Universal's Epic Universe Wish List & Speculation
- Thread starter Brian G.
- Start date
-
Signing up for a Premium Membership is a donation to help Inside Universal maintain costs and offers an ad-free experience on the forum. Learn more about it here.
- Status
The more we learn, the more it's pretty clear it's not really a FB land
I have a serious question, and I am not trying to anger any fanboys with this one. Do you guys really think that How To Train Your Dragon has the legs to stay relevant enough to be one of the key anchors for this park by the time it opens? I try to stay up to date with recent animated films and have seen the three HTTYD films each more than once, and I enjoy them to an extent, but I rarely hear about them outside of its cult fanbase online. I work around children and it is very rare that I hear these movies brought up among the kids, especially compared to other popular animated film franchises. I have also never seen any of them with any clothing, toys, or other merchandise surrounding the property or its characters. I noticed that none of the three films have made over $1 Billion in the box office, (The franchise has altogether, but not any of the films on their own) and that is typically the mark that Disney and Universal set for a franchise nowadays before investing in a ride, let alone a massive land based on the IP. Coming in at the 11th highest grossing animated franchise, I think that a more general land for Dreamworks or Illumination properties would be the smarter decision here as opposed to building a land based around an already completed (and not super profitable, or memorable) franchise. I realize this discussion is useless as plans can be typically set in stone, but I just wanted to hear some of your opinions on this.
- Jan 26, 2017
- 71
- 157
It does seem if it was completely an "oops" (I know I know about Universal and announcements....) they would have been extremely fast on the PR wire saying its not a big deal. Crickets though? This feels more like a "lets casually drop this and see what happens". I recall several folks talking about unexpected waves coming up in the future, fun to speculate none the less.
IMO, if there were changes I could see this really helping USF. Round it out with the MOM ride and an F&F replacement (keep HP at USF and IOA only), redo the front with SLOP and move DM & Minions over to EPIC with their own land (or part of a larger animation land, themed to make sense of course!). Maybe Universal got inspired by HP store in NY and will have a nice storefront to sell swag, butterbeer and Kowalski baked goods only.
IMO, if there were changes I could see this really helping USF. Round it out with the MOM ride and an F&F replacement (keep HP at USF and IOA only), redo the front with SLOP and move DM & Minions over to EPIC with their own land (or part of a larger animation land, themed to make sense of course!). Maybe Universal got inspired by HP store in NY and will have a nice storefront to sell swag, butterbeer and Kowalski baked goods only.
and there has been issues with delays and losing Depp. Although I am a fan of Depps replacement Mads Mikkelsen.
Are you talking about the Wizarding World area, or the adjacent expansion plot?
I can't possibly envision an Illumination property replacing Wizarding World stuff, as I think that would unbalance the entire park (leaving the Classic Monsters as the only "live action"/potentially-edgy area).
I have questioned the wisdom of a full HTTYD land since we started hearing about it. If one looks at domestic box office, there's a clear downward trajectory of the three films (for a variety of reasons: the first was a surprise hit, the second came out probably a year too late to really capitalize, the third arrived even further down the line, etc.), and by the time the park opens, it will have been six-ish years since a HTTYD movie was in theaters.
I absolutely think there's a place for a major HTTYD attraction in a theme park, but I do not subscribe to the line of thought that it can sustain an entire area all to itself, and it's easily the land I have the least interest in at this point (based on what we've heard so far about what it will have on offer).
Yea, I love HTTYD, but I feel like a bigger DreamWorks area with different minilands for each film makes more sense.
Oh you sweet summer child. KidZone is eternal.Ok ok, but if Illuminations is going to "anchor" EU.... then what the hell is going to replace KidsZone
- Aug 7, 2018
- 7,123
- 9,172
Yes, expansion plot. Although odd they didn’t mention Potter, but maybe that’s expected so they’re trying to please new partners more, not sure. Wizarding World will happen in some form I’m sure.
A single ip land is a huge investment and one should be very sure about the staying power of the ip for the land to be relevant for say 25 years. If it doesn't gel you need to replace the whole thing.
Wizarding world is a sort of collection of "in universe" content (movie series, games and books), Classic monsters is a collection of horror movies that can exist in one universe. Nintendo has more cross overs than MCU and can hold a land but Dragon's (as much as I love the movies) don't. Even Minions has a broader reach than Dragon's. Going for an Illumination or Dreamworks universe would work much better.
Wizarding world is a sort of collection of "in universe" content (movie series, games and books), Classic monsters is a collection of horror movies that can exist in one universe. Nintendo has more cross overs than MCU and can hold a land but Dragon's (as much as I love the movies) don't. Even Minions has a broader reach than Dragon's. Going for an Illumination or Dreamworks universe would work much better.
The thing about HTTYD that makes it a better choice for an EU land as opposed to Pets or Sing or even the Minions is that HTTYD is set in a world I'd actually like to visit, plus who doesn't want to fly a dragon? I can imagine multiple rides related to dragons and viking-like adventures that would be fun for everyone, but very few related to Secret Life of Pets or Sing. While the Illuminations movies are fun to watch, the idea of a Pets-based world has all the appeal of scooping poop in the park, while Dragons...well, what more need be said? Plus I predict Toothless plushies will be almost as popular as Minion plushies.
- Jul 13, 2018
- 3,116
- 5,398
Dreamworks mash-up would work, but the burden of proof is then on Universal to create a compelling original land that marries all the aesthetics.
I think HTTYD was chosen not because they can sustain the IP, but because they needed to hit multiple goals. They need a large, low intensity land that has a variety of family friendly offerings and counter balances the more crowded or involved lands in the rest of the park. I'm sure they've designed lands for other properties, but I imagine they chose Dragons since the basic premise has appeal regardless of IP popularity. Adults probably wouldn't want to spend time in the Trolls universe, Universal doesn't know what to do with Shrek and Madagascar yet, and they may want to port Kung Fu Panda wholesale someday pending the end of an exclusivity deal with Beijing.
I think HTTYD was chosen not because they can sustain the IP, but because they needed to hit multiple goals. They need a large, low intensity land that has a variety of family friendly offerings and counter balances the more crowded or involved lands in the rest of the park. I'm sure they've designed lands for other properties, but I imagine they chose Dragons since the basic premise has appeal regardless of IP popularity. Adults probably wouldn't want to spend time in the Trolls universe, Universal doesn't know what to do with Shrek and Madagascar yet, and they may want to port Kung Fu Panda wholesale someday pending the end of an exclusivity deal with Beijing.
I kind of agree with all of this. I think while in theory, a DWA "Area" with multiple IP's, while likely the better option; doesn't make sense when we know from internal documents and from interviews, that Universal has plans with DWA content. I fully agree that Shrek is the enigma, and that I do think that if KFP4 is indeed happening, then we're going to see Universal try to preserve the lands separately, to ensure that they can have something that can be more properly planned and executed out.
You really think the CEO can just go and announce a new Harry Potter land, on a virtual call, without any fanfare?
I think it's also important to say, that they were willing to talk about the statistics of the profitability that the Orlando resort has had since it's opening. As far as I'm aware, they are the only ones in the themed entertainment market to fully state this, no?
Part of me would have to think that means well for the sake of making Epic Universe the best that it can be.
Part of me would have to think that means well for the sake of making Epic Universe the best that it can be.
I think the level of challenge on this is a bit overstated.The Motiongate DubaiDreamWorks building is like 11 acres and represents 4 properties very well with a ton of attractions.
- Jul 27, 2015
- 9,703
- 47,723
I think the use of Dragons is less about the “How to Train Your” part and more about the “Dragon” part of the IP. Dragons are a safe aesthetic for a theme park. It’s why they’re commonly used in parks across the country. It’s also what makes the IP the “safest” Dreamworks IP to anchor a land.
I still don’t see the sense in limiting the land to a single IP though.
- Jul 27, 2015
- 9,703
- 47,723
- Status
