Fast & Furious: Supercharged (Closing August 2026)

[DOOMBOT]

That shouldn’t be empty either, just as Wonders of Life is.

We probably agree on a lot of these, generally, and I don't mean to be too flippant here.

My larger point is that it's just been such a consistent trend for Universal to budget-cut much needed upgrades and deliver mostly average at best final products; whereas Disney has been out here building really interesting, high budget, and dynamic attractions for the past decade plus. Cosmic Rewind, Rise, Flight of Passage, Tron, M&M, that also serve to broaden the variety and offerings of each park. There has been a very pointed effort in that direction for all four parks and it's led to each feeling refreshed, supported, and exciting.

When competition is consistently supplying all of that, I'm just not impressed or excited at all for the same mediocre ride as before; just now based around a less popular, interesting, and relevant IP. It doesn't cut it for me, personally.

And no, not everything Disney does is gold, obviously. They've missed a bunch too and I call them on it. But man, how many Villain-Cons or falling apart Yoshi animatronics or 2D cutouts of concept art installed in the finished park do I have to paper over to keep calling UDX a company that is giving Disney a run for their money or whatever? They just aren't there.

 

[Tbad556]

We probably agree on a lot of these, generally, and I don't mean to be too flippant here.

My larger point is that it's just been such a consistent trend for Universal to budget-cut much needed upgrades and deliver mostly average at best final products; whereas Disney has been out here building really interesting, high budget, and dynamic attractions for the past decade plus. Cosmic Rewind, Rise, Flight of Passage, Tron, M&M, that also serve to broaden the variety and offerings of each park. There has been a very pointed effort in that direction for all four parks and it's led to each feeling refreshed, supported, and exciting.

When competition is consistently supplying all of that, I'm just not impressed or excited at all for the same mediocre ride as before; just now based around a less popular, interesting, and relevant IP. It doesn't cut it for me, personally.

And no, not everything Disney does is gold, obviously. They've missed a bunch too and I call them on it. But man, how many Villain-Cons or falling apart Yoshi animatronics or 2D cutouts of concept art installed in the finished park do I have to paper over to keep calling UDX a company that is giving Disney a run for their money or whatever? They just aren't there.

I agree with a chunk of what you’re saying honestly. However, I will add that I have a lot of the same gripes I have with Uni with Disney. Arguably one of the main things keeping Uni competitive is how hard Disney has harmed their own experience in the past decade.

I’ve had far worse luck with Tiana animatronics than Yoshi animatronics. I can’t stand Epic, a blatant nighttime park, closing before night really hits. I also can’t stand the stunning Avatar land you mentioned closing before dark when it really shines. Personally, I see M&M as a massive downgrade, but I also grasp that it’s a win for their crowds overall. Galaxy’s Edge is an entertainment-cut (thanks to the whopping success of Starcruiser), identity crisis of a land held together by one of the greatest dark rides ever. However, even that ride has had a key show scene in B mode for years now. Universal has delivered some stinkers at times while Disney has completely abandoned things like Poppins, the Spaceship Earth upgrade, Wondrous China, or the Play! Pavilion.

Universal has show issues, but Disney has had their shares of KiteTails and Harmonious messes as well. Both resorts have cut down on street entertainment and harmed the park atmosphere. Disney used to dominate the holidays for me. However, we’ve lost Osborne Lights, Dream Lights, etc for significantly lesser (upcharged) products. Don’t even get me started on the Lightning Lane and overall app changes that have made it a nightmare for the common guest to navigate their day. Or the bland-ification of many of Disney's changes over the past decade (looking at the Epcot redo, pretty much every new resort change, etc.)

At times, it feels like two competitors flailing to see who can lose first lol.

 

[OrlandoGuy]

I think Twisters is actually perfect for this. It wouldn’t really lend itself to a “ride” (no, a suck zone spinner is not a good idea) and it’s an IP that sits perfectly on that line between, “fun and recognizable to fans” but not, “so monumental it would be a disappointment seeing it relegated to a 3-D bus ride.” If you want to plus the 360 screens, wind and water is a good and easy way to do it.

My biggest question would be how does it fit into San Francisco. I know that generally a studio park can get away with not really bothering with that stuff but they did try to at least CGI the TransAmerica tower into Supercharged. But even with that bare minimum set as the bar, there’s literally zero way to put a tornado ride in a San Francisco zone.

 

[Brian G.]

I think Twisters is actually perfect for this. It wouldn’t really lend itself to a “ride” (no, a suck zone spinner is not a good idea) and it’s an IP that sits perfectly on that line between, “fun and recognizable to fans” but not, “so monumental it would be a disappointment seeing it relegated to a 3-D bus ride.” If you want to plus the 360 screens, wind and water is a good and easy way to do it.

My biggest question would be how does it fit into San Francisco. I know that generally a studio park can get away with not really bothering with that stuff but they did try to at least CGI the TransAmerica tower into Supercharged. But even with that bare minimum set as the bar, there’s literally zero way to put a tornado ride in a San Francisco zone.

Keep Richter's as the Jaws overlay. Rename San Fran as "Retro Backlot" or whatever, and problem solved!

 

[belloq87]

I'd much rather see Universal save properties like Back to the Future, Jaws, and other legacy franchises for projects that can actually do them justice, rather than forcing them into an existing building as a quick fix.

There's enough room on the Superchaged plot/rest of San Fran to do justice to just about anything (as a self-contained attraction, if not a full land) if Universal was willing to entirely ditch what's in that building.

Really, this should be one of the easiest plots to do something significant with, it shouldn't have to be another half-hearted effort (especially directly following VillainCon and DreamWorks).

Fix Supercharged. Add a dark ride to DreamWorks Land. Tighten up Minion Land to Minion Studios. Replace Simpsons. If they all hit, USF will be just fine.

Yes, that would all be great, but two of these are entirely theoretical (adding a dark ride to DreamWorks and the assumption that whatever replaces Supercharged will be a "fix"), and another has no timeframe attached to it (replacing Springfield).

And who knows? Maybe Twisters ends up being a better fit than people expect. If it succeeds, great. If it doesn't, Universal hasn't burned one of its biggest franchises on what was ultimately intended to be a transitional project.

But if it doesn't, we're continuing to waste a very large, valuable, highly-visible plot of land that could/should be better put-to-use.

 

[Andysol]

Men in Black's land is too valuable. They could easily build two big lands on that waterfront between MIB/FFL and Simpsons.

You’re not going to replace it with the greatest shooter ride in theme park history. So let’s just keep it forever, please. The odds of a better shooter surpassing MIB is nearly impossible.

I'd much rather see Universal save properties like Back to the Future, Jaws, and other legacy franchises for projects that can actually do them justice, rather than forcing them into an existing building as a quick fix.

Like a hagrid level coaster of the delorean over a damned lake blasting BTTF music and hitting the red button…. Sorry, I mean hit 88mph to activate the flux capacitor.

Let’s go already, universal!

 

[Columbo]

My larger point is that it's just been such a consistent trend for Universal to budget-cut much needed upgrades and deliver mostly average at best final products

Maybe it's just because I have a copy of Disneywar sitting across from me, but there are some similarities to current Universal and Eisner era Disney

Rapid expansion in Florida with two brand new parks, expanding into the EU, smaller scale expansions outside of the two main park areas (Kids Resort and Unleashed / DisneyQuest and Mickey's Kitchen)

The other part of that is of course all the cost cutting and budgetary fixes, though we definitely have not yet hit Superstar Limo/DCA, Disney Studios, or Hong Kong Disneyland

Anyway, if whatever they do for their next big addition in this park is a major miss again, that's when I will be truly worried about the future of USF. But for now I am still optimistic

 

[Brian G.]

There's enough room on the Superchaged plot/rest of San Fran to do justice to just about anything (as a self-contained attraction, if not a full land) if Universal was willing to entirely ditch what's in that building.

Really, this should be one of the easiest plots to do something significant with, it shouldn't have to be another half-hearted effort (especially directly following VillainCon and DreamWorks).


Yes, that would all be great, but two of these are entirely theoretical (adding a dark ride to DreamWorks and the assumption that whatever replaces Supercharged will be a "fix"), and another has no timeframe attached to it (replacing Springfield).


But if it doesn't, we're continuing to waste a very large, valuable, highly-visible plot of land that could/should be better put-to-use.

I mean, isn't this all theoretical? We're having all these conversations without yet knowing what the larger plan is. We're filling in a lot of blanks ourselves.

My point is that USF's issues are somewhat exaggerated. If they fix a few areas, it'll be fine.

I don't disagree that there's enough room there to do something significant. I'm just saying I don't think Universal needs to do that right now, especially when several other areas of USF will need attention too. If you go big here, then go big at Springfield, and then address the other issues of the park.

I think there's a bit of wanting to have our cake and eat it, too, here. You have to give them a chance to actually work their way out of it, but also give credit where credit is due. They're admitting the mistake AND replacing it with a major new roller coaster at each park before Supercharged turned 10.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

We probably agree on a lot of these, generally, and I don't mean to be too flippant here.

My larger point is that it's just been such a consistent trend for Universal to budget-cut much needed upgrades and deliver mostly average at best final products; whereas Disney has been out here building really interesting, high budget, and dynamic attractions for the past decade plus. Cosmic Rewind, Rise, Flight of Passage, Tron, M&M, that also serve to broaden the variety and offerings of each park. There has been a very pointed effort in that direction for all four parks and it's led to each feeling refreshed, supported, and exciting.

When competition is consistently supplying all of that, I'm just not impressed or excited at all for the same mediocre ride as before; just now based around a less popular, interesting, and relevant IP. It doesn't cut it for me, personally.

And no, not everything Disney does is gold, obviously. They've missed a bunch too and I call them on it. But man, how many Villain-Cons or falling apart Yoshi animatronics or 2D cutouts of concept art installed in the finished park do I have to paper over to keep calling UDX a company that is giving Disney a run for their money or whatever? They just aren't there.

My general thought is a new and open attraction overlay is better than leaving it empty. To use another Disney comparison, it’d be like leaving Superstar Limo in place and closed because they’re not removing the ride system for the new ride.

It’s easy to view things with rose colored glasses or in a narrow view of scope. All the Disney rides you gave examples for a great (ok maybe not FoP) but they all opened in 2019 or later (minus FoP), and several whiffs were cancelled (Poppins anyone?). Universal just opened a huge new park with stellar attractions, too! Can’t being up Rise and VillainCon comparisons and be remiss to not mention VelcoiCoaster and Harmonious comparisons for example.

I think both resorts are world class, both have strengths and weaknesses, and there are things I wish Disney did that universal is great at and vice versa.

 

[rabbitsmoon]

My larger point is that it's just been such a consistent trend for Universal to budget-cut much needed upgrades and deliver mostly average at best final products; whereas Disney has been out here building really interesting, high budget, and dynamic attractions for the past decade plus. Cosmic Rewind, Rise, Flight of Passage, Tron, M&M, that also serve to broaden the variety and offerings of each park. There has been a very pointed effort in that direction for all four parks and it's led to each feeling refreshed, supported, and exciting.

When competition is consistently supplying all of that, I'm just not impressed or excited at all for the same mediocre ride as before; just now based around a less popular, interesting, and relevant IP. It doesn't cut it for me, personally.

And no, not everything Disney does is gold, obviously. They've missed a bunch too and I call them on it. But man, how many Villain-Cons or falling apart Yoshi animatronics or 2D cutouts of concept art installed in the finished park do I have to paper over to keep calling UDX a company that is giving Disney a run for their money or whatever? They just aren't there.

Disney World has a better foundation. It has the bubble and multiple classic parks designed by first and second generation Imagineers. WED and early WDI were special collections of real artists, much less tethered to corporate whims than what we see today. I love Universal (and prefer to vacation there), but it's a patchwork of properties, sometimes feeling closer to the chaos of Vegas than the gestalt of Disney.

That said, I think you're cherry-picking here. We can't hand-wave away the 3rd park like it didn't happen. Epic is the obvious reason why IOA and USF didn't get more "to broaden the variety and offerings of each park."

And taste is taste, but I don't think there's much daylight between the quality in offerings between the two resorts over the past decade. As everyone has said, USF made bad investments. But IOA got its two signature rides in that time frame (two of the best coasters in the entire world), plus we got Epic. You mentioned Unchained like its the only good thing in that park, but all of Berk is world class and Stardust is a masterpiece. Also, things look a lot different on the west coast. Have you been on WEB Slingers???

Again, I think the danger lies ahead. I'm really excited for all of WDW's additions. They seem to be doubling down on all of their strengths and looking to deliver stuff that will be instantly classic. But I'm not ready to count out Universal.

 

[Columbo]

My general thought is a new and open attraction overlay is better than leaving it empty. To use another Disney comparison, it’d be like leaving Superstar Limo in place and closed because they’re not removing the ride system for the new ride...

All the Disney rides you gave examples for a great (ok maybe not FoP) but they all opened in 2019 or later (minus FoP), and several whiffs were cancelled (Poppins anyone?). Universal just opened a huge new park with stellar attractions, too! Can’t being up Rise and VillainCon comparisons and be remiss to not mention VelcoiCoaster and Harmonious comparisons for example.

Very fair, on multiple points:

Even if Monster's Inc is just a budget overlay of SSL, it was a big step up and also can exist within the context of DCA

On the cancelled rides and projects, this is probably Disney's biggest annoyance in recent years. Beyond Poppins we have the Play Pavilion, the Future World update which they butchered, the cancelled World Showcase addition (though if memory serves me correct that didn't get an official announcement)

The new additions outside of Cosmic Rewind and Test Track were a reskin of Maelstrom and a screen centric dark ride in France, which to be fair: is still bringing more life to that section of the park (though I still miss Maelstrom I can't lie)

That said I will push back on FoP slander

 

[Blue]

I would rather see two smaller D-tickets here than another E-ticket using the same underwhelming ride system. I know it's still fairly new but it's just not worth keeping around imo.

 

[Mad Dog]

One big plus 'COMPETITION'....Universal/Potter changed the equation. WDW had stagnated, partly because Disney considered Orlando a mature market....Potter success gave the lie to that false assumption....Consequently the Theme Parks Arms Race......Most of the new stuff we've experienced at WDW and Universal is a result of that competition for market share. Universal had momentum through 2015, then Disney grabbed it back. But in a theme park war, there is always one victor....the customer....that now has so many more choices.

May the war never end.

 

[TheCodeMan95]

I'm not enthusiastic about Twisters (or some of Universal Creative's recent output) either, but let's not act like Disney's been hitting homerun after homerun, guys.

Tomorrowland's still a scatterbrained mess of an identity crisis, even with the long-overdue improvements to the crusty Space Rangers Spin or the addition of Tron (which is as big of a sightline mess as any of Universal's worst sins and took an absurd number of years to build). The Carousel of Progress updates could be great or be a total miss depending on the script. Space Mountain's redo seems inevitable thanks to the realities of entropy, but I'll also believe it when I see it.

Yeah, an earlier post stated that this just establishes that Universal has been lagging behind Disney lately and always will.. which is a wild statement based on the last decade lol

 

[Parkscope Joe]

That said I will push back on FoP slander

There are dozens of us (who think it's overrated). Dozens!