
Gareth: “Here we can live peacefully, without the threat of walkers or people who would take advantage of us. But it wasn’t always this way.”
Mary looks visibly upset now, and Gareth puts his arm around her to console her.
Gareth: “We were good people that helped others like yourselves. But then we were attacked, assaulted, and …”
Mary sobs quietly into Gareth’s chest.
Gareth: “But not anymore, we fought back. We became the butchers instead of the cattle.” Gareth’s voice is hard and unforgiving.
Mary seems to gather himself, wiping away her tears.
Gareth: “But there were others that came who didn’t agree to our new way of life and had to be taken care of. They didn’t know what it was like to be hungry. But even dead, they helped feed us. And we honor them as you probably saw in our memorial room.”
Mary is smiling now, and Gareth’s voice turns warm and friendly again.
Gareth: “Now that that unpleasantness is behind us, let’s get you something to eat.”
Gareth glances at Mary, and Mary takes that as her cue.
Mary: “Come with me. Let’s fix you a plate.”
But before Mary can walk away, a huge explosion shakes the building, causing the floor under the guests to vibrate. Another Termite bursts through the doors.
Termite: “Walkers! They broke through the barrier!”
Gareth (turns back to the guests): “Get to the vehicles and take a gun. Wait for my instructions!” Everyone rushes out the back door.
The guest doors open and the guests head to the vehicles.
Loading
Using a moving walkway, guests are directed into their two person vehicles.
Ride Scenes
The vehicles leave the loading dock in a set of three, making their way out into the Terminus compound moving between two buildings. Gareth’s voice comes over the radio.
Gareth: “The walkers are in the courtyard. Clear them out.”
The guns become active just as the walkers appear on screen. Shooting at the screen, guests take down as many walkers as possible before Gareth orders them to a new location. Several effects can be triggered at each location. The first scene has a gas tank that if hit causes an explosion of fire not only on screen but also in the room. A pillar of flame bursts out over the guest’s heads. The explosion will kill a group of walkers in mass, but will also end their time at this particular scene.
If the tank is hit, the vehicles will be blown backward into the next room. If not, the guests will receive directions from Gareth to move to the left into the next room. The scenes are randomized so each experience will differ from the previous one.
As Gareth directs the guests further into the compound, the walkers become more numerous, even appearing as pop ups behind the practical sets. Hitting these pop ups will earn points as well. The compound becomes more in flamed with each screen. The practical sets are on fire adding to the distraction of the guests. Even the pop up walkers in the practical sets are on fire.
Soon, Gareth directs the vehicles to the roof of the compound. The buildings are smoldering adding to the difficulty, but Gareth draws our attention to new targets. Rick and groups are freeing the others from the train cars.
Gareth: “Kill the Ringleader!”
Guests target Rick and his group, but survivors fire back, showering the guests in sparks as their vehicles are hit.
Gareth: “Fall back!”
What follows is a duck and cover run style shoot out. The vehicles continuously move single file down an alleyway where guests shoot down any walkers on screen or practical or dodge shots from Rick and his group through the ever growing flames.
The final scene shows Gareth and few other Terminus survivors watching as Rick and his group escape into the woods.
Gareth: “We will hunt them down.” The guns deactivate as the vehicle head to the loading dock.
Unloading Dock
Guests unload on another moving walkway. On the back wall, the smoking form of the main Terminus building continues to burn.
The Walking Dead: Walker Attack
C Ticket
The Walking Dead: Walker Attack will be a new C-Ticket attraction that invites guests to drive off the Walkers attacking the safe haven base that you are defending. The system of defense (aka the ride vehicle) will be similar to Buzz Lightyear's Astroblasters from DisneyQuest.
Backstory
The backstory will revolve around this new, undiscovered and abandoned base that your group decide to use as a home is sadly filled with walkers. To resolve this, your group builds makeshift vehicles filled with ammo to venture into the compound and eliminate all of the Infected.
Ride Specifics
The ride would use the AstroBlasters system and use balls as projectile as mentioned before. The Walkers would be AAs, and use an advanced version of the sensors on the numerous Buzz Lightyear AAs. The vehicles would be like a go-kart, with a wheel, gas, and brake.
Mary's Kitchen
Nestled next door to the E Ticket ride is Mary's Kitchen. This table service style dining option offers something for every Walker, Cannibal, or Survivor, although fans of the show will know that this restaurant will focus heavily on meat dishes (human or otherwise).
Appetizers
Bloody Soup Shots
Rick's Rabbit Stew
Beef Tenderloin Dippers
Cheesy Stuffed Mushrooms
Daryl's Deer Cakes
Main Course
T-19
(Pasta in Tomato and Pesto Sauce)
Pork Spareribs and Brain Potato Salad
Chicken with Bell Pepper Fingers
Spaghetti with Tainted Meatballs
Leg O' Bob
(Roasted Leg O' Lamb)
Bloody Steak Medallions
Sasha's Salad
Desserts
Finger Éclairs with Bloody Chocolate Sauce
Blood Clot Cupcakes
Grilled fruit kebabs with a honey, mint and citrus sauce
Cake pop eyes with oozing cherry blood
Carl's Chocolate Pudding
Walker Mouth Cupcake
In Mary's famous words: "Let's Get You A Plate."
Supply Run
Located across the street from the Terminus attraction, Supply Run is the grand shop for all Walking Dead merchandise. Themed around a building that looks like it could be from Rick’s hometown. This is to give the impression that this store is where you’ll need to get supplies from your journey into the land of the Walking Dead. From this location, guests can go in several directions to reach the attractions and the restaurant. A Ferenc Builders truck is located right outside just outside the door. Behind the fenced off area, down the alley, an army helicopter with the emblem 7th Calvary Regiment can be seen lying on its side beside the tank Rick took refuge in.
The store houses a collection of props that have appeared throughout the seasons. They are stored haphazardly as if someone came behind Rick’s group and collected the things they left behind. On top of the shelves are a collection of weapons and ammo. Sharp eyed guests will notice Daryl’s crossbow, “Lucille” – Neegan’s vampire bat, and Abraham’s bazooka, Micchone’s sword, and Rick’s bloody axe throughout the store. A busted radio will sometimes spring to life spitting out broken messages such as a Rick’s radio conversations with Morgan, Terminus’s messages and other radio messages from the show. A single tv aquarium seems to have survived the Governor’s destruction of Woodbury. The zombified head floats with the brackish water, but be careful; he’s been known to bite! A burnt smell permeates from this grotesque aquarium. A familiar set of riot gear can also be seen mix in among the ammo and weapons. Several familiar paintings are partially hidden behind other knick knacks, such as the Sunflower painting and the bloody girl painting.
Merchandise
From replicas of Rick’s hat and Andrea’s mermaid necklace to action figures and POP! vinyls, this shop has something for ever taste. A wide variety of t-shirts are offered alongside costume hoodies. Fans can get the latest issue of the Walking Dead or even one of several fan guide books detailing each episode of the season and character bios. Keychains and plushes are stocked along the wristbands, coffee cups, and posters. One of the newer items is a set of patches declaring your allegiance to the Hilltop Colony, the Saviors, the Wolves, or the Kingdom.
Fans of Daryl, rejoice! This supply store has a section dedicated to the much loved: If Daryl Dies, We Riot! Shirts, cups, jewelry, and action figures take up an entire wall to cater to all things Daryl.
Conclusion
Thank you for joining Team Mystic on this hair raising adventure through the world of The Walking Dead. We hope to see you return so we can give you even more everlasting frights.
