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Universal's Epic Universe Wish List & Speculation

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I’m still trying to wrap my head around the theme of this park.

Universal Studios = “Ride the Movies”
Islands of Adventure = Books, comics, stories, etc.
Epic Universe = ???

Is it really just “We want you to spend more days at our resort so here’s another park”?
Universal Studios: Explore the world of Entertainment, including TV, Movies and Music

Islands of Adventure: Live YOUR Adventure

Epic Universe: Leave the world behind, and explore a universe of possibilities

No reason to be so literal. With a focus on themed immersive lands, overarching themes for parks seem to be falling to the wayside.

Over at WDW I believe Animal Kingdom is the only one staying true(ish) to its original theme. The rest are ultimately becoming interchangeable, and what goes where seems to be based on which park is next in line more than what reinforces theme.

Honestly, it doesn’t much matter to me, as long as it improves my day when visiting the park.
 
Over at WDW I believe Animal Kingdom is the only one staying true(ish) to its original theme. The rest are ultimately becoming interchangeable, and what goes where seems to be based on which park is next in line more than what reinforces

So you’re lowering your standards for a new Universal park based on the actions that Disney is making with their older parks?
 
I will never get this. Until only recently, Epcot has VERY little to no IP incorporation and they are strictly celebrating countries and cultures. Where do you see that in USF?

It's not about IP.

It's about the park having transformed (in my opinion, negatively) from what it was in its heyday. Just like Epcot.

Those parks were once in the 1 and 2 slots in terms of my favorite theme parks in Orlando. They're now... not.
 
“Themes” in theme parks are imaginary constructs that gives fans both a sense of comfort and superiority. They have prettier buildings than my local park, so that means they’re better. And there’s some semblance of consistency in those facades, which means the design teams “care more” than the designers at my local park.

Fact of the matter is, theme parks don’t actually have thesis statements they have to adhere to. Fans *want* them to adhere, but there has never been a strict code. Disneyland and Magic Kingdom don’t actually have any consistent theme. A European castle at the end of a 1940s, small town America street, flanked by an amalgamation of South American and African jungles with a ride set in the Caribbean, and a Jules Verne-inspired space port. And that’s the standard!

We can talk about Universal’s “Ride the movies,” but how did Nickelodeon, Murder, She Wrote and Wild West Stunt Show fit into that specific “theme?” The “theme” isn’t “ride the movies” then, it’s media production? But the focus of Kong and Jaws wasn’t “production?“ So, the “theme” is visual media? Well, in that case, the “theme” has never changed.

People need to stop trying to pigeonhole theme parks with some imaginary limitations of their development that never actually existed in the first place. Because the parks (management, designers, et al) don’t actually care. Any appearances that imply they do care is just PR.
 
“Themes” in theme parks are imaginary constructs that gives fans both a sense of comfort and superiority. They have prettier buildings than my local park, so that means they’re better. And there’s some semblance of consistency in those facades, which means the design teams “care more” than the designers at my local park.

Fact of the matter is, theme parks don’t actually have thesis statements they have to adhere to. Fans *want* them to adhere, but there has never been a strict code. Disneyland and Magic Kingdom don’t actually have any consistent theme. A European castle at the end of a 1940s, small town America street, flanked by an amalgamation of South American and African jungles with a ride set in the Caribbean, and a Jules Verne-inspired space port. And that’s the standard!

We can talk about Universal’s “Ride the movies,” but how did Nickelodeon, Murder, She Wrote and Wild West Stunt Show fit into that specific “theme?” The “theme” isn’t “ride the movies” then, it’s media production? But the focus of Kong and Jaws wasn’t “production?“ So, the “theme” is visual media? Well, in that case, the “theme” has never changed.

People need to stop trying to pigeonhole theme parks with some imaginary limitations of their development that never actually existed in the first place. Because the parks (management, designers, et al) don’t actually care. Any appearances that imply they do care is just PR.
Couldn't agree more.

Just wait until IOA goes for something not based on literature.... oh boy.
 
Kong and Dudley Do Right already aren't.

Not to mention the Jurassic Park land very clearly being based on the film version.

the "Literature" thing was never more than lip service
JP I guess I didn't know and should've thought of.

But isn't Dudley originally based on comics, then turned TV series, and Kong was based on a novel, before the OG film in like the 30/40s?

Also wasn't aware the whole literature thing was just fan done, YOU ALL KEPT THE BIT UP LONG ENOUGH I BOUGHT IT.
 
I never thought I'd see the day that wanting theme to matter (whether it does in practice or not, because we all know it only matters to the parks as much as it allows them to build whatever they want to build wherever they want to build it) in a theme park would be the unpopular position on a theme park message board, but here we are.

I think it's possible for hand wringing about theme to get in the way of overall enjoyment.

JP I guess I didn't know and should've thought of.

But isn't Dudley originally based on comics, then turned TV series, and Kong was based on a novel, before the OG film in like the 30/40s?

Also wasn't aware the whole literature thing was just fan done, YOU ALL KEPT THE BIT UP LONG ENOUGH I BOUGHT IT.

No, Dudley first appeared on the Rocky and Bullwinkle show, and King Kong was not based on a novel. The official novelization of the film came out 2 months before the film, but that's not the same thing.
 
I think it's possible for hand wringing about theme to get in the way of overall enjoyment.



No, Dudley first appeared on the Rocky and Bullwinkle show, and King Kong was not based on a novel. The official novelization of the film came out 2 months before the film, but that's not the same thing.
Ohhhh I see, wonder if that was part of marketing or the plan all along then. Makes sense, I could've sworn Kong was like a full novel or even comic series before the films but guess not.

I also get these themes mean nothing to these people, its a place to put branded rides and merchandise and make it a vacation destination. However, I think there's nothing wrong with fans enjoying whatever theme they "present" us with as Jungle Skip said to enhance our enjoyment of the parks. Nothing wrong with it
 
I never thought I'd see the day that wanting theme to matter (whether it does in practice or not, because we all know it only matters to the parks as much as it allows them to build whatever they want to build wherever they want to build it) in a theme park would be the unpopular position on a theme park message board, but here we are.
There’s a difference between desire and reality, though. That’s the rub in this discussion. I’m not saying that wanting a consistent theme is bad or wrong or what have you. It’s not. Frankly, I think fan expectations are the only thing that truly differentiates theme parks and amusement parks by forcing theme park designers to do better.

But, the reality of the situation—that a park thesis is liquid rather than etched in stone—is inescapable. It always has been. When you start looking at parks and park history objectively, you start to realize that a lot what fans perception of a park’s development and structure is wishful thinking.
 
Frankly, I think fan expectations are the only thing that truly differentiates theme parks and amusement parks by forcing theme park designers to do better.

I certainly don't disagree. If you're calling yourself a theme park, I'm absolutely going to have much different (and higher) expectations for theme and overall show quality than if you're a regional amusement park.

But, the reality of the situation—that a park thesis is liquid rather than etched in stone—is inescapable. It always has been. When you start looking at parks and park history objectively, you start to realize that a lot what fans perception of a park’s development and structure is wishful thinking.

Maybe, but a lot of it comes down to whether or not you think something "feels right" or makes sense. And that can be a very subjective, personal thing. I think Gran Fiesta Tour is a fine fit in Epcot, for example, but I don't think Frozen Ever After is at all. Some people might not like either in Epcot. Others might think both fit comfortably. Our own personal definitions of "theme" will dictate how we feel about that stuff.

I would also add, just for clarity, that my criticism of USF has little to do with how well (or not) it has adhered to its original “Ride the Movies” credo. My criticism is entirely subjective, based on the fact that most of the attractions there today are not as enjoyable to me as the attractions that used to be there.

With Epcot, my concern is much more along thematic lines, as my desire is for the park to remain as unique and distinct -- both in terms of its attractions and just how it feels when you're there -- as possible from the other WDW parks. It hasn't completely lost that, but it's certainly slipping away.
 
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