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

[Disstevefan1]

"E-ticket"
"video game"

Never approached Rise how? In what way? Universal has had plenty of groundbreaking attractions. Spider-Man was literally decades ahead of its time compared to what Disney was doing or has done with simulator technology. That other SWGE "E-ticket" is downright rudimentary by comparison, and opened how long after? They still don't have anything similar to Forbidden Journey either.

We know Disney is king at animatronics, but they've been consistently falling behind in ride system innovation. They have trackless ride technology (which they've started to abuse to the point it's not even impressive anymore), but not much else up their sleeve. Sometimes I feel like the main reason people are so impressed with Rise is because it's one of the rare times they've actually tried doing something new.

Avatar is Soarin' with a different seating arrangement. Guardians is a spinning coaster. Those have been around for a while (Universal has had one since 2014 in Orlando, or 2010 in Japan.)

Spider-Man in Universal Orlando is a great attraction in my opinion. It blends simulator tech, with 3D screens, with real dark ride elements, who doesn’t like real flames in a ride!

 

[ToTBellHop]

Yes, MoM is big. But I need to see what it does with its size. I hope it‘s the best ride in years if, for no other reason, than to push Disney to dream bigger in Florida and pull out the checkbook. It’s best for us if EU is a huge success, obviously.

Did see another video of the wolf coaster. I don’t think it hits 60 seconds (and it looks sloooooooow unlike TRON or RnRC). Let’s hope it doesn’t get 90-minute lines. If it gets Barnstormer waits, it’s a great addition.

 

[SpectreJordan]

Yes and no. I’m sure Potterheads will be more than happy to know that the ride is based on the Ministry of Magic they care about and not the one from Fantastic Beasts. I’m also sure that most park guests will be entranced by the Parisian Streets they can explore. It’s the best of both worlds and will make for a more compelling land.

Pretty much this. Do we know if the streetmosphere & walk around actors will be "set in the 20s"? Unless they do that then I don't think your average guest would realize the land takes place then. They're just in wizard Paris to them.

 

[DKampy]

Did see another video of the wolf coaster. I don’t think it hits 60 seconds (and it looks sloooooooow unlike TRON or RnRC). Let’s hope it doesn’t get 90-minute lines. If it gets Barnstormer waits, it’s a great addition.

This seem like a disappointment to me… IMO Universal Monsters should cater more to the older demographics of a family… if this is more of a kiddie coaster rather than a family coaster that is a disappointment and I am saddened they did away with the show for this… IMO a kiddie coaster would of been better suited for Dragon or Mario

 

[MisterPenguin]

Does anybody else sees in Celestial Park a "Cosmic Victorian style" theme???

In that cool theme but I don't see how the Chinese restaurante fit this theme.

First of all, it's not a "Chinese restaurant." It's pan-Asian with Japanese, Thai, and Chinese cuisine. ("Pan Asian" is in the name.)

The Constellation Carousel had a rabbit in it. I presume that's from the Chinese 'Zodiac.'

Victorians were interesting in all things Chinese.

The Victorian World: China

Discover the Victorian era first-hand in this huge topical archive of articles from Victorian periodicals! It's your #1 destination for everything you want to know about the Victorian era, including recipes, fashions, crafts, history, royalty, pets, Victorian images and clip art, and much, much...

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So maybe the park is taking a global view of the cosmos and is simply not being Eurocentric.

Although, you'd never know that considering the four lands: Eastern Europe, UK/France, Nordic Europe. And then there's Nintendo. Which one would think it would represent Asia... but... it'sa Italian!

And the Celestial Park (hub) keeps referencing ancient Greek and Latin...

 

[ToTBellHop]

This seem like a disappointment to me… IMO Universal Monsters should cater more to the older demographics of a family… if this is more of a kiddie coaster rather than a family coaster that is a disappointment and I am saddened they did away with the show for this… IMO a kiddie coaster would of been better suited for Dragon or Mario

It’s definitely an odd placement. I’ll be curious to see just how spooky the area is. If it feels like Haunted Mansion, it’d probably be fine. Revenge of the Mummy? Forget it.

I don’t see much theming on the coaster cars, either. Something steampunky would’ve been nice…I worry this will feel rather Six Flags-y next to the E-ticket.

 

[TalkToEthan]

They(Disney)have trackless ride technology (which they've started to abuse to the point it's not even impressive anymore),

So you’ve noticed that, too. They won’t stop with that “trackless” ride system and now it’s become as old hat and cliche as a magician sawing a lady in half or having her disappear from a standup box.

Pooh…..novel and brilliant
Aquatopia…..fun
Mystic Manor….. masterpiece
Luigi’s……bore fest
Rise……we’ve seen this trick before
Runaway Rail…… ya, we get it already
Rat….. really? Again?
Beaty n Beast…..not sure what to think
Zootopia…… hey, let’s dazzle the Chinese

 

[SplashJacket]

This seem like a disappointment to me… IMO Universal Monsters should cater more to the older demographics of a family… if this is more of a kiddie coaster rather than a family coaster that is a disappointment and I am saddened they did away with the show for this… IMO a kiddie coaster would of been better suited for Dragon or Mario

I don’t really think a launching spinning coaster is “kiddie.”

Definitely a family coaster. Comparisons to kiddie coasters comes from the length, but if you’ve ridden Ice Breaker at Sea World, you’ll know the launches and rollback can be quite fun, especially with the spinning element. Should be quite fun and the show scene should add some quality.

I expect it to surpass people’s expectations, but at the same time, it’s still a C-ticket coaster (7DMT being a D-Ticket).

I don’t see much theming on the coaster cars, either. Something steampunky would’ve been nice…I worry this will feel rather Six Flags-y next to the E-ticket.

Have we gotten a look at the coaster cars?

 

[ToTBellHop]

I don’t really think a launching spinning coaster is “kiddie.”

Definitely a family coaster. Comparisons to kiddie coasters comes from the length, but if you’ve ridden Ice Breaker at Sea World, you’ll know the launches and rollback can be quite fun, especially with the spinning element. Should be quite fun and the show scene should add some quality.

I expect it to surpass people’s expectations, but at the same time, it’s still a C-ticket coaster (7DMT being a D-Ticket).


Have we gotten a look at the coaster cars?

You can see them in videos. Look like black circles.

 

[yensid1967]

A Disney fan here that's fed up with Disney's complacency! Epic Universe looks...EPIC! I was blown away by the released video! I have been following the construction updates and I am excited about what EPIC will be like! Disney will be hurting for guests if they don't announce something NOW and not take over 5 years to do it!

 

[phillip9698]

This seem like a disappointment to me… IMO Universal Monsters should cater more to the older demographics of a family… if this is more of a kiddie coaster rather than a family coaster that is a disappointment and I am saddened they did away with the show for this… IMO a kiddie coaster would of been better suited for Dragon or Mario

I feel the complete opposite. Each land should have something for every demographic. That way the crowds are more dispersed and everyone gets a chance to be exposed to something they may have skipped otherwise.

 

[Earlie the Pearlie]

New Bio pics! Will try to add them as he posts, but here are some highlights thus far:

Aerial look at the mechanical assembly of Celestial Carousel.1 An outer ring will be propelled. Ring has six spokes.2 The six spokes are centered at this axle.3,4,5 Three raised inner circles also rotate. Each of these will have six figures that guests can ride.

At right in this aerial photo is a theming test at Celestial Carousel.Also seen:1,2 Framing for theming around the inside of the dome.3 One of the spinning circles of the ride, with a figure to be at each spoke.4 Electrical conduit for the inside dome lighting.

Aerial look at golden hue being added to the ribs of the Celestial Carousel dome in Epic Universe.

Aerial look at construction activity near Celestial Carousel. Including at center a variety of concrete forms. The concrete forms are over the pump room for all water features in Celestial Park (the park's central corridor).

Aerial look at a variety of concrete forms near Celestial Carousel in Epic Universe.Concrete forms are also at Astronomica, top left, a splash pad or play fountain.

Aerial look across water features in Celestial Park of Epic Universe.
All photos, as usual, by the incomparable bioreconstruct.

 

[Brer Oswald]

At a minimum, if someone doesn’t think Rise was groundbreaking, that’s the end of the discussion. Those three rides there are a big part of why we still even go to WDW. Universal has never approached Rise. Hagrid is a great coaster, but those animatronics keep it from reaching the top echelon.

Let’s hope all those new HP animatronics are better.

Rise has what, three animatronics? One of which is uncanny valley Finn and the other is a guy in a black helmeted suit? The Hagrid’s animatronics are all distinct and detailed, and work as great set pieces for the attraction. I’ve never heard anyone say they were less than impressed with them.

Rise of the Resistance impressed me on my first ride…partially. The opening from the pre show to the Storm Trooper room was jaw dropping (the first time). The room with the ATATs was also incredible. There was a lot of movement through similar looking hallways. The ending felt very anti climactic. I applaud Disney for trying, and they definitely succeeded with some of the parlour tricks in the attraction. But to say Universal has never “touched it” is an absolute slap in the face to both Universal and Disney themselves. I don’t think it even comes close to most of Disney’s E ticket dark rides.

 

[TalkToEthan]

Rise has what, three animatronics?

There’s more than 3

I think I remember 7 not including any stormtrooper

 

[SJN1279]

?

I always thought Hagrid looked pretty good.

I like the Hagrid figure. Great ride as well.

 

[Stripes]

We know Disney is king at animatronics, but they've been consistently falling behind in ride system innovation. They have trackless ride technology (which they've started to abuse to the point it's not even impressive anymore), but not much else up their sleeve. Sometimes I feel like the main reason people are so impressed with Rise is because it's one of the rare times they've actually tried doing something new.

What ride system innovations has Universal debuted recently? Gringotts had some innovations but that was nearly a decade ago.

Since then Disney has debuted a full-fledged roller coaster with motorized spin, a trackless ride system that can secure itself to high speed elevators and Motion bases (including both at the same time), guest controllable simulators on turntables, a boat ride propelled and controlled by magnets. And all of these innovations are patented by Disney, unlike say Forbidden Journey where the ride system was developed entirely by Kuka and Dynamic Attractions and Universal only had patents for certain show elements like the carousel of domed screens.

MoM: ~3.5 Acres

Rise: ~2.5 Acres

I don’t know how you’ve reached those figures.

Excluding the theater, the Ministry of Magic show building and queue appear to encompass about 120,000 square feet, and although it is tall, it doesn’t have a second level according to ThemePark Stop. For context, Rise is 165,000 square feet.

Rise is about 50 feet tall.

The AT-ATs in Rise are over 60 feet tall according to Disney. Add in the clearance between the AT-ATs and the themed ceiling, the HVAC system, etc. you’re over 70 feet.

That said, I’m sure Ministry will be impressive.

 

[SplashJacket]

I don’t know how you’ve reached those figures.

Excluding the theater, the Ministry of Magic show building and queue appear to encompass about 120,000 square feet, and although it is tall, it doesn’t have a second level according to ThemePark Stop.

No idea where you're getting 120,000 feet, but I wasn't including the theater. Unfortunately, on Google Earth, the satelite imagery is cut off exactly where the building is, so a piece of it is cut off, so I'm not entirely sure where the building ends.

Spoiler: Where the building ends investigation

Even from a more conservative guess, it's still at least 3 acres. This is very clearly an undercount, as this doesn't include the extended queue that was not yet constructed at the time of this satelite image, and when looking at Bioreconstruct's aerials, we can see there's an additional shorter section of building:

For context, Rise is 165,000 square feet.

Absolutely no idea where you got 165,000 square feet. Generously, using all of the queue, it's about 120,000 sq ft, which admittedly, is closer to 2.75 acres than the ~2.5 acres I said earlier.

The AT-ATs in Rise are over 60 feet tall according to Disney. Add in the clearance between the AT-ATs and the themed ceiling, the HVAC system, etc. you’re over 70 feet.

That's simply wrong... Laughably so... The height of Rise from ground level to the top of the gutter (where the top of the ceiling actually is, is ~50 feet, as I said.

That said, I’m sure Ministry will be impressive.

Glad we can agree on something

 

[Stripes]

Absolutely no idea where you got 165,000 square feet. Generously, using all of the queue, it's about 120,000 sq ft, which admittedly, is closer to 2.75 acres than the ~2.5 acres I said earlier.

You are measuring land area. Rise has a two-story show building. Ministry does not. Disney themselves stated that the show building is 165,565 square feet when they submitted permits to Anaheim. See below.

That's simply wrong... Laughably so... The height of Rise from ground level to the top of the gutter (where the top of the ceiling actually is, is ~50 feet, as I said.

Disney begs to differ.

Iconic Ships and Other Vehicles Feel Right at Home in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge - Disney World Press Room

Starships and other vehicles play integral roles in Star Warsstories, almost becoming characters all their own. That’s why in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida and Disneyland Park in California,the planet Batuu’s landscape is populated with all manner of...

wdwnews.com

And in any case, it’s not a completely fair comparison. Disney has had a tendency recently to install a ton of electrical and HVAC equipment above the ceiling whereas Universal has continued to install said equipment below the ceiling, thereby requiring a higher ceiling than Disney’s attractions. Comparing Rise of the Resistance with Gringotts is just one example of this pattern.

 

[Stripes]

No idea where you're getting 120,000 feet, but I wasn't including the theater. Unfortunately, on Google Earth, the satelite imagery is cut off exactly where the building is, so a piece of it is cut off, so I'm not entirely sure where the building ends.

Neither do I. I estimated based on bio’s aerials that the show building wasn’t nearly as long as what you’ve plotted, but I think 130,000 square feet is within the ballpark as well.

 

[jannerUK]

As a UK resident, we normally get our tickets in advance and as part of the Disney/Universal combo. When will one be able to book something like a Universal 4 Park ticket, with Epic included. Or is it going to be a case of paying a one off for this park, as they won't add when it opens.