So, just got home... not sure how to feel, really. INSANE value for the price, especially if you only paid $40. However, the budget decrease was felt. I knew at the time not to expect anything on the level of BTTF again, but man... the drop off from that to Scooby Doo was crazy.
I loved the cast and costumes for both the Mystery Gang and Monsters, but the way it was set up just didn't really make sense. There were way too many people crammed into Little Europe, making it hard to watch the little scenes and engage with clues. They really sectioned off the Gang, making it hard to interact (especially since their mics were incredibly quiet.) The Monsters for the most part were just acting exactly how they do during day-ops, which was disappointing. They didn't interact with the Gang much. It felt kinda like... the Frozen world in Kingdom Hearts 3, where the plot of Frozen is just happening unchanged around the characters, vs previous entries where the characters directly engage with the plot, if that makes sense?
My other complaint was that you have to wait in a really slow line to see "The Big Reveal", and they don't tell you this but you aren't allowed to go back to the main area once you've seen it. I kinda get it... they don't want guests ruining the mystery, but man. I solved the Phantom Director's identity before getting off the Tram, it's not THAT serious, and they should've had a huge sign warning guests. Generally, I could just tell the budget was lower. They used a lot of projections for storytelling, which was lame, and some of the props were really cheap looking. It's okay though, I kinda get it. It was worth it to walk around Little Europe alone lol
One Piece show was insane. I loved it and I wish I could've spent more time in that area and met the characters/got food, but oh my god did it feel like walking through Rockefeller Center the week before Christmas. Good for them though. I pray this doesn't replace Water World, but they should repeat this every FFN and maybe even Mega Movie Summer (not that it would fit the theme, but who cares when it's doing this well.) I wanna see even more anime in the future, specifically Jojo and Evangelion (too bad we'll probably never get the absolutely psycho 4D show where Godzilla and King Ghidorah fight the Evas.)
Jurassic Park was a mixed bag. INCREDIBLE, 10/10 ACTORS! LOVED YOU GUYS IF YOU EVER SEE THIS! Seeing little Dolores again melted my heart, she's the only industry plant baby character I have ever or will ever fall for idc. However, the props felt really cheap and last minute. It was cool seeing the stuff up close (at least what was actually used in the movies) but it all felt kinda Downtown Disney. I know they need that spot for other things, but I honestly wish they would just redesign the space, keep the iconic gate and make that the new home for dinosaur encounters with all the original film characters roaming around.
I didn't make it to Sailor Moon, but nobody in my party was that interested. Maybe this is ignorance on my part (would like to remind everyone that I'm 19) but Sailor Moon feels like a very firmly young Gen X anime. Sure, One Piece kind of is too having started it's manga run only 5 years after SM, but the anime started in '99 and I simply don't think Sailor Moon made the same multi-generational crossover (at least in the US.) I know TONS of people my age obsessed with One Piece, but I think the only big Sailor Moon fan I've ever met is my dad's cousin in her mid 40's. Not saying it doesn't have a place at the event, just a demographic observation. It sort of filled the same demographic role as Star Trek last year, oddly enough.
Also didn't make it to Harry Potter, because it was consistently a 80-120 minute outdoor wait for an outdoor attraction and it was 58 degrees. I'm pretty disappointed because it looked great and because of that I don't think I can fully judge this years event, especially since I also skipped the DND repeat and didn't get any food. Everyone was kinda just too tired by 11:30, it was cold and Harry Potter seemed like the only must-do thing we skipped.
On the way out, the topic came up of how strange "Fan Fest Nights" is as an idea for this event. The core idea is pretty much just "HHN but happy", but making it all about celebrating strong fandoms is kind of a really limiting theme. There are only so many passionate, "convention-y" fandoms that are A: "mainstream" enough to sell tickets and drive people to show up, B: IP's accessible by Universal that fit well in a theme park while also not having permenant attractions anywhere, and C: PG/PG-13 enough to fit the vibe they're going for. I feel like they need to drop the convention vibe and just focus on that "B" if they want to continue having enough IP's year after year.
Finally, personal wishes OR ideas for series that could fit really well: BTTF 2&3, Persona, Final Fantasy, Resident Evil (as meet characters without any horror present), Avatar the Last Airbender... maybe Overwatch if it was a decade ago, Genshin Impact, Ghostbusters, E.T., Sonic the Hedgehog, Undertale/Deltarune (as like, food or something?), obviously K-Pop Demon Hunters, Invincible... that's all off the top of my head.