RandySavage
Well-Known Member
Interesting to see the design evolution of the park with a side by side of birdseye found and posted at themeparx.com.
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Universal Epic Universe (South Expansion Complex) - Opens 2025
- Thread starter Bob Harlem
- Start date
RandySavage
Well-Known Member
RandySavage
Well-Known Member
SpectreJordan
Well-Known Member
I know this post is a couple months old but I'm just lurking this thread.
I think the Universal monsters are so entrenched in pop culture that they don't need relevant movies to make this land work. The Halloween holiday's helped make them a permanent part of American culture. Everyone knows who Dracula, Frankenstein & the Wolfman are even if they've never seen a movie with them in it. I'm even speaking from experience since I've never seen any of those films before last October.
Of course, the rides still need to be good to support an entire land. But the same could be said for any IP... besides Diagon Alley.
SpectreJordan
Well-Known Member
We shouldn't expect them to open with everything imaginable. That means they don't have any potential for the future; they're boxed in with what they have outside of rethemes.I probably won't be fully content with the state of the park until the expansion pads get filled in. It's just one of those things I can't ignore. That's a lot of unused space.
Not sure where there was a debate on bigger lands vs. smaller ones, but the obvious advantage of having a larger land is having more experiences. Does this guarantee the land will be better? No, but more content is typically a good thing versus having less content.
What's better than a beautiful backdrop? Attractions. Attractions with nice facades.
What they're opening with seems like a fantastic lineup for the start of the park. Universal just has to actually use those expansion pads eventually, unlike Disney.
Twirlnhurl
Well-Known Member
I agree completely. The Universal Monsters may be a specific IP that isn't necessarily popular, but they are based on several public domain IPs that have a very large cultural weight. Very few bad rides with popular IPs are successful (Fast and Furious), while plenty of good rides with unpopular IPs are very successful (Splash Mountain, Tron, Skull Island Reign of Kong).I know this post is a couple months old but I'm just lurking this thread.
I think the Universal monsters are so entrenched in pop culture that they don't need relevant movies to make this land work. The Halloween holiday's helped make them a permanent part of American culture. Everyone knows who Dracula, Frankenstein & the Wolfman are even if they've never seen a movie with them in it. I'm even speaking from experience since I've never seen any of those films before last October.
Of course, the rides still need to be good to support an entire land. But the same could be said for any IP... besides Diagon Alley.
WDWFREAK53
Well-Known Member
This looks like newer art but the theater is still in the Monsters section.
On themeparx, it's labeled as "early concept." It was scraped from the architect's website gallery.
WDWFREAK53
Well-Known Member
Gotcha. I thought it was newer art due to the space-themed building off of the hub being removed.
The space where the theater was has become an expansion pad, at least when I was last in the know of the plans in 2021.
At one point, a pitch for an open air theater show became an indoor one, an expansion pad that would feature things used in Bourne Stuntacular as that show was a prototype for a few elements of Epic Universe.
At one point, a pitch for an open air theater show became an indoor one, an expansion pad that would feature things used in Bourne Stuntacular as that show was a prototype for a few elements of Epic Universe.
Andrew25
Well-Known Member
The theater space is now being used by the new Werewolf spinning coaster. There's another expansion pad at the back of the land.
I was going to say, that werewolf spinning coaster is tiny compared to the amphitheater expansion pad.
My biggest concern for this park will be the same struggle IOA had in its early years. What rides are there for the grandkid to grandparents to do together? Low height requirements, tame thrill dark ride.
We know some flats are coming. We don't know what the height requirement is for the Monsters project but it is a spin off of the Van Helsing concept that was pitched when that movie could have been a hit, and become Forbidden Journey later. So unless it is a lot tamer with enveloped ride vehicles it will probably have a near 40 inch minimum or more height requirement. Hopefully the Potter and Monster Dark Ride provide more quadrant hitting situations.
The recent flats that have been added are also quite intense.
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WDWFREAK53
Well-Known Member
Carousel, Yoshi, Boat Ride, MarioKart, and even the flying flat ride is only as intense as you make it.
Yoshi and Mario Kart both have the same height requirements as Japan. Japan's are even typically more lenient but as of now they are the same. Yoshi is fairly low but not zero. There will be plenty of two and three year olds turned away. Mario Kart won't be available for anyone under 40 inches.
Flying Flat ride will still have the intensity of height and height requirement. This puts it as the same issue IOA had when it first opened, but slightly worse as there were more options for no height requirement rides when IOA first opened with Seuss but there is a reason that Flying Unicorn and Storm Force Accelatron were the first additions to the park.
So we have the Carousel and boat ride.
It is not a deal breaker, but when three year olds pay the admission gate price and same as the adult annual pass price, it will need more for the fams.
WDWFREAK53
Well-Known Member
Which puts it right up there with Hollywood Studios.
I do agree that there needs to be more but this is a pretty solid lineup for Day 1.
I think where this park differs is that each land will be an attraction...with play areas, splash pads, and interactive elements.
Personally, when my kids were 3, they enjoyed the play areas more than the rides.
For sure I am looking forward to Epic immensely, the IOA problem is just what I wanted to point out.
Hollywood Studios of current...close but still offers more accessability than what is currently known about Epic Universe. Runaway Railway is an E ticket with no height requirement. Then you have the themed venue shows with no height requirements that I don't see EPIC having yet. (Muppets) and Toy Story Mania, while I am not a fan, is dark ride experience with no height limitations and light on thrill. Then there is Alien Swirling Saucers, as a flat ride.
Hollywood Studios of old/MGM Studios offered more for the no height requirement as well as having the playground factor.
You bring up a good point. Are there a lot of known play areas yet? Mario in Japan was kind of a let down to us in that regard. A lot of potential for interactivity but every interactive point required a power up band and a small queue for it.
Just to clarify, the boat ride we speak of is How to Train your Dragon right? a family boat ride with Creature from the Black Lagoon and catacombs was once a part of Dark Universe, almost like a Pavilion piece.
Ironically of it all. Universal Studios Florida opened with no height requirements on any ride except for ET Adventure. Which was the lowest(and none if you got the spaceship seat that was once a thing) Now ET Adventure is the lowest height requirement in the park.
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WDWFREAK53
Well-Known Member
I'm just going off of Rumors by Alicia Stella who seems to be very much on top of this park's development. It appears that a splash pad of sorts is being constructed in the hub. A play area in How to Train Your Dragon (Yes, that's the boat I was talking about). SuperNintendo has the interactive power ups (and I believe Donkey Kong area will as well). I'm sure there will be more wand stations throughout the new Harry Potter section as well.
sedati
Well-Known Member
Is it a theme park or just the most epically convoluted porte cochere ever conceived for a hotel?
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Rush
Well-Known Member
Epic Universe will have a healthy amount of offerings for the whole family. Beyond the family rides which make up the majority of the selection, there's two stage shows, an insane amount of interactivity at SNW in addition to at least 8 mini-attractions, and lastly the new generation wands at Potter.