Streetmosphere
- Thread starter Mike
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You sure that wasn't for yourself also Bob?ound:
He needs an excuse to keep the wife happy...
Ok so hear me out on this little rant:
Upon entering WDW (specifically Magic Kingdom), the senses are just bombarded with different "things." Whether it be parades, marching bands, horses and buggies, vibrant colors, etc, the feeling evoked at this place is just indescribable. While I feel that Universal is and will continue to compete and even outdo Disney eventually in terms of volume and quality of ride offerings, I feel that their streetmosphere really does pale in comparison to Disney's. Now I know that Disney properties lend themselves better to "magic" and vibrant colors, but Universal has really got to come up with a way to match this, as Disney has quite a leg up on Universal in this regard. The Superstar parade was a step in the right direction and shows that Universal is conscious of this, but they need more. Expanded parade is a must. I really do think that with a remodeled kidzone Universal needs to crack down and offer just a sprinkle of this "magic" in order to not only take a chunk directly out of Disney's target demographic but also to be able to market themselves to families. Springfield is the start of them turning dead areas into vibrant hot spots, and with more kid-friendly IPs, an expanded parade, more streetmosphere and a bit of disney-esque magic would do wonders. An entrance remodel is a must for this exact reason. Now obviously there must still be room for the darker harry potters and mummies, but this is a step that I feel must be taken. I am very curious to hear any of your ideas / reactions because frankly I see this as the only area where Disney is the clear cut winner, and beating them at their own game would feel oh so amazing.
Upon entering WDW (specifically Magic Kingdom), the senses are just bombarded with different "things." Whether it be parades, marching bands, horses and buggies, vibrant colors, etc, the feeling evoked at this place is just indescribable. While I feel that Universal is and will continue to compete and even outdo Disney eventually in terms of volume and quality of ride offerings, I feel that their streetmosphere really does pale in comparison to Disney's. Now I know that Disney properties lend themselves better to "magic" and vibrant colors, but Universal has really got to come up with a way to match this, as Disney has quite a leg up on Universal in this regard. The Superstar parade was a step in the right direction and shows that Universal is conscious of this, but they need more. Expanded parade is a must. I really do think that with a remodeled kidzone Universal needs to crack down and offer just a sprinkle of this "magic" in order to not only take a chunk directly out of Disney's target demographic but also to be able to market themselves to families. Springfield is the start of them turning dead areas into vibrant hot spots, and with more kid-friendly IPs, an expanded parade, more streetmosphere and a bit of disney-esque magic would do wonders. An entrance remodel is a must for this exact reason. Now obviously there must still be room for the darker harry potters and mummies, but this is a step that I feel must be taken. I am very curious to hear any of your ideas / reactions because frankly I see this as the only area where Disney is the clear cut winner, and beating them at their own game would feel oh so amazing.
I agree that MK has the edge in the Streetmosphere department against USF. I would also say that MK has the best streetmosphere in the whole of WDW and Orlando right now. Universal has been making significant strides to improve USF and the streetmosphere, though:
- Hollywood is home to some great theming and character M&Gs like Marilyn, Lucy, Betty Boop, Scooby-Doo and Shaggy, Woddy Woodpecker and his girlfriend, and previously the Simpsons too.
- The NY area features the Mummy's stilt walkers, the Blues Brothers, and all the way on the other side (by central park) we now have Doc and the BttF props.
- We also have the Shrek M&G in Production Central, and that new stable they have created looks WAY better than before.
Now, as mentioned, we have the new parade, also Springfield coming up, and lets not forget the awesome M&G with the Transformers! Springfield will really brighten up that corner, and Potter should also be grand and stunning. We can only hope that they continue the trend improving KidZone, but mostly the first impression of the park after going through the turnstiles. I've already mentioned that I think they need to redesign the view from the turnstiles, but since we're talking streetmosphere, I think having some greeters would also go a long way. Instead of being borderline hassled to get your picture taken, how about getting greeted by a director and production crew. Have some equipment, make it look like we're entering a hot production set at Universal STUDIOS... Right? :thumbs:
- Hollywood is home to some great theming and character M&Gs like Marilyn, Lucy, Betty Boop, Scooby-Doo and Shaggy, Woddy Woodpecker and his girlfriend, and previously the Simpsons too.
- The NY area features the Mummy's stilt walkers, the Blues Brothers, and all the way on the other side (by central park) we now have Doc and the BttF props.
- We also have the Shrek M&G in Production Central, and that new stable they have created looks WAY better than before.
Now, as mentioned, we have the new parade, also Springfield coming up, and lets not forget the awesome M&G with the Transformers! Springfield will really brighten up that corner, and Potter should also be grand and stunning. We can only hope that they continue the trend improving KidZone, but mostly the first impression of the park after going through the turnstiles. I've already mentioned that I think they need to redesign the view from the turnstiles, but since we're talking streetmosphere, I think having some greeters would also go a long way. Instead of being borderline hassled to get your picture taken, how about getting greeted by a director and production crew. Have some equipment, make it look like we're entering a hot production set at Universal STUDIOS... Right? :thumbs:
Entrance remodel and clean up the areas around the lagoon. The latter has already begun with the London and springfield waterfronts. Ive also noticed that Universal lacks a "weenie" that most other parks have. IOA has the lighthouse, hogwarts, mythos to a lesser extent. WDW has SSE, castle, tree of life, etc. Would be nice if Uni had one at the entrance (I dont count the arches).
If you're considering the lighthouse a weenie, then for USF you have to consider the huge entrance arch a weenie as well.
But neither are park weenies, since they're both outside the park. IoA does have weenie-type elements, but I agree that USF doesn't have as prominent weenies as IoA. To be honest, though, weenies are not a requirement for a good theme park, and I don't think any less of USF for not having them.
Universal does have general streetmosphere characters, they just haven't used them in a while. A director, police officer, a few other production assistants. I know I have some photos of them on my old hard drive.
They should bring them back!
BTW, I forgot to mention, they also have MiB occasionally roaming around, too.
:mib:
I think one brilliant thing USF did is how they use the Superstar Parade floats for what seem to be impromptu meet and greets. I find it pretty 'magical' to be just walking down Sunset and suddenly seeing the Despicable Me crew come riding out and then setting up to meet with folks. It is just sort of unexpected and leaves my family with a sort of 'wow, that was neat'.
