NBCUniversal Evolution Plan

[Jon Fu]

Some recent confirmations: http://insideuniversal.net/rumors/

 

[BehindTheTheme]

Photos from construction at UP


UP 2 by BehindTheTheme, on Flickr


UP 1 by BehindTheTheme, on Flickr

Picture taken before park opening. as you can see the construction lights are still on from over night work. Pics not taken by me.

 

[William]

I've always thought the entrance to the Wizarding World would be where the entrance/walkway to the Gibson Amphitheater is now. I guess it may make more sense over by the Studio Tour though, wouldn't it? I mean, crowds over by that side are already pretty bad every now and then.. but it'd be easier to come across rather than to sort of stow away the entrance in the soon-to-be unused corner of the park. I think it'd be smarter, however, to make 2 entrances to accomodate crowds. It would be pretty unwise of Universal to knowingly create a bottleneck in the park.

 

[Allen The Actor]

It was rumored on the site that USH would be opening a "new" attraction every year leading up to Potter.

This year we got Universal Plaza...if we wanna count that

Next year is Minion Mayhem

What would be the new attraction for 2015? That leaves one year before Potter opens (geez it's taking forever).

My guess is this new attraction will have to do with maybe a stage show or street character parade for the 50th anniversary of the park. It's in 2015 right? Kinda curious now

 

[William]

Could we finally be seeing the closure of SES...? Maybe a small, new tour attraction?

 

[Chris]

50th Anniversary of the park is next year 2014.  I guess DM is it!  I doubt the park will celebrate or do anything like the 30th anniversary in 1994.  Sad.

I'm getting old...

 

[Allen The Actor]

Lemme make you feel more old, Chris. I was 1 in 1994. I'm TWENTY now.

But I also sadly doubt Universal will do anything to celebrate. So much opportunity lost. With such a wide AP member following, especially locals, they'd be smart to do what Disney has been doing this year with Limited Time Magic. Have special mini events throughout the year to have guests come back for different things.

But Chris, I feel like despite the rides getting more advanced and us getting a bigger ride count and getting stuff like Potter, I still think that the 90s will always be the pinnacle Golden Age of USH. Universal had more pride in the park and it's offerings back then I feel. Maybe it was also because as Jon has said before, they were crunching out hit after hit after hit in the movie department and everything in the parks was based on Universal properties. There was more pride back then

 

[Chris]

I remember Spectrablast!  What an awesome show to compete with Fantasmic!  I only wish I had more video of it back then.  I do agree, the 90's were the best!

 

[William]

Question: Does anyone think the minions and Potter will be a bit more prominent on the Studio Tour once they come to the park? The minions have already started popping up here and there, but surely they'll mention Potter throughout the tour as it'll be the most prestigious attraction in the park once it opens.. right?

 

[Jon Fu]

Question: Does anyone think the minions and Potter will be a bit more prominent on the Studio Tour once they come to the park? The minions have already started popping up here and there, but surely they'll mention Potter throughout the tour as it'll be the most prestigious attraction in the park once it opens.. right?

I'm not sure how they'll incorporate Harry Potter onto the tour, but I can definitely see Despicable Me getting more airtime throughout the park - including the tour. It helps that Chris' production company is apparently located somewhere on the backlot.

 

[Allen The Actor]

I'm sure for Potter all they'll do is what they did for Transformers: show a trailer of the land/ride on the tour as you're coming to the end of the tour.

 

[William]

I'm sure for Potter all they'll do is what they did for Transformers: show a trailer of the land/ride on the tour as you're coming to the end of the tour.

At the very least, I'd expect that too. If the tour's route remains the same after Potter opens, they could also point it out somehow considering it'd be just to the left of the tram at the end of the tour.

 

[Allen The Actor]

"Ahhh the large castle to your left, folks? Well, that's Sleeping Beauty Castle! Walt Disney wanted a fantasy castle as an icon for the park, and at the same time named in Sleeping Beauty Castle to promote the then in production animated feature of Sleepi- *tram driver incoherently scolds the tour guide* OH! My bad, folks. Wrong park. You see, that's Hogwarts Castle, part of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter which will open in what seems like 15 years from now. Unlike our competitor's castle down the road, our castle will feature a state of the art multi-million dollar attraction inside based on the adventures of some boy wizard who everyone wants to kill for some reason, from one of our OTHER competitor studio's franchise."

How To Get Fired From Tour Guide Position Without Really Trying.

 

[Allen The Actor]

Do you guys think that Comcast will start sprucing up most of USH before the grand opening of Wizarding World? Like, similar to how they almost completely refurbed the lower lot before Transformers opened? And similar to how DCA spruced up little areas of the park before Cars Land opened?

I would hope so honestly. Like, not huge projects, but just modernizing and updating parts of the park?

 

[William]

What exactly could they update/modernize?

 

[Allen The Actor]

Just different areas of the park to spruce it up and add more themeing to certain queues, exteriors, shops, etc. Look how nice they made the lower lot recently.. Shrek, Mummy, etc.

 

[BehindTheTheme]

Do you guys think that Comcast will start sprucing up most of USH before the grand opening of Wizarding World? Like, similar to how they almost completely refurbed the lower lot before Transformers opened? And similar to how DCA spruced up little areas of the park before Cars Land opened?

I would hope so honestly. Like, not huge projects, but just modernizing and updating parts of the park?

 Definitely  im sure will see many upgrades before potter opens. Possible facade updates around the park and at the entrance. Maybe some store name changes.

 

[Allen The Actor]

I don't care WHEN it happens, ill just be happy that it does at all

I just don't want the rest of the park suffering/getting criticized for not being as immersive as Wizarding World once it opens. Wizarding World is gonna stick out like an expensive and well themed sore thumb amongst the cheaper facades/buildings in the park.

Look at what happened in Florida. The New Fantasyland is bunched up next to the out of date Old Fantasyland that they didn't redo. Kinda awkward in my opinion.

It'll be nice when they refurb the rest of the upper lot.

I'm curious if eventually USH will move away from the Studio feel of the park all together and just make mini lands like in Singapore. I mean, we'll have a well themed Despicable Me area with a ride and shop, restaurant and carnival area, and we'll have an entire well themed Wizarding World. Makes me wonder if they'll eventually go back in many years and fully retheme the Mummy showbuilding to look like the amazingly themed building in Singapore, change the Transformers facade to look like the one in Florida, and add an entirely new facade to the Simpsons building to conceal the two Omnimax domes.

Oh the things that keep me up at night

 

[Alexshow.]

Allen in this time of age they need to move a little away and I agree with everything and I have a feeling shrek is just getting redone to have a medievial themed exterior/interior so potter can seamlessly move in like nonething happened.

 

[BehindTheTheme]

I think someone already said it. USH will never hold lands but areas I can see happening.