Universal Epic Universe (South Expansion Complex) - Opens May 22 2025

[rd805]

Your move, Disney.

 

[Indy_UK]

I know they prefer to bury their heads in the sand but Disney HAVE to come out guns blazing at D23 this year.

Villians land beyond thunder mountain and South America expansion of AK has to be fully confirmed with detail to break ground in 2025.

 

[yensidtlaw1969]

Am . . . am I the only one who's underwhelmed?

 

[lazyboy97o]

When they say WWoHP:MoM will blend 1920s Paris with the HP MoM, I hope that doesn’t mean the land will be in the Fantastic Beasts 1920s era with the ride randomly in the 1990s HP era. That would be very strange. It would feel like they committed to a Fantastic Beasts land but the films weren’t as successful as they hoped, so they kept the land they designed and then threw in the Ministry ride originally planned next to Diagon Alley because they think we’d rather see Harry than Newt.

This is very much what happened.

Not really but the land would make more sense with its second ride.

 

[Chef idea Mickey`=]

Not much here we didn't already know.

Celestial Park sounds very Epcot.

I truly hope those at the Disney company currently those who agreement with the tearing down of Fountain Of Nations and the cool hub like once Future World aesthetic with the astronimcal lights on the floor now get a dose of slap for now Epic Universe somehow bringing game on the fountains! I see other additional fountains even beyond the gigantic centered one!

 

[Jrb1979]

Am . . . am I the only one who's underwhelmed?

What were you expecting?

 

[Earlie the Pearlie]

WOOOO EPIC YEEEEEAAAAAH

 

[yensidtlaw1969]

What were you expecting?

I mean, basically what was announced, but maybe that's it. I don't think I heard anything today we didn't already know.

I will say, too, the renderings make things look smaller than I'd expected. I know better than to trust that kind of art 100%, but it looks like there's a lot of obvious expansion pads while the "Worlds" aside from Berk look surprisingly cramped.

 

[999th Happy Haunt]

Wow. The Orlando smackdown begins.

 

[Andrew25]

I mean, basically what was announced, but maybe that's it. I don't think I heard anything today I didn't already know.

I will say, too, the renderings make things look smaller than I'd expected. I know better than to trust that kind of art 100%, but it looks like there's a lot of obvious expansion pads while the "Worlds" aside from Berk look surprisingly cramped.

To be fair, we fans have been in the know for years about the content in the park... this was for the general audience that had no idea this was even happening outside of a quiet announcement back in 2019.

 

[Chef idea Mickey`=]

A big part of Riveria’s problem is that its theme is goggledygook. Disney’s own descriptions are all over the place and contradictory. The whole thing is just a McMansion mess.

The resort is themed after Walt Disney's trips and experiences in Europe and a love of the French and Italian Riviera. A collection of his travel images are incorporated into the resort's decor. Popular Disney characters are also painted into the overall theme of the resort including known characters' boat storage.

I'm not sure what boat storage means specifically...

I think the whole reason is not they started making a resort off of a World Showcase country but instead based off Walt... similar to Walt being featured in the mural in Grand Destino Tower which I assume also showcases there he loved visiting Spain or not...,

 

[SaucyBoy]

Looks good! It's not going to sway our Orlando vacation plans (Disney will always come first) but I'm excited to check out something actually new in town next year.

 

[EricsBiscuit]

I love how they have Steven Spielberg in there! Sadly I think most at Disney don’t seem to care what Uni does. I talked with an Imagineer at the last D23 who wasn’t a newbie and she didn’t even know about Hagrid’s! You would expect that the people designing the rides at Disney would be up on the competition. Hopefully that was just a one off. Anyways, I very much look forward to seeing EU. I’ve been amazed as I’ve been going to the convention center the last couple years and watching the progress.

 

[yensidtlaw1969]

To be fair, we fans have been in the know for years about the content in the park... this was for the general audience that had no idea this was even happening outside of a quiet announcement back in 2019.

Right, but the people here in this thread aren't the general audience, so I feel a little surprised by how many jaws are still dropping. Not that I have a problem with anyone feeling excited.

For me, what they showed today actually made the project feel smaller than I'd expected - though perhaps also smaller than it actually is. I don't know. 3 lands the size of Mario World feels underwhelming to me, that place is tiny.

 

[EricsBiscuit]

Right, but the people here in this thread aren't the general audience, so I feel a little surprised by how many jaws are still dropping. Not that I have a problem with anyone feeling excited.

For me, what they showed today actually made the project feel smaller than I'd expected - though perhaps also smaller than it actually is. I don't know. 3 lands the size of Mario World feels underwhelming to me, that place is tiny.

In Hollywood it’s tiny. The land in EU is not a 1:1 clone per Alicia Stella. What surprises me is how much has been retained. What was released today is substantially similar to the announcement concept art 4 years ago. They have only cut one attraction AFAIK (the broomstick ride which was cut due to capacity and quality IIRC). The rendering we saw should be very close to the real deal. In which case, it looks beautiful. Filled with detail and very unique. Keep in mind it’s also hard to get a sense of scale with no mini humans in the model. I’m sure it’s going to feel larger when you’re actually there.

 

[donsullivan]

Right, but the people here in this thread aren't the general audience, so I feel a little surprised by how many jaws are still dropping. Not that I have a problem with anyone feeling excited.

For me, what they showed today actually made the project feel smaller than I'd expected - though perhaps also smaller than it actually is. I don't know. 3 lands the size of Mario World feels underwhelming to me, that place is tiny.

A lot of the imagery, including the fly thru doesn’t have any people in it so it loses a little reference of scale.

 

[danlb_2000]

I mean, basically what was announced, but maybe that's it. I don't think I heard anything today we didn't already know.

I will say, too, the renderings make things look smaller than I'd expected. I know better than to trust that kind of art 100%, but it looks like there's a lot of obvious expansion pads while the "Worlds" aside from Berk look surprisingly cramped.

But "we" aren't the target audience for this announcement, this is announcing what we know to the general public.

 

[danlb_2000]

Right, but the people here in this thread aren't the general audience, so I feel a little surprised by how many jaws are still dropping. Not that I have a problem with anyone feeling excited.

For me, what they showed today actually made the project feel smaller than I'd expected - though perhaps also smaller than it actually is. I don't know. 3 lands the size of Mario World feels underwhelming to me, that place is tiny.

Donkey Kong Coaster aside, Nintendo is probably the smallest of the lands. How To Train you Dragon looks considerably bigger.

 

[wannabeBelle]

This looks so good, I cant wait!! Marie

 

[Weather_Lady]

I'm very excited about Epic Universe, and hope to get my family there within the first year after it opens.

While I realize that our capitalistic mindset forces us to consider this as a Disney vs. Universal contest of some kind, I see it as a contest where the winner isn't one franchise or the other -- it's Orlando tourists in general. It's good and healthy for Universal to be constantly reminded of the need to pair great storytelling and 3-dimensional theming with great ride systems, and for WDW to realize it's not just in competition with "itself the way it used to be," but it's also in competition with another world-class theme park that, at least lately, has built more, built faster, chosen more exciting projects, and implemented more effective systems (in my experience) to manage wait times.