Universal Great Britain

[rob@rar]

Make it unique to the local area but it also retains some classic Universal Studios elements that have defined their parks for decades.

I suppose we all have our own definitions of what defines a studios-type park. What would you say are the classic elements that defines Universal’s version of a movie studios theme park?

 

[Dinosaurus]

I wouldn't be surprised if we get a sort of mish-mash of studios and themed lands, sort of like Beijing. A studios-esque 'main street' which then has a central hub (a lake with a globe maybe, like the supposed leaked concept art suggested) then lands that branch off from that. It ensures it keeps some of that OG Universal identity you see in USF/USH/USJ but with the new heavy theming that Universal does so well now.

 

[rob@rar]

… if we get a sort of mish-mash of studios and themed lands …

I fear you are right on that point. A mish-mash sums up what I think we’ll probably get. But I do hope Universal are more bold than that.

 

[TheUniC6]

Hopefully a bespoke version of Dark Universe makes its way to UGB.

 

[rob@rar]

Hopefully a bespoke version of Dark Universe makes its way to UGB.

Having seen Universal’s promo video and just watched Alicia’s deep dive into what it shows, that would be mind blowingly wonderful. But I can’t see it happening, at least not for opening day. It would be a great way to connect to Universal’s movie heritage within a class-leading immersive land.

 

[Steeb]

I know these things can quickly change, but the fact they registered 'Universal Studios Great Britain' and not 'Universal Great Britain Resort' probably indicates we will get at least a studios style main street.

 

[rob@rar]

I know these things can quickly change, but the fact they registered 'Universal Studios Great Britain' and not 'Universal Great Britain Resort' probably indicates we will get at least a studios style main street.

I think that's probably right. I'm expecting something a bit like Beijing, but with something replacing the Wizarding World (perhaps Lord of the Rings?), and maybe (hopefully) something replacing Kung Fu Pandaland (Paddington?).

 

[Steeb]

I think that's probably right. I'm expecting something a bit like Beijing, but with something replacing the Wizarding World (perhaps Lord of the Rings?), and maybe (hopefully) something replacing Kung Fu Pandaland (Paddington?).

Not gonna lie, I personally would love that Kung Fu Panda land to come here, but I agree there is likely a better fit for the UK

 

[Alicia]

I wouldn’t even call it a mishmash, more like a park made up of well themed immersive worlds, like Epic Universe, and one of those worlds is Hollywood.

 

[yepthatguy]

I wouldn’t even call it a mishmash, more like a park made up of well themed immersive worlds, like Epic Universe, and one of those worlds is Hollywood.

That actually sounds really cool.

 

[IzzyB]

I wouldn’t even call it a mishmash, more like a park made up of well themed immersive worlds, like Epic Universe, and one of those worlds is Hollywood.

If I would guess instead of celestial park it is Hollywood. Not sure they will have portals but something similar to block views of immersive lands.

 

[xtpower]

If I would guess instead of celestial park it is Hollywood. Not sure they will have portals but something similar to block views of immersive lands.

They can make Hollywood into a Main Street type deal that leads into a hub for the 'immersive worlds'. So if they had a Ghostbusters ride, you'd have the firehouse along that 'Main Street'.

 

[xtpower]

We have the latest video from @ProjectUniversalUK -



He seems to think the dingy has nothing to do with the site. But the company on the van it's hitched to is 'Land-Scope Engineering' who do surveying work, which includes underwater. So they likely are surveying the land and the water elements around the site - after all Universal love to use water in their Parks, so it would make sense to survey the little ponds and lakes.

 

[Elijah Abrams]

But why compromise at all? Mark Woodbury, current CEO of Universal Destinations and former President of Universal Creative, has said that the company lives by the ethos that the next thing they create has to be better than what came before it. That sounds like a wonderful principle on which to run a creative company, and one I very much hope will underpin all that they do for Universal Great Britain. I think the traditional approach to a ‘movie studios’ theme park limits the creativity which can be employed in making immersive places in which fantastical stories, rides and attractions can be located.

How many people think that USF is really up to the standards set by IoA and now Epic? Does anyone get much joy from walking around the large, feature-less faux studio buildings in the front half of USF? Look at Disney’s re-themeing and even re-naming of their Studios park in Paris. I thought that park was a disappointment right from my initial visit during the shareholders’ preview, in large part because of the sterile ‘movie studios’ theme.

Can Universal GB at least have Hollywood as the main entrance land, as well as New York (and Old London)?

 

[rob@rar]

Can Universal GB at least have Hollywood as the main entrance land, as well as New York (and Old London)?

If given the choice, I’d have something like Port of Entry rather than Hollywood; and Darkmore instead of New York.

 

[rob@rar]

Spotted something intriguing on Bedford Council's website for their local councillors, which I think gives some insight to their thinking on the timetable for the planning decisions around Universal's proposal.

See item 25 - To consider a consultation response to DLUHC on the Universal Special Development Order

This seems to be a forward planning item which says that the Council's Executive Committee will have to confirm in July their response to the government's consultation on the proposed Special Development Order for Universal's planning permission. There's no supporting information, and I've not been able to find anything on the government's Department for Levelling Up website referring to a consultation on the SDO. This item was added to Bedford Council's forward plan for decisions required in May, so this pre-dates the announcement of the general election, the dissolution of parliament and the general slowdown of anything which requires Ministerial input during the period of election purdah. As a result I think anything directly linked to Universal's planning application and the government proceeding with a SDO will have come to a temporary halt, including Bedford Council preparing a response to the government's consultation which is now likely to be on hold. But it does suggest, at the very least, Bedford Council's expectation of when this next stage of the planning process would take place, prior to the election being called.

 

[rob@rar]

Apologies for the stream of posts, but to add to my previous comment, it seems as if work on this continues in the background, as we hope and expect it to. Senior officers from Bedford, including the Council's Chief Executive, met just a couple of days ago with a senior civil servant from the government's Department for Culture, Media and Sport, who is leading on Universal's likely planning application.

 

[bedfordmassive]

Great detective work

 

[yepthatguy]

Apologies for the stream of posts, but to add to my previous comment, it seems as if work on this continues in the background, as we hope and expect it to. Senior officers from Bedford, including the Council's Chief Executive, met just a couple of days ago with a senior civil servant from the government's Department for Culture, Media and Sport, who is leading on Universal's likely planning application.

Thanks Rob, sorry to ask, but are you sure they definitely met / had a meeting?

 

[rob@rar]

Thanks Rob, sorry to ask, but are you sure they definitely met / had a meeting?

According to the Council's Chief Exec, yes they met.