The Old KidZone Thread

[JungleSkip]

I still think Dreamworks is going to be very present in the Kidszone changes. How to Train your Dragon and the Croods offer some unique stories to work with.

HTTYD is fine.

Croods looks like a steaming pile of crap, so I hope not.

 

[TomTheRiddle]

Personally I don't see Universal doing much more with Dreamworks other than HTTYD. Shrek is losing its appeal and is basically a space filler and its a people eating monster as far as capacity goes.

Here's the tough thing, it could go either way with Kid Zone. Either they do a rehaul of the area to something else, or Universal holds onto at least Woody and Curious George. Fieval is probably on his way out just because the company doesn't seem to want to revive him. Illumination does have plans for Curious and Woody, and Woody is kinda the flagship mascot for IoA right now.

If we do kill Kidzone and start over, we're most likely to see a Nickelodeon theme. Hanna Barbara/WBA IS a possibility because of the close relationship between WB and Universal because of Potter, but ONLY IF Warner Brothers Animation really starts to resonate again. Its too early to predict this.

 

[JungleSkip]

So Dreamworks is building indoor "theme parks" in Russia now.

I really think the Dreamworks ship has sailed for Universal.

 

[sbdipp]

Not saying its going to happen because the odds are sub 1% but imagine a Nintendo themed Kidzone? Literally these characters are iconic on the level of Mickey Mouse if you ask me. That's my dream, but if they divided Kidzone into separate "areas" and had a Bikini Bottom area that could be cool as well. Any Kidzone redo should begin with an intense ET refurb for sure.

 

[DK745]

Not saying its going to happen because the odds are sub 1% but imagine a Nintendo themed Kidzone? Literally these characters are iconic on the level of Mickey Mouse if you ask me. That's my dream, but if they divided Kidzone into separate "areas" and had a Bikini Bottom area that could be cool as well. Any Kidzone redo should begin with an intense ET refurb for sure.

It'll never happen. Just leave them in the games. The Mario movie didn't turn out well at all, and then Nintendo ended up being very strict with Wreck-It Ralph dictating how Bowser should hold his cup of coffee.. might be hard to work with or just turn out bad, but no chance it happens anyway.

 

[sbdipp]

It'll never happen. Just leave them in the games. The Mario movie didn't turn out well at all, and then Nintendo ended up being very strict with Wreck-It Ralph dictating how Bowser should hold his cup of coffee.. might be hard to work with or just turn out bad, but no chance it happens anyway.

I know. I'm rooting for Bikini Bottom at this point, along with whichever other popular characters they can secure the IP for. Just ET better stay.

 

[Sleepyhollowstudios]

Not saying its going to happen because the odds are sub 1% but imagine a Nintendo themed Kidzone? Literally these characters are iconic on the level of Mickey Mouse if you ask me. That's my dream, but if they divided Kidzone into separate "areas" and had a Bikini Bottom area that could be cool as well. Any Kidzone redo should begin with an intense ET refurb for sure.

I hope a refurb is all that happens to ET. It's one small corner of the park that feels like "original" Universal Studios Florida to me, something that seems to be fading away with every single erection of construction walls. Not bashing what we have coming, I just want a little 1990 Universal to remain intact.

 

[mahnamahna]

Honestly, they should use a unifying enviroment to bring the various kid-friendly IPs together - like this eace:

I would retheme this area to be Universal's Kid Paradise (working title lol)

Animal Actors, Barney, and Fievel would go permanently.
Curious George would be moved over to make room for the main E-ticket.
Woody Woodpecker would be expanded (twice as long) with theming and AAs added.
E.T. would get a massive upgrade ($30-$50 million) and join Hollywood's attraction lineup with an entrance by Gardens of Allah.
Some of the space by the old Hard Rock Cafe (now parade building) would be used, as well as part of the space behind the new Springfield area.

The properties would be a mix of Nickelodeon, Illumination Entertainment, Hanna-Barbera and DreamWorks:

SpongeBob (Jellyfish Fields play area and flat ride replace Fievel, E-ticket dark ride near Curious George, Krusty Krab)
Dora the Explorer (show to replace Barney)
The Croods (indoor boat ride)
Woody Woodpecker (could stay relatively the same)
Curious George (Curious George Goes to the Beach replaces previous area)
Scooby-Doo (haunted beach house dark ride!)
HTTYD (either stunt show or simulator to replace Animal Actors)
Unnamed carousel (possibly themed to simply Universal)

This would give the area a well-rounded lineup: 3 dark rides, 2 flat rides, 2 play areas, and 2 shows
(one possibly being a simulator), and a show without removing their flagship family ride - 10 attractions in all.

Other Possiblities
Sesame Street (unlikely because of Busch)
Looney Tunes (but they fit better in Toon Lagoon)
TMNT (would need to fit the tropical beach/jungle theme)
Kung Fu Panda (highly unlikely)


What do you guys think of this idea? Would Universal consider that feasible for their major 2016 project?
(assuming JP opens Summer 2015) What else could work there?

 

[TylerDurden]

There shouldn't be a KidZone in my opinion--Universal should be full of rides that the whole family can ride together. A land named 'KidZone' discriminates against a certain age group. Consider a family of four, a mom, a dad, a pre-teen, and an elementary schooler. No doubt the older kid wants to do the larger, E-ticket rides that the younger one isn't tall enough to do--this forces the family to split up on their family vacation, and forces one parent into a day at the KidZone while not getting to see what else Universal has to offer. I say rip it all out and put in a signature ride with no height requirement and nothing overtly intense--something that won't split families up and only appeal to 'kids' or 'not kids'.

 

[sbdipp]

There shouldn't be a KidZone in my opinion--Universal should be full of rides that the whole family can ride together. A land named 'KidZone' discriminates against a certain age group. Consider a family of four, a mom, a dad, a pre-teen, and an elementary schooler. No doubt the older kid wants to do the larger, E-ticket rides that the younger one isn't tall enough to do--this forces the family to split up on their family vacation, and forces one parent into a day at the KidZone while not getting to see what else Universal has to offer. I say rip it all out and put in a signature ride with no height requirement and nothing overtly intense--something that won't split families up and only appeal to 'kids' or 'not kids'.

I agree. Spread out kid offerings throughout the park rather than placing them all in one corner. Plus, if Shrek and Despicable Me can stand in the "adult" sections of the park, then adult rides can be on the plot currently occupied by kidzone. Maybe ousting twister/FFL in favor of family friendly rides can allow Uni to put rides for all demographics in the Kidzone redo. Uni having a kidzone is like disney having an adult zone. It is better if they are spread throughout.

 

[Felipe]

There shouldn't be a KidZone in my opinion--Universal should be full of rides that the whole family can ride together. A land named 'KidZone' discriminates against a certain age group. Consider a family of four, a mom, a dad, a pre-teen, and an elementary schooler. No doubt the older kid wants to do the larger, E-ticket rides that the younger one isn't tall enough to do--this forces the family to split up on their family vacation, and forces one parent into a day at the KidZone while not getting to see what else Universal has to offer. I say rip it all out and put in a signature ride with no height requirement and nothing overtly intense--something that won't split families up and only appeal to 'kids' or 'not kids'.

While I agree that KidZone is not the best name, I wouldn't say anyone really spends a whole day here and misses the rest of the park... But, I do agree that they need a new name along with the re-theme / revamp / whatever is coming. That's why I liked "NickToon" something or other, because it implies that it is children-friendly but not outright saying KIDZ!

 

[mahnamahna]

I agree with both of you in that it should be an area for everyone rather than just kids - a family-friendly area. They've already started to do this with Despicable Me and Shrek in the front, the Kangs and Kodos flat ride, and the parade. But Universal has already started with the SpongeBob store, so the kiddie area is here to stay. But there would be thrill rides and family rides mixed in. The SpongeBob E-ticket would be similar to Antarctica and Pooh's Hunny Hunt but on steroids. Animal Actors could be replaced with a HTTYD simulator. Woody Woodpecker could easily be turned into a fun family coaster, rather than the off-the-shelf kiddie coaster it is now.

The Croods boat ride would be Universal's POTC and could have a 20-30 ft drop,
while the Scooby-Doo ride could be like the old Mr. Toad Ride (both would be for the whole family)

Only the Dora show, the two flat rides, and the play areas would focus primarily on kids. Plus, they can always add in TMNT if they wanted to add more adult appeal to the area.

Plus, it doesn't have to be a Kid Paradise . They could call it anything really - the main idea is it's a paradise where many TV and movie cartoon characters live.

Personally, I hate the fact that this area takes up a large amount of real estate yet only two of its attractions remotely appeal to adults (Animal Actors and E.T.)

Just trying to give some ideas to fix this area since it's the next major USF project after Potter 2.0 opens next summer :smiley:

 

[Felipe]

I don't think Animal Actors should go. I don't think they want to, or should, lose a theater. What I would do is maybe integrate an IP into it to make it more appealing than a plain animal show.

I think Dora would be great to replace Barney if that was going. Dora and her clan are HUGELY popular.

 

[sbdipp]

Ideal Kidzone revamp:

ET gets an extensive refurbishment to bring it to tday's technological standards
Dora show replaces Barney
Axe Fievel, Curious George play areas in favor of a Spongebob Bikini Bottom Play area, including a spongebob trackless dark ride (space permitting)
Animal Actors theater becomes a HTTYD show
Nuthouse Coaster overhauled to include elements to make it an actual enjoyable ride
Expand superstar parade to include more franchises

I do not trust Croods to be a lasting franchise, especially with all the short lived kids movies out there. I think after this Kidzone redo they would be out of space, but if they could somehow add something more without eating into the expansion pad, then Madagascar boat ride would be next on my list.

 

[TheMackMachine]

I think they should keep Curious George, because it's a great play area. Fievel and Barney can go for better attractions. What I would like to see Universal focus on in this "redo" is to create good rides instead of relying on the IPs. It's like Toon Lagoon where the IPs are unknown to some kids, but the rides are great. If the rides weren't great, than Toon Lagoon would be destroyed for something else like Lord of the Rings. I feel that some of the changes that has happened to USF have been because the brands carried the rides. Once those brands went bad, the ride became really unpopular. We see that today with Shrek and Twister.

 

[mahnamahna]

That's why I looked for properties that have stood the test of time. Spongebob's almost 15 years old and still insanely popular (. Dora's 13 years old.
Scooby-Doo is adored by kids even 44 years later. Kids still love Curious George (mostly the ball pit lol) And Woody Woodpecker could be Universal's Mickey Mouse if
they gave him a great family-friendly ride. TMNT are almost 30 years. True, The Croods and HTTYD haven't been around for more than 5 years, but like TheMackMachine
said, great attractions can outlast their source material. Dudley-Do Right and Splash Mountain are proof of that. Aside from Fievel and Barney, (which aren't exactly the
best of attractions anyway lol) it's not a terrible area - but it needs some of that Comcast love the rest of the park has been getting.

I think that if they truly desired, Universal could even put King Kong in this area (keeping with the tropical theme) as part of a Skull Island mini-area :kingkong:
(using part of the Simpsons/MIB expansion space - which is 15-20 acres in total!), which could connect to Transylvania or Syfy City later on (if Universal decides to make MIB non-isolated). But I feel that in order to compete with Disney at all, they need to almost double KidZone's current attraction count, at some point. 1 dark ride, 2 shows, a kiddie coaster, and 2 play areas is not a good use of space. Look at Disneyland's Fantasyland which isn't much bigger than this area and it has almost 20 attractions - because they
have used their space wisely. Surely, a C-ticket dark ride, or a small flat ride wouldn't need tons of space.

And maybe Animal Actors could be re-themed to HTTYD. The basic idea would remain, but they could use it as a chance to convince people they're watching Toothless fly around.
Perhaps instead of Kid Paradise though, it could be called "Universal's Tropical Wonderland" or something like that (non kid-specific). The name/theme would have to be worked on to unify all of these IPs (I don't like just theming it to Nick or just DreamWorks or just Illumination or just Hanna-Barbera - a lush, immersive Toon Lagoon style area works better)

 

[IzzyB]

Whatever they do, they need a good dark ride that appeals to everyone. I really think scooby doo could be this. Kids today love it and adults today remember it from their past. It needs to have no height requirement and allow kid lap sitting. That way no matter who comes on this vacation, everyone can go on this ride.

I think to make Uni a well rounded park they need at least 5 to 6 rides that the entire family can go on and enjoy. This is how they can compete with Disney. I mean look at MK they have the following rides that I think appeal to all ages and anyone can ride: HM, Pirates, Peter Pan, Small World, Mickey Philharmonic, Buzz Lightyear, Astro Orbitor, and Little Mermaid (As an adult the AIs are just cool and the music is great). Universal only has Shrek, Horror makeup show, Animal Actor (never seen this, so not sure if it appeals to older kids/adults), and Twister (but this scared the crap out of my kids and they don't get scared easily). So of those 4, most are not revered as the better rides at OU, where at MK Pirates and HM are normally on a families must see attractions list.

So I think Uni needs this kids area, but it needs to be re-themed to not have "kids" in the name and start to have more balanced rides. Phase 2 and TF are going to be amazing rides, but don't address this weakness the park has, so they have to get it right when they re-do kids zone.

 

[mahnamahna]

Absolutely! :iagree: USF and IOA need counterparts to Pirates, Small World, HM, Little Mermaid, Spaceship Earth, etc. Of course, there needs to be the innovation and creative that TDO has refused to show in the last 20 years. (Cars Land and DisneySea look amazing though!)

 

[shiekra38]

My advice...drop Kidzone altogether and continue world building..i.e. a Bikini Bottom Land, Scooby Doo Spooky Island, etc..like someone earlier stated, saying one area is 'Kidzone' sends a message that Kids are only supposed to be in that one spot, with Universal's new family initiative it's time to ditch that area of the park

 

[knokout1]

To be fair it does have a playground, a water play area, and the ball fight area, so I think the name can fit just because you wouldn't see a playground in each area.