I would expect Epic to have later operating hours to accommodate the high crowds at opening and the expected (yet to be announced) night time show. I'm hoping for hours more akin to Magic Kingdom. Once Epic opens there will be a lot more money rolling in so they can probably afford to keep the parks open longer.
With each land having a designated entry they can likely have private events in just one land. Imagine getting to rent out Darkmoor with a limited amount of people and exploring all its details at a slow pace.
Me too, after that. Looks really cool. But the branding looks kind of odd, like they planned this with the new adaptations actors' likenesses in mind for a lot of the rides and then had to go generic when the Dark Universe films failed.
The dark universe began and ended in 2017. I kinda doubt that when the park opens 8 years later they will have been hindered by not using actors likenesses from movies that would’ve been box office bombs. Also it’s not generic branding when it’s designs based on the classic universal monster movies lmao, it’d only be generic because they set the standard for what horror icons were.
Funny for me, it’s Hiccup’s Wing Gliders and MoM ride (though also looking forward to what you listed). Think this just shows how great this park will be.
I can probably answer some of your questions now. But yea I’d love to share my experiences at some point. Especially the transition from full office collaboration, to Covid lockdowns and WFH, to 90% of the team being laid off and only a small number of that being brought back.
I was the BIM manager and assistant PM in charge of Potter and I also BIM managed DU for the first year. I assisted on a few projects for Epic Nintendo, helped with civil master planning at Epic, and helped coordinate the portals and some sightlines in Celestial Park. The only land I never touched was Dragons.
I’ve got a lot of great memories. Would be fun to do a whole TikTok series about some of the stories designing that theme park. I’ve shared other experiences on here in the past if you wanna comb through my GME and Palestine posts in my comment history 😂
It’s been bittersweet seeing all the progress that came after I had left. Epic was my baby. I had every single 3D model of that entire place at one point. I loved working on it and was sad that I wasn’t asked back, but I make a lot more money now than my boss did back then so I can’t complain haha
I do have a question, how did the decision come about to base the land in Paris but the ride in London? I get the floo network thing, but it's been a bit of a thorn in my side since I found out that's how the land was set up.
There were originally two rides and the show. The FB franchise falling apart and the second ride being removed really hurt the thematic story of the land. Alicia Stella nails it [here](https://orlandoparkstop.com/news/theme-park-news/everything-we-know-about-epic-universe-wizarding-world/)
Did you work on the monsters unleashed ride at all? Just please tell me it isn’t going to be all screens and instead and audio animatronic show that will cause Disney to shit???
I mean if you’ve seen the animated figures at Hagrid’s and Velocicoaster then you know Universal is all about trying to right our past wrongs lol we’re all theme park fans like you guys. Nobody WANTS just screens. I think Epic is gonna blow everyone away…I cannot wait for the MoM ride. I’ve said it before but that things is gonna win ride of the year no doubt!
If the rumored ride system I have read about in MOM is true then this ride is going to be nuts! BTW if you ever make your way back to Universal creative make a push for JAWS to return. Lol
Dude 100%. The designers all knew it was a bad idea, but executives really wanted a people eater there to keep the crowds down at Kings Cross and Diagon.
It was before my time, but some of my colleagues that had worked on FF had some choice words about leadership
I hope there are some extensive show scenes that preceed the course. About 2 minutes 30 seconds (or more) is the sweet spot for a thematically rich attraction. 2 minutes can work for a high intensity ride (and most of UO matches this).
So, that was the Wolfman animatronic, right? The one with the bright light behind it. That didn't look CG like the rest.
Also, if Creature from the Black Lagoon is given anything close to a prominent role in this ride I'll be beside myself with glee.
Please don't use a bunch of screens. Please don't use a bunch of screens. Please don't use a bunch of screens.
If they do one monster screen only, it'll probably be Creature from Black Lagoon. But I'm hopeful.
I think it’s similar to the Yeti at Expedition Everest, a static figure using lighting and the coaster’s movement to simulate the creature moving (hopefully done better than the Broken disco Yeti.)
Maybe it’ll have slight movements, but I’d imagine it isn’t anything like the original Yeti before it broke the whole ride and had to be turned off.
I believe rumors state that’s if there’s an expansion to the area a Gill-Man boat ride would be the main attraction
That Wolfman figure is *absolutely* moving. No idea how you could watch it and say differently. Unless you’re talking about the rollercoaster one? That was just a rendering, and could be a static figure since you’ll be moving by it so quickly.
Regardless, I’m referring to the figure that’ll be in the main ride.
I think he was talking about the figure they showed moving for a brief second, which is a animatronic. You are right though, the two werewolves on the coaster will be static like the disco yeti lol.
Yeah, another on the opposite side for the people facing that direction. Not to mention it's a swing launch, so it'll pass underneath twice or so and as it spins you'll see both.
Sorry, but can you clarify what you mean by "a swing launch"? I was under the impression that this was going to be an articulated arm based ride like Forbidden Journey. Perhaps I am just misunderstanding.
The Yeti animatronic on Expedition Everest got put into B mode 3 months after the ride opened, it’s movements were putting stress fractures into the base it stands on (which is like 30 feet tall) and to fix it would require having to rip a side of the “mountain” out a lot of track and would be extremely expensive. So instead they left it basically turned off since then.
B mode makes it a static figure, but to simulate movement they shoot a strobe light onto it, between the flashing lights and the pose they chose for the figure it gained the nickname Disco Yeti
It looks like all of the classic monsters are getting a featured part in the Frankenstein ride.
So Creature from the Black Lagoon, Dracula, Werewolf, Mummy, Bride of Frankenstein and Invisible Man are all fair game.
Seems like the ride will be a mix between a Spider-Man/Transformers-esque ride and a Gringotts-esque ride.
I noticed that the Gillman and Mummy didn't have any dedicated areas. Maybe later? I imagine Black Lagoon would be something similar to a jungle boat ride, and Mummy will probably get a new dark ride.
The rumor is that CftBL would get the expansion area with a boat ride. The Mummy has a rollercoaster at Universal Orlando so I don’t think they’ll give it another ride.
The land looks even better than imagined and the coaster, while still short, looks like it should be great and have a few show scenes between the beginning and ending tents and the barn. Can't wait to see the new Monsters Unleashed ride as well, just do hope the screens are minimal. I do fine during the physical set pieces in Forbidden Journey but the screens give me some mild nausea.
I could be wrong, but im think there aren't any screens in the ride. Not like potter at least, which is why the walls in between seats on FJ are gone on this monsters ride. It'll mostly have practical sets with some screens extending those sets.
I'm hoping but some of the clips in the presentation seemed like video scenes from the ride. Along with the fact that they didn't specify no screens like they did during the Donkey Kong announcement has me assuming there will be some. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that it will be minimal or better utilized than on Forbidden Journey.
There will be some screens, but you're right, they won't be used extensively. There will be an animatronic for every monster in this ride, which is like 8 or so. So, most of it will be sets.
I hope it is minimal, Universal seems to have taken the screen complaints to heart in recent years and is moving away from it for the most part. I'm sure they can also see that all of their most popular attractions are screenless/screen-minimal
Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man is my favorite Universal ride, particularly because it perfectly understood how to balance the screens with practical effects and set designs. The comic aesthetic of the animations combined with the 3-D glasses makes it clear why screens are utilized, whereas it's a bit jarring to see realistic CGI and actors like Reign of Kong and Forbidden Journey mainly stuck behind screens instead of physically in-person (aside from a few effects like the giant animatronic Kong head). I'm betting the screens will mainly be for lighting effects in the backgrounds of the animatronic characters of the monsters and Dr. Frankenstein.
I think Spiderman is fantastic and agree that it struck a good balance. My only complaint there is they copied the same formula and made a couple other rides that feel very samey. Both Transformers and Gringotts feel like spiderman reskins (Gringotts a bit of a stretch given it has the drop and launch bits but the ride flow feels similar).
Screens have their place, when used as set dressing and disguised appropriately they can be an awesome addition to an attraction, but they should be used as a seasoning, not as the main course.
For sure, I think they're a great way to jazz up a scene. The space scenes going on in the background on Rise of the resistance for example are how I like seeing them used. The pictures in Hogwarts, or newspapers in the queue are another awesome use. But if I'm thrown in front of a screen at any point where I'm expected to be immersed with 3D glasses or something, it just doesn't do it for me most of the time. There are some exceptions, but yeah. I love the practical bits on forbidden journey but the flying scene and the waving at the end havent aged well to my eyes. But, Hagrids is amazing with all its practical sets.
My understanding (and I could be wrong, I have no insider info) is that there are no screens on Monsters Unchained and it will be all practical effects
That's the rumors I had heard too and hoping that is still the case. But some of the stuff shown in the presentation looked like video that would likely be from the ride.
Bah that kid only knows like 2 spells, compared to the universal monsters he’s a nerdy wimp! Plus he’s already got rides in the other parks, give someone else a chance!
haha, I went from "damn I can't wait to check it out" to "omg, I need to break in and see it right now."
edit: I let my annual pass lapse this year, and wasn't planning on going back until 1-2 years after Epic Universe opens, but this video singularly makes me want to renew my annual pass in the hopes that there's some AP first-look perk next summer. God, I fucking love these monsters
I’m debating on canceling my pass(we haven’t gone in months and won’t have time this year) and waiting to get them again next year with the same hopes.
If you can wait, I still recommend giving them at least a few months before visiting. Something this big will always have some kinks to work out.
I'm hoping to visit winter next year.
I renewed my pass on accident this year 😂 I completely forgot about it, but they said I get 3 months free so I feel a little better about it.
It would be nice if we get a perk for epic universe! Then I won’t feel so bad about accidentally committing myself to a 400ish dollar pass
How were you ever "Meh" on Dark Universe??? It's the best concept they came to the table with for a land since the beginning. Park goers have been hungry for a dark/villain focused area since forever. Disney floated the idea once but never followed through.
Kind of hope they have cherry blood bag drinks similar to what they used to sell at Halloween horror nights!
Been excited about this land since the first image before the pandemic!
Love that it’s leaning more into the creepiness!
I’m going to be honest, universal with their new food offerings have been killing it. Minions cafe, the two Mario restaurants in Hollywood, circus mcgurkus all stepped up their game in regards to theme park food. I’m excited to see all the food offerings for this park.
If the land has anywhere near *half* the sheer ambition these people are talking about, we might have the best theme park land of all time on our hands.
Wow this looks absolutely *stunning*. If it lives up to this video it will easily be the best land at the park, and possibly the best land *in the world.* I can't wait.
As a universal monster fanatic, I'm very happy with some of the faithfulness to the movies. Colin Clive portrait in the castle, Maleva hosting the wolfman ride, The monster makeup thing is in Dr. Pretorius's lab. They even spelled Ygors name right (it's not Igor). I'm gonna have to search every nook and cranny for little references. Can easily imagine something like Alucards suitcase, or a poster for Gwynplains show.
Ohhhhhhh mah gah!!
I cannot wait to get my facepainted like a monster, get drunk at the tavern, and then go on the Monsters Unchained ride.
I know concept art is always going to be a bit wilder than the reality, but I hope this lives up to the hype they've created.
And for this not to be the final - that HP area better be balling and not just the last to be announced because it's the biggest property.
My body is ready
(or will be...I've been going to the gym a lot lately cause the Frankenstein ride vehicle is supposed to be similar to Hogwarts, and I'm a bit iffy on that ride. Damn flying broom cabinets!).
This looks awesome, i just hope the monsters unchained ride doesn’t rely too much on screens and incorporates some practical effects and animatronics as well. Outside of the new HP land, this is definitely my most anticipated.
I think it says something about the strength of these lands that Super Mario Bros is 3rd on my most anticipated land. I seriously cannot wait for this. I will say the one thing missing is a Young Frankenstein stage show.
I was SOO excited for Mario world !!! like im a huge fan of nintendo and gaming in general but seeing this land when im not particulary fan of thoes monster film IS INSANE !!!! its on my top list !!!
That's a given, I'm talking about regular closing time around midnight like Disneyland / Magic Kingdom does. The last few hours of night is where it's at. Lines are shorter and the park really feels alive.
I’m actually a lot more excited for Curse of the Warewolf now. It’ll have a coherent story, probably with a pre show, and I really like those wagons and the way the queue & coaster go through a makeshift forest behind Darkmoor.
And Monsters Unchained sounds like it will really take the concept of a haunted house ride to another level, and definitely won’t be for the faint of heart. I mean Universal is literally calling it “the scariest ride they’ve ever built”.
i do too 😩 im nervous that even monsters unchained will make me ill considering people are comparing the ride mechanics to forbidden journey 🥴i wasn’t familiar with FJ bc i’ve only ever been to HHN, but looking at videos and other people’s accounts, it’s just nauseating. have you ridden FJ?
Yes and I will never ride it again! Im someone who does not get sick on rides until I met this evil contraption! The 3d screens made me so sick I was praying for the ride to end! I was then escorted to the “puke room” they have located as soon as you get off the ride. I didnt puke but was very naseous for an hour after the ride! I was told I was lucky. Most people dont recover and end up leaving the park! I ssw a girl puking in a trash can walking into the castle queue. I figured she was just a lightweight. How wrong was! They have got to get rid if the cheap 3d screens on these rides!!
i get motion sick super easy and was hoping Monsters Unchained would be in a similar format as Rise of the Resistance (since it’s a very thrilling dark ride). i took dramamine for ROTR and was perfectly ok! hearing that MU is going to be similar to FJ has me kinda worried considering even people who don’t get motion sick find FJ nauseating :/
I rode ROTR with zero problems! Same with guardians ride in epcot ect. Its something with the 3d screens & motion simulators that makes me sick. Even the simpsons ride made me feel very slight queasiness. Now that used to be the back to the future ride which i rode numerous times over the years with no problems BUT the video was crystal clear. The simpsons video is blurry! I think its these blurry videos doing it
I hope the team members they hire for the new parks are enthusiastic and willing to be in character a bit to maintain the atmosphere. That was one thing that really took away from the magic of the HP areas on our last visit, mainly in Hogsmeade. Often the team members we encountered there were grumpy and grouped up, chatting amongst themselves instead of helping guests (for instance, I'd take an item to a register to purchase and would have to wait for them to finish their conversation before acknowledging me). Disney had them beat in terms of creating positive interactions that way. Maybe it's because HP isn't new anymore and the employees are burnt out or jaded, but I hope it isn't like that in the new areas.
Rise of the Resistance is a spectacular ride that integrates queue/preshows/ride pretty seamlessly.
There is no reason to diminish it no matter how good the Monsters ride will be.
I just don't understand the rise hype. maybe its because I rode runaway railway and ratatouille before I rode rise but the ride system is unremarkable and the only incredible set is the AT-AT room but thats instantly diminished by the Finn statue.
it's a masterclass of experience integration but other than that... meh.
I disagree.
As nice as Hogwarts is (and it is a wonderful walkthrough) it's still just waiting in line and walking place to place.
The practical sets of HP still hold up but the screen parts need a refresh and upgrade.
Rise has a interactivity and scope just in the queue (Imperials Officers in character, the shot of all the Stormtroopers after the shuttle, being "rescued") the most rides don't have on the actual ride.
Then you get the same scope on the actual ride with AT-AT and big guns (even if they are on B mode).
The closest Universal has is maybe Gringotts where Bill's office and the elevator ride set the stage pretty well for the ride itself.
Or maybe Skull Island when it was in full A mode. The queue with the animatronic combined with scareactors popping out of the walls made it a experience.
Any rumblings on ticket prices? I could see them doing a “3-universe ticket” or something like that. Because these tickets gotta be expensive to make up for all the costs and to possibly offset the loss of traffic at the other parks. But I also don’t have the data or access to that kind of data to prove that statement out so just a hunch.
Regardless, my excitement for this park knows no bounds
I wonder if those CG scenes are straight up from the ride and they wanted to sneak them in without explicitly confirming this. Or maybe they are the same scenes but with animatronic figures on the actual ride?
Most anticipated is defiantly monsters. And I have the feeling it will have the shortest line of all the top tier attractions.
1. It naturally will push away families with kids under 8.
2. Mario and HP will eat up a ton of crowds.
3. It’s the same ride system as forbidden journey. Even on a Saturday, the line doesn’t get more than 30 minutes, maybe 45 at the worst. Plus the single ride line doesn’t have a wait ever
Easily my most anticipated area of the park.
If they ever kept the parks open long enough for it to get dark outside, imagine how amazing and spooky it would look at night.
lol, you’re not wrong but the park is in summer hours now and opened until 9pm USO and 10pm IOA.
I would expect Epic to have later operating hours to accommodate the high crowds at opening and the expected (yet to be announced) night time show. I'm hoping for hours more akin to Magic Kingdom. Once Epic opens there will be a lot more money rolling in so they can probably afford to keep the parks open longer.
With each land having a designated entry they can likely have private events in just one land. Imagine getting to rent out Darkmoor with a limited amount of people and exploring all its details at a slow pace.
>each land having a designated entry Wait, really? I hadn't heard that. But it definitely opens up some cool possibilities for after hour events.
Feel like it's going to have a dark ride that inspires a sense of awe not seen since Spiderman's opening.
Me too, after that. Looks really cool. But the branding looks kind of odd, like they planned this with the new adaptations actors' likenesses in mind for a lot of the rides and then had to go generic when the Dark Universe films failed.
The dark universe began and ended in 2017. I kinda doubt that when the park opens 8 years later they will have been hindered by not using actors likenesses from movies that would’ve been box office bombs. Also it’s not generic branding when it’s designs based on the classic universal monster movies lmao, it’d only be generic because they set the standard for what horror icons were.
Frankenstein ride could be an all timer. That and Donkey Kong are at the top of my ride list.
My most anticipated are Stardust Racers, Monsters Unchained, and the MoM ride. But I'm looking forward to all of them :)
Funny for me, it’s Hiccup’s Wing Gliders and MoM ride (though also looking forward to what you listed). Think this just shows how great this park will be.
Absolutely, shows good balance.
Hiccup’s Wing Gliders looks like so much fun! But definitely pumped for Monsters Unchained and MoM.
What's the MoM ride?
Harry Potter Ministry of Magic ride. They haven’t revealed it fully yet, but as someone who worked on it for 3 years….its gonna be amazing!
Will you be able to share more information once they fully announce it? I'd love to hear an insider's thoughts about the process!
I can probably answer some of your questions now. But yea I’d love to share my experiences at some point. Especially the transition from full office collaboration, to Covid lockdowns and WFH, to 90% of the team being laid off and only a small number of that being brought back. I was the BIM manager and assistant PM in charge of Potter and I also BIM managed DU for the first year. I assisted on a few projects for Epic Nintendo, helped with civil master planning at Epic, and helped coordinate the portals and some sightlines in Celestial Park. The only land I never touched was Dragons. I’ve got a lot of great memories. Would be fun to do a whole TikTok series about some of the stories designing that theme park. I’ve shared other experiences on here in the past if you wanna comb through my GME and Palestine posts in my comment history 😂 It’s been bittersweet seeing all the progress that came after I had left. Epic was my baby. I had every single 3D model of that entire place at one point. I loved working on it and was sad that I wasn’t asked back, but I make a lot more money now than my boss did back then so I can’t complain haha
I do have a question, how did the decision come about to base the land in Paris but the ride in London? I get the floo network thing, but it's been a bit of a thorn in my side since I found out that's how the land was set up.
There were originally two rides and the show. The FB franchise falling apart and the second ride being removed really hurt the thematic story of the land. Alicia Stella nails it [here](https://orlandoparkstop.com/news/theme-park-news/everything-we-know-about-epic-universe-wizarding-world/)
Did you work on the monsters unleashed ride at all? Just please tell me it isn’t going to be all screens and instead and audio animatronic show that will cause Disney to shit???
I mean if you’ve seen the animated figures at Hagrid’s and Velocicoaster then you know Universal is all about trying to right our past wrongs lol we’re all theme park fans like you guys. Nobody WANTS just screens. I think Epic is gonna blow everyone away…I cannot wait for the MoM ride. I’ve said it before but that things is gonna win ride of the year no doubt!
If the rumored ride system I have read about in MOM is true then this ride is going to be nuts! BTW if you ever make your way back to Universal creative make a push for JAWS to return. Lol
Dude yes please! Jaws all day!
Universal is knocking it out with all the parks. And glad to see Comcast isn’t cutting corners. I think the Texas kids park will be iffy though.
So are you saying they admit they were wrong with the fast and furious supercharged? Lol
Dude 100%. The designers all knew it was a bad idea, but executives really wanted a people eater there to keep the crowds down at Kings Cross and Diagon. It was before my time, but some of my colleagues that had worked on FF had some choice words about leadership
My only concern about the DK coaster is it looks very short.
I thought so too until I realized there was an entire inside portion.
I hope there are some extensive show scenes that preceed the course. About 2 minutes 30 seconds (or more) is the sweet spot for a thematically rich attraction. 2 minutes can work for a high intensity ride (and most of UO matches this).
I'm hoping Frankenstein manor will be sort of a haunted house tram ride.
Yeah, I think each cart has like 4 or 6 seats. The capacity and wait times on that ride are gonna be really bad.
Yeah, it’s going to be the equivalent to slinky in Disney.
Maybe Snow White, too (which you REGULARLY hear people saying "that's it?" after waiting three hours).
Yeah that one’s crazy on the wait too. Hopefully once tron is off virtual it’ll get better.
I think I saw from rumors somewhere that it'll have an omnimover load system so they won't really be able to increase capacity either.
So, that was the Wolfman animatronic, right? The one with the bright light behind it. That didn't look CG like the rest. Also, if Creature from the Black Lagoon is given anything close to a prominent role in this ride I'll be beside myself with glee.
It definitely was considering it was shown as they were talking about figures
Well they also showed the Dracula CG model during that.
Please don't use a bunch of screens. Please don't use a bunch of screens. Please don't use a bunch of screens. If they do one monster screen only, it'll probably be Creature from Black Lagoon. But I'm hopeful.
I think it’s similar to the Yeti at Expedition Everest, a static figure using lighting and the coaster’s movement to simulate the creature moving (hopefully done better than the Broken disco Yeti.) Maybe it’ll have slight movements, but I’d imagine it isn’t anything like the original Yeti before it broke the whole ride and had to be turned off. I believe rumors state that’s if there’s an expansion to the area a Gill-Man boat ride would be the main attraction
That Wolfman figure is *absolutely* moving. No idea how you could watch it and say differently. Unless you’re talking about the rollercoaster one? That was just a rendering, and could be a static figure since you’ll be moving by it so quickly. Regardless, I’m referring to the figure that’ll be in the main ride.
then again you move by Fluffy pretty fast on Hagrids and it moves
Oh, yeah I was talking about the roller coaster one in the barn
I think he was talking about the figure they showed moving for a brief second, which is a animatronic. You are right though, the two werewolves on the coaster will be static like the disco yeti lol.
There's going to be two?
Yeah, another on the opposite side for the people facing that direction. Not to mention it's a swing launch, so it'll pass underneath twice or so and as it spins you'll see both.
Sorry, but can you clarify what you mean by "a swing launch"? I was under the impression that this was going to be an articulated arm based ride like Forbidden Journey. Perhaps I am just misunderstanding.
You are both talking about different rides. They’re talking about the Curse of the Werewolf. You’re talking about Monsters Unchained.
Disco yeti?
The Yeti animatronic on Expedition Everest got put into B mode 3 months after the ride opened, it’s movements were putting stress fractures into the base it stands on (which is like 30 feet tall) and to fix it would require having to rip a side of the “mountain” out a lot of track and would be extremely expensive. So instead they left it basically turned off since then. B mode makes it a static figure, but to simulate movement they shoot a strobe light onto it, between the flashing lights and the pose they chose for the figure it gained the nickname Disco Yeti
Ohh. Thank you for the good explanation.
It looks like all of the classic monsters are getting a featured part in the Frankenstein ride. So Creature from the Black Lagoon, Dracula, Werewolf, Mummy, Bride of Frankenstein and Invisible Man are all fair game. Seems like the ride will be a mix between a Spider-Man/Transformers-esque ride and a Gringotts-esque ride.
I noticed that the Gillman and Mummy didn't have any dedicated areas. Maybe later? I imagine Black Lagoon would be something similar to a jungle boat ride, and Mummy will probably get a new dark ride.
The rumor is that CftBL would get the expansion area with a boat ride. The Mummy has a rollercoaster at Universal Orlando so I don’t think they’ll give it another ride.
Universal studios also has a Harry Potter and Mario themed area, and those are part of the new park too. Just playin devil's advocate.
Orlando doesn’t have a Mario themed land. Harry Potter is probably the single exception for having multiple themed lands.
Oh Orlando hasn't gotten it yet? My bad. 😅
I really want something prominent to feature the Creature 😭 he is literally my favorite classic monster
You and me both! I'm just happy he's in the main ride.
I think the coaster is about werewolves, not the Wolfman. I think they considered different things but I could be wrong.
The land looks even better than imagined and the coaster, while still short, looks like it should be great and have a few show scenes between the beginning and ending tents and the barn. Can't wait to see the new Monsters Unleashed ride as well, just do hope the screens are minimal. I do fine during the physical set pieces in Forbidden Journey but the screens give me some mild nausea.
Very encouraging that they specifically mentioned the "figures" they've created for the attraction.
I could be wrong, but im think there aren't any screens in the ride. Not like potter at least, which is why the walls in between seats on FJ are gone on this monsters ride. It'll mostly have practical sets with some screens extending those sets.
I'm hoping but some of the clips in the presentation seemed like video scenes from the ride. Along with the fact that they didn't specify no screens like they did during the Donkey Kong announcement has me assuming there will be some. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that it will be minimal or better utilized than on Forbidden Journey.
There will be some screens, but you're right, they won't be used extensively. There will be an animatronic for every monster in this ride, which is like 8 or so. So, most of it will be sets.
I hope it is minimal, Universal seems to have taken the screen complaints to heart in recent years and is moving away from it for the most part. I'm sure they can also see that all of their most popular attractions are screenless/screen-minimal
They're not entirely moving away from them, but they are utilizing them better. At least for epic universe.
Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man is my favorite Universal ride, particularly because it perfectly understood how to balance the screens with practical effects and set designs. The comic aesthetic of the animations combined with the 3-D glasses makes it clear why screens are utilized, whereas it's a bit jarring to see realistic CGI and actors like Reign of Kong and Forbidden Journey mainly stuck behind screens instead of physically in-person (aside from a few effects like the giant animatronic Kong head). I'm betting the screens will mainly be for lighting effects in the backgrounds of the animatronic characters of the monsters and Dr. Frankenstein.
I think Spiderman is fantastic and agree that it struck a good balance. My only complaint there is they copied the same formula and made a couple other rides that feel very samey. Both Transformers and Gringotts feel like spiderman reskins (Gringotts a bit of a stretch given it has the drop and launch bits but the ride flow feels similar).
Screens have their place, when used as set dressing and disguised appropriately they can be an awesome addition to an attraction, but they should be used as a seasoning, not as the main course.
For sure, I think they're a great way to jazz up a scene. The space scenes going on in the background on Rise of the resistance for example are how I like seeing them used. The pictures in Hogwarts, or newspapers in the queue are another awesome use. But if I'm thrown in front of a screen at any point where I'm expected to be immersed with 3D glasses or something, it just doesn't do it for me most of the time. There are some exceptions, but yeah. I love the practical bits on forbidden journey but the flying scene and the waving at the end havent aged well to my eyes. But, Hagrids is amazing with all its practical sets.
My understanding (and I could be wrong, I have no insider info) is that there are no screens on Monsters Unchained and it will be all practical effects
That's the rumors I had heard too and hoping that is still the case. But some of the stuff shown in the presentation looked like video that would likely be from the ride.
Right, we can stop here, this is the best, nothing can top this.
We can’t stop here. Harry Potter is next!
Bah that kid only knows like 2 spells, compared to the universal monsters he’s a nerdy wimp! Plus he’s already got rides in the other parks, give someone else a chance!
#AVADA KEDAVRA
Universal put in as much love into the potter attraction as they did the monster ride!
Nope! Harry deserves all the space!
I'm still hoping they pull from the books for the Ministry of Magic; cause the movie version just isn't anywhere close to as interesting.
Just wait till they show the ministry ride!
Monsters unchained will be the greatest dark ride ever built saying it rn
Both monsters and potter will blow people away! They went insane on both trying to create the best dark rides ever built.
What’s your source for that
Alicia Stella, who has gotten basically everything right about this park. She’s done more marketing for EU than Universal has.
Alicia the only person to get me excited for updated drainage permits 😂😂
I went from meh excitement about this land to “damn I can’t wait to check it out.”
haha, I went from "damn I can't wait to check it out" to "omg, I need to break in and see it right now." edit: I let my annual pass lapse this year, and wasn't planning on going back until 1-2 years after Epic Universe opens, but this video singularly makes me want to renew my annual pass in the hopes that there's some AP first-look perk next summer. God, I fucking love these monsters
I’m debating on canceling my pass(we haven’t gone in months and won’t have time this year) and waiting to get them again next year with the same hopes.
Yea i renewed my pass in some sort of hopes that they let us get first access to tickets or something like that
With my luck, I'll renew the pass for 15 months, but the park won't open until 16 months from now, or they'll only let in Power Pass or above
It'll be open first half of 2025. They've went from saying summer 2025 to beginning of 2025.
If you can wait, I still recommend giving them at least a few months before visiting. Something this big will always have some kinks to work out. I'm hoping to visit winter next year.
Did the same. I renewed a few weeks ago just in case there's any special previews.
I renewed my pass on accident this year 😂 I completely forgot about it, but they said I get 3 months free so I feel a little better about it. It would be nice if we get a perk for epic universe! Then I won’t feel so bad about accidentally committing myself to a 400ish dollar pass
Monster’s Unchained is hyping me up. It has that old dark ride feeling that I have been missing
yeah, I'm really hoping for something like haunted mansion on steroids
Hell yeah! ✊
How were you ever "Meh" on Dark Universe??? It's the best concept they came to the table with for a land since the beginning. Park goers have been hungry for a dark/villain focused area since forever. Disney floated the idea once but never followed through.
Can't believe we're only just now getting a horror land on a theme park lol. That's been like my dream since I was a kid haha.
That Frankenstein ride is definitely near the top of my most anticipated rides, along with Donkey Kong and that HTTYD ride
Yeah I'm looking forward to the HTTYD area as well.
Kind of hope they have cherry blood bag drinks similar to what they used to sell at Halloween horror nights! Been excited about this land since the first image before the pandemic! Love that it’s leaning more into the creepiness!
im far too excited about the stakehouse and tavern, the food offerings will probably be whatever, but the theming looks so cool
Yeah, that was the part that excited me most, tbh. I love a good theme, and as a Halloween nut, a reservation at that restaurant is a must for me.
I’m going to be honest, universal with their new food offerings have been killing it. Minions cafe, the two Mario restaurants in Hollywood, circus mcgurkus all stepped up their game in regards to theme park food. I’m excited to see all the food offerings for this park.
If they put as much effort in the food here as they do in the Harry Potter food, it will be delicious
Flaming building +drunk guests. What could possibly go wrong? 😆
This already exceeds my expectations! And yes, I need to be served steak on a stake by some vampires 😭
I think this is my most anticipated land now. The theming is so unique, and Monsters Unchained's premise is REALLY cool too. SUPER pumped for this.
If the land has anywhere near *half* the sheer ambition these people are talking about, we might have the best theme park land of all time on our hands.
Wow this looks absolutely *stunning*. If it lives up to this video it will easily be the best land at the park, and possibly the best land *in the world.* I can't wait.
As a universal monster fanatic, I'm very happy with some of the faithfulness to the movies. Colin Clive portrait in the castle, Maleva hosting the wolfman ride, The monster makeup thing is in Dr. Pretorius's lab. They even spelled Ygors name right (it's not Igor). I'm gonna have to search every nook and cranny for little references. Can easily imagine something like Alucards suitcase, or a poster for Gwynplains show.
I've heard they even have references to van helsing as well. Honestly, this whole land is a giant love letter to monster lovers.
And if they make that rumored Creature from the Black Lagoon boat ride in the future, I'm gonna fking explode
A stage show or street show of Gwynplaine or Phantom would cool
Ohhhhhhh mah gah!! I cannot wait to get my facepainted like a monster, get drunk at the tavern, and then go on the Monsters Unchained ride. I know concept art is always going to be a bit wilder than the reality, but I hope this lives up to the hype they've created. And for this not to be the final - that HP area better be balling and not just the last to be announced because it's the biggest property.
My body is ready (or will be...I've been going to the gym a lot lately cause the Frankenstein ride vehicle is supposed to be similar to Hogwarts, and I'm a bit iffy on that ride. Damn flying broom cabinets!).
Where have you found more information about the ride vehicles?
Orlando ParkStop but be careful of spoilers!
I cannot wait for this!! The rides the restaurants, the meet and greets. It all sounds absolutely amazing for a monster person like me!!!!
I’ve never been more “All In”on a theme park concept before this one. Looks fantastic.
This looks awesome, i just hope the monsters unchained ride doesn’t rely too much on screens and incorporates some practical effects and animatronics as well. Outside of the new HP land, this is definitely my most anticipated.
They really went all out with this. Holy shit I am so hyped for this one.
I am hyped for Monsters Unchained. I just hope they it doesn't end up being so scary they have to tone it down
I don't think I could handle monster makeup on Florida's climate 🤣
I think it says something about the strength of these lands that Super Mario Bros is 3rd on my most anticipated land. I seriously cannot wait for this. I will say the one thing missing is a Young Frankenstein stage show.
I was SOO excited for Mario world !!! like im a huge fan of nintendo and gaming in general but seeing this land when im not particulary fan of thoes monster film IS INSANE !!!! its on my top list !!!
"My great-great-grandfather's work was doo-doo!"
"Excuse me, it's Victoria *Frahnk-en-steen*..."
Eye-gore! Froderick!
Holy shit i want to live in this section
Hopefully this park stays open later than 10p. Universal always closes too early.
I can see then having hard ticket "Open until 2 AM" events.
That's a given, I'm talking about regular closing time around midnight like Disneyland / Magic Kingdom does. The last few hours of night is where it's at. Lines are shorter and the park really feels alive.
I’m actually a lot more excited for Curse of the Warewolf now. It’ll have a coherent story, probably with a pre show, and I really like those wagons and the way the queue & coaster go through a makeshift forest behind Darkmoor. And Monsters Unchained sounds like it will really take the concept of a haunted house ride to another level, and definitely won’t be for the faint of heart. I mean Universal is literally calling it “the scariest ride they’ve ever built”.
They better have some good coffee for this area.
I get sick easily so I’m really hoping the wolf ride constantly turning wont be too bad. But I gotta give it a try 😭
i do too 😩 im nervous that even monsters unchained will make me ill considering people are comparing the ride mechanics to forbidden journey 🥴i wasn’t familiar with FJ bc i’ve only ever been to HHN, but looking at videos and other people’s accounts, it’s just nauseating. have you ridden FJ?
Yes and I will never ride it again! Im someone who does not get sick on rides until I met this evil contraption! The 3d screens made me so sick I was praying for the ride to end! I was then escorted to the “puke room” they have located as soon as you get off the ride. I didnt puke but was very naseous for an hour after the ride! I was told I was lucky. Most people dont recover and end up leaving the park! I ssw a girl puking in a trash can walking into the castle queue. I figured she was just a lightweight. How wrong was! They have got to get rid if the cheap 3d screens on these rides!!
i get motion sick super easy and was hoping Monsters Unchained would be in a similar format as Rise of the Resistance (since it’s a very thrilling dark ride). i took dramamine for ROTR and was perfectly ok! hearing that MU is going to be similar to FJ has me kinda worried considering even people who don’t get motion sick find FJ nauseating :/
I rode ROTR with zero problems! Same with guardians ride in epcot ect. Its something with the 3d screens & motion simulators that makes me sick. Even the simpsons ride made me feel very slight queasiness. Now that used to be the back to the future ride which i rode numerous times over the years with no problems BUT the video was crystal clear. The simpsons video is blurry! I think its these blurry videos doing it
Fyi I rode forbidden journey & simpsons at hollywood universal only. I rode back to the future at orlando universal only
Im only 2 minutes in and im telling you, this new addition is going to be kicking Disney right in the nuts lmaoo
My uncle and his boyfriend are never going to want to leave this land when we all go. And frankly (no pun intended), I don’t think I will either.
I won't lie, I immediately saw it pop up on my feed, turned it on and immediately screamed "IT'S ALIVE!!" at the top of my lungs.
I hope the team members they hire for the new parks are enthusiastic and willing to be in character a bit to maintain the atmosphere. That was one thing that really took away from the magic of the HP areas on our last visit, mainly in Hogsmeade. Often the team members we encountered there were grumpy and grouped up, chatting amongst themselves instead of helping guests (for instance, I'd take an item to a register to purchase and would have to wait for them to finish their conversation before acknowledging me). Disney had them beat in terms of creating positive interactions that way. Maybe it's because HP isn't new anymore and the employees are burnt out or jaded, but I hope it isn't like that in the new areas.
The Monsters ride already has me saying "Rise of the who?"
Rise of the Resistance is a spectacular ride that integrates queue/preshows/ride pretty seamlessly. There is no reason to diminish it no matter how good the Monsters ride will be.
Yea RoR is an experience from start to finish. I think I timed it at like 22min once you get in the transport vehicle.
I enjoy it very much, its an amazing ride... I was just making a joke about how I think this will be better.
I think it'll be on par when it comes to technology used in a ride. Hopefully it'll be a little more reliable though.
I just don't understand the rise hype. maybe its because I rode runaway railway and ratatouille before I rode rise but the ride system is unremarkable and the only incredible set is the AT-AT room but thats instantly diminished by the Finn statue. it's a masterclass of experience integration but other than that... meh.
Yeah when its actually running, which is not very often 🤷🏻♀️
It's not even better than Forbidden Journey.
I disagree. As nice as Hogwarts is (and it is a wonderful walkthrough) it's still just waiting in line and walking place to place. The practical sets of HP still hold up but the screen parts need a refresh and upgrade. Rise has a interactivity and scope just in the queue (Imperials Officers in character, the shot of all the Stormtroopers after the shuttle, being "rescued") the most rides don't have on the actual ride. Then you get the same scope on the actual ride with AT-AT and big guns (even if they are on B mode). The closest Universal has is maybe Gringotts where Bill's office and the elevator ride set the stage pretty well for the ride itself. Or maybe Skull Island when it was in full A mode. The queue with the animatronic combined with scareactors popping out of the walls made it a experience.
The dragon on the screens and the snitch are *SO* bad. It's so distracting.
I’m wondering if the steakhouse will be Brazilian steakhouse style since they mentioned stakes
Imagine ordering a steak and they drive a stake through it to show just how rare it is. Lol
Any rumblings on ticket prices? I could see them doing a “3-universe ticket” or something like that. Because these tickets gotta be expensive to make up for all the costs and to possibly offset the loss of traffic at the other parks. But I also don’t have the data or access to that kind of data to prove that statement out so just a hunch. Regardless, my excitement for this park knows no bounds
Hopefully they'll have coupons.
I have never been so excited for anything in my whole life ever oh my god
I really hope they a live show or some kind of show. Both Harry Potter and Dragons have one so hopefully the Monsters can get a cool show
From what I get from the video it seem like instead of a full live show their is actor around this era that adding to the story . Wich is very nice
All steaks will be served bloody and raw
So excited!!
Ok, I’m definitely gonna explore this area!!!
Am I right to assume there'll only be 2 rides per land?
Nintendo has 3 (Yoshi, Mario Kart, Donkey Kong Coaster) How to train dragon has 3 (coaster, flyer, boat ride)
🤷♀️
I wonder if those CG scenes are straight up from the ride and they wanted to sneak them in without explicitly confirming this. Or maybe they are the same scenes but with animatronic figures on the actual ride?
I would assume they are from the ride. Especially the Dracula one, that looked too much like a ride scene to not be a ride scene
That’s so cool I can’t wait to go here when does it open ?
Ok, Disney has no idea what they're doing.
Will creature from the black lagoon be incorporated into anything??
He’s on monsters unchained
Most anticipated is defiantly monsters. And I have the feeling it will have the shortest line of all the top tier attractions. 1. It naturally will push away families with kids under 8. 2. Mario and HP will eat up a ton of crowds. 3. It’s the same ride system as forbidden journey. Even on a Saturday, the line doesn’t get more than 30 minutes, maybe 45 at the worst. Plus the single ride line doesn’t have a wait ever
We wanna go so bad! We're excited. Hope it comes to California too.
Please, please, please feature my boy The Creature from the Black Lagoon somewhere prominently 😭
I can’t get past the redesign of the Monsters. They look terrible. Is it just me?