Should Universal Parks be more Nostalgic?

[Ridgepole]

I think the rub is how good the attraction is. Regardless of IP popularity. Case in point....ff. Having said that, you can't make a silk purse out of a sows ear. Just a purse.

 

[belloq87]

Yeah, I mean, there are plenty of attractions I like that are based on an IP that I'm indifferent to, both at Universal and Disney. But I do certainly think that the more I like whatever the attraction is based on, the more likely I am to fully embrace that attraction.

 

[Scott W.]

Yeah, I mean, there are plenty of attractions I like that are based on an IP that I'm indifferent to, both at Universal and Disney. But I do certainly think that the more I like whatever the attraction is based on, the more likely I am to fully embrace that attraction.

This hits the nail on the head about how I feel about Universal as an adult. As a kid, my 3 favourite movies of all time were Back to the Future, Ghostbusters and Terminator. USF ticked all those boxes while I felt that Disney was a place filled with princesses and little else.

As I've got older, I can't remember the last time Universal used an IP I remotely cared about with the exception of stupid dumb fun enjoying F&F and look at what they delivered with it. I enjoy Potter as a land and the rides but I don't care for the movies or books.

 

[JoeCamel]

At Universal now. Not parks but city walk and Emerils closing is emotional for the staff and what customers are here understand it is the end of an era but no one is clamoring for it to stay open. I just think Universal patrons are OK with moving on and looking forward to new experiences while remembering the past.

 

[belloq87]

This hits the nail on the head about how I feel about Universal as an adult. As a kid, my 3 favourite movies of all time were Back to the Future, Ghostbusters and Terminator. USF ticked all those boxes while I felt that Disney was a place filled with princesses and little else.

I can relate to where you're coming from, for sure. While I loved Disney as a kid (and still do, just as I still love Universal), Universal Studios Florida really hit the spot for me in a different - but not lesser - way than Disney, and a lot of that had to do not just with the scale and ambition of the attractions themselves, but the things the attractions were based on.

 

[Scott W.]

At Universal now. Not parks but city walk and Emerils closing is emotional for the staff and what customers are here understand it is the end of an era but no one is clamoring for it to stay open. I just think Universal patrons are OK with moving on and looking forward to new experiences while remembering the past.

Maybe none of this is really about nostalgia and more about Universal removing things with no real indication about what's coming.

 

[JoeCamel]

Maybe none of this is really about nostalgia and more about Universal removing things with no real indication about what's coming.

They are a little short on time on announcements and maybe that is the source of the discontent

 

[CyborgDinosaur]

With regards to the BTTF ride, I think people are missing an important factor: the ride itself. While I strongly agree that BTTF is still relevant and deserves a presence in the parks, the ride itself was dated and in need of replacement. Its setpieces were a dated vision of future 2015 and a dated tail-dragging stop-motion retrosaur, all on a dated ride system. Regardless of how evergreen the popularity of the IP is, that ride was in need of replacement. And, unfortunately, Universal can't just build a new BTTF ride. It's popularity is heavily based on its characters, who have aged quite noticeably (Michael J. Fox is even further impaired by Parkinson's) but can't really be recast. So if both the characters and interesting iconic settings have aged very poorly, what is left to adapt?

 

[Ridgepole]

And Bella Legosi is deader than Julius Caesar....

 

[shiekra38]

I feel this backlash from fans is directly correlated to Universal's change to appeal more to families and fully become more of a cohesive resort destination

I feel Universal may begin a phase of keeping more attractions around longer in the coming decades

 

[jtsalien]

I have always been perplexed as to why Universal doesn't have Frankenstien, Dracula, Wolfman, Mummy, and Creature from the Black Lagoon out there everyday doing M&Gs. Most people don't have a clue about the history of Universal Studios even after spending a day in the parks. After a day in the Disney Parks you know exactly who and what the Disney brand is all about.

To me... This is a failing on Universal the company, not just the theme parks. The fact that they can't figure out how to package and market these films in a world prime for franchises and blockbusters is baffling.

I'd argue that the problem isn't just that Universal doesn't feature it's nostalgic IPs.... It's that they don't really have that brand identity at all right now. What is Universal in 2018? You can describe Illumantion and DreamWorks pretty well. But what is Universal? That's not an easy question to answer and it very much should be.

But at that the same time.... That's why Universal has always been "edgier" and more willing to take risks... Because they don't have the solid branding and foundation that Disney does.

 

[Nick]

I just think Universal patrons are OK with moving on and looking forward to new experiences while remembering the past.

Here's the thing: Universal has grown so much since 2010 that most of the guests that visit the resort don't even know about "the past" at the resort. Very few people people even know that Jaws had a presence in the park and even fewer know that BTTF did. How can you formulate an opinion based on something you don't know about?

I'm sure if presented with the option - let's say BTTF or Bourne, you would receive an overwhelming amount of support for a BTTF ride from guests.

To me... This is a failing on Universal the company, not just the theme parks. The fact that they can't figure out how to package and market these films in a world prime for franchises and blockbusters is baffling.

I'd argue that the problem isn't just that Universal doesn't feature it's nostalgic IPs.... It's that they don't really have that brand identity at all right now. What is Universal in 2018? You can describe Illumantion and DreamWorks pretty well. But what is Universal? That's not an easy question to answer and it very much should be.

But at that the same time.... That's why Universal has always been "edgier" and more willing to take risks... Because they don't have the solid branding and foundation that Disney does.

I actually think they like not having much of an identity. Once you have an identity (like Disney's "family friendly" one, for example), it sort of pigeonholes. It puts you in a box and I don't think Universal wants that.

 

[teddy b]

One thing Universal will never have on Disney IMO is the nostalgia factor
And tbh I don't think it should really try

 

[shiekra38]

To me... This is a failing on Universal the company, not just the theme parks. The fact that they can't figure out how to package and market these films in a world prime for franchises and blockbusters is baffling.

I'd argue that the problem isn't just that Universal doesn't feature it's nostalgic IPs.... It's that they don't really have that brand identity at all right now. What is Universal in 2018? You can describe Illumantion and DreamWorks pretty well. But what is Universal? That's not an easy question to answer and it very much should be.

But at that the same time.... That's why Universal has always been "edgier" and more willing to take risks... Because they don't have the solid branding and foundation that Disney does.

Hence why I believe the parks are locking down on Illumination and Dreamworks

 

[Ridgepole]

Based on popularity, should Comcast invest in King Entertainment? 285 million users per month in the first quarter of 2018. How would you translate that to a theme park? Does it matter? If you build it they will come?

 

[GadgetGuru]

To me... This is a failing on Universal the company, not just the theme parks. The fact that they can't figure out how to package and market these films in a world prime for franchises and blockbusters is baffling.

I'd argue that the problem isn't just that Universal doesn't feature it's nostalgic IPs.... It's that they don't really have that brand identity at all right now. What is Universal in 2018? You can describe Illumantion and DreamWorks pretty well. But what is Universal? That's not an easy question to answer and it very much should be.

But at that the same time.... That's why Universal has always been "edgier" and more willing to take risks... Because they don't have the solid branding and foundation that Disney does.

I think we’re looking too much at the Disney model for how to run a major studio.

Disney hasn’t successfully launched a brand new live-action IP in at least a decade. You have Marvel, Star Wars, Disney live-action-based-on-old-animated-films.

That’s why it’s so easy to define Disney as a studio. You just define their several planks.

Universal, WB, and the others have been trying to launch new properties. It’s why they don’t have solid planks like this. None of the other studios have cemented themselves into buckets in such an extreme way as Disney.

 

[jseal777]

Not sure how this fits into this discussion but I’ve finally seen Jurassic world 2 and if that franchise really is taking over the Jurassic Park stuff...... oof.
I have stronger opinions, but let’s keep it PG13..........

 

[jtsalien]

I think we’re looking too much at the Disney model for how to run a major studio.

Disney hasn’t successfully launched a brand new live-action IP in at least a decade. You have Marvel, Star Wars, Disney live-action-based-on-old-animated-films.

That’s why it’s so easy to define Disney as a studio. You just define their several planks.

Universal, WB, and the others have been trying to launch new properties. It’s why they don’t have solid planks like this. None of the other studios have cemented themselves into buckets in such an extreme way as Disney.

But it's hard not compare when they've been the most successful. And when WB is trying to directly replicate the Marvel model with DC.

You can deny their creative abilities, but Disney has the current marketplace down to a science. Hollywood is broken. There's no doubt about that. But Disney is far from the only one.

 

[shiekra38]

But it's hard not compare when they've been the most successful. And when WB is trying to directly replicate the Marvel model with DC.

You can deny their creative abilities, but Disney has the current marketplace down to a science. Hollywood is broken. There's no doubt about that. But Disney is far from the only one.

Universal doesn't know what it wants to do, Disney has to do what they've always done

 

[SeventyOne]

I think this is a different debate about whether a good IP makes a good attraction.

Putting aside things built in the last decade--because too soon to tell--the iconic Disney rides are not IP based. Most of the IP rides are forgettable rehashes of the movie. The one exception may be Mr Toad, a long-forgotten movie much better known as a theme park attraction.

UOR did not have the luxury when it chose the path it did. Virtually everything they do is IP based. I think it's telling the one ride that isn't--RRR--is arguably the most iconic in the park, despite its lackluster reputation as a coaster. There's a double level of nostalgia--you have to be nostalgic for the movie, and then for the ride. Very few rides at any Orlando park can make that claim.

Also, I think the most iconic IPs are those that embody cultural archetypes. Sleeping Beauty was never a hit movie for Disney, yet castles, a dragon and a prince with a sword are easy to understand even if you've never seen the film. Similarly, as much as I like Jurassic Park the novel and the film, it only works as a land because dinosaurs are a primal interest to children, not because of Chrichton's scintillating plot. Original Star Wars checks off those archetypes, but I'd argue Madagascar does too (not the first time a cowardly lion has entered the public conscience). That doesn't mean both are equal as entertainment, but it does mean both are better suited to theme park attractions than, say, Shrek or 101 Dalmatians, both record-breaking hits in their day.