Happy One Year Anniversary of Epic Universe Opening!

This can't be true! Can it? Florida's Epic Universe has been open one whole year? No way! Yes, it absolutely is true. The third full sized theme park at Universal Orlando Resort is a smash hit, and I can't wait to see it for myself. But I have agreed to let my youngest son and soon to be wife a first crack at it. 

As big Harry Potter fans, it's on the top of their list next to Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. Regardless, congratulations to Universal Creative. They knocked it out of the park!
 

Nighttime Falls at Epic Universe

Epic Universe is rightly all over the theme park world sites and blogs. I've been absorbing everything I can get my hands on! They range from the terrific to the silly, the objective to ones with agenda. But one thing is very certain- the park is a joy to look at! Just get a glimpse of this beautiful dusk time photo from folks at The Noble Way.  And this is only the beginning! 

By the way, if you look at the right places, you can find spoilers for the Battle at the Ministry and Monsters Unchained. Disney had better loose their Imagineers and let them dream bigger and bigger. There's definitely more to come to Universal's new park! Bring it on!

Dark Universe is the One to Beat at Epic Universe- and Why Disney Can't Do It!

Frankenstein, Dracula, the Mummy and more. Things are going to get twisted and very scary and very interesting! By this time next year, theme park fiends will be screaming with delight talking about Epic Universe and especially the brand new land, Dark Universe. That is saying certainly something coming up against the themes of the other lands in the park. Think of the juggernaut that is Harry Potter. Then consider the rabid fan base 40 years strong of Mario Bros and Super Nintendo World. Even How to Train Your Dragon has families excited to visit the Isle of Berk. But Monsters will rule them all. Why? These characters' stories have been told for seemingly hundreds of years, tales as old as time, and they are the backbone of Halloween costumes for decades as well.

Main nemesis the Walt Disney Company can't fight this battle since Disneyland or Walt Disney World has nothing even close to compare. My hunch is the suits know it too. They'll blew their chance to include uber villain Dr. Facillier on the Tiana's Bayou Adventure remodel, and Rise of the Resistance aside, they just don't have the guts to do real bad guys anymore let alone real monsters. Cartoon monsters that gather screams or laughs, sure. Those that truly terrify? No. Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party at the Magic Kingdom is proof. On the other coast, Oogie Boogie Bash at Disney California Adventure in Anaheim has more edge but misses the horror mark too.

Let's be honest, no one does horror like Universal. Whether it is the brutal slasher type scarefest of Halloween Horror Nights or the more playful Monster Make Up show, guests love to be scared. Now, the classic Universal movie monsters like Dracula, Frankenstein, the Mummy, are on the scene, they've got to go to Universal to get it.

 

The main attraction in the area named Darkmoor will be the new rite of passage for those younger theme park guests. Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment promises nonstop thrills and chills with a nightmare of a story. Cutting edge effects, unforeseen lifelike- or is it deathlike - frightening characters gone beserk in a setting that will make riding Disney Imagineering's Haunted Mansion look like time spent at Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Sign me up, he said trembling a bit.

The whole area will be fleshed out with otherworldly experiences, character meet and greets of a whole new dimension, and dining and shopping like nothing ever seen. Certainly incredible during the day but absolutely foreboding once the blackness of night settles in. Fans of classic horror now have another option to be scared, especially if slasher flicks are not their genre of choice.

I'm not even a big fan of the classic monsters franchise, and this has me very excited!

Could this year's D23 reveal Disney countering with a Villains land or even entire theme park? No. Robert Iger and company would appear to be playing catch up. And they are! For about two decades, the suits at Disney have not truly invested in building the parks. They've rested on their biggest cash cow, and now it is rightfully going to bite them in the wallet. And I hope it does- with a huge set of Dracula's fangs! 

(Art copyright Universal Creative.)

The Growing Beast Called Universal Orlando Resort: Attraction Posters

As if the ride on Velocicoaster isn’t terrifying enough, these attraction posters in the queue at Islands of Adventure can give you the creeps! Or if you love collecting these, they make you want to run (if your trembling legs can do so after the ride) to the nearest gift shop and purchase them. 

The last few years at Universal Orlando Resort have brought some serious contenders for best coasters in Florida! Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure takes on a lengthy attraction name- which seems to be the new must-do for designers- but the ride is just a whole lot of fun and so repeatable! 

Universal has even given Walt Disney World a run for their money in the favorite theme park category. Word of mouth is growing among families. Year after year increases in their park's attendance proves the company's mojo, strong themes, and quick build times, is paying off. 

When Epic Universe opens in 2025, I know I want to be there. A Parisian themed Harry Potter land, an expansion Super Nintendo World, and a Classic Monsters areas join a family friendly How to Train Your Dragon, proving once again that fun is not limited to what's found at the theme park king down the road. But kings fall due to neglect, hubris, greed, and a variety of other reasons. Keep your eyes open! We're all about to watch Disney lose one more of those precious vacation days to their competition...

(Art copyright Universal Orlando.)