Minion Café - USF
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- May 26, 2010
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It was a redundant attraction in a park that already has too many simulator experiences.
I also think 4D theater attractions are on their way out as a whole. Case in point Tough to be Bug at DCA being replaced with a dark ride in the form of Web Slingers. Most movie theaters in public have things like 360 surround sound and even moving seats now so a theater attraction at the theme park is no longer a unique experience. DWT makes sense at USH as they want to showcase Dreamworks Animation IPs but lack the space for a full fledged land.
For sure can see this. So instead they gave us an attraction where we stand and look at screens instead of sitting and looking at them
- Jan 30, 2013
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I think if I were the them, I would want the front of this park to be as kid friendly/eye catching as possible. They have a reputation as not for younger kids. I think how you feel about that debate is up to you; but I think Universal feels it’s necessary to dispel.
Look at their decisions this year:
1. Kidzone
2. Minions
3. Texas Kids Park
You’re also building a brand new park, with a decent mix of offerings. Things that are more family focused generally. People go to that one cause it’s new and exciting. They love it and decide to go to the other parks (maybe for the first time.) First thing you see is a something beloved by kids, that’s a pretty good way to change your reputation over time. But that’s just me.
This mini land is further into the park than y’all think. Gotta walk past the giant entry shop/sweet shop on left and camera shop/Today Cafe on right. Those shops and dining are part of the Production Offices section of the park, which is extended from the ticket booths and guest services are out front. Next comes the soundstages, which are visible ahead of us. And it’s neat that they have theming now.
I’m not upset. Because the studio park theme and this park’s entrance never bothered me to begin with. And still doesn’t now.
If you want a better Main Street type experience, turn right at Today Cafe. Hollywood is just as equally the same distance into the park as Minion Land, and also not part of the entrance to this park, just one of the first lands you get to after passing through it.
I’m not upset. Because the studio park theme and this park’s entrance never bothered me to begin with. And still doesn’t now.
If you want a better Main Street type experience, turn right at Today Cafe. Hollywood is just as equally the same distance into the park as Minion Land, and also not part of the entrance to this park, just one of the first lands you get to after passing through it.
I was commenting more on your first option. You blew it off as something Universal doesn't want to spend the money on but if they were really to cure the problem you have with the Soundstage look, with would require a complete reworking of the entire Production Central and a timeframe that likely would extend into 2025, which would cannibalize into EU.
Your third option sounds tacky, tbh. It would look off because the tight spaces wouldn't allow them the proper forced perspective.
Minions Land has brand synergy. They can use the same merchandise across multiple parks. While the name doesn't seem intuitive to us, it prints money and it all boils down to semantics anyway.
If Production Central were to be redesigned look wise, they would be wise to pull from the Spanish Art Deco Mission Revival look the entrance at USH has.
- Apr 30, 2017
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I believe a complete redo of the entrance area and Production Central has been part of Universal's future plans for quite a while. Part of the disappointment of Minion Land is that a potential major overhaul has been discarded in favor of half-measures.
The problems of budget and time are arbitrary ones Universal imposed on itself, not limits forced on them by outside forces. Perhaps this wasn't a project best undertaken now, with EU looming.
I really don't understand your objection to the facade idea. The facades wouldn't really be using forced perspective - they'd be two story facades depicting two-story shops and houses. The street between Mayhem and Blast is no narrower then that between the cafe and Blast, where they are currently installing exactly the kinds of facade's I'm suggesting.
Honestly, as much as I kvetch, I don't think keeping the stages or doing a fairly minimal makeover of the area is particularly egregious or bothersome. What I do think is a fairly big deal is just how lazy the work on the exteriors of the stages has been. The Spirit-Halloween-evoking awning they've put around Blast simply looks bad. Sticking up facades - in other words, doing more or less what they did with Simpsons and the Minion Cafe - should have been the absolute least a theme park of Uni's caliber would do, and would have resulted in a pleasant, cohesive new land done quickly and on the relative cheap.
Those buildings are so tight to the road I don’t see how facades would work without tearing down and starting from scratch
- Apr 30, 2017
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They’d work just like the existing facades of Grus house or the concrete entrance to Villain-Con or the facades newly lining the cafe. This is a really odd concern - I mean, guests are able to get within millimeters and touch almost every facade at Disney and Uni. They aren’t built out of tarp. The concern is crowd flow, which is why you keep the facades colorful, 3-dimensional, but shallow.
Except they've done more substantial Minion lands (like USJ) that fit far better than this. I even think there's a case that a Minion land would work better elsewhere in the park (Springfield), but that's a possibility that is long gone. I understand what they had to work with, but I disagree with "The characters are messy, so their inclusion in the parks can be messy."
- Jul 24, 2018
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I mean, even if they took down the soundstage building.. they'd need to build a show building anyway. It's kinda hard to hide that when it's sitting smack dab in the middle of the park.
No normal person is leaving USF thinking "I enjoyed my time at this park, but it's actually not a good park because it doesn't have a Main Street equivalent." like online theme park fans do. It's just not a consideration for the vast majority of people.
I mean, most guests won't say "my day at the park is worse because it had a minimal entrance land" but consider the impact that Port of Entry has compared to what this will have. I think the first impression is important, and I wish this didn't have to go right at the entrance for that reason
It was? News to me.
Which would be great if there was room. They were able to fit Gru's house because the queue jettisoned out a bit from the building and it didn't have as tight of space. I obviously would love something to Hollywood's set up but the room just isn't there. So they pivoted.
- Feb 15, 2012
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What on gods green earth are you talking about. There have never been rumors about a redo of the entrance, Minion Land isn’t even the entrance.
Stop creating these straw men for you to push over. It’s totally made up.
I think you’re projecting your own preferences on the guest pool at large, and I don’t think it’s the reality of the situation
