Universal's Epic Universe General News & Discussion

[MikePat]

I still can't get over how great the IP lineup of this park is. It is going to be so epic...

 

[Wesker69]

Dragons: They were mildly impressed. It seemed like they knew the IP. They definitely want there to be “real” dragons in the land.

I think they'll be more impressed when the land is officially revealed, especially if there is a dragon meet-n-greet like Blue at IOA.

Dark Universe: One kid actually blurted out: “What about HHN?”

yea Universal. What about HHN?

Potter: They even specifically talked about how cool the Fantastic Beasts stuff might be.

Exactly why the ride(s) should've been centered on those films only, but oh well.. maybe a new ride concept based on FB can be added to the expansion space in the future.

 

[KentNelson]

I really loved to had been on the blue sky brainstorm of the Universal designers when they were choosing the lands of the park. Which IPs they thought about? Which ones were discarded? Which ones were really close to be real but being sustituted at the last moment for X reasons?

I had something fun to share: Here’s some 10-11 year old’s reaction to the Epic news. I did a little “focus group” experiment with my 21 students:

I showed the Epic Universe full Announcement video at the very end of the school day. They’re 5th graders in Florida, so naturally they love the parks and are pretty familiar with what UOR currently offers….

Reactions:
Celestial Park: They were very amazed at Helios!!! They loved how pretty the entire area will be and they had so many questions about Starfall Racers (they’re too young to know Dueling Dragons, so the racing/dueling concept was wild to them) They were very concerned that it would crash.

Dragons: They were mildly impressed. It seemed like they knew the IP. They definitely want there to be “real” dragons in the land. They also hope that Universal will build the same stuff from the movie clips in the video (which they are).

Dark Universe: They seemed genuinely confused. No cheering (which made me sad lol). They recognized the monsters, but were mostly curious about what kind of rides would be there. One kid actually blurted out: “What about HHN?”

Potter: The kids went absolutely ape sh*t as soon as it showed the Wizarding World Logo on screen. They even specifically talked about how cool the Fantastic Beasts stuff might be. Definitely the strongest positive reaction to ANYTHING in the video.

Nintendo: They went absolutely insane, again… but not quite the same level as Potter. There was a big cheer every time they showed a character on screen! Definitely a hit land with the kids.

Common questions they had:
How did we never see this being built?
How long have they been working on it?
When in 2025 will it open?
Will the tickets be more expensive than the other parks?

Great "experiment". Do you think they would have reacted different to other IPs? Maybe other videogames? Maybe Pokémon World or something like that?

 

[saint.piss]

 

[Tomfoolery]

Get what you’re saying, but to me “announced later” is “holding off.” We know they have the fireworks strip and that concept has fireworks. But they haven’t announced.

No fireworks at the start

 

[JunoSynth]

Dragons: They were mildly impressed. It seemed like they knew the IP. They definitely want there to be “real” dragons in the land. They also hope that Universal will build the same stuff from the movie clips in the video (which they are).

So that brings the question I have. Is the "How to Train your Dragon" IP more popular than Despicable Me? I know they already have a Despicable Me/Minions section and USF but I was hoping for a whole land at EPIC. DM has 6 films vs HTTYD 3 so I would think it's more popular. They could've added a huge Super Silly Fun Land in that area. I'm partial to the DM universe so that's why I'm a little disappointed in this decision.

 

[PerceptiveCoot]

So that brings the question I have. Is the "How to Train your Dragon" IP more popular than Despicable Me? I know they already have a Despicable Me/Minions section and USF but I was hoping for a whole land at EPIC. DM has 6 films vs HTTYD 3 so I would think it's more popular. They could've added a huge Super Silly Fun Land in that area. I'm partial to the DM universe so that's why I'm a little disappointed in this decision.

The elder zoomer vs baby zoomer divide.

 

[Ken96]

Oh I’m sure they would have! Pokémon is still very popular. Unfortunately, it’s against school rules to bring in the cards, but they talk about them.

Edit: I was trying to reply to a post that mentioned Pokemon!

 

[Wesker69]

Is the "How to Train your Dragon" IP more popular than Despicable Me? DM has 6 films vs HTTYD 3 so I would think it's more popular.

While Dragons only has 3 films vs the unnecessary money-making spin-offs/underwhelming sequels of DM...

Dragons also has an animated series that expands the world & deepens the lore.

 

[IzzyB]

While Dragons only has 3 films vs the unnecessary money-making spin-offs/underwhelming sequels of DM...

Dragons also has an animated series that expands the world & deepens the lore.

That and a book series which ironically has very little to do with the movies or show my daughter says.

 

[Wesker69]

That and a book series which ironically has very little to do with the movies or show my daughter says.

Which is why we're getting a live-action movie! Familiar story/characters, but possibly closer to the source material. Eitherway, woo Dragons!

 

[rageofthegods]

There's a movie coming out same year as Epic.

 

[DodgsonHere]

That would now make sense for a few reasons.

Curious… can you spill any reasons?

 

[JunoSynth]

While Dragons only has 3 films vs the unnecessary money-making spin-offs/underwhelming sequels of DM...

Dragons also has an animated series that expands the world & deepens the lore.

This is a subjective statement and doesn't explain the decision that was made to put HTTYD in the park.

More popularity in the customer polls is the only reason I can think of.

 

[Brian G.]

This is a subjective statement and doesn't explain the decision that was made to put HTTYD in the park.

More popularity in the customer polls is the only reason I can think of.

The films have made close to 2 billion, and the TV shows have continued its popularity, and an anticipated live action film is on the way. No, it’s not on the same level of popularity as Minions but that already has its presence at Studios.

 

[HHN Maddux]

Was discussing this with a friend, I think the reason Dracula specifically feels off is because the fabric of his suit looks wayyyy too sci-fi-y. Not the suit itself, just the almost plastic/metallic look it has. Change the fabric to match the more gothic and steampunk nature of the land and he's perfect IMO.

 

[KentNelson]

Honestly I think that Pokémon is more popular and multigenerational than HTTYD and even than the Minions. I think a Pokéworld would have been more profitable in merchan and generate more hype than Dragons. Of course only Uni and Nintendo know if it was possible.

BTW I don't know if it has been mentioned before, but the park is 4 of 5 areas inspired by Europe.

 

[Brian G.]

Honestly I think that Pokémon is more popular and multigenerational than HTTYD and even than the Minions. I think a Pokéworld would have been more profitable in merchan and generate more hype than Dragons. Of course only Uni and Nintendo know if it was possible.

BTW I don't know if it has been mentioned before, but the park is 4 of 5 areas inspired by Europe.

Well, they already have a Nintendo presence there so no need to dip too much in that well for one park.

 

[JunoSynth]

The films have made close to 2 billion, and the TV shows have continued its popularity, and an anticipated live action film is on the way. No, it’s not on the same level of popularity as Minions but that already has its presence at Studios.

I see. I didn't know HTTYD was this popular. So sounds like they want to give the public a park experience now due to this. I've seen the first one and will definitely have to watch the other 2 now.

 

[Wesker69]

I've seen the first one and will definitely have to watch the other 2 now.

Need to check out the series as well. Like the Lilo & Stitch series, it takes place between the films to expand the story further...

As for the park. It offers up something NEW instead of more of the same. Also it is geared towards the more "adventurous" kids looking for a mild thrill (or intense thrill for those tall enough for the flat ride!).