While it's always helpful to keep an eye on permits and other public records to discover a theme park's plans, it's also helpful to consider the context of what's already there. Let's start with two assumptions:
1) Any land or attraction at the Universal Orlando Resort that's not up to the theming and finish standards established in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter will be upgraded or replaced to meet those standards.
2) Universal won't throw good money after bad.
Since Harry Potter opened in Islands of Adventure, Universal has upgraded The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man to a 4K projection system, opened Despicable Me, built Transformers on the site of the empty old Xena soundstage and refurbished the area around the old International Film Festival food court into Springfield USA. Harry Potter has reinforced the lesson — for Universal and the entire theme park industry — that spending money on high-quality attractions and environment makes you more money in return. Since Potter's finally given Universal the adequate cash flow to walk that talk, it will.
So what's next? It's easiest for Universal to upgrade locations themed to franchises that it owns (or holds a long-term license to use) and that are likely to continue to appeal to visitors for a generation or more. The Simpsons fit that model. So did Spider-Man. Obviously, some of the properties in the Universal Orlando theme parks don't fit that model. Those lands and attractions will be replaced, rather than refurbished. However, Universal won't move on that construction until it's lined up an appropriate replacement franchise.
Ultimately, audience appeal is key. Universal closed Jaws, one of its iconic franchises — and one that it owned, not licensed — to clear space for Harry Potter in Universal Studios Florida. So nostalgia alone won't keep any existing lands or attractions safe. Universal must see an enduring appeal among its visitors and potential visitors.
With those thoughts in mind, where's Universal Orlando next most likely to take on new construction projects?
Likely to get improvements
Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit: Universal Studios Florida's rough and unreliable roller coaster already's gotten the first of its new trains. If the new trains help improve the coaster's ride and reliability, expect to see it stick around, with cosmetic changes to improve the queue. If the new trains don't help, however, this ride moves onto the "likely to be replaced" list.
Terminator 2: 3D: Yes, Universal closed this attraction in California to make way for Despicable Me. But Universal Studios Hollywood has much less space available for expansion than the Orlando parks, and Terminator star Arnold Schwarzenegger is a toxic product in California, thanks to his miserable turn as the state's governor. (He left office as the most unpopular governor in state history.) Universal's already filed permits for upgrades in this theater. Add a modern, 4K-3D projection system (pretty please?), and T2 could be good to go in Florida for another generation.
Wet n' Wild: Universal didn't just buy the land under this park to own an unthemed water park with limited tourist appeal. Expect to see substantial changes on this property in the years to come. One could argue that this property should be on the "likely to be replaced" list, but since we've heard no credible information that Universal will replace Wet n' Wild with something other than an improved water park, this goes on the improvement list for now, even though a new name for the property might be considered one of those improvements.
Jurassic Park: This is the one franchise in Islands of Adventure that Universal owns outright. Plus, Jurassic Park's dinosaurs offer enduring popularity, so it's the obvious choice for immediate expansion within IoA.
From here, we move down the priority list a bit.
Seuss Landing: Licensed from Random House, Seuss Landing was the best-themed land in Islands of Adventure before Potter, but its bright colors make it a hog for fresh paint. Expect to see more aggressive maintenance in this land in the years to come, if not an expansion into the remaining Lost Continent area, if Universal decides to promote additional Seuss-themed movies.
Revenge of the Mummy: Still a fan favorite, Mummy might benefit from some on-ride effects upgrades, but beyond that, Universal could get more return on its investment with upgrades elsewhere.
Men in Black: Licensed from Columbia, Men in Black remains a popular franchise and shooter rides are great for encouraging repeat visits. This and the next entry on the list could be candidates for the replacement list if Universal lands a hot property that fits best in their buildings. Otherwise, they're both solid attractions that deserve a little additional maintenance love now and then.
Universal Horror Make-up Show: This is the last remaining "how movies are made"-type attraction in Orlando (or will be, once Disaster! goes away — see below), and continues to win positive reviews from fans.
Likely to be replaced
Toon Lagoon: Enjoy this land now, because the only thing keeping it open is the fact that Universal hasn't secured the rights to a replacement yet. Universal licenses all the characters in this section, including Popeye from King Features Syndicate, Dudley Do-Right from Jay Ward Productions (now owned by DreamWorks Animation) and a bunch of other newspaper comic characters from various syndicates. The ongoing decline of the newspaper industry (and its comics) severely limits the appeal of much of the IP in this area. That makes this the land most likely to be completely replaced at Islands of Adventure. (*cough* Lord of the Rings *cough*)
Woody Woodpecker's Kidzone: Today's teen-agers might hide fond memories of watching Barney when they were kids. Today's 20-somethings enjoyed Fievel back in the day, as GenX-ers did ET. The baby boomers read Curious George, and a generation before that loved Woody Woodpecker shorts in the movie theaters. Notice anyone missing, though? How about today's children? It's too bad Universal didn't use Gru and the Minions to replace ET, then redevelop the surrounding area into Super Silly Fun Land. That would have been cool. Universal floated the idea of a Smurfs attraction replacement in this area, but that sequel's poor reception at the box office likely doomed that idea. As soon as Universal can settle on an alternate replacement plan, this land is toast.
Disaster!: The Christopher Walken overlay at least scrubbed the references to the old Charlton Heston Earthquake movie no one under age 50 remembers. But it's still not hitting with fans. If Universal wanted to build a new animatronic Kong attraction, this might be the most appropriate site.
Fear Factor Live: Licensed from Endemol, no one in America cares about this franchise anymore. NBC's cancelled it on TV and the only question in play here is… does Universal slot a new live show into this theater, or tear it down to build an entirely new attraction? If Universal chooses the new show option, that could come within the next year or two.
Twister: The Helen Hunt movie's worth watching if you come across it on TV on a lazy Saturday afternoon. But that's not enough appeal to justify a position in a theme park that has aspirations for becoming the one of the world's best.
Shrek: Universal's already dropped its license for all the other DreamWorks animation characters. Shrek's expected to follow them out the door when its license deal is up in a few years.
Lost Continent: The remains of what didn't get reskinned as Hogsmeade linger, but the IP is in the public domain, so there's no hurry to dump what can be an impressive Poseidon show (when it's properly maintained) as well as the fan-favorite Mythos Restaurant. The Sindbad show's proximity to the expanding Wizarding World of Harry Potter makes it an obvious target for assimilation, but the rest of the land likely will hang on until Universal decides to expand Seuss. Or until Universal Studios puts a Poseidon movie into production.
Beetlejuice: Like the bulk of Lost Continent, the Beetlejuice show could go either way — refurbished or replaced. Given that this is a license, though, that seems to tip it toward the long-term replacement list.
Likely to remain the hostage in a Universal/Disney IP turf war
Marvel Super Hero Island: We've written about this before, but the TL/DR is that Universal licenses the rights to these characters from Disney in perpetuity and Universal ain't selling them back without getting a fleet of truckloads of cash in exchange. Universal would love to expand this area to capitalize further on the wildly popular Avengers, but Universal's limited to what it's already built unless Disney gives its blessing for expansion, which it won't. That puts this land in eternal limbo. Universal recently upgraded the Spider-Man ride. Look for continued cosmetic and functional upgrades in this section whenever Universal feels like giving Disney's management another case of indigestion.
That's where things stand now at the Universal Orlando Resort. So let's talk to management: What would you like to see Universal do next to improve its Orlando properties?
Tweet
As for E.T. Adventure, Universal should make significant upgrades to every aspect of this classic instead of replacing it with a ride based on a lackluster adaptation of a classic cartoon.
I totally forgot about Fear Factor Live, it's always overlooked on my visits and I'm sure the same goes for other visitors. It definitely has to go.
* Make all of the remaining Lost Continent into more Harry Potter areas. I think they could do A LOT with the Forbidden Forest, Shrieking Shack, Malfoy Manor, and the locations from Deathly Hallows in this area. It would be a spooky "land" that would really put the focus on all the scary areas in the Harry Potter world. I think the whole area could be called the Forbidden Forest....with Shrieking Shack being Universal's version of Haunted Mansion...and Malfoy Manor could be a restaurant and also a theater for some kind of show. I also think they could do either a coaster or a dark ride featuring the zombies-in-the-cave and other spooky things Harry encountered in the last book when he was looking for the horcruxes in Deathly Hallows.
* Find a way to keep the paint looking bright in the Dr.Seuss area. I know, that's not great advice because it's probably impossible...but the paint looks so run-down and dingy so fast after it's painted. Can't they use auto body paint or something because cars never seem to fade like this? I also think they should build the Mount Grinch ride I heard rumored long ago...themed to the Grinch's mountain over Who-Ville. The mountain can be used to block out sight lines in the park.
* I'm making this its own bullet point because Universal has a lot of sight line problems in both parks. I also wish they would do something to hide the steel structures for the coasters. There's that architect who does fan-designs of rides at IdealBuildOut and a while back he did a drawing of how easy it would be for Universal to hide the steel of the Dragon Challenge and Hippogriff rides by just making the supports look like either stone or wood, and building some fake mountains around the rides so that it would really look like you are in Harry Potter's world. Right now, you need some imagination to ignore the steel of the coasters and to block out the views of other areas of the park. I wish they would spend the extra money and truly make it all immersive and eliminate ALL sight line issues everywhere.
* I think in general, Universal should do what Disney did to Buena Vista Street at DCA. They took a very cheap-looking and generic area and made it gorgeous by adding lots of great details. Right now, 80% of Universal's parks look cheap to me. Still better than Six Flags, but still cheap. In fairness, I think Disney has the same problem in Dinoland USA and in parts of DHS too...and DCA was a disaster at first. But I'd love Universal to reskin all its buildings, especially the ones that just look like giant boxes. This would be like going from a solid-B to becoming an A+ park in my book.
I know some people rave about Portofino Bay, but I think it looks cheap too. It looks like a step below what you'd find in Las Vegas...and I guess what I am wishing for is for the bar to be set higher than Vegas.
Now the whole thing is cluttered with Indiana Jones skeletons and claptrap. It's a little like the World of Imagination fiasco- a ride that was charming and coherent "fixed" to the brink of pointlessness.
I still think there is a spectacular attraction in there.
About Disaster, they could change it for King Kong 360. Instead of Christopher Walken, you could have Peter Jackson giving a briefing. The room before the ride could be themed as a jungle. I loved that attraction (the best part of the Studio Tour), and it should come to Orlando. Kong looks better in HD than the animatronic version.
Great article Robert.
Another obvious choice is to bring and expand the Resident Evil attraction from Japan. It sounds great from reviews I read
A crazy and very unlikely to happen idea would be to buy the 007 James Bond license. How awesome would it be to have an attraction with the ultimate action hero in the T2 theater? Or a recreation of classic scenes in the Fear Factor space (like Indy in Disney Studios)? This could be huge...
Ok. Let's bring that idea down to Earth and to a franchise they already own: Jason Bourne. Definitely not the same appeal but would work as well
If Shrek's to go soon, how about a Hellboy 4D movie? I'm sure Guillermo del Toro would go absolutely wild with that idea...
Not to mention Lord of the Rings: that's everyone's dream...
I don't get the "Universal looks cheap" comment and that it's just a little bit better than Six Flags... Posted by the anonymous poster.
IOA's Port of Entry, Seuss Landing, Lost Continent, WWoHP and Jurassic Park are enough to make any theme park fan wet their pants. Those lands are absolutely gorgeous and not cheap. I can possibly see argument for the poor transition from MSHI to TL, and the "cut-outs" in Marvel Super Hero Island (which I personally don't mind, but I know it bothers some other people...)
Retheming Toon Lagoon for the Shire, The Prancing Pony and Rivendale
Then build a tunnel underneath Adventure Way (the tunnel themed for the dwarfs mines)
The Tunnel would travel under Adventure Way and to the parcel of land between Royal Pacific and Cabana Bay
When you exit the tunnel on the other side is Long Lake, Mordor and the rest.
This would allow the park to actually expand its acreage also
Heyyyy! I'm under 50 (OK, barely) and I saw and loved Earthquake multiple times in theaters on its original run..in Sensurround, no less. It stands as the film that first allowed the world to see Victoria Principal's talents...and that tight t-shirt didn't hurt, either.
Trivia...what were the other two films to be released in Sensurround? (Hint..one is very appropriate for this forum)
Yes, we don't know the Toon Lagoon characters, but they are still whimsical. It is no different then not knowing the Roger Rabbit characters, but we still love the ride. Keep the characters, update the rides/attractions.
As for Twister and Disaster, why not keep them? They are fun rides. Thus, the only attraction that must be removed is "Fear Factor Live". I don't much care for the fascination with bugs and such. This one will be missed by no one.
USF
1) Shrek is cute but can be replaced.
2) Twister is a waste of time.
3) The Mummy rules but could use some new effects.
4) You can't remove Beetlejuice. It's the only place to see the original Universal monsters (Clips in the Make-Up show don't count). Just need to change the songs every once in awhile. And make sure Don is always there!
5) Disaster is a disaster. Dump it and bring back Kong. Better yet, how about creating a Kong vs. Jaws attraction for all of us traditionalists!
6) Dump Fear Factor.
7) Upgrade Men In Black.
8) Dump Simpsons and bring back Back to the Future (I WISH!)
9) ET needs to upgrade.
10) Do not touch the Make-Up Show! (Anyone know what happened to the blonde guy with the pony tail that was there for years? Haven't seen him in an awhile. He was the best!)
IOA
1) New coat of paint to Seuss world.
2) Keep Poseidon at all costs but upgrade the video at the end. 3D would be tremendous.
3) Sinbad needs updating.
4) Love WWHP but with the new additions enough is enough. Don't overexpose the Golden Goose.
5) Can't wait for the JP upgrade.
6) No problem with rebranding Toon Lagoon but must keep Popeye and Dudley rides (change themes if necessary).
One last thing...expand HHN to IOA!
I've often wondered why they decided to use Dudley Do-Right for Ripsaw Falls and not Rocky and Bullwinkle. They're easily more famous and I can recall quite a few instances in which they went to a sawmill. Anyways, I think they should just re-do Toon Lagoon. Drop the useless comic strip stuff (and bulldoze the stadium), keep Popeye and swap Dudley for a more popular theme. Give us another major ride in Toon Lagoon and call it a day. Maybe some more kid friendly attractions. IOA and Universal really need more stuff for the little ones.
Disney brilliantly manages to keep its old animation IP fresh over the years (well, some of it, at least). Universal's not done well with that, and that limits the appeal of the Kidzone in USF. So Universal has a choice: Replace its current IP with IP it can keep fresh, or freshen what's now there.
IMHO, NBCUniversal needs to develop its Sprout network with its own characters, and bring them into the parks as a replacement for the current Kidzone, with Sprout branding.
Don't know the third movie in Senserround but Roller Coaster came after Earthquake. Bad choice. Didn't work very well. It would just move into the amplified noise and then back without any rhyme or reason.
The trains are not the problem with Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit. The track is the problem. This roller coaster is a turkey and Universal was being cheap when they selected Maurer Sohne to build this ride instead of Bolliger & Mabillard.
MIB: Alien Attack won't be touched. It's a capacity machine for busy days and arguably the best dark ride ever built.
Overall, this article contains just a bunch of nonsense.
Yup, pretty sure a /lot/ of people would argue with that statement.
My opinion on Dragon Challenge: Tear it down or theme it like that guy at Ideal Build Out would do (He has some amazing ideas on his blog, check it out!).
As for Men in Black, I believe it is a good ride that deserves to stick around for a few more years, but it is not even close to the greatest dark rides out there. One could just as easily argue that Journey Into Imagination is the greatest dark ride ever.
Also change barney into a Simpsons live show and change curious george into a Nintendo interactive area. or maybe an apple store.
PLEASE UNIVERSAL REMOVE E.T. AND PUT IN SOMETHING NOT STUPID IT'S TIME FOR E.T. TO GO HOME!
they can't clone the Studio Tour because the Production facilities is not like the Hollywood Studio.
Universal Studios Hollywood is one of the oldest and most famous Hollywood movie studios still in use and the Studio Tour is signature ride of the park.
Universal Studios Florida is just a Theme park and is design to let guests walk around the movie sets.
For IOA I would love to see the following:
Jurassic Park: Add a new ride with water dino's in there. I've seen some art from the new movie and this could be cool.
Toon Lagoon: This would make a wonderful Middle Earth. The Popeye ride could be the Hobbit barrel escape scene (for the upcoming films) and Duddly should go. The ride vehicles are a mess. They indeed could go under or over the road to expand the land.
Marvel: If Disney really want's it back and they bring a ton of money I would love to see it go. I don't care for man in tights and silly masks and capes. Let Disney build it's own omnimover ride trough super hero land. I would love a good Sci-fi franchise going in there. I love Battlestar Galactica (the new one) but I don't think most people are very fond of it. Maybe Star Trek or something original they thing up.
Suess: For paint they could use the stuff we painted our house with when we lived in Orlando. It's stuff they put on lighthouses.
I like the Lost Continent. The show and attraction could do with an update. If they want to extend Suess they can go to eat up some of the studio space behind it.
This article has been archived and is no longer accepting comments.
