Universal's New Park/Site B Blue Sky Thread

[AlexanderMBush]

Why wouldn't you name it?

Two reasons, one is that it was from a previous survey that was confidental and two; why spoil the fun.

 

[Collin Salvo]

My thoughts on the 3rd park's IPs:

-DreamWorks land
-Sci Fi Land (Star Trek, Metroid, Star Fox, etc)
-Pokémon
-Fantastic Beasts
-Something we'd never expect ala 1939 Oz or LOTR or something

Amen!

 

[Collin Salvo]

Ooh! This does sound wonderful. I like these ideas that pull from the entire catalog.

I see a great ad campaign centered around the Grinch visiting and evaluating ChristmasTown like some modern day parks-blogger.



Oh duh.

Now that GMR is history, Universal should totally lock up the MGM Oz rights.

They are bound to utilize Wicked again in some fashion somewhere anyway, might as well do it right this time out and pair it with classic Wizard like nature intended.

Amen to you too!

 

[captainmoch]

I've been thinking about this and brainstorming for a while, so here's my armchair-imagineered dream idea for a 4th gate. There's no way this full thing will happen, but I like the concept and wanted to give my two cents:

Universal's Kingdom of Time
Guests enter the park through a long lost kingdom, in the ruins of an ancient civilization. This mysterious tribe held the mysterious power to travel through time, utilizing the power of a large temple that sits in the center of the park. This temple has a large, iconic design that combines elements of the ancient past, and the distant future.

With this "time" theme, every land of the park is organized into three sections; the past, present, and future. The park has a hub and spoke design (even made to resemble a clock from above), with the ancient temple in the center of the park being the icon.

Outside Time:
- Lost City of Time - This is the park's equivalent of Main Street or Port of Entry. It's based off the ruins of a mysterious ancient civilization that could harness the ability to travel through time. Because of this, the architecture here is a mixture of the ancient past and distant future; mixing elements such as magic with steampunk. While this area doesn't have any attractions, it obviously has several shops and leads to the park's icon. It also has a unique restaurant themed to this mysterious area.

Past:
- Classical New York - This area is based off old-timey New York. The main attraction here is a Fantastic Beasts e-ticket, but in turn this area is also home to entertainment, including a large theater for stage shows and a large waterfront where guests can watch the park's night time spectacular.
- DreamWorks Land - DreamWorks Land combines Shrek, How to Train Your Dragon, and Kung Fu Panda into one Fantasyland-esque area. While none of these 3 IPs have their own land, each has one attraction and a small area surrounding it that compliments it. Shrek has a c-ticket dark ride that takes guests through Shrek's world as well as a small Far Far Away-themed area around it. Kung Fu Panda has a d-ticket interactive dark ride similar to Toy Story Mania, with a Chinese village themed area around it and Ping's Noodle Shop. How to Train Your Dragon has a huge e-ticket simulator that's basically Flights of Passage 2.0, surrounded by a small, Berk-themed area.

Present:
- Super Nintendo World: Pokemon City - A large, Pokemon-themed world based off Kanto from Gen 1. Includes a lengthy e-ticket Pokemon Snap Safari attraction that takes guests through a jungle full of Pokemon, including encounters with massive legendary Pokemon. On the side, there's interactive experiences, massive shops, and several flat rides themed to Pokemon.
- Illumination Land - Another slightly smaller land, this area is based off iconic Illumination IPs such as Minions, Secret Life of Pets, and Sing. The Secret Life of Pets has the e-ticket dark ride also being built in Hollywood, Sing has a show where kids can sing and dance along with characters from the movie, and there's several Minion themed flat rides.

Future:
- Jurassic World - The futuristic theme park of Jurassic World comes to life in this huge world, featuring a gyrosphere e-ticket, a JW2-themed coaster, an educational dark ride, and several exhibits/experiences.
- Sci-Fi Spaceport - A city from the distant future, where people from all over the galaxy come together. While it doesn't have a unifying IP like the other lands, it does feature attractions based off iconic properties such as Star Trek, Back to the Future, and Metroid.

Overall, this park focuses 90% on IPS, but still has a bit of an overarching theme of traveling through different eras of time. Also, there'd be a decent amount of expansion space in all 3 of the major sections of the park. Side note... I had to show a LOT of restraint to not have Middle-Earth in the past section. As much as I want that, I'm not gonna get my hopes up for it, even in my own blue-sky concept.

 

[Owen]

I was thinking of something very similar to the above too, especially in regards to the Fantastic Beasts Classic New York section...

Something I'd be interested to see, is would they try to bring back any past attractions with a 'new flare'? Jaws perhaps?

 

[E.Gadd]

To be quite honest, I see Wicked for the entertainment complex in a strange way than in the park.

Yeah I could see that too potentially.

And that Oz, is in a viewpoint similar to Lord of The Rings, that is a pandoras box of IP love and hate.

Maybe, but I do think Oz is a good get for over-all diversification. Like, I don't see it as the only thing that can fill the "appeals greatly to women and minorities" category, but it's a pretty big, highly iconic one that isn't Disney owned.

I will be furious though if they just did something akin to the Osaka's Land of Oz. That knock-off dollar store aesthetic... ugggh.

Okay, so maybe you do have a point here lol.

 

[Collin Salvo]

Yeah I could see that too potentially.



Maybe, but I do think Oz is a good get for over-all diversification. Like, I don't see it as the only thing that can fill the "appeals greatly to women and minorities" category, but it's a pretty big, highly iconic one that isn't Disney owned.

I will be furious though if they just did something akin to the Osaka's Land of Oz. That knock-off dollar store aesthetic... ugggh.

Okay, so maybe you do have a point here lol.

I love the meme . I do think universal needs the movie rights to pull it off. It would need to be like harry potter but basically both harry potter areas into one. It would bring the Disney audiences, being it's very colorful and full of story. Plus with Wicked they could have a version of the show there like Japan, but better. I think Oz would help beat star wars being that its such a classic. Plus, even if some kids don't know what Oz is they will enjoy the land for its family friendly nature.

 

[E.Gadd]

I love the meme . I do think universal needs the movie rights to pull it off. It would need to be like harry potter but basically both harry potter areas into one. It would bring the Disney audiences, being it's very colorful and full of story. Plus with Wicked they could have a version of the show there like Japan, but better. I think Oz would help beat star wars being that its such a classic. Plus, even if some kids don't know what Oz is they will enjoy the land for its family friendly nature.

While I'm not sure I see it competing directly with Star Wars(not much can that I can think of), I do think that if you've already brought your kids to Orlando to meet Cinderella, Mulan, Leia, and Elsa, why not stop by the "real" Oz to meet Dorothy and Elphaba while you're in the area?

 

[Collin Salvo]

While I'm not sure I see it competing directly with Star Wars(not much can that I can think of), I do think that if you've already brought your kids to Orlando to meet Cinderella, Mulan, Leia, and Elsa, why not stop by the "real" Oz to meet Dorothy and Elphaba while you're in the area?

The character there would be so cool, I mean imagine if the Wicked Witch was throughout the park. Talking to you while you journey down the yellow brick road.

 

[E.Gadd]

Speaking of one of the most iconic villians(or was she?) of all time, what other ideas do people have for the Classic Universal Movie Monsters?

I see the Transylvanian Castle/haunted house idea thrown around a bit, and that doesn't sound too bad to me. What about a Creature from the Black Lagoon ride?

I know, I know, why not just do Jaws? But I was thinking more along the lines to something like the 20,000 Leagues ride at DisneySea. Though maybe a bit more thrilling. Explore underwater caverns, encounter wild life and sunken vessels, and maybe something sinister lurking nearby?

Could work for Jurassic World too actually, what with the mosasaurus and all.

 

[Collin Salvo]

I wouldn't be surprised if they expanded on Scooby Doo, since he's in the park. But I think classic monsters will definitely be the area where they can put original content.

 

[Andysol]

And that Oz, is in a viewpoint similar to Lord of The Rings, that is a pandoras box of IP love and hate.

You've said this before and it still doesn't make any sense. If Oz or LoTR was done with the detail of diagon alley but with even more land (like star war's 14 acres or even more) dedicated to it- absolutely no one would hate it.
If it was an immersive Oz land based on the 1939 film or an expansive Middle Earth, they would print money.
Oz is the better IP imo. I'd prefer LoTR, but Oz would sell more merch and be more realized In a theme park setting. It actually lends itself perfectly to a park.

Plus, even if some kids don't know what Oz is they will enjoy the land for its family friendly nature.

Every kid knows what Oz is. It's 78 years old and still entirely relevant. If you want an IP that will last the test of time- look no further than Judy Garland and company.


If you want a great read about a former Oz theme park that was THIS close to coming about- then read here. Several pages long but worth it.
The Story of the Great Unbuilt WIZARD OF OZ Theme Park, as told by the Park’s Creator; Gary Goddard – Part 1 | GGE Blog

So you're telling me an area built by a genius like Goddard wouldn't be awesome?

 

[joelbryant11]

I wouldn't be surprised if they expanded on Scooby Doo, since he's in the park. But I think classic monsters will definitely be the area where they can put original content.

I'm all-in for a good classic monsters/horror area. It's long overdue in my opinion and is something that Disney would never match. They can't open this fourth park without something like that.

 

[LJGonz]

Wizard of Oz? Pokemon?! damn, I'm ready to abandon universal if this ever happens. Who brought up such an irrelevant topic that is the wizard of Oz? Also Pokemon, I really don't like it, I almost hate it. I judged it as a child and I still do to this day. I'd hate to see that grow like Harry Potter did. I'd like for that to stay contained in the small area that is kids zone.

 

[quinnmac000]

Wizard of Oz? Pokemon?! damn, I'm ready to abandon universal if this ever happens. Who brought up such an irrelevant topic that is the wizard of Oz? Also Pokemon, I really don't like it, I almost hate it. I judged it as a child and I still do to this day. I'd hate to see that grow like Harry Potter did. I'd like for that to stay contained in the small area that is kids zone.

Good thing this park isn't just for LJ Gonz but for everyone. I don't like LOTR but I know it would make some people who I enjoy hanging out with at the parks happy so it doesn't bother me. Universal creating an amalgamation of IPs is what keeps Universal Great!

 

[Imperius]

Wizard of Oz? Pokemon?! damn, I'm ready to abandon universal if this ever happens. Who brought up such an irrelevant topic that is the wizard of Oz? Also Pokemon, I really don't like it, I almost hate it. I judged it as a child and I still do to this day. I'd hate to see that grow like Harry Potter did. I'd like for that to stay contained in the small area that is kids zone.

Pokémon is huge and it really doesn't matter if one person doesn't like it on the internet.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Wizard of Oz? Pokemon?! damn, I'm ready to abandon universal if this ever happens. Who brought up such an irrelevant topic that is the wizard of Oz? Also Pokemon, I really don't like it, I almost hate it. I judged it as a child and I still do to this day. I'd hate to see that grow like Harry Potter did. I'd like for that to stay contained in the small area that is kids zone.

Pokémon is huge and has been huge for as long as Harry Potter.

 

[Alicia]

Pokémon is huge and has been huge for as long as Harry Potter.

Yea I agree. I think the fact that it's been removed from the KidsZone plans shows Universal has something bigger in mind for it. (Same with Zelda.)

 

[quinnmac000]

Yea I agree. I think the fact that it's been removed from the KidsZone plans shows Universal has something bigger in mind for it. (Same with Zelda.)

Thinking about it now, Pokemon would make a much better interactive resort than park land.

 

[Alicia]

Thinking about it now, Pokemon would make a much better interactive resort than park land.

If it were up to me... I would create an interactive game that spans all 3 (or 4) of the theme parks where you have to catch them all... Similar to the Phinneas and Ferb Agent P game at Epcot. It could use a Pokedex that you have to buy though, like the wands. And like the wands you set off effects in windows or other hidden locations throughout each park. Like the Epcot game, an animatronic character can appear when you catch it. And it adds that Pokemon to your total. A simple prize can be redeemed for catching them all in the park at the end of the day... and an even awesomer prize for catching all in all 3 (or 4) parks.

Later, extra features could be added that allow you to trade with friends and battle them in special areas throughout the park. But to start, it's all about catching them.

But that's just what I would do.