Universal's Epic Universe - News and Discussion

[CAPSLOCK]

Last time I did the Mummy 15 times over the week.

yuck... all that screen time would make me puke.

The Mummy does not use screens, just animatronics & effects.

 

[Lashed34]

From watching all the Theme Park Stop updates (Alicia is an absolute star) it looks like the majority of rides are being build for maximum capacity, ensuring that lines move quickly. If so, this will be the 1st time a theme park has had this in mind when being built.

 

[Skywalker3]

We loved the first How to Train your Dragon. 2nd was ok, and I still haven't seen the 3rd one. I should watch one of these days. I really hope the live action is done well, well received, so it doesn't diminish the franchise. that first one is just so good.

 

[Suger Mag]

The Mummy does not use screens, just animatronics & effects.

sorry thinking of spider man, i will def check it out, looking it up it seems about my speed. I do love coasters and am not sure why I did not ride it. The last time I went to Uni was in April 2022

 

[tx911]

well also because Universal does not have its own discussion board for whatever reason (convenience?) there is not enough demand to drive a Universal discussion board all on its own, it is always a piggy back on a Disney fan boards. Disney Cheerleaders on a a Disney Fan board should kinda be expected...

I think this is true not just of message boards, but of the theme parks themselves.

I do not believe the Universal theme parks would exist were it not for Disney. And, it's not a coincidence that those parks are in the exact same cities as Disney Parks. They are taking advantage of the huge numbers of people going to Orlando for WDW, knowing that many will at least try out Universal.

Many may think the pendulum is starting to swing towards Universal, and that may be true in the short term, but I think Disney will be just fine.

 

[Suger Mag]

I think this is true not just of message boards, but of the theme parks themselves.

I do not believe the Universal theme parks would exist were it not for Disney. And, it's not a coincidence that those parks are in the exact same cities as Disney Parks. They are taking advantage of the huge numbers of people going to Orlando for WDW, knowing that many will at least try out Universal.

Many may think the pendulum is starting to swing towards Universal, and that may be true in the short term, but I think Disney will be just fine.

mutually beneficial, and ultimately the competition benefits the guest of either entity.

 

[Suger Mag]

We loved the first How to Train your Dragon. 2nd was ok, and I still haven't seen the 3rd one. I should watch one of these days. I really hope the live action is done well, well received, so it doesn't diminish the franchise. that first one is just so good.

Toothless is adorable. Still on my list of stuff I really should have watched but have not done so yet.....

 

[Keladry84]

sorry thinking of spider man, i will def check it out, looking it up it seems about my speed. I do love coasters and am not sure why I did not ride it. The last time I went to Uni was in April 2022

It was probably down already for refurbishment at that time. I went in May of 2022 and couldn’t ride it due to that.

 

[Lashed34]

One IP that I'm amazed hasn't appeared in any major theme park is The Wizard of Oz. As far as I know it's rights are owned by Warner Bros, who also own the HP franchise, so would have been wonderful to see it brought to life at Epic Universe (maybe a later expansion). I've just watched the new Wicked trailer....looks amazing - but got me wondering why OZ hasn't been used anywhere.

 

[zavandor]

One IP that I'm amazed hasn't appeared in any major theme park is The Wizard of Oz. As far as I know it's rights are owned by Warner Bros, who also own the HP franchise, so would have been wonderful to see it brought to life at Epic Universe (maybe a later expansion). I've just watched the new Wicked trailer....looks amazing - but got me wondering why OZ hasn't been used anywhere.

Sorry to be pedantic , the Wizard of Oz book is public domain, but the movie we all associate with it is owned by Warner Bros. Just to make an example how much that movie is significant, the ruby slippers aren't ruby in the book, they're silver. They're so recognizable that Disney paid Warner Bros good money to use them in their mediocre Wizard of Oz film.
Of course if someone wants to make a land, they'll have to use characters depictions and songs from the movie. And it's a great idea, I'd love it!

 

[Lashed34]

Sorry to be pedantic , the Wizard of Oz book is public domain, but the movie we all associate with it is owned by Warner Bros. Just to make an example how much that movie is significant, the ruby slippers aren't ruby in the book, they're silver. They're so recognizable that Disney paid Warner Bros good money to use them in their mediocre Wizard of Oz film.
Of course if someone wants to make a land, they'll have to use characters depictions and songs from the movie. And it's a great idea, I'd love it!

Dorothy's slippers are silver in the Wicked trailer, and it looks like she, scarecrow, tin man & cowardly lion will have a bigger role in the 2 part film adaptation.

But yes, OZ would make a wonderful theme park land, I'm sure after HP Warner Bros would trust Universal creatives to create a stunning interactive and immersive land.

 

[greeneyedchick]

sorry thinking of spider man, i will def check it out, looking it up it seems about my speed. I do love coasters and am not sure why I did not ride it. The last time I went to Uni was in April 2022

I believe it was closed for refurbishment around that time

 

[greeneyedchick]

One IP that I'm amazed hasn't appeared in any major theme park is The Wizard of Oz. As far as I know it's rights are owned by Warner Bros, who also own the HP franchise, so would have been wonderful to see it brought to life at Epic Universe (maybe a later expansion). I've just watched the new Wicked trailer....looks amazing - but got me wondering why OZ hasn't been used anywhere.

I think Wizard of Oz appeared in The Great Movie Ride. But agreed, a land would be a lot of fun.

 

[tony67]

One IP that I'm amazed hasn't appeared in any major theme park is The Wizard of Oz. As far as I know it's rights are owned by Warner Bros, who also own the HP franchise, so would have been wonderful to see it brought to life at Epic Universe (maybe a later expansion). I've just watched the new Wicked trailer....looks amazing - but got me wondering why OZ hasn't been used anywhere.

There is an entire theme park dedicated to the Wizard of Oz.
I had no idea it existed either.

It seems to open randomly from time to time.
https://landofoznc.com/

 

[Lashed34]

There is an entire theme park dedicated to the Wizard of Oz.
I had no idea it existed either.

It seems to open randomly from time to time.
https://landofoznc.com/

Absolutely fascinating, thank you for that. Does look a bit creepy though

 

[spewey]

Yeah, they changed Dorothy's slippers from silver to ruby to make them "pop" more on screen.

Which detracts from the theories that Baum's story was a complex allegory about U.S. monetary policy. Silver being minted money (with actual value), the yellow brick road being gold and the gold standard, which leads to the Emerald - i.e. "Green" City, representing the Greenback, or paper money. Which terrified many people back then, including farmers and rural residents, as paper has no intrinsic value, with it's worth potentially manipulated by "men behind the curtain". And remember, the Wizard in the first book (there were many sequels) WAS a con man.

Did Baum mean all that? He was a political activist, and champion of rural America. But this is a bit of a rabbit hole theory. For example, did the Scarecrow really represent the "Know Nothing Party", an actual movement focusing on labour/farm rights? Was the Lion William Jennings Bryan (often depicted as a lion in political cartoons, as he was known for his forceful oratory), who gave one of the most famous speeches in U.S. history, "The Cross of Gold", attacking the proposed Gold Standard?

And now my apologies for taking this thread way off track ...

 

[maverik85]

Adding on that similar to Disney, some rides at Universal need some massive TLC. I assume the budget isn't there for that at the moment since they're focusing on Epic but at some point it needs to be done. River Adventure is hanging on by a thread and a dream.

I'm kind of wondering if some these aren't being touched up to as they might have plans to redo them more extensively after Epic. River Adventure I could see change into the new Jurassic World version from Hollywood. The land as a whole has seemed to slowly be transition to Jurassic World with the newer additions like Raptor Encounter and Velocicoaster.
Cat in the Hat really needs some love as well and a big overhaul. It's a cute fun ride so would hate to see it go but it's a shell of its original self too.

 

[maverik85]

One IP that I'm amazed hasn't appeared in any major theme park is The Wizard of Oz. As far as I know it's rights are owned by Warner Bros, who also own the HP franchise, so would have been wonderful to see it brought to life at Epic Universe (maybe a later expansion). I've just watched the new Wicked trailer....looks amazing - but got me wondering why OZ hasn't been used anywhere.

Yea I think they could make a cool land with it too. WB is adding a land for Wizard of OZ tot heir park in Australia so might see them expand that out too to other areas.

 

[Smugpugmug]

I'm kind of wondering if some these aren't being touched up to as they might have plans to redo them more extensively after Epic. River Adventure I could see change into the new Jurassic World version from Hollywood. The land as a whole has seemed to slowly be transition to Jurassic World with the newer additions like Raptor Encounter and Velocicoaster.
Cat in the Hat really needs some love as well and a big overhaul. It's a cute fun ride so would hate to see it go but it's a shell of its original self too.

Dudley also needs some massive TLC. I am a Didley Do Right Ripsaw Falls defender but that ride looks awful paint wise in alot of areas. It looks like it hasn't been repainted since the late 90s.

 

[maverik85]

Dudley also needs some massive TLC. I am a Didley Do Right Ripsaw Falls defender but that ride looks awful paint wise in alot of areas. It looks like it hasn't been repainted since the late 90s.

True, and some of the scenes don't seem to work anymore either. Like Whiplash's pushcart doesn't move anymore on the first lift. It's still my favorite log flume but love to see it get some good refurbing too.