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Universal Orlando Resort recently invited a group of fans and theme park social media types for a live-action preview of its long-awaited Epic Universe expansion. While it seems many were whisked to Orlando junket-style and that may limit impartiality, the reactions are uniformly rapturous.
One fan posits that “Epic Universe may be the best theme park in the world.” Another predicts “it’s going to change the theme park landscape globally – it’s that good.” Still another says it changed their idea about Universal parks: “It doesn’t feel anything like Islands of Adventure or Universal Studios. This is a different Universal.”
The images and videos posted over the weekend seem to bear at least some of that hyperbole out.
The five worlds that comprise Epic Universe are Celestial Park, the first world visitors encounter that serves as a portal the to the other four, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic; Super Nintendo World; How To Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk; and Dark Universe.
CNN calls the Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry ride the resort’s “most ambitious ride to date.”
Promising “first-of-its-kind ride technology,” Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry begins when guests travel by Métro-Floo – a unique mode of wizarding transit inspired by the iconic Floo Network seen in the films – to journey from wizarding Paris to the British Ministry of Magic for the long-awaited trial of the infamous Dolores Umbridge. Guests will enter the Ministry’s grand atrium and venture through other departments before boarding omnidirectional lifts to watch the trial — until Umbridge attempts to escape.
The entrance to the grand atrium and the venue itself look magnificent. See video and photo below.
Guests then join Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and a house-elf named Higgledy on a chase that will propel them up, down, forward, backward, sideways and more throughout the Ministry as they try to capture Umbridge – all while dodging attacks from Death Eaters, rampaging creatures and more.
See below for video of the Battle at the Ministry ride platform and Higgledy himself.
What’s clearly on display throughout Epic Universe is world building on a scale traditionally more assorted with Disney parks. No more.
That’s apparent in the costuming and theming in How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk, which offers guests a view of what it’s like to live amongst dragons and explore a larger-than-life, Viking-influenced world — with a dragon-themed roller coaster, of course.
See videos below.
At Dark Universe, a land that harnesses Universal’s horror history, a ride called Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment takes guests deep into the catacombs of Frankenstein Manor, where Dr. Victoria Frankenstein conducts experiments. She invites guests into her laboratory to witness a demonstration of her ability to control monsters, but her plans go awry when her attempts to control Dracula fail, unleashing a horde of monsters. Guests then ride through the darkness as they try to evade the likes of The Wolf Man, The Mummy, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, the Brides of Dracula and more.
Again here, the attention to detail — right down to the themed urinals — stands apart.
Finally, there is the Orlando resort’s own Super Nintendo World. Visitors say it’s bigger than its somewhat cramped L.A.-based counterpart — and that’s a good thing. The land is divided into three sections: Mushroom Kingdom, Donkey Kong and Mario Kart. See below for a taste of Super Nintendo World.
