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  • Universal Orlando announces DreamWorks Land opening date and more new attractions coming this summer

    Universal Orlando announces DreamWorks Land opening date and more new attractions coming this summer

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    Image via Universal Orlando

    CineSational: A Symphonic Spectacular

    Universal Orlando is cooking with gas this summer by debuting four new attractions over the next few months.

    When they’re not sneaking peeks at the under-construction Epic Universe, all eyes have been on DreamWorks Land at Universal Studios Florida, set to open June 14.

    The former location of Woody Woodpecker’s KidZone has been overhauled and transformed to include beloved characters and scenes from DreamWorks Animation films like Shrek, Trolls and Kung Fu Panda. The rebranding of the area near the E.T. ride will still be family-friendly with interactive play areas, character meet-and-greets, theme food and drinks, photo ops and an indoor live show titled DreamWorks Imagination Celebration.

    As for attractions, DreamWorks Land includes a re-creation of Shrek’s Swamp, the Trollercoaster ride, visits with Po in the Panda Village and experiences with characters from Gabby’s Dollhouse.

    About a month and a half out from the opening day, Universal already has new DreamWorks Land merch available — including Shrek ears headbands. They also teased new bubble wands that interact with other wands and with some of the parade floats in the new Universal Mega Movie Parade.

    More on that parade in a minute.

    Also debuting on June 14 at the Studios is the CineSational: A Symphonic Spectacular nighttime show over the park’s lagoon.

    The show will be a grand finale to a day at the park where you “ride the movies.” It features 4K projection mapping and special effects choreographed with scenes and scores from over a dozen movies. That includes music from future Universal attractions themed after How to Train Your Dragon and The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

    CineSational will also have 228 fountains as high as 131 feet and more than 600 drones working alongside an original composition.

    Over at Islands of Adventure on June 14, the new Hogwarts Always projection show will light up the Wizarding World’s most famous castle.

    On select nights, the castle will showcase iconic moments from a school year at Hogwarts — from Diagon Alley shopping and riding the Hogwarts Express train to being sorted into houses and winning the coveted House Cup. The show will also have four different endings for each Hogwarts house, along with dialogue from characters like Professor Dumbledore, Hagrid, the Sorting Hat and others.

    Hogwarts Always will be the fourth castle projection show in Hogsmeade. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter has also hosted the Nighttime Lights at Hogwarts Castle, The Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle and Dark Arts at Hogwarts Castle shows.

    Back to the parade.

    The Universal Mega Movie Parade debuts on July 3 at the Studios and is billed as the park’s biggest daytime parade to date, with 13 new floats and nearly 100 performers.

    The parade celebrates iconic characters and scenes from movies like E.T., Back to the Future, Jaws, Ghostbusters, Jurassic Park, Minions, Sing, Trolls and Kung Fu Panda.

    Some of the new parade attractions include a 16-foot Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man on the Ghostbusters float, the Trolls Caterbus and a marching drumline playing the ominous Jaws score. The grand finale features a Gyrosphere, raptors and a Tyrannosaurus rex from Jurassic World.

    To celebrate, the Summer Tribute Store will feature rooms and merchandise themed to some of the films featured in the parade.

    More details about the Tribute Store — and all of these new attractions — are coming soon, Universal says.

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    Chelsea Zukowski

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  • Universal Orlando unveils new details about DreamWorks Land opening this summer

    Universal Orlando unveils new details about DreamWorks Land opening this summer

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    Image courtesy NBCUniversal

    Shrek, Trolls and Kung Fu Panda will be in the spotlight in the new DreamWorks land finally beginning to take shape at Universal Studios Orlando.

    Universal announced Thursday all new details about the upcoming park, including Shrek’s swamp, a Trolls-themed coaster, Kung Fu training camp and more.

    Those missing Shrek and his friends at Universal ever since Shrek 4-D closed in January 2022 will now have the opportunity to hang out with the ogre once again. Guests will be able to visit Shrek’s Swamp Meet to interact with characters like Shrek, Princess Fiona and Donkey. There is also a new kiosk opening with swamp snacks for hungry ogres.

    For little ogres, there will be a Shrek-themed play area with slides, wet play areas and a playground to climb, bounce and splash around in. Guests can also visit Shrek’s outhouse (if they dare!).

    Guests can venture into Mama Luna’s retirement home for cats from the film Puss in Boots 2: The Last Wish. There will be opportunities to play with the cats (on interactive screens) and to meet Puss himself. More interactive activities include King Harold’s Swamp Symphony, which will allow guests to create a symphony of frog ribbits.

    The Trolls area will have a brand-new roller coaster, erm … Trollercoaster. This family-friendly ride takes place on the Caterbus escaping evil spiders. If that’s not your speed, Trolls lovers can experience Poppy’s playground, nestled under the shade of a huge mushroom and featuring bouncing and climbing structures.

    The Trolls section will also feature a new treat stand and a store loaded with DreamWorks merchandise.

    click to enlarge Universal Orlando unveils new details about DreamWorks Land opening this summer

    Image courtesy NBCUniversal

    In the Kung Fu Panda section, Po’s Kung Fu Training Camp will have both wet and dry playing areas where guests can help pandas of the Panda Village wash and dry their laundry with the help of water cannons and dump buckets.

    There will be a digital interactive meet-and-greet experience called “Po Live!” where guests can learn kung fu moves, cook stir-fry and more with the Dragon Warrior himself.

    DreamWorks Land will also feature additional opportunities for guests to meet and interact with characters like Gabby from Gabby’s Dollhouse and many others.

    Universal Orlando first announced Dreamworks Land last summer.

    click to enlarge Universal Orlando unveils new details about DreamWorks Land opening this summer

    Image courtesy NBCUniversal

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    Alexandra Sullivan

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  • Ride rumors, construction updates and everything else to know about Universal’s Epic Universe theme park

    Ride rumors, construction updates and everything else to know about Universal’s Epic Universe theme park

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    Rendering via Universal Orlando

    Universal Epic Universe: How to Train Your Dragon — Isle of Berk portal

    Universal Orlando’s newest theme park is gearing up to be, well, epic.

    Epic Universe, the resort’s fourth park, is set to open in 2025 just down the road and across I-4 from the main campus. Its classic wheel-and-spoke layout allows for four IP-themed lands, a central hub and entrance area, and a huge new in-park hotel.

    The hub-and-spoke design was popularized in 1955 when Disneyland opened, and Epic Universe is the first Universal park to employ it.

    Excitement for the new theme park has ramped up since Universal finally released first-look images and details at the end of January. Below is a guide to everything we know (and some rumors and construction updates) so far about the lands, rides and attractions coming to Epic Universe.

    Celestial Park

    The main hub and entrance to Epic Universe promised to put the “park” back in “theme park.” Celestial Park is covered in greenery, gardens and pathways through an astronomy and mythology themed world.

    • Starfall Racers: The dual-launch roller coaster sends guests riding comets through the stars. Speeds reach up to 62 mph along 5,000 feet of coaster track.
    • Constellation Carousel: The centerpiece of the park is a carousel where guests can ride sparkling constellations through the Milky Way galaxy.
    • Astronomica: A wet-play area that’s also a giant compass to the other worlds of Epic Universe.
    • Atlantic Restaurant: Full-serve “surf and turf” dining spot set inside a Victorian aquarium.
    • The Blue Dragon: Restaurant that takes diners on “a culinary journey across Asia” alongside neon dragons and lanterns.
    • The Oak & Star Tavern
    • Pizza Moon
    • Nintendo Super Star Store
    • Moonship Chocolates & Celestial Sweets
    click to enlarge Universal Epic Universe Super Nintendo World portal - rendering courtesy Universal

    rendering courtesy Universal

    Universal Epic Universe Super Nintendo World portal

    Super Nintendo World

    Epic Universe’s Super Nintendo World will be the third iteration of the Nintendo IP-themed land and will include many of the same attractions. There will be iconic green warp pipes, interactive play elements and characters like Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Bowser and Donkey Kong.

    Rides and attractions:

    • Mario Kart: Universal uses physical sets, projections and video technology to bring the beloved video game to life.
    • Donkey Kong Mine Cart Madness: The “track-jumping” roller coaster is currently under construction in Japan as part of the park’s Donkey Kong Country expansion. The ride, which blasts riders out of a barrel cannon at the Golden Temple during a race with Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong, will also open at Epic Universe.
    • Yoshi ride: The family attraction is expected to be a clone of Yoshi’s Adventure, the ride in Japan’s Super Nintendo World. Guests will board colorful Yoshi vehicles for an interactive tour over the Mushroom Kingdom.

    How to Train Your Dragon — Isle of Berk

    The dragon-filled Viking village from the hit film series comes to life at Epic Universe. The land’s story is reportedly themed to the fictional Isle of Berk after the events of the first movie.

    The rides, including a roller coaster and a spinning glider, are expected to mimic what it would be like to ride a dragon. The coaster, from Intamin, is expected to be thrilling but still family-friendly.

    Based on site plans and analysis by Orlando Park Stop, there also looks to be an area for an outdoor boat ride, which will likely feature small Viking ships and interactive water elements.

    A large building in the land could likely be the place for a live stage show — possibly the same or similar to the “Untrainable” How to Train Your Dragon show at Universal Studios Beijing.

    The Isle of Berk is also expected to have a full service restaurant themed after the movie’s Great Hall, a quick service outdoor dining location and other snacking and shopping spots.

    Classic Universal monsters are brought to life once you enter the portal to the Dark Universe land. In this world, it’s Dr. Victoria Frankenstein who shows off twisted experiments. Guests can also expect appearances from and attractions themed after Dracula and the Wolfman.

    Possible rides and attractions:

    • Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment: Orlando Park Stop’s Alicia Stella reported in August that trademarks were filed for the main attraction in Dark Universe as well for shops and dining spots (Pretorious’ Scientific Oddities, De Lacy’s and Meteor Astropub).
    • Curse of the Werewolf: Riding testing of the roller coaster is underway according to video posted on social media by Peaceful Thrill Seeker.
    • The Burning Blade Tavern: The dining spot is themed after the fiery hilltop windmill seen in 1931’s Frankenstein. Bioreconstruct posted several photos to social media showing construction updates earlier this month.

    The Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Ministry of Magic

    The new Harry Potter land is set to have attractions themed after both the British Ministry seen in the original films and 1920s Paris from the Fantastic Beasts series.

    Site plans and rumors hint at a dark ride attraction based on events in the later Harry Potter movies as well as Le Cirque Arcanus stage show inspired by the magic French circus seen in film The Crimes of Grindelwald. Construction photos show facades being built to recreate the streets of Paris walked by Newt Scamander in the films.

    With the land consisting of two eras on the Wizarding World timeline, it will be interesting to see how Epic Universe showcases vastly different stories in a way that flows naturally. Speculation from theme park fans has hinted at (and rooted for) the theming to focus more on showcasing magical creatures rather than the characters and storylines of the Fantastic Beasts movies.

    click to enlarge Universal Stella Nova Resort Pool - Rendering via Universal Orlando

    Rendering via Universal Orlando

    Universal Stella Nova Resort Pool

    Epic Universe hotels

    Universal Helios Grand Hotel: At the end of the main hub Celestial Park is Universal’s first in-park resort. Featuring even more celestial theming, the Helios Grand Hotel has 500 rooms, some of the best views of the park and a theme park entrance just for hotel guests.

    Stella Nova and Terra Luna Resorts: Stella Nova Resort is set to open on Jan. 21, 2025, with Terra Luna opening on Feb. 25, 2025. When the Universal partner Loews Hotels accidentally leaked details about the twin resorts in November, it said they are “inspired by the infinite vastness of the unknown universe, and the wonder of what lies beyond our world.” Images from Universal and construction photos show both buildings are bejeweled with colorful reflective tiles intended to evoke the swirling gases, dust and stars of our universe.

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    Chelsea Zukowski

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