The Future of Lost Continent (Poseidon Fury closing May 9)

[OrlLover]

Simpsons, Jurassic World, Dreamworks Theater, and Despicable Me are the only ones I can think of. They don’t seem too big on the retheme game which is good.

This makes me wonder just how much of LC will be repurposed vs torn down. I expect Poseidon (maybe minus the facade fingers crossed) and Sindbad to be leveled, but I wonder if they’ll reuse the paths, shops, and restaurants of LC. It will need some heavy rebranding, but a lot of it seems too valuable to level completely.

What do you mean valuable ?

How do you determine something should be kept just because it looks good ?

 

[Brian G.]

The Enchanted Oak was one of the most beautifully themed restaurants in the park until it needed to go for Potter...

It'll get leveled if need be.

 

[Mike S]

No I knew that just the way you wrote that had me confused.

 

[biggerboat16]

What do you mean valuable ?

How do you determine something should be kept just because it looks good ?

There’s good infrastructure. Kitchens, frames, walkways, etc. Strip them to their steel frames for all I care, but they could save a lot by reusing some frames and foundations. Apparently the early Zelda rumor in 2020 had the entire Sindbad Bazaar remaining and being retooled into the Hyrule Marketplace

 

[Parkscope Joe]

There’s good infrastructure. Kitchens, frames, walkways, etc. Strip them to their steel frames for all I care, but they could save a lot by reusing some frames and foundations. Apparently the early Zelda rumor in 2020 had the entire Sindbad Bazaar remaining and being retooled into the Hyrule Marketplace

It saves money on paper but Universal learned with Hogsmeade that it doesn't save money or time on the ground.

 

[kingcooger]

I just need the food at Fire Eaters and Doc Sugrue’s to stick around

 

[Mike S]

A thought just occurred to me…

Series producer Eiji Aonuma recently expressed interest in a Zelda movie. Anyone think they could get that ready by the time this land would open like how Mario opened somewhat alongside Hollywood or was that just a happy coincidence?

 

[richjagr]

A thought just occurred to me…

Series producer Eiji Aonuma recently expressed interest in a Zelda movie. Anyone think they could get that ready by the time this land would open like how Mario opened somewhat alongside Hollywood or was that just a happy coincidence?

One of Spielberg's comments about the Jurassic Park ride was that it takes longer to develop and build a ride than it does to make a movie.

 

[biggerboat16]

One of Spielberg's comments about the Jurassic Park ride was that it takes longer to develop and build a ride than it does to make a movie.

Still not as long as it takes to 100% BOTW

 

[HHN Maddux]

He mentioned that two leads said it was cool to go over, seems you're still able to at least roam the outside queue and get close to the facade!

 

[belloq87]

If it's going to be sitting abandoned for a while, put some benches in that exterior portion and leave the music loop on. At minimum, it would be a nice place to relax for a little bit.

 

[SkiBum]

If it's going to be sitting abandoned for a while, put some benches in that exterior portion and leave the music loop on. At minimum, it would be a nice place to relax for a little bit.

That's exactly what I was thinking. While I love the rides at IoA, it has so many areas where I could just sit down and absorb the entire ambiance and music. Heck, the entrance area with that wonderful music stops me in my tracks every time. I find myself torn between wanting to just sit down and relax versus wanting to go in full Blitzkrieg mode.

 

[Mike S]

No reason for it to not stay like this until the day demolition starts for Zelda. It’s a cool area that costs them nothing to let people walk around and I agree on putting in temporary benches.

 

[Alicia]

No reason for it to not stay like this until the day demolition starts for Zelda. It’s a cool area that costs them nothing to let people walk around and I agree on putting in temporary benches.

I'm getting a lot of mileage outta that image lol

 

[Brian G.]

I think yesterday may have been an oopsy.

 

[Mike S]

I'm getting a lot of mileage outta that image lol

Are other people using it as signatures? I can’t tell because I only use my phone and can only see signatures if I flip sideways lol

 

[GA-MBIT]

Well, I don't want Zelda at IoA. So now we're at a rhetorical impasse.

Here's a genuine question for folks that are gung-ho for Zelda: what is the one image from the recent games (not concept art, in-game) that you are most excited to see at Universal?

Saw this post a long while ago and wanted to respond, but only when I had time to really dig deep for this answer, because there is a lot!

Zelda has a ton of potential for a themed land in many facets. Architecture and landscapes, characters and fictional races, iconic food and items, music that rivals Super Mario and Pokemon. Here are some of my thoughts!! Hopefully these can get people who aren't familiar with Zelda caught up on what us fans are so excited about.

Spoiler: 1. The Guardians, from Breath of the Wild (2017)

These mechanical beasts were made by an ancient Hyrule to defeat the main antagonist Ganon over 10,000 years before the events of BOTW. The people of new Hyrule discovered them and planned on using them to defeat a resurrected Ganon the next time he arose (this happens very often in Zelda canon for larger lore reasons haha!), but when Ganon returned he was powerful enough to corrupt each and every Guardian in the kingdom with his evil Malice magic, turning them against Hyrule. The Guardian Stalkers, pictured above, are a kind of Guardian that still prowl around the kingdom when Link awakens from cryostasis 100 years later, using their spider-like legs to quickly ambush the hero before shooting him with an incredibly powerful laser beam located in their eye. Very formidable foe with an iconic design, and one of the main additions to the Zelda canon.

Some Guardians have survived the 100 years relatively intact, but some are not so lucky. Some have completely lost power and broken down in that time, while some are still powered on only having lost use of their legs, rendering them immobile. These Decayed Guardians are still fully able to use their eye lasers and can kill the legendary hero in only 1-2 shots. If I'm not mistaken, these guys appeared in the Blue Sky concept art Universal made a few years back.

Their static and robotic nature makes these guys perfect for some kind of large scale animatronic effect. Even just a Decayed Guardian with a swivel-base and some awesome lighting and faux moss/stone work would make for an amazing and imposing threat on a ride or in a land.

Spoiler: 2. The Great Deku Tree

The Great Deku Tree is not only a place, but a character! Zelda stories often repeat similar plot, character, location beats from each other due to a curse on the Kingdom of Hyrule to eternally repeat itself across countless millenia. So there have been multiple Great Deku Trees! Whenever he does appear he is an incredbly old and wise spirit that helps Link through his journey and has been connected to both the legendary Master Sword that Link wields and the Kokiri/Korok spirits that act as little playful tricksters hiding in the world. He also resembles a certain classic Lost Continent icon quite a bit.

Spoiler: 3. Kakariko Village

Kakariko Village is a recurring Zelda location from the Super Nintendo all the way up to the Switch. It is very consistently connected to the Shiekah tribe, a community of Hylians molded off of Japanese culture and connected to the Hyrulian Royal Family. In the newest games, it has a distinctly Japanese aesthetic unlike anything currently offered at a Universal park. It also serves to connect different elements of Zelda due to its proximity to certain landmarks in specific games, like Death Mountain, Hyrule Castle Town, or smaller elements like Cuccos (Zelda Universe's Chickens) or the Shiekah tribe themselves.

Spoiler: Death Mountain

A huge imposing figure in the skyline of many Zelda games, Death Mountain is a recurring tall volcano with a surrounding region usually settled by a race of peaceful ogre-like people called the Gorons. It is a challenging level due to all the fire and lava and usually houses a dungeon and a very powerful boss inside the mountain itself. Could serve as a fun New Fantasyland Beast's Castle-esque addition to the skyline of the land as well as a more dangerous feeling section of a ride.

I could go on. I haven't touched on Hyrule Castle, Lon Lon Ranch, the Great Fairy Fountains, the many dungeons filled with enemies and puzzles that Link has to face, or the Temple of Time which was included in the Blue Sky artwork leaked from Universal. There are also smaller elements like the endless iconic music tracks that could play throughout the land. Food and drink like Lon Lon Milk, Elixirs, Potions. The many recurring enemies and bosses that could make for awesome setpieces in rides. Or how the use of puzzles and traps in a dungeon setting followed by a climactic showdown between Zelda, Link VS. Ganondorf could be an amazing stunt show to fit within the Sinbad stage.

Hope this serves as a little taste of what we are so pumped about the possibility of!

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Saw this post a long while ago and wanted to respond, but only when I had time to really dig deep for this answer, because there is a lot!

Zelda has a ton of potential for a themed land in many facets. Architecture and landscapes, characters and fictional races, iconic food and items, music that rivals Super Mario and Pokemon. Here are some of my thoughts!! Hopefully these can get people who aren't familiar with Zelda caught up on what us fans are so excited about.

Spoiler: 1. The Guardians, from Breath of the Wild (2017)

These mechanical beasts were made by an ancient Hyrule to defeat the main antagonist Ganon over 10,000 years before the events of BOTW. The people of new Hyrule discovered them and planned on using them to defeat a resurrected Ganon the next time he arose (this happens very often in Zelda canon for larger lore reasons haha!), but when Ganon returned he was powerful enough to corrupt each and every Guardian in the kingdom with his evil Malice magic, turning them against Hyrule. The Guardian Stalkers, pictured above, are a kind of Guardian that still prowl around the kingdom when Link awakens from cryostasis 100 years later, using their spider-like legs to quickly ambush the hero before shooting him with an incredibly powerful laser beam located in their eye. Very formidable foe with an iconic design, and one of the main additions to the Zelda canon.

Some Guardians have survived the 100 years relatively intact, but some are not so lucky. Some have completely lost power and broken down in that time, while some are still powered on only having lost use of their legs, rendering them immobile. These Decayed Guardians are still fully able to use their eye lasers and can kill the legendary hero in only 1-2 shots. If I'm not mistaken, these guys appeared in the Blue Sky concept art Universal made a few years back.

Their static and robotic nature makes these guys perfect for some kind of large scale animatronic effect. Even just a Decayed Guardian with a swivel-base and some awesome lighting and faux moss/stone work would make for an amazing and imposing threat on a ride or in a land.

Spoiler: 2. The Great Deku Tree

The Great Deku Tree is not only a place, but a character! Zelda stories often repeat similar plot, character, location beats from each other due to a curse on the Kingdom of Hyrule to eternally repeat itself across countless millenia. So there have been multiple Great Deku Trees! Whenever he does appear he is an incredbly old and wise spirit that helps Link through his journey and has been connected to both the legendary Master Sword that Link wields and the Kokiri/Korok spirits that act as little playful tricksters hiding in the world. He also resembles a certain classic Lost Continent icon quite a bit.

Spoiler: 3. Kakariko Village

Kakariko Village is a recurring Zelda location from the Super Nintendo all the way up to the Switch. It is very consistently connected to the Shiekah tribe, a community of Hylians molded off of Japanese culture and connected to the Hyrulian Royal Family. In the newest games, it has a distinctly Japanese aesthetic unlike anything currently offered at a Universal park. It also serves to connect different elements of Zelda due to its proximity to certain landmarks in specific games, like Death Mountain, Hyrule Castle Town, or smaller elements like Cuccos (Zelda Universe's Chickens) or the Shiekah tribe themselves.

Spoiler: Death Mountain

A huge imposing figure in the skyline of many Zelda games, Death Mountain is a recurring tall volcano with a surrounding region usually settled by a race of peaceful ogre-like people called the Gorons. It is a challenging level due to all the fire and lava and usually houses a dungeon and a very powerful boss inside the mountain itself. Could serve as a fun New Fantasyland Beast's Castle-esque addition to the skyline of the land as well as a more dangerous feeling section of a ride.

I could go on. I haven't touched on Hyrule Castle, Lon Lon Ranch, the Great Fairy Fountains, the many dungeons filled with enemies and puzzles that Link has to face, or the Temple of Time which was included in the Blue Sky artwork leaked from Universal. There are also smaller elements like the endless iconic music tracks that could play throughout the land. Food and drink like Lon Lon Milk, Elixirs, Potions. The many recurring enemies and bosses that could make for awesome setpieces in rides. Or how the use of puzzles and traps in a dungeon setting followed by a climactic showdown between Zelda, Link VS. Ganondorf could be an amazing stunt show to fit within the Sinbad stage.

Hope this serves as a little taste of what we are so pumped about the possibility of!

This is great. I also want to add that the series is “The Legend of Zelda”, while there are famous specific areas (Hyrule Square from OoT is seared into my mind) at the end it’s a legend that is retold time and time again. While each game focuses on a different generation or timeline the same legend applies, so whatever is made for the park just needs to fit the legend somewhere.

 

[GA-MBIT]

Exactly. No specific game has to be the exact frame of reference for the land, (though they did base the Blue Sky artwork on Breath of the Wild.) The Zelda world is consistent in it's content yet always delivered in different ways depending on which exact game you are playing. They could take any idea from the series and for the most part, it would be incredibly easy to implement it into a Zelda land due to the series' recurring nature. You wouldn't have to worry about details like "Why is Lon Lon Ranch right next to Death Mountain?" or "How did this character exist in this area or timeline?" because the universe is variable enough where that could just be where those places and people end up in Universal Studios' Hyrule!

In the same way I referenced the Mario Kart 8 Animal Crossing track in how I'd imagine an Animal Crossing ride looking, the Zelda racetrack from the same game is another good source of reference for a Zelda-themed world that is not based on any specific game, but is undeniably Zelda. If they were to go with a more SNW Mario land route, which itself is based on the general Mario aesthetic from the 2010s, as opposed to the SNW Donkey Kong Country route which is specifically looking to be themed off of Donkey Kong Country Returns, this is the SNW Zelda we could be looking at.

 

[Mike S]

I’m expecting the look and feel of Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom as they’re obviously the highest points of the series popularity but the actual content will pull from more than just those games. If we get Castle Town I have no doubt we’ll see shops appear from earlier in the franchise adapted to fit the aesthetic.