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Universal Epic Universe (South Expansion Complex) - Now Open!

s8film40

s8film40

Well-Known Member
Edward Jackson said:
To quote an animated merkat, "Sit down before you hurt yourself." I am not being critical, one way or another, but you seem to be
expecting a lot from a new park that hasn't had one part of it announced yet. Part of taking advantage, would be to have the whole
project ready to go. Considering it has taken over 2 years and the show still hasn't been replaced in the old T2 building. When are they
going to be taking advantage in 4 or 5 years?
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I’m not sure what you’re getting at, things take time to build. I also don’t think the T2-3D replacement is a big priority. It’s definitely not going to be a big game changer attraction or land. Universal has already proven they can bring the quality now they just need to bring the quantity. Having three parks gives them the ability to approach the value that Disney can offer with a much larger resort. Also looking at the model for the Nintendo section it looks like it’s safe to say they’re putting good effort into this new park. I think this is going to be a pretty big deal for Universal and I think they know they need to put a lot into this park to really put it over the edge. I’m not really being critical one way or the other this is just going to be interesting to watch how the theme park business in Central FL evolves with these big changes.
 
Tom Morrow

Tom Morrow

Well-Known Member
s8film40 said:
It’s funny you say that, I’ve always viewed the Chester & Hester area as the best themed area in DAK. It has a story and theme and a creative way to something fairly ordinary. All the other lands while they’re great represtations of the parts of the world they represent, they’re fairly unimaginative.
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(insert Chloe.gif here)

Harambe and Anandapur are absolutely dripping with story. More than Hogsmeade and Diagon even, because they had to create a fictional story from the ground up rather than just reproduce what was already created in the books and films.

The big difference is that it's easier for "Diagon Alley" to resonate with people than "poor African village that has been occupied by several different governments is now liberated and finding its own identity" or "accurate down to the lighting fixtures recreation of the Nepal region".
 
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s8film40

s8film40

Well-Known Member
MickeyMario said:
"Disney hasn't made any good movies since Snow White.

Oh, did I mention I haven't seen any Disney movies since Snow White?"
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Would it make you happy if I said WDW instead of Disney? I simply acknowledged that I haven’t experienced every attraction you mentioned and that my opinion may not extend to those.
 
s8film40

s8film40

Well-Known Member
Tom Morrow said:
The big difference is that it's easier for "Diagon Alley" to resonate with people than "poor African village that has been occupied by several different governments is now liberated and finding its own identity."
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Yeah that’s my point it’s just not as interesting. To me the whole point of theme parks is to transport you to interesting worlds and experiences. I think DAK serves its purpose very well, but it’s just not the kind of place people want to visit like Diagon Alley or Batuu from the new Star Wars land. It’s very much like World Showcase. I think the imagineers realized pretty early on that something like that wouldn’t stand on its own as a theme park, and they’re now realizing the same thing with DAK as they try to add more to make the park somewhat interesting beyond just being a heavily themed zoo.
 
Timothy_Q

Timothy_Q

Well-Known Member
facepalm.gif
 
Tom Morrow

Tom Morrow

Well-Known Member
s8film40 said:
Yeah that’s my point it’s just not as interesting. To me the whole point of theme parks is to transport you to interesting worlds and experiences. I think DAK serves its purpose very well, but it’s just not the kind of place people want to visit like Diagon Alley or Batuu from the new Star Wars land. It’s very much like World Showcase. I think the imagineers realized pretty early on that something like that wouldn’t stand on its own as a theme park, and they’re now realizing the same thing with DAK as they try to add more to make the park somewhat interesting beyond just being a heavily themed zoo.
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Fair enough. I personally find Harambe and Anandapur to be just as interesting as the IP-based lands, for different reasons. It's cool to see them bring a fictional world to life, but I'll probably never visit those real life places so it's also cool to see an accurate recreation that also has its own internal fictional story and background for those who wish to seek it out.

They're also distinctly different than the World Showcase pavilions, which present the countries in a general overview/summary format rather than a realistic depiction of being there.
 
I

imperius

Well-Known Member
Both parks have done great things lately. I started this due to someone saying Diagon wasn’t game changing which was hilarious. If Universal announces the new Park tomorrow we all win. If it’s all Worlds designed like the SNW we all win. I love both parks and am finally going to a Disneysea in September which is what I hope Universal’s new park lives up to. It’s a great time to be a theme park fan.
 
tirian

tirian

Well-Known Member
imperius said:
Both parks have done great things lately. I started this due to someone saying Diagon wasn’t game changing which was hilarious. If Universal announces the new Park tomorrow we all win. If it’s all Worlds designed like the SNW we all win. I love both parks and am finally going to a Disneysea in September which is what I hope Universal’s new park lives up to. It’s a great time to be a theme park fan.
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Exactly. The real-life competition is much friendlier than fans seem to believe.

Obviously, every talented person can’t work for one company, and due to nearly 25 years of outlandish internal politics, many of the most talented people refuse to work in-house for WDI. And so many aspects have been outsourced, you often have the same companies working on attractions for Disney, Uni, etc. Plus, almost everyone in the industry grew up obsessed with classic DL, MK, and EPCOT Center.

We’re all going to benefit from Uni’s announcement.
 
J

JT3000

Well-Known Member
My spicy hot take on the current conversation: Pandora is a nice looking land, especially at night, but I do think it's disappointing once you realize it's basically a few large set pieces aided by forced perspective, and that it's bereft of the smaller, more intricate details that abound in Wizarding World. It's more on the level of Cars Land.

Now for some real feather ruffling -- I'm not convinced Galaxy's Edge has raised the bar much, if any, for domestic Disney lands. Based on what I've seen, it has nice theming, but it also allows the immersion to lapse in several places, something Pandora and Cars Land don't really do. It also doesn't reach the same heights as Wizarding World for creating a realistic space on a human scale. You can tell it was built to accommodate theme park crowds, something people complain about Wizarding World's inability to do, but I think it's part of what sets those lands apart once the initial rush is over.
 
ThemeParkTraveller

ThemeParkTraveller

Well-Known Member
JT3000 said:
My spicy hot take on the current conversation: Pandora is a nice looking land, especially at night, but I do think it's disappointing once you realize it's basically a few large set pieces aided by forced perspective, and that it's bereft of the smaller, more intricate details that abound in Wizarding World. It's more on the level of Cars Land.
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I don't think there's a right or wrong answer here. Some people prefer the visual splendor and scale of Pandora, whereas others prefer the charming and intricate details of Diagon Alley. I've always felt they are too different (natural vs urban setting) to be directly compared.
 
Coaster Lover

Coaster Lover

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
A little over an hour until the announcement... I think what I'm hoping for most of all is that this announcement actually has some details to it. I feel like Disney and Universal have been on this kick where they announce something but only provide the minimalist of details. I don't expected a detailed park map, but I'm hoping they at least clearly lay out what the theme lands will be, provide a good piece of concept art for each, and detail one major attraction in each land. I don't think that's too much to ask, but we'll see.
 
Voxel

Voxel

President of Progress City
Coaster Lover said:
A little over an hour until the announcement... I think what I'm hoping for most of all is that this announcement actually has some details to it. I feel like Disney and Universal have been on this kick where they announce something but only provide the minimalist of details. I don't expected a detailed park map, but I'm hoping they at least clearly lay out what the theme lands will be, provide a good piece of concept art for each, and detail one major attraction in each land. I don't think that's too much to ask, but we'll see.
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Me too. I had some friends who worked for Universal Creative back around the time the Nintendo Deal was announced. I'm curious to how many of the concept that told me about survived. I have a feeling none of them did, but still.
Like you said, I hope we get alot of concept art and a map.
 

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