Universal Epic Universe

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Universal Epic Universe
Universal Epic Universe - 2023 logo.png
Universal's Epic Universe Concept Art.jpg
Concept art
Location Universal Orlando, Orlando, Florida, United States
Coordinates 28°26′32″N81°26′56″W / 28.4422°N 81.449°W / 28.4422; -81.449
StatusUnder construction
Opens2025
Owner NBCUniversal
(Comcast)
Operated by Universal Destinations & Experiences
Area750-acre (300 ha)
Website universalorlando.com

Universal Epic Universe is an upcoming theme park under construction in Orlando, Florida. Announced in August 2019, [1] the park will be the fourth theme park at Universal Orlando. [2] The park is scheduled to open in 2025. [3]

Contents

History

On August 1, 2019, NBCUniversal announced that it was building a fourth theme park at Universal Orlando named "Universal's Epic Universe". [4] Without releasing details, Tom Williams, then chairman and chief executive officer of Universal Parks and Resorts, said Epic Universe would be the company's "most immersive and innovative theme park." Comcast and NBCUniversal officials said it would create an additional 14,000 jobs, including professional, technical, culinary and other specialized positions. [1] A possible opening date for the park was not immediately announced. [5] In October 2019, Universal announced that the park would open in 2023. [6]

Concept art released by Universal during the official announcement in August 2019 left details purposefully vague. [1] Many IPs were rumored to appear in the park, including lands dedicated to How to Train Your Dragon , Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Universal Classic Monsters, and the Nintendo franchises Super Mario and Donkey Kong . In January 2020, the presence of Super Nintendo World in the park was confirmed by multiple Comcast executives. [7] [8] Epic Universe's version of Super Nintendo World was officially announced in February 2023, with CEO Mark Woodbury calling it the "worst-kept secret in history". [9]

The project was delayed indefinitely in July 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but on March 3, 2021, Comcast announced the immediate restart of construction. [10] [11] On January 27, 2022, Jeff Shell, CEO of NBCUniversal, stated during an earnings call that the park would be opening in Summer 2025. [12] This was hinted at by the resort's official Twitter shortly thereafter. [13] On May 5, 2022, Universal offered 13 acres (5.3 ha) of land near the site where Epic Universe is being built for a Brightline rail route commuter station. [14]

On March 8, 2023, Universal Parks and Resorts CEO Mark Woodbury announced that they would be rebranding the division to "Universal Destinations & Experiences". With this change also came the announcement that the name of the upcoming park in Orlando would be adjusted slightly from Universal's Epic Universe to Universal Epic Universe. [15] [16] A modified logo was unveiled, which removed the apostrophe and letter "s" from the design. [17]

Areas and attractions

Epic Universe will use a hub-and-spoke format, consisting of four themed lands branching off a central hub called Celestial Park, with each land featuring a uniquely-themed gateway. [18] The themed lands will be, in clockwise order from entry, Super Nintendo World, Dark Universe (themed to Universal Classic Monsters), The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic, and How to Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk. [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25]

Celestial Park

The main hub of the park is Celestial Park, a garden featuring design motifs based on astrology and astronomic equipment connecting the other four areas together, as well as incorporating the Helios Grand Hotel. The two rides in the area are Constellation Carousel, a celestial-themed carousel flat ride similar to the SeaGlass Carousel in New York, and Starfall Racers, a dueling roller coaster manufactured by Mack Rides.

Attractions:

Super Nintendo World

Super Nintendo World will be themed to various Nintendo-owned franchises, with a primary focus on the Mario franchise. Its entrance from Celestial Park will be themed as a Warp Pipe. Like the version of the land constructed in Universal Studios Japan, it will feature Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge, an augmented reality racing simulator based on the Mario Kart series, as well as Yoshi's Adventure, an omnimover attraction themed to the character Yoshi from the Mario franchise. [26] The land's layout will be less compact than its Japanese equivalent, however, with the courtyard area being more spread out. The land will also feature an additional section themed to the Donkey Kong franchise, which will include a new type of roller coaster patented as the "Boom Coaster". The coaster will run over a false track while being attached to a hidden track underneath, allowing designers to implement gaps in the false track to create the illusion that the trains are jumping over the gaps. [27] [28] The land is divided into two sections: Super Mario Land and Donkey Kong Country.

Super Mario Land
Attractions:

Donkey Kong Country
Attractions:

Dark Universe

Attractions:

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Ministry of Magic

Attractions:

Entertainment:

How to Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk

As its name suggests, How to Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk is themed to the How to Train Your Dragon franchise, and is set between the second and third movies. The three rides are Hiccup's Wing Gliders, a launched roller coaster manufactured by Intamin, Dragon Racer's Rally, a pair of Gerstlauer Sky Fly rides, and Fyre Drill, an interactive boat ride manufactured by Mack Rides.

Attractions:

Entertainment:

Possible expansion

There have been several rumors from insiders suggesting there will be a "phase two" of the park featuring a few additional attractions that will be built almost as soon as the park opens in 2025. This most notably includes an expansion for Super Nintendo World, revolving around the Luigi's Mansion franchise. Another large attraction said to be a part of this early expansion is a Creature from the Black Lagoon indoor boat ride in Dark Universe. [29]

Location

The Universal Epic Universe theme park campus is located a few miles south-east from the existing Universal Orlando Resort, within a larger 750-acre (300 ha) site south of Sand Lake Road and east of Universal Boulevard. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Universal Orlando</span> Resort in Orlando, Florida

Universal Orlando Resort, often shortened to Universal Orlando, is a 541-acre (219 ha) theme park and entertainment resort complex located in Orlando, Florida. Following the opening of Universal Studios Florida in 1990, NBCUniversal moved forward with plans to expand from a single park into a large resort hoping to compete with Walt Disney World. In 1999, a second theme park called Islands of Adventure opened in addition to CityWalk, a shopping promenade and nightlife district that incorporates a variety of themed hotels, restaurants, and retail outlets. A third 30-acre (12 ha) water theme park, Volcano Bay, was added in 2017, and a fourth upcoming theme park, Epic Universe, is scheduled to open in 2025.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Universal Destinations & Experiences</span> Theme park division of NBCUniversal

Universal Destinations & Experiences, is the theme park unit of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. They are also referred to as Universal Studios Theme Parks or Universal Theme Parks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Universal Islands of Adventure</span> Theme park in the United States

Universal Islands of Adventure, originally called Universal Studios Islands of Adventure and later Universal's Islands of Adventure, is a theme park located in Orlando, Florida. It opened on May 28, 1999, along with CityWalk, as part of an expansion that converted Universal Studios Florida into the Universal Orlando Resort. The resort's slogan Vacation Like You Mean It was introduced in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Universal Studios Florida</span> Theme park in the United States

Universal Studios Florida is a theme park located in Orlando, Florida, that opened on June 7, 1990. Owned and operated by NBCUniversal, it features numerous rides, attractions, and live shows that are primarily themed to movies, television, and other aspects of the entertainment industry. Universal Studios Florida was the first of two theme parks to open at Universal Orlando Resort, joined later by Islands of Adventure in 1999. In 2019, it ranked eleventh in the world – sixth in North America – for overall attendance among amusement parks with approximately 10.9 million visitors. A third park, Epic Universe, is expected in 2025.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Universal Studios Japan</span> Universal Studios theme park in Osaka, Japan

Universal Studios Japan (ユニバーサル・スタジオ・ジャパン) is a theme park located in Osaka, Japan. Opened on March 31, 2001, it is one of six Universal Studios theme parks worldwide and was the first to open outside the United States. The park is owned and operated by USJ LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of NBCUniversal. The park is similar in layout to Universal Studios Florida and contains selected attractions from both Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood, in addition to a small number of unique attractions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Universal Studios Singapore</span> Universal Studios theme park in Singapore

Universal Studios Singapore is a theme park located within the Resorts World Sentosa integrated resort at Sentosa in Singapore. It features 28 rides, shows, and attractions in seven themed zones. It is one of the five Universal Studios theme parks around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Universal Creative</span> Engineering, architecture and design division of Universal Parks & Resorts

Universal Creative is the division of Universal Destinations & Experiences responsible for designing, developing, engineering and producing themed attractions, rides, and resorts. Headquartered in Orlando, Florida the company operates at Universal Parks & Resorts locations around the world in the United States, Singapore, Japan and China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flight of the Hippogriff</span> Junior roller coaster at Universal parks

Flight of the Hippogriff is a junior roller coaster at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter section of the many Universal theme parks. It is present at Universal Islands of Adventure in Universal Orlando Resort, Universal Studios Japan, Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Studios Beijing. Designed by Universal Creative, the first installation opened at Islands of Adventure on June 18, 2010. The new ride was a redesign of an existing roller coaster known as Flying Unicorn, which the park closed in 2008 to begin its transformation. The design change was implemented to fit the new Harry Potter-themed area that was being constructed at the park. Flight of the Hippogriff is a mild alternative to the area's more extreme rides such as Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. Following a successful launch, identical versions of the roller coaster were installed at Universal Studios Japan and Universal Studios Hollywood over the next several years, with the Beijing version opening with the park in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (Universal Orlando Resort)</span> Area in Universal Orlando theme parks

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is a themed area spanning three theme parks—Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios Florida and the upcoming Universal Epic Universe—at the Universal Orlando Resort in Orlando, Florida. The area is themed to the Harry Potter media franchise, adapting elements from the film series and novels by J. K. Rowling. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter was designed by Universal Creative from an exclusive license with Warner Bros. Entertainment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Wizarding World of Harry Potter</span> Harry Potter-themed land at Universal theme parks

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is a chain of themed areas at Universal Destinations & Experiences based on the Harry Potter media franchise, adapting elements from the Warner Bros.' film series and original novels by J. K. Rowling. The areas were designed by Universal Creative from an exclusive license with Warner Bros. Entertainment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts</span> Ride at Universal Studios Florida

Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts is an indoor steel roller coaster designed by Universal Creative and built by Intamin at Universal Studios Florida, a theme park located within the Universal Orlando Resort. Similar to dark rides, the roller coaster utilizes special effects in a controlled-lighting environment and also employs motion-based 3-D projection of both animation and live-action sequences to enhance the experience. The ride, which is themed to the Gringotts Wizarding Bank, became the flagship attraction for the expanded Wizarding World of Harry Potter when it opened on July 8, 2014.

Motiongate Dubai is a Hollywood-inspired theme park located in Dubai Parks and Resorts, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, showcasing five themed areas and attractions dedicated to popular feature films and other media franchises like DreamWorks Animation, Columbia Pictures, Lionsgate, and The Smurfs and was opened on December 16, 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Nintendo World</span> Area in Universal theme parks

Super Nintendo World is a themed area at Universal Studios Japan and Universal Studios Hollywood. Further areas are under construction at Universal Studios Singapore and the upcoming Universal Epic Universe at Universal Orlando Resort. A result of a partnership between Nintendo and Universal Destinations & Experiences, the area is based on Nintendo video game franchises, primarily the Mario and Donkey Kong franchises.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure</span> Roller coaster at Islands of Adventure

Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure is a multiple-launch steel roller coaster located in the Hogsmeade section of Universal Islands of Adventure at Universal Orlando. Manufactured by Intamin, the $300-million attraction opened to the public on June 13, 2019. The partially-enclosed motorbike coaster operates both indoor and outdoor, and it is the sixth Harry Potter-themed attraction created for the resort. Universal marketed the ride as "a highly-themed roller coaster" that focuses on "a different corner of the wizarding world".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dragon Challenge</span> Defunct inverted roller coaster at Universals Islands of Adventure

Dragon Challenge, formerly named Dueling Dragons (1999–2010), was a pair of intertwined inverted roller coasters in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter area of Islands of Adventure in Orlando, Florida, United States. Designed by Bolliger & Mabillard of Switzerland, the ride was a dueling roller coaster featuring two tracks – one side was called Chinese Fireball and the other Hungarian Horntail – that were themed as two chasing dragons. Its layout involved two trains sharing adjacent lift hills, with each traversing unique courses. Trains on the Chinese Fireball track reached a maximum speed of 60 mph (97 km/h), while trains on the Hungarian Horntail reached 55 mph (89 km/h). Both tracks featured five inversions and an identical ride duration of 2 minutes and 25 seconds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge</span> Amusement park attraction

Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge is an augmented reality dark ride that serves as the anchor attraction of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan and Universal Studios Hollywood, with an upcoming version at Universal Epic Universe. The ride is based on the Mario Kart franchise, primarily on the Mario Kart 8 video game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yoshi's Adventure</span> Amusement park attraction

Yoshi's Adventure is an omnimover ride themed after the Yoshi character and spin-off series in Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan, with an upcoming version at Universal Epic Universe.

Starfall Racers is an upcoming steel dueling launched roller coaster at Universal Epic Universe in Orlando, Florida. Universal Orlando first announced the new park in August 2019 before officially unveiling Starfall Racers and its associated Celestial Park central district in January 2024.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Universal Orlando Resort Announces Ambitious New Theme Park" (Press release). Universal Orlando Resort. August 1, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Universal Orlando Resort Shares First Official Look and Details About Its Highly Anticipated New Theme Park, Universal Epic Universe". Comcast Corporation. January 30, 2024. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Epic Universe. Five Immersive Worlds. One Amazing Theme Park". Universal Orlando Resort. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  4. ↑ Russon, Gabrielle; Bevil, Dewayne (August 1, 2019). "Universal's Epic Universe theme park is coming to Orlando, ramping up war with Disney". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Newspapers. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  5. ↑ Andrew, Scottie; Ries, Brian (August 1, 2019). "Universal Orlando announces new Epic Universe theme park". CNN Travel.
  6. ↑ "Comcast Confirms 2023 Opening for Universal's Epic Universe". Orlando ParkStop. October 24, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Super Nintendo World Confirmed for New Universal Theme Park". January 24, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Super Nintendo World will be part of new Universal theme park". WESH . January 31, 2020.
  9. ↑ Tapp, Tom (February 16, 2023). "Super Nintendo World Confirmed For Universal Orlando Resort, Called "The Worst-Kept Secret In History"". Deadline. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  10. ↑ Russon, Gabrielle; Hudak, Stephen (April 30, 2020). "Universal Orlando's new Epic Universe theme park will be delayed because of coronavirus pandemic" . Orlando Sentinel.
  11. ↑ "Universal's Epic Universe is Back". blog.universal.com. March 3, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Comcast Says Epic Universe to Open in 2025, Theme Park Business in Orlando Better than Before Pandemic". Orlando ParkStop. January 27, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Universal Orlando Resort Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  14. ↑ "Universal executives pledge to donate land to support SunRail/Brightline corridor". WESH.com. May 5, 2022. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  15. ↑ "4 Exciting New Things We've Learned About Universal Epic Universe". Theme Park Tourist. March 21, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Name change: Universal Parks & Resorts becoming Universal Destinations & Experiences". Yahoo Sports. March 8, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  17. ↑ Orlando, Gotta Go (March 8, 2023). "New Logo revealed for the upcoming Epic Universe Theme Park at Universal Orlando Resort". Gotta Go Orlando. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  18. ↑ Stella, Alicia (April 30, 2020). "New Permits Reveal Full Layout for Epic Universe". Theme Park Stop. Theme Park Stop LLC. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
  19. ↑ Stella, Alicia (March 22, 2023). "Epic Universe Update: Trademarked Ride Names, Construction Progress, and New Permits". Theme Park Stop. Theme Park Stop LLC. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
  20. ↑ White, Abbey (January 30, 2024). "Universal Orlando Resort Unveils Epic Universe Celestial Park, Teases 'Harry Potter', 'How to Train Your Dragon' Lands". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  21. ↑ "Epic event: Universal Orlando drops details about new theme park". Orlando Sentinel. January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  22. ↑ Yossman, K. J. (January 30, 2024). "Harry Potter, Nintendo and Monsters Lands Set for New 'Epic Universe' Theme Park at Universal". Variety. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  23. ↑ "Get a first look at Universal Resort Orlando's new 'Epic Universe'". www.today.com. January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  24. ↑ Goldsmith, Jill (January 30, 2024). "Universal Shares First Details Of Epic Universe Lands: Super Nintendo, How To Train Your Dragon, Harry Potter & More At New Orlando Theme Park". Deadline. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  25. ↑ Bankhurst, Adam (January 30, 2024). "Universal's New Epic Universe Theme Park Revealed: Nintendo, Harry Potter, Dark Universe, and More". IGN. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  26. ↑ "Epic Universe Super Nintendo World Reaction | Vertigo Views". May 9, 2024. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  27. ↑ Stella, Alicia (January 2, 2023). "Everything We Know About Epic Universe: Super Nintendo Word". Theme Park Stop. Theme Park Stop LLC. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
  28. ↑ US 10315120B2,Kieth Michael McVeen&Eric Parr,"Boom Coaster",published 2019-06-11, assigned to Universal Studios LLC
  29. ↑ Boardwine, Andrew (December 9, 2021). "Universal Could Add a 'Creature from the Black Lagoon' Ride". Inside The Magic. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
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