Universal Studios Hollywood just dropped a big clue about the opening date for its new The Secret Life of Pets ride.
Ride time on the new attraction devoted to the Illumination Entertainment franchise is included on the schedule for the park's upcoming Peacock Live! after-hours event.
The people at Universal might hate that I'm making this comparison to their arch rival, but Peacock Live! is basically... Universal's D23 Expo. It's a fan fast devoted to everything from NBCUniversal's multiple entertainment channels, including movies, TV, streaming, and, of course, theme parks.
For theme park fans specifically, Peacock Live! will offer exclusive ride time on Universal Studios Hollywood's new dark ride, The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash! (Yes, Universal really seems to love those exclamation points.) Since that ride hasn't opened yet, its inclusion on the Peacock Live! schedule tells us that either the ride will be open to the public before the event's start on March 28, or Peacock Live! will be the public's first chance to go on the ride. Either way, we know now that people will be on the new ride by March 28.
Universal is being coy about exactly when the new ride will open, saying in its Peacock Live! promo copy only that event participants will "be one of the first to experience" The Secret Life of Pets ride.
Peacock Live! also will offer theme park fans two panels devoted to the creation of Universal's theme park attractions. "From the Big Screen to the Theme Park" will give fans "a chance to hear first-hand from the creative minds at Universal theme parks around the globe responsible for bringing favorite films from the silver screen to groundbreaking, next-generation thrill rides."
A second panel will be devoted exclusively to Halloween Horror Nights: "Meet the entertainment team members behind Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Parks around the world – the world’s most successful Halloween event. Gain insight into the creative process and how they collaborate with filmmakers to bring iconic horror films to life."
Could this when we get the first reveals for this year's Horror Nights? Or maybe some confirmation of upcoming attractions to Universal parks around the world, such as a formal announcement about the under-construction Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood?
Universal has not revealed exactly who will be participating on the Peacock Live! theme park panels, but it is bringing its full star power to other elements of the two-day, hard-ticket event, so I would expect some of Universal Creative's top names to be there.
Peacock Live! runs March 28-29 at Universal Studios Hollywood. Universal has not yet released a schedule for the event, so I can't tell you when the theme park panels will be.
One-day admission to Peacock Live is $99 with a two-day ticket to both evenings costing $179. "Premium Access" tickets that include preferred parking and priority seating goes for $199 and $349, respectively. Tickets include access to the theme park from noon on and are available on Universal's website.
TweetThis article has been archived and is no longer accepting comments.
It's crazy that nobody is talking about this... Peacock Live seems really cool for theme park and/or TV fans. I already bought my tickets... for LESS than a regular day-pass. And it's open from noon-midnight with a new ride experience.