Epic Universe Expansion Speculation

[rageofthegods]

Spoilers for Monsters Unchained Ride:

Spoiler: MU ride spoilers

given reports that the Bride of Frankenstein isn't in the ride, I'm wondering if we could get a standalone attraction featuring her. Obviously Creature should be the priority, but it might be fun to have her in a show somewhere. Maybe they can incorporate other monsters that they didn't get the chance to add, like Dr. Jekyll

More openly, I'm wondering if walkaround characters would be a good way to "market test" characters who could get more permanent attractions later. E.g. if a lot of people like Dr Jekyll or the Man who Laughs, maybe they give them a permanent attraction.

 

[Lucky Planet]

Spoilers for Monsters Unchained Ride:

Spoiler: MU ride spoilers

given reports that the Bride of Frankenstein isn't in the ride, I'm wondering if we could get a standalone attraction featuring her. Obviously Creature should be the priority, but it might be fun to have her in a show somewhere. Maybe they can incorporate other monsters that they didn't get the chance to add, like Dr. Jekyll

More openly, I'm wondering if walkaround characters would be a good way to "market test" characters who could get more permanent attractions later. E.g. if a lot of people like Dr Jekyll or the Man who Laughs, maybe they give them a permanent attraction.

unless the plan was to bring this ride to California eventually and change it to using different characters over there ...

 

[Legacy]

I really hate the idea of Wicked in the theme parks because it feels like the IP only has scope for its originally planned 2 movies, before any more content will start to feel as forced as Fantastic Beasts were. Because of this I worry Wicked will be a short-lived IP in the public consciousness that a few megafans will continue to adore for years, but won't stay as relevant as things like Jurassic Park, and therefore a permanent representation as a physical theme park land isn't a good idea.

Nonetheless I like the idea of Wicked in Epic well. Epic seems to love its "fantastical" lands, every land is rendered fantastically in a way if you think about it, like how DisneySea is all about romanticised vistas. Inbetween the happy and cheery Super Nintendo World, and cold and macabre Dark Universe, another fantastical IP all about these mixing nuanced vibes would go great.

It’s a fair concern, though you could argue that Berk is similarly limited as it’s only based on an trilogy that is already getting a live-action remake less than 20 years later.

The Wicked universe can be expanded, based on the books (there’s four “mainline” books with Glinda as a prominent character throughout, a second trilogy focused on Elphaba’s granddaughter, Rain, that takes place outside of Oz, and an Elphaba prequel novel coming this summer). The big question is, “Will ‘For Good’ introduce Lirr, Elphaba’s son?” That’s the “trigger” for continuing the films. Though, even with that, they can build out the world in a different way based on the revolutionary belief undercutting all the books that Elphaba faked her death and is still alive.

It’s also possible none of that is even needed. The musical has been running for 20 years, and the movie(s) has all the hallmarks of an instant classic that can ride forever. A decent land would survive.

 

[moth]

How I see expansions going, roads being yellow(aha), landscaping green, new buildings teal, Walls red.
1. Dark Uni
- Black Lagoon is a shoe in, the people demand a water ride with outdoor/indoor elements + animatronics
- Due to pathing options around Burning Blade, you *could* have a smaller experience closer to LM or go all in and have a bigger, better, longer Lagoon, IDK not a very wide space and boats have little verticality to work with so they may need it.

2. LM
- could but absolutely does not need it own Portal, too redundant, has entrances/exits into both Dark and greater SNW
- current landscaping separating land from Celestial can have a moderate Celestial expansion instead.
- supplemented by a play area ala Berk/Mario based on Scarescraper, think high grade spooky McDs/Chuck.E.Cheese.
- Room for smaller Kiosk/snack carts similar to DK and an exit near Celestial NStore and SNWs exit.
2A. The Mansion
- SNW true E-Ticket, worlds most advanced shooter ride, the Iconic original Mansion, Disney HM competitor
- Facade visible from Dark-U and DK, built on artificial Hill, full mansion outer wall, Dark ride entirely indoors
- Underground E.Gadds Lab/Training Grounds as que, resurfaces to front of Mansion, single riders skip all that and can ramp straight to entrance.
- Riders get on in main foyer, travels through 2-3 floors + Basement including Fake back courtyard/graveyard.
- Tracks along wider hallways to fit 2x ride vehicles but otherwise very Intimate, low ceiling, doll house-esque (rooms missing walls for vision)
- Catch ghosts (VR w/ Animatronics) using Diegetic flash lights, photosensors, and Vacuum "IR/Gyro Ray Gun" interact with physical animatronic sets to find treasure and increase score.
- Classic picture on ride to gift shop scheme, except photos are ran through a painting Filter to make them portraits with the frame and everything
- Exit ride from basement "boss area" into E.Gadds Gallery/gift shop, then back outside.

3. Celestial Park Expansion Area right of SNW
- Unlike all other areas where you can tell they plan to connect to current lands, this has not been prepared in any shape or form to connect SNW
- Nintendo has no additional Mario adjacent IPs, and this is too small for Ns next biggest IPs in the form of Zelda/AC
- Is right across from Atlantis restaurant so return of Poseidon??

4. Hotel Expansion
- Dead obvious place to Hotel-ize their best and most popular IP
- exclusive restaurant, gate into HP Paris, right next to the Ministry, prime real estate for early access
- #1 Haven for Gen2 wand interactions - wand your TV, your AC, and even your Toilet!

5. HP Flex
- can expand Paris with another Dark Ride if it turns out the HP gravy train just doesn't stop.
- Can also be the flexible transition into similar IP 5th Portal, ala LM to Dark-U

6. Berk Expansion
- Berk needs a Dark Ride, Flight Sim is the only choice, this stuff builds itself

7. The 5th Portal
- awkward narrow entrance, no room for rides, Ideal for IP with strong and unique theming to jazz up what will basically be a hallway
IP requirements:
- IP should be able to produce multiple rides/experiences, outdoor and indoor
- Ideally can have thrills & family experiences, but Fam > Thrill by itself.
- IP thematically compatible to HP is a bonus
- IP fits Epic more than other two(three(four)) Parks
- Large Facades that can block the water treatment miasma are a bonus

IMO, the best fitting IPs are Zelda and Pokémon (duh) . They've been pegged to fill spaces in other parks but they make sooo much more sense in EPIC. If Universal cares about consistent theming at all, they'll keep the "Thrill Book park" the "Thrill Book park", the "Movie/City Park" the "Movie/City Park", and the "Video Game+ Park" the "Video Game+ Park". Double down I say, epic gamers rise up!!

Still, Why no Dreamworks you ask? Simply because there is no meaningful way to connect it to Berk and that will feel like a huge synergy fail with Nintendo and Dark-U collaborating to "put the square in the square hole" so to speak with LM. Shrek being based on Fairy Tales and pop culture belongs more to IoA and already has rep in Studios/alternate parks, so Kung Fu Panda is the only other shoe in if not in an actual Chinese park, but they've built themselves into a corner with Stardust Racers and Wing gliders blocking all connection (and frankly KFP4 was half-assed garbage which doesn't help). Aside from those, no other DW IPs are big enough to compete.

Wicked and LotR obviously have the biggest zeitgeists and few downsides BUT, they both thematically fit IoA better, and LotR specifically has less ride potential because its world is grand and iconic but not particularly fantastical from moment to moment, its more more medieval/feudal in aggregate and its rides it would have thrive on thrill as a more austere IP (D&D wouldn't have this problem, just saying). Thus IMO it would have greater utilization in IoA where it fits better and could have 1 great thrill ride, or in general at UUK where it could be a more expansive more vibey centerpiece that fulfills the same roll as Celestial Park with lots of iconic locations for food/leisure.

If I couldn't have Zelda or Pokemon, and IoA only has one spot to expand with LotR, Wicked would be my third choice as it has no other downsides and frankly unlike LotR it should not go to UUK specifically because its an Americana IP. Let me get Yellow Bricked up on the way to the Shiz Stage Show, Munchkin Munchies, Emerald Dark ride, and Flying Monkey Coaster. Hell, add more interactive wand locations in Oz, give us our moneys worth.
View attachment 25198

Can I just say I love the thought put into the expansion pad options on the top right? I can't argue against a single damn point on any of those IP. Now you have me wanting a Monster Hunter land. Damn you.

I think Minecraft rights are holed up with another company right now, but I think if they somehow decide against Pokémon in Studios, there's no property more deserving of 20 acres than it.

I don't think a hypothetical Luigi expansion would be that big, I mostly assume it'd be around DK in size with the other part (possibly) being used for a Wario-something to get all the main "splinters" of Mario attention in SNW. But I'm curious if Wario could warrant that.

Really well thought out spec map.

 

[EOxL]

Can I just say I love the thought put into the expansion pad options on the top right? I can't argue against a single damn point on any of those IP. Now you have me wanting a Monster Hunter land. Damn you.

I think Minecraft rights are holed up with another company right now, but I think if they somehow decide against Pokémon in Studios, there's no property more deserving of 20 acres than it.

I don't think a hypothetical Luigi expansion would be that big, I mostly assume it'd be around DK in size with the other part (possibly) being used for a Wario-something to get all the main "splinters" of Mario attention in SNW. But I'm curious if Wario could warrant that.

Really well thought out spec map.

Thanks,
One of the things I can add about the big expansion is that while Universal has marketing synergies and cross company relations pulling it in a lot of directions, and Epic itself has a vaguer theme than IoA or Studios, I believe they've shown their hand in the form of the name for the parking lots, in all seriousness: Gamer/Monster/Hero/Viking/Explorer

Hear me out, Zelda and Pokemon in particular (brands already on lock) as well as D&D and MonHun (big business required) cover 4 of those easy, 5 on a good day. By the same merit, Wicked, which you could argue doesn't cover any of those except maybe Hero and Monster in an ironic "twas the humans all along" kind of way, is now looking like the favorite to lose despite being the IP with the biggest HP Synergy. Actually, now that I think about it, anything going into IoA would take up Lost Continent and be right next to HP anyway, and some argue IoA needs less thrill, so the synergy could still work to an excellent degree there. LotR remains the generalists choice still boasting good overall synergy and the biggest popularity by the numbers, but like I said it has options elsewhere and it doesn't quite truly excel at any one thing some of the other IPs bring to the table.

The potentials are truly fascinating.
___

I do also imagine my scaling of LM is flawed because I'm using a rendered map and I'm inherently terrible at measuring things to scale regardless.

Still the idea would be first and foremost realize the full mansion with as much space as it would require, so I put the actual ride building set to the same scale as Mario Kart, but having never ridden that myself I don't have a sense for how much or how little that actually is. And its also not a 1-1 comparison because I know that Mario Kart is a slower moving ride itself, and in attraction terms speed=space required where ride-time is equal, and surely its faster than LM which would be a more grounded and interactive experience, so LM can do more with less space.
Likewise the que taking up an equal foot print is not actually realistic/intended, but the ideas for the layout are what's important at any scale. if it all can be shrunk down in reality to make way for more amenities or even another experience that would be great.

Assuming sizing will be dictated by the ride/capacity itself, the actual interesting first question for the design would be the overall positioning and presentation the ride. I have the ride on a hill with its back to Dark-U not only because the hill allows them to build "basements" but because it will raise the Mansion up which would offer the best sight lines from both DK and Dark-U getting a strong shape and sense of distance.

However there is an alternative argument that the ride should have its back to the outer wall of the park like all the other rides and from there you don't have to theme the backside and maybe DK and Dark-U could have passable angled sightlines. Its just hard to visualize because obviously if we rotate my current layout at my flawed scale, DK would get nothing but side of a house stuck in its face lol. I argue the sight line does factor in because they've explicitly allowed the ride section of DK to have a view of the expansion land through some trees rather than simply continuing the wall mural all the way around.

 

[jarmor]

How I see expansions going, roads being yellow(aha), landscaping green, new buildings teal, Walls red.
1. Dark Uni
- Black Lagoon is a shoe in, the people demand a water ride with outdoor/indoor elements + animatronics
- Due to pathing options around Burning Blade, you *could* have a smaller experience closer to LM or go all in and have a bigger, better, longer Lagoon, IDK not a very wide space and boats have little verticality to work with so they may need it.

2. LM
- could but absolutely does not need it own Portal, too redundant, has entrances/exits into both Dark and greater SNW

3. Celestial Park Expansion Area right of SNW
- Unlike all other areas where you can tell they plan to connect to current lands, this has not been prepared in any shape or form to connect SNW

5. HP Flex
- Can also be the flexible transition into similar IP 5th Portal, ala LM to Dark-U


View attachment 25198

I highly doubt they would connect any of the lands together. That is the whole premises behind entering the portals into the worlds.

 

[EOxL]

I highly doubt they would connect any of the lands together. That is the whole premises behind entering the portals into the worlds.o

I think the appeal of the prospect is too good to pass up if the shoe fits for any neighboring worlds in question, and for LM in particular its likely the main excuse for choosing it over the far better sellers in Zelda, Pokemon, or AC.

Tbf service roads are a tough challenge that could be ignored if they ultimately don't connect the worlds, and Nintendo will want the LM expansion walled off to a good degree regardless to increase immersion. But if Universal can convince Nintendo to play ball with a single sight line and a backdoor to their neighbor, it just benefits both Worlds more than it could ever possibly harm IMO. it would improve traffic in the park without necessarily betraying their main concept, they could absolutely have transitions with portals on both ends to continue selling the premise. More than what we already see with Mario into DK, and likely DK into LM, the cross world portals could add back the Celestial technology, you know, make it look like a rip in space with the Celestial portals peaking out, that certainly would be peak (badum tss).

 

[jarmor]

. . . No.

 

[saint.piss]

Here. We. Gooooooooooooo.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

"Don't worry, we haven't forgotten about USF"

 

[saint.piss]

I don't know if this is a hot take or not, but I think Dark Universe should be the first land at EU to get an expansion. As amazing as it looks (and the phenomenal reception coming from TM previews as well), the land is SMALL. I've talked to people who've been inside of it and they've said it also feels small in person. I'm pretty sure it's the smallest world at EU. It needs a huge expansion imo. That Creature boat ride would help...

Also just to prove my point, here's a photo of the entire land during the TM previews.

 

[rageofthegods]

They should capitalize on 00s nostalgia and do a crossover with My Chemical Romance.

Creature from the Black Parade.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

I don't know if this is a hot take or not, but I think Dark Universe should be the first land at EU to get an expansion. As amazing as it looks (and the phenomenal reception coming from TM previews as well), the land is SMALL. I've talked to people who've been inside of it and they've said it also feels small in person. I'm pretty sure it's the smallest world at EU. It needs a huge expansion imo. That Creature boat ride would help...

Also just to prove my point, here's a photo of the entire land during the TM previews.

I completely agree with you. I think DU is going to be just ok as a land, with the ride really lifting the land's experience. The actual village portion of the land is smaller than the Hogsmeade village itself.

 

[PerceptiveCoot]

Unfortunately, the default short-term option when trying to manage the capacity of an area under-built for its popularity is not a E-ticket but a flat ride. See Storm Force Acceleration, the Flying Unicorn, and a Bug's Land as reference.

Hopefully, and if there's room, Monsters becomes a four ride land and we get the short-term fix alongside the big expansion later on.

EDIT: Realized I'm just describing a better version of Avengers Campus.

EDIT 2: You can take the man out of DCA, but you can't take the DCA out of the man.

 

[DrStarlander]

I don't know if this is a hot take or not, but I think Dark Universe should be the first land at EU to get an expansion. As amazing as it looks (and the phenomenal reception coming from TM previews as well), the land is SMALL. I've talked to people who've been inside of it and they've said it also feels small in person. I'm pretty sure it's the smallest world at EU. It needs a huge expansion imo. That Creature boat ride would help...

Also just to prove my point, here's a photo of the entire land during the TM previews.

When they committed to build a Universal Monsters land, they may not have known what the reception would be in terms of demographics, fandom, year-round appeal (there were "doubters" among the early commentators, which has seemed to fade away). I think the land could justifiably be larger to accommodate the likely traffic and interest (and it's a Universal-owned IP so they're not paying out royalties on all the food and retail dollars).

But there's not much land to work with. One approach is to go vertical in the acreage they have left. By building multi-story show building (concealed by a mountain range), they could fit more in -- perhaps two attractions stacked. Or, they could put an indoor mini-land on the ground level (something like Mermaid Lagoon at Tokyo Disney Sea) with an attraction above. (The acreage remaining is similar to Mermaid Lagoon.)

I can imagine the indoor mini-land area being the Black Lagoon and having a Blue Bayou type always-night restaurant (a research basecamp of tents and boat dock bar...think Trader Sam's meets Adventurer's Club), plus retail (themed as expedition supplies/outfitters). This would allow for a different setting (the Amazon) than Darkmoor, for the Black Lagoon attraction.

 

[Jake S]

They should capitalize on 00s nostalgia and do a crossover with My Chemical Romance.

Creature from the Black Parade.

New show for Horror Nights just dropped.

 

[EOxL]

Its also the only IP entirely their own besides Celestial so they don't have to waste as much time on external planning and communications if they don't want to.

 

[moth]

Its also the only IP entirely their own besides Celestial so they don't have to waste as much time on external planning and communications if they don't want to.

I mean, they wholly own DreamWorks, as far as licensing, planning and communications go, HTTYD is a fully in-house IP.

 

[OrlLover]

Here. We. Gooooooooooooo.

I’m so excited to see what they have in the works.

We know Epic is gonna probably gonna need some expansions soon despite a decent opening roster of rides.

 

[PerceptiveCoot]

We know Epic is gonna probably gonna need some expansions soon despite a decent opening roster of rides.

Which is why they will be quick to open a Donkey Kong themed playground that's about the size of Camp Jurassic USH and a HTTYD spinner for those kids that don't like heights, are scared of rollercoasters, don't like getting wet, are too inpatient to sit for a show, and are antisocial.