The Future of Lost Continent

[biggerboat16]

If there’s one thing I’ll miss it’ll be that facade. Wonder if they’d look for a way to keep it and just integrate it with the new ride/retheme/whatever they do.

 

[Magic-Man]

I'm going to be so incredibly happy if Zelda comes to Islands of Adventure. I'll be there day zero.

 

[OrlandoGuy]

Dang…on one hand, it’s always a bummer when an attraction that does something different gets the boot (especially as the resort additions have become less and less diverse over the past few years).

On the other hand…excited for progress and the promise of something new!

But if the prevailing rumor is a Zelda replacement…why now? Say a movie got greenlit last week, we’d still be what, two years away minimum from a release? That’s two years of waiting to see if…
1.) the movie is successful enough to anchor an attraction
2.) what the audience scores point to as the best moments to include in a ride
…and then starting to build the ride. If they’re planning to build while the movie is in development, I’d be fascinated by the ambition but questioning the risk of going all in on an unproven IP (relative to what have actually been getting attractions built in the last 5 years).

 

[Magic-Man]

Dang…on one hand, it’s always a bummer when an attraction that does something different gets the boot (especially as the resort additions have become less and less diverse over the past few years).

On the other hand…excited for progress and the promise of something new!

But if the prevailing rumor is a Zelda replacement…why now? Say a movie got greenlit last week, we’d still be what, two years away minimum from a release? That’s two years of waiting to see if…
1.) the movie is successful enough to anchor an attraction
2.) what the audience scores point to as the best moments to include in a ride
…and then starting to build the ride. If they’re planning to build while the movie is in development, I’d be fascinated by the ambition but questioning the risk of going all in on an unproven IP (relative to what have actually been getting attractions built in the last 5 years).

I don't think the construction is timed to the movie if it's Zelda. I'd imagine it was related to the big success of Super Nintendo World out in Hollywood and Osaka, combined with the Mario Movie opening big. Wasn't there a rumor that said that Universal was sitting on projects to see if Nintendo was a success?

 

[Casper Gutman]

The attraction has always been a waste of one of the greatest facades in the theme park universe. An upgrade would be really great.

That said…

What’s been happening at Uni the last several years is troubling. After firing on all cylinders and consistently pummeling the mouse, the resort’s approach seemed to change after the pandemic. We’ve seen a string of closures - Poseiden, the studios nighttime show, the parade - with vague promises of “something” in the future. These closures badly exacerbate earlier removals like Sinbad - a major theme park with Poseiden, Sinbad, and the Toon theater sitting empty for multiple years is a bad look and reminiscent of modern EPCOT. The new attractions that are being built - the KidZone makeover and Minions - are lackluster when compared to the string of additions ending with Veloci. The looming opening of EU, which looks spectacular, obscures this change in direction and makes it somewhat less concerning, but it’s still worthy of comment. After all, EU was being built when they were opening Veloci and Bourne. If we don’t get a very substantial load of new entertainment offerings, a parade and a nighttime show soon - or at least hear very firm plans - I think it’s fair to start worrying about the resort’s direction.

 

[Nico]

Dang…on one hand, it’s always a bummer when an attraction that does something different gets the boot (especially as the resort additions have become less and less diverse over the past few years).

On the other hand…excited for progress and the promise of something new!

But if the prevailing rumor is a Zelda replacement…why now? Say a movie got greenlit last week, we’d still be what, two years away minimum from a release? That’s two years of waiting to see if…
1.) the movie is successful enough to anchor an attraction
2.) what the audience scores point to as the best moments to include in a ride
…and then starting to build the ride. If they’re planning to build while the movie is in development, I’d be fascinated by the ambition but questioning the risk of going all in on an unproven IP (relative to what have actually been getting attractions built in the last 5 years).

I wonder if they would do the Mario route. Don’t lock the land in with movie plots & voices, but instead, use similar designs so it is visually connected. See Donkey Kong.

What’s been happening at Uni the last several years is troubling. After firing on all cylinders and consistently pummeling the mouse, the resort’s approach seemed to change after the pandemic. We’ve seen a string of closures - Poseiden, the studios nighttime show, the parade - with vague promises of “something” in the future. These closures badly exacerbate earlier removals like Sinbad - a major theme park with Poseiden, Sinbad, and the Toon theater sitting empty for multiple years is a bad look and reminiscent of modern EPCOT. The new attractions that are being built - the KidZone makeover and Minions - are lackluster when compared to the string of additions ending with Veloci. The looming opening of EU, which looks spectacular, obscures this change in direction and makes it somewhat less concerning, but it’s still worthy of comment. After all, EU was being built when they were opening Veloci and Bourne. If we don’t get a very substantial load of new entertainment offerings, a parade and a nighttime show soon - or at least hear very firm plans - I think it’s fair to start worrying about the resort’s direction.

1. 2024. This has to do with resort health prior to EU. It isn’t a sign of pending catastrophe. I understand that theater closures have traumatized people, but a new parade, lagoon show, and castle show are not that.

2. Kidzone and Villaincon aren’t open yet. Let’s wait for them to be done before we start comparing them to existing rollercoasters. (Also, I can’t stress this enough, anyone who posts on this board is not the prime demographic for either addition.)

 

[PerceptiveCoot]

I have to assume Zelda is popular given the proportion of 30-something males with Triforce shirts and tatoos, which I estimate to be at least 25% of the male American population.

 

[belloq87]

I'm quite bummed about this today. It's the first time an attraction I actually cared about has been (slated to be) removed at IOA, and it foreshadows the first major, fundamental change to the park I first experienced. Even when Hogsmeade absorbed some of Lost Continent, Poseidon's Fury and Sindbad were still reminders of the first iteration. Now, all on the way out.

USF is getting a new kids land and entertainment next year.

I don't think that's quite on the level of what some of us are talking about when we say USF needs more attention.

-OR… the building will sit vacant for years and they’ll open up a few street shows and pretend to their staff that that is the equivalent “new” entertainment offering

I honestly would not be surprised to see it just sit for awhile before anything happens. Because it may be better for the park to turn off all its pipes and let it sit than continue to try to fix it and spend more money... when they know they're just going to replace it eventually anyway at this point.

This is not a great scenario, in my view.

I would like them to be working on the Lost Continent replacement by the end of this year. Otherwise, Poseidon's Fury should have been allowed to at least see out the summer.

Petition to have the Mystic Fountain moved to Port of Entry by the lagoon!

Excellent idea. I hope somebody at Universal Creative is thinking along these lines.

I’d take this. The resort as a whole needs an indoor boat ride.

I think USF needs one more, but I'll take one here.

 

[Dinoman96]

I said it before but it's a weird thought that The Flying Unicorn (now Flight of the Hippogriff) wounded up being the last standing remnant of The Lost Continent, with Dueling Dragons/Dragon Challenge, Poseidon's Fury and Sinbad all shuttered/about to be shuttered.

 

[Nico]

I'm quite bummed about this today. It's the first time an attraction I actually cared about has been (slated to be) removed at IOA, and it foreshadows the first major, fundamental change to the park I first experienced. Even when Hogsmeade absorbed some of Lost Continent, Poseidon's Fury and Sindbad were still reminders of the first iteration. Now, all on the way out.


I don't think that's quite on the level of what some of us are talking about when we say USF needs more attention.



This is not a great scenario, in my view.

I would like them to be working on the Lost Continent replacement by the end of this year. Otherwise, Poseidon's Fury should have been allowed to at least see out the summer.


Excellent idea. I hope somebody at Universal Creative is thinking along these lines.


I think USF needs one more, but I'll take one here.

I like to imagine an indoor/outdoor boat ride at EU (Creature) would be nice.

 

[MagdolHauntsMe]

I'll be sad to see it go. At least I got to go on it one last time last week. I'm just hoping that whatever replaces Poseidon's Fury is also a ~30-minute queue + attraction experience in a cool, air-conditioned building. That's what Universal Orlando needs more than anything, especially April-October.

 

[Casper Gutman]

I have real questions about Zelda as an IP. Mario works because of the huge collection of recognizable characters and elements that recur throughout the series in broadly consistent roles. The Zelda games, as far as I know, don’t really have that. There’s Link, Zelda, and Gannon, but even those three vary in background, personality, and appearance throughout the series - the only elements that stay consistent are very basic and generic. Beyond those characters, what are the recognizable elements that appear throughout the series - the Mushroom people, fire flowers, coin blocks, etc.? Also unlike most Mario games, the aesthetics and tone of the Zelda games vary dramatically - Wind Waker doesn’t look or feel much like Breath of the Wild. An adult who played the original SMB and a young child who played only recent Mario games can both watch the film and recognize the world - is the same true of a Zelda movie or theme park land based on the modern games and an adult nostalgic for Link to the Past? This isn’t even getting into the fact that the current games, as great as they are, are fairly aesthetically and narratively generic and indistinct.

This is all a very long-winded way of saying that, while Zelda is the better game series, Pokémon is the better theme park property, and it doesn’t belong in Lost Continent.

 

[salismetho]

But if the prevailing rumor is a Zelda replacement…why now? Say a movie got greenlit last week, we’d still be what, two years away minimum from a release? That’s two years of waiting to see if…
1.) the movie is successful enough to anchor an attraction
2.) what the audience scores point to as the best moments to include in a ride
…and then starting to build the ride. If they’re planning to build while the movie is in development, I’d be fascinated by the ambition but questioning the risk of going all in on an unproven IP (relative to what have actually been getting attractions built in the last 5 years).

If we get a Zelda land, it'll be based off Breath of the Wild, same way that Mario is based on 3D World. And I don't really see Illumination animating in the style of BotW so I think it's safe to say they'll be unrelated

 

[UniversalRBLX]

I'll be sad to see it go. At least I got to go on it one last time last week. I'm just hoping that whatever replaces Poseidon's Fury is also a ~30-minute queue + attraction experience in a cool, air-conditioned building. That's what Universal Orlando needs more than anything, especially April-October.

Somewhere at Universal Creative I hope there's a post-it note that says "must be indoors" for the next IOA attraction.

 

[Grabnar]

If we get a Zelda land, it'll be based off Breath of the Wild, same way that Mario is based on 3D World. And I don't really see Illumination animating in the style of BotW so I think it's safe to say they'll be unrelated

Change the boat ride to be about Wind Waker, do projection mapping for cel shading and you have a MMRR competitor...

 

[belloq87]

What’s been happening at Uni the last several years is troubling. After firing on all cylinders and consistently pummeling the mouse, the resort’s approach seemed to change after the pandemic. We’ve seen a string of closures - Poseiden, the studios nighttime show, the parade - with vague promises of “something” in the future. These closures badly exacerbate earlier removals like Sinbad - a major theme park with Poseiden, Sinbad, and the Toon theater sitting empty for multiple years is a bad look and reminiscent of modern EPCOT. The new attractions that are being built - the KidZone makeover and Minions - are lackluster when compared to the string of additions ending with Veloci. The looming opening of EU, which looks spectacular, obscures this change in direction and makes it somewhat less concerning, but it’s still worthy of comment. After all, EU was being built when they were opening Veloci and Bourne. If we don’t get a very substantial load of new entertainment offerings, a parade and a nighttime show soon - or at least hear very firm plans - I think it’s fair to start worrying about the resort’s direction.

This will not be a popular take around here, but I agree with it more than I disagree.

I like to imagine an indoor/outdoor boat ride at EU (Creature) would be nice.

It would be great.

I'd rather we were getting that in Monsters phase one instead of the coaster, frankly.

 

[Brian G.]

The attraction has always been a waste of one of the greatest facades in the theme park universe. An upgrade would be really great.

That said…

What’s been happening at Uni the last several years is troubling. After firing on all cylinders and consistently pummeling the mouse, the resort’s approach seemed to change after the pandemic. We’ve seen a string of closures - Poseiden, the studios nighttime show, the parade - with vague promises of “something” in the future.

The Resort's MO has always been close first, announce later. I don't get this...

The new attractions that are being built - the KidZone makeover and Minions - are lackluster when compared to the string of additions ending with Veloci. The looming opening of EU,

Not everything needs to be an E-Ticket. Yes, USF still needs help, but it also needs family rides with less height restrictions.

If we don’t get a very substantial load of new entertainment offerings, a parade and a nighttime show soon - or at least hear very firm plans - I think it’s fair to start worrying about the resort’s direction.

Sure, if we wanna be hyperbolic about it...

Universal is getting ready for the spotlight of 2025. That's all this is.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

The attraction has always been a waste of one of the greatest facades in the theme park universe. An upgrade would be really great.

That said…

What’s been happening at Uni the last several years is troubling. After firing on all cylinders and consistently pummeling the mouse, the resort’s approach seemed to change after the pandemic. We’ve seen a string of closures - Poseiden, the studios nighttime show, the parade - with vague promises of “something” in the future. These closures badly exacerbate earlier removals like Sinbad - a major theme park with Poseiden, Sinbad, and the Toon theater sitting empty for multiple years is a bad look and reminiscent of modern EPCOT. The new attractions that are being built - the KidZone makeover and Minions - are lackluster when compared to the string of additions ending with Veloci. The looming opening of EU, which looks spectacular, obscures this change in direction and makes it somewhat less concerning, but it’s still worthy of comment. After all, EU was being built when they were opening Veloci and Bourne. If we don’t get a very substantial load of new entertainment offerings, a parade and a nighttime show soon - or at least hear very firm plans - I think it’s fair to start worrying about the resort’s direction.

I was somewhat worried last year when I noticed the resort lacked maintenance, had horrible operations, etc. However, the last few months have shown a tremendous rebound.

Also, announcing closures without an announcement is what Universal has done for ages. Not much different than what they've done in the past.

They're building a whole new park, with 3 new resort hotels, and still planning upgrades for IOA/USF post-EU.

 

[belloq87]

Not everything needs to be an E-Ticket. Yes, USF still needs help, but it also needs family rides with less height restrictions.

Not to derail the topic at hand, but the Shrek and KidZone plots would have been great places to add new C/D-ticket family rides with low height restrictions!

 

[Magic-Man]

The Resort's MO has always been close first, announce later. I don't get this...



Not everything needs to be an E-Ticket. Yes, USF still needs help, but it also needs family rides with less height restrictions.


Sure, if we wanna be hyperbolic about it...

Universal is getting ready for the spotlight of 2025. That's all this is.

Adding onto this, but wasn't Epic Universe originally meant to open in 2023? So Villain-Con and Kidzone might not have been planned before COVID, they were just designed to fill in the gaps.