Future of Shrek 4-D Orlando

[SpatulaShack]

I think realistically that was always gonna be the case. You don't build a new park, resorts, and water park (I'd imagine) without somewhat cooling down on projects in the original parks for a time.

You're correct that this was probably always going to be the case but I think Comcast accelerating the schedule on the third park caused a ton of great projects to be prematurely delayed or cancelled. They were always planning on building a third park but the sudden change in the timeline caused two major USF additions to be cancelled. Those two additions (Shrek 4D replacement and Nintendo) would have put the park in a great place for many years while attention and resources could have shifted to the third park with little to no investment needed in other two. That was basically the plan.

 

[Alicia]

Jurassic Park has no room for an E-Ticket, though.

Really?

 

[Magic-Man]

Really?

Well, unless you tear down DC or River Adventure. Otherwise, no. They can barely fit a coaster in there as it is.

Unless that was a hint....

 

[JungleSkip]

You're correct that this was probably always going to be the case but I think Comcast accelerating the schedule on the third park caused a ton of great projects to be prematurely delayed or cancelled. They were always planning on building a third park but the sudden change in the timeline caused two major USF additions to be cancelled. Those two additions (Shrek 4D replacement and Nintendo) would have put the park in a great place for many years while attention and resources could have shifted to the third park with little to no investment needed in other two. That was basically the plan.

I mean, neither of those projects have been cancelled though?

 

[SpatulaShack]

Jurassic Park has no room for an E-Ticket, though.

You most certainly can build an E-ticket in Jurassic but that wasn't why I brought it up anyway. My point isn't that the Jurassic addition should be an E-ticket but that it was knee-jerk reaction to the delays/cancellations of other, more ambitious projects planned for other areas of the parks. They needed a ride for 2020 and this was something they could plan, greenlight, and build within a short timeframe.
And we’re still getting an E-Ticket with the Harry Potter coaster.

Also, the KidZone replacement is not anything to mess around with. This thing is huge for USF.

Did I miss something? What is the new rumor for Kidzone that will be "huge"?

 

[SpatulaShack]

I mean, neither of those projects have been cancelled though?

No but they've been delayed. In the case of Shrek 4D at least 5 years delayed.

 

[Magic-Man]

You're correct that this was probably always going to be the case but I think Comcast accelerating the schedule on the third park caused a ton of great projects to be prematurely delayed or cancelled. They were always planning on building a third park but the sudden change in the timeline caused two major USF additions to be cancelled. Those two additions (Shrek 4D replacement and Nintendo) would have put the park in a great place for many years while attention and resources could have shifted to the third park with little to no investment needed in other two. That was basically the plan.

Shrek 4D really doesn’t need to be replaced as badly as some people say it does. It’s fine for now. And USF may still get a Nintendo project, just not Super Nintendo/Mario Land.

 

[Viator]

BINGO! I mentioned this in another post but that is clearly what is happening. Shortly after the massive number of D23 ride announcements there were so many exciting projects that credible insiders said were happening with a very aggressive timeline. Super Nintendo World, Pets Dark ride, Ministry of Magic, Marvel expansion, Berk taking over Lost Continent, etc. A few months passed with Kidzone permits ready to go and demolition almost underway and then BAM, radio silence until we got word Nintendo was moving to the third gate.

It isn't just Nintendo moving to the third gate but also all the money that would have been spent on the existing parks. If I had to guess, budgets for 2020 - 2023 attraction spending for the main resort was shifted to the third gate. That would explain the 2020 headliner attraction being a barebones (no pun intended) coaster plopped down in the middle of Jurassic Park/World which will carry a budget that is a fraction of a typical E-ticket. Assuming Kidzone replacement is up next in 2021, I'm guessing it too will be smaller in scale than any of us hoped with a handful of flat rides and a D-ticket.

I get the feeling, Universal Creative was dealing with a heavily mixed bag of a lot of things.

The first, was the increasingly negative stances of screen-based attractions. I get the feeling that with Fallon and the impending Supercharged; Universal needed to look back at what they needed to do moving forward.

The other, is the southern land, as it was always a "will they, won't they" for a while. I imagine that it was a situation to where, they needed to figure out the best plans going forward that can be done without hesitation, for if they could've gotten that land.

And the final, is D23. To be blunt, that seemed like a wake-up moment for Universal Creative; and it was where they were them seemingly exasperated with possible projects that could've been developed. And that, it seemed to of impacted not just Orlando, but Osaka (see the 5-6 month period of pause on the site) and Hollywood (when you consider how LA was in the bidding for the 2024 Summer Olympics) seemed to have things occur.

But as it is now, Hollywood; Osaka; and Orlando all have their crap together, and they are moving forward.

Kidzone seems like it has "something" back into play (and they have had alternatives before the Nintendo deal was locked), and I wouldn't discount the Jurassic re-theme just yet. But hey, that's just how I'm seeing those two right now.

 

[JungleSkip]

Did I miss something? What is the new rumor for Kidzone that will be "huge"?

The new chiller plant they're putting in for the (alleged) project seems to indicate it will be a substantial project.

No but they've been delayed. In the case of Shrek 4D at least 5 years delayed.

Maybe. Or maybe they'll end up announcing it in a month to open in 2020. Who knows.

 

[SpatulaShack]

Maybe. Or maybe they'll end up announcing it in a month to open in 2020. Who knows.

See below...

Shrek will be with us until the new park opens.

KidZone not so much.

I have a lot of trust in Disneyhead.

 

[JungleSkip]

I have a lot of trust in Disneyhead.

All well and good, but the best insiders here all said Nintendo was going into KidZone, because up until sometime late last year it 100% was. Things change all the time.

 

[SpatulaShack]

I get the feeling, Universal Creative was dealing with a heavily mixed bag of a lot of things.

The first, was the increasingly negative stances of screen-based attractions. I get the feeling that with Fallon and the impending Supercharged; Universal needed to look back at what they needed to do moving forward.

The other, is the southern land, as it was always a "will they, won't they" for a while. I imagine that it was a situation to where, they needed to figure out the best plans going forward that can be done without hesitation, for if they could've gotten that land.

And the final, is D23. To be blunt, that seemed like a wake-up moment for Universal Creative; and it was where they were them seemingly exasperated with possible projects that could've been developed. And that, it seemed to of impacted not just Orlando, but Osaka (see the 5-6 month period of pause on the site) and Hollywood (when you consider how LA was in the bidding for the 2024 Summer Olympics) seemed to have things occur.

But as it is now, Hollywood; Osaka; and Orlando all have their crap together, and they are moving forward.

Kidzone seems like it has "something" back into play (and they have had alternatives before the Nintendo deal was locked), and I wouldn't discount the Jurassic re-theme just yet. But hey, that's just how I'm seeing those two right now.

All of this is possible and I'll add the Fox merger that Comcast only recently withdrew from to the long list of things causing turmoil.

 

[shiekra38]

You can fit a coaster anywhere...They still have space to work with in JP...You just have to get creative

 

[SpatulaShack]

Things change all the time.

Truer words have never been said about Universal Parks and Resorts. Haha. These days nothing is official until a sign is out front and the ride is on the park map. :grin:

 

[Scott W.]

You can fit a coaster anywhere...They still have space to work with in JP...You just have to get creative

The projects where you have to get creative usually end with an extra spark as well.

The stretching room in the Haunted Mansion in Disneyland only exists because they had to get the guests under the train track for example.

Truer words have never been said about Universal Parks and Resorts. Haha. These days nothing is official until a sign is out front and the ride is on the park map. :grin:

With Universal's lack of announcements, this is kind of half true. The way they're going, it may not be official until a month after the ride has opened.

 

[Viator]

All of this is possible and I'll add the Fox merger that Comcast only recently withdrew from to the long list of things causing turmoil.

I doubt the Fox Merger would've had an impact, considering how late in the game Comcast entered the race.

At that point, I would assume that everything would be locked for the properties going forward. The only other potential outlier though, could be Beijing; but that's a topic for a different thread.

That said, I feel like we are ignoring something else, the future of Shrek 4-D. And that, perhap's it is best to talk about that on this thread, while moving the other bits to it's proper area's?

 

[Brian G.]

See below...


I have a lot of trust in Disneyhead.

All well and good, but the best insiders here all said Nintendo was going into KidZone, because up until sometime late last year it 100% was. Things change all the time.

Just dropping a line that Shrek was on the chopping block til about May...

 

[SpatulaShack]

I doubt the Fox Merger would've had an impact, considering how late in the game Comcast entered the race.

Comcast may have publicly entered the game late but they've had their eye on Fox for a very long time. Well before news outlets even began reporting on the possibility of Disney acquiring the assets back in November it was on their radar. That in itself is more than 8 months ago. It's definitely possible it had a part to play in some of this, in particular the complete lack of announcements and details about anything post Cinematic Celebration.

 

[SpatulaShack]

Just dropping a line that Shrek was on the chopping block til about May...

What could have possibly saved it that late in the game? Ugh. :crazy:

 

[Brian G.]

What could have possibly saved it that late in the game? Ugh. :crazy:

More like a stay of execution.

IDK the why, unfortunately.