Universal Fan Fest Nights 2026 - Speculation & Rumors

[Freak]

No inside info here to clarify, but just posting about a thought that crossed my mind:

How “doable” would it be to have a temporary overlay for the Simpsons ride to BTTF? Practically speaking, if they really wanted to, I think they could. It would just go as far as to just put curtains covering up some walls and putting stickers on the ride vehicles resembling DeLoreons, but I think the biggest block would be Fox/Disney. Do we know if there’s anything in the contract that would keep them from having a temporary overlay?

They could always reskin Minion Mayhem, but c’mon….the original ride system is right there!

 

[chris.g]

I think contractually yes, it would be a humongous issue. But the movement is 1:1 for the Simpsons ride. Behind closed doors, it’s probably already happened!

 

[KlownzNskullZ]

I think contractually yes, it would be a humongous issue. But the movement is 1:1 for the Simpsons ride. Behind closed doors, it’s probably already happened!

not 1:1 movement I think that’s a old wise tale.

That being said, anything is possible

 

[BriefCasey]

Would still be amazing if it happened. Closest we got was the BTTF DHV logo projected onto the ride building.

 

[deadbydawn]

It feels like Little Europe would be the dream spot for the Scooby-Doo/Monsters mash up but I don't know how that would work logistically. It's pretty crammed back there. Do we think they'd utilize the Courthouse Square location again? It seems like that area can hold the crowds pretty well with room to breathe.

 

[Jerroddragon]

I know everyone wants little Europe but I can't see it fitting there, the court house worked and even then got really crowded at points

So i assume it would be at the court house as well unless its more of a walk through story

 

[Freak]

It feels like Little Europe would be the dream spot for the Scooby-Doo/Monsters mash up but I don't know how that would work logistically. It's pretty crammed back there. Do we think they'd utilize the Courthouse Square location again? It seems like that area can hold the crowds pretty well with room to breathe.

I would love to think that having the Scooby Doo Monsters experience in Little Europe would be a nice little trail run to how an actual Monsters Terror Tram would fare for HHN next year….but I’ll save that for the spec thread.

 

[Jerroddragon]

Do we think Demon Hunters could even come to this event?

Its huge, like it would be huge to have them in the band area singing songs or do a sing alone in the dreamworks theater

 

[Freak]

Do we think Demon Hunters could even come to this event?

Its huge, like it would be huge to have them in the band area singing songs or do a sing alone in the dreamworks theater

Dream Works Theater would not be enough to have a KPop Demon Hunters attraction. Unless it’s just a singalong then maybe it could work. But they gotta do more than that!

 

[Jerroddragon]

Dream Works Theater would not be enough to have a KPop Demon Hunters attraction. Unless it’s just a singalong then maybe it could work. But they gotta do more than that!

I think a live show in the plaza then makes the most sense

They could have that area closed off and then have the characters come out for a concert and maybe the boy band as well

 

[BriefCasey]

I'm all for KPDH being in Universal Plaza, especially if it paves the way for IPs with strong ties to music performances to take that spot each year.

As for the Dreamworks Theater, I think it's a safe bet it'll be the main base of operations for anime ports from USJ. Once again though, I really hope they can implement a dub this time and rotate the languages via time intervals. I think that's the most ideal way to please both crowds, especially when they already do time slots for foreign language studio tours.

Could also allow for Chainsaw Man The Chaos returning with this system for HHN 2026 (assuming USJ never got any other Halloween 4D shows). I can only hope people gave enough feedback as someone who found it hard to keep up with the subs and action on the 1st time viewings of the two shows we got this year (Come to think of it I don't think I ever got a post visit survey for my one HHN visit).

 

[Jerroddragon]

I'm all for KPDH being in Universal Plaza, especially if it paves the way for IPs with strong ties to music performances to take that spot each year.

As for the Dreamworks Theater, I think it's a safe bet it'll be the main base of operations for anime ports from USJ. Once again though, I really hope they can implement a dub this time and rotate the languages via time intervals. I think that's the most ideal way to please both crowds, especially when they already do time slots for foreign language studio tours.

Could also allow for Chainsaw Man The Chaos returning with this system for HHN 2026 (assuming USJ never got any other Halloween 4D shows). I can only hope people gave enough feedback as someone who found it hard to keep up with the subs and action on the 1st time viewings of the two shows we got this year (Come to think of it I don't think I ever got a post visit survey for my one HHN visit).

I'm happy Chainsaw happened this year but...please something new for HHN

If they want to put a movie in here, I think it needs to be new every year or at a level above the current anime movies but both JJK and Chainsaw man are good...but not really needing or repeats bring something new

Sadly we wont get dubs, not because I dont want it but because it just cost too much for the returns you'd get.

The only time we'd have to get a Dub if it was DBZ related but all other anime sadly just dont draw enough for people to care if its dubbed or not and it cost ALOT for the actors

My hope is my hero because of the finale season and its new....and maybe if we are lucky Deku and some other heros are meet and greet characters

 

[BriefCasey]

I'm happy Chainsaw happened this year but...please something new for HHN

If they want to put a movie in here, I think it needs to be new every year or at a level above the current anime movies but both JJK and Chainsaw man are good...but not really needing or repeats bring something new

Sadly we wont get dubs, not because I dont want it but because it just cost too much for the returns you'd get.

Wasn't saying there should be a repeat for FFN.

Also, huge disagree on the dub part. I don't know where you're getting that perception of people not caring about dubs, but literally every anime convention (which aims to celebrate all things anime mind you), brings in voice actor guests for autographs and such, which always have a line of people for them, so there's definitely been a strong audience for dubs over recent years.

I just don't want Universal to keep cheaping out in this field now that we're past the phase of them testing the waters with these ports. Especially since these shows would feel cheaper if they didn't do the projection mapping effects. Besides, the idea of dubbing these is to provide a better guest experience for those that struggle to keep up with the subs in a theme park attraction. I doubt hiring the dub actors would cost anywhere near as much as one Hollywood actor or even the 12 voiced characters that were in Kung Fu Panda (granted this depends on how many there are per show, but JoJo's only had 3 for example so there's that).

So no, I don't think it'd kill them to do it, especially if enough people complained about it on surveys, which is what I'm banking on.

 

[Jerroddragon]

Wasn't saying there should be a repeat for FFN.

Also, huge disagree on the dub part. I don't know where you're getting that perception of people not caring about dubs, but literally every anime convention (which aims to celebrate all things anime mind you), brings in voice actor guests for autographs and such, which always have a line of people for them, so there's definitely been a strong audience for dubs over recent years.

I just don't want Universal to keep cheaping out in this field now that we're past the phase of them testing the waters with these ports. Especially since these shows would feel cheaper if they didn't do the projection mapping effects. Besides, the idea of dubbing these is to provide a better guest experience for those that struggle to keep up with the subs in a theme park attraction. I doubt hiring the dub actors would cost anywhere near as much as one Hollywood actor or even the 12 voiced characters that were in Kung Fu Panda. So I don't think it'd kill them to do it, especially if enough people complained about it on surveys, which is what I'm banking on.

I'm a dub fan but when the movies come out....guess what has more showtimes Subs and I dont think it has anything to do with money for the movies many anime fans don't care if its dubbed or not

I'm sure if we got a One piece show in the theater it would be huge either way

Its not what I want but...I understand it the cost would be huge and doubt if chainsaw man or JJK was dubbed the lines would double, so why spend 100's of thousand of extra dollars for something people will say is nice but not really increase the crowds. I'm sure the attractions would score better but I think USH just want it to have a basic line and they are happy with these attractions

Its once again, not what I want, I watch all animes dubbed and no shade on the actors but sadly the anime community just doesn't care much in fact many are still either ignorant or just plain out dont like the dubs, we have had people on here making BS claims about how bad dubs are as if this was 20 years ago but the Chainsaw man, JJK, Demon slayer, and My hero dubs are all fantastic

 

[Clive]

Wasn't saying there should be a repeat for FFN.

Also, huge disagree on the dub part. I don't know where you're getting that perception of people not caring about dubs, but literally every anime convention (which aims to celebrate all things anime mind you), brings in voice actor guests for autographs and such, which always have a line of people for them, so there's definitely been a strong audience for dubs over recent years.

I just don't want Universal to keep cheaping out in this field now that we're past the phase of them testing the waters with these ports. Especially since these shows would feel cheaper if they didn't do the projection mapping effects. Besides, the idea of dubbing these is to provide a better guest experience for those that struggle to keep up with the subs in a theme park attraction. I doubt hiring the dub actors would cost anywhere near as much as one Hollywood actor or even the 12 voiced characters that were in Kung Fu Panda (granted this depends on how many there are per show, but JoJo's only had 3 for example so there's that).

So no, I don't think it'd kill them to do it, especially if enough people complained about it on surveys, which is what I'm banking on.

While I don't disagree that a demand for dubs exists, your point about cons doesn't really track here. Certain types of fans like meeting people involved in films and television shows they enjoy. If the language barrier didn't exist, I suspect these fans would be just as excited to meet the voice actors behind the tracks for the original language.

The bottom line is these things cost money and resources - probably more than you realize. That isn't an excuse, and I'm not fundamentally against localizing these attractions through dubs. However, I think the reality is that most of the people excited by an anime port being screened are not going to be especially upset by needing to read subtitles or deal with the original language tracks. The people upset by subtitles are most likely going to be the ones who don't engage much with anime in the first place. When faced with a limited budget, the folks planning and executing Fan Fest (and HHN) are deciding that something (even if it's a direct port without a dub) is better than nothing.

With all that said... by all means push the issue in surveys if you feel so inclined. The surveys do matter, and it could make a difference down the line. I'm just not convinced there's enough of a push to move the needle.

 

[BriefCasey]

I'm a dub fan but when the movies come out....guess what has more showtimes Subs and I dont think it has anything to do with money for the movies many anime fans don't care if its dubbed or not

One quick google search of the most recent Chainsaw Man movie, and it just seems to vary from theater to theater (hell, one of them even only has dubbed available), but those that offer both have a consistent spread (Blurred cinema names and addresses for privacy reasons).


All I'll say is that I feel like if most people didn't care about whether something was dubbed or not, these options for theatrical anime movie releases here wouldn't even exist. It's not unreasonable to feel like the park that's about movies should offer this same leeway when you're trying to bring in the anime crowd.

While I don't disagree that a demand for dubs exists, your point about cons doesn't really track here. Certain types of fans like meeting people involved in films and television shows they enjoy. If the language barrier didn't exist, I suspect these fans would be just as excited to meet the voice actors behind the tracks for the original language.

The bottom line is these things cost money and resources - probably more than you realize. That isn't an excuse, and I'm not fundamentally against localizing these attractions through dubs. However, I think the reality is that most of the people excited by an anime port being screened are not going to be especially upset by needing to read subtitles or deal with the original language tracks. The people upset by subtitles are most likely going to be the ones who don't engage much with anime in the first place. When faced with a limited budget, the folks planning and executing Fan Fest (and HHN) are deciding that something (even if it's a direct port without a dub) is better than nothing.

With all that said... by all means push the issue in surveys if you feel so inclined. The surveys do matter, and it could make a difference down the line. I'm just not convinced there's enough of a push to move the needle.

I see what you're coming from, but I wanna say that more often than not, that desire to meet VAs usually comes from having seen a dubbed work in the first place. And yeah, there's no telling what the exact numbers for resources are, but assuming the budget is still less than what typically goes into HHN as of now. Maybe it could be safer now to dip their toes into these extra resources now that they know FFN was a success. Once again though, I'm saying my point as someone who has seen subbed anime before. I genuinely think it's harder to keep up when put into a theme park attraction, and I'm certain I'm not the only one. But yeah, I'm gonna be doing my damndest to keep up the word on surveys. I just hope there was enough word of that in this year's.

 

[Tillsy]

The opportunities and locations for Scooby Doo are tremendous giving it seems to be the only thing FanFest will have