New DreamWorks land coming to Universal Orlando Resort

Not too surprising as it's an obvious theme so see how they shift it about with new attractions.

I think the various Dreamworks IP on the construction walls were probably an accurate foreshadowing of what was to come. I am predicting the former Woody Woodpecker Nuthouse Coaster coaster will be vividly painted and themed for Trolls.

All theme parks desperately need a kids area where parents can sit down with a cold refreshing drink and let the little ones release their wiggles. The old IP in there was was outdated and tired, so this is a nice improvement. I hope they incorporate some sort of water feature where anyone who wants to get soaked can cool off considering Universal lacks any water rides, and Islands has three.

The Amblin / Dreamworks association of ET finally fits the area as well.

Thanks TPI. Always top notch coverage on all things Universal. I am going to post the LINK to my social media.

Any sort of interactive water feature or splash pad area is an absolute necessity these days for families with littles. Or hell, adults on the brink of heat exhaustion. I would welcome the addition of such a space. And for the love of all things holy, some ample shading please Universal!

A Troll-er coaster is in the concept art, who’s gonna ride?

I feel like the comments section on this website have become a Troll-er coaster

I think the DreamWorks IP works for this land, in terms of character meet and greets & play areas.

Their (more popular) Illumination IP seems more likely to produce actual attractions.

We need a MegaMind ride.

I'm curious to see if this is a reskinning, retheming, or a complete reimagining. From the sounds of it, the old Woody Woodpecker coaster is staying, but how much more of the old infrastructure will be maintained? The Fivel Land was a fun little play area, and I really liked the Curious George area - though it was a bit too wet for my liking, but I think Universal can do better for the Dreamworks IPs.

Also, will this land include the old Barney show building to include an actual show or supersized character meet-and-greet area (a la the Big Top in MK's Storybook Circus)? Or will this area just be closed off for HHN use and eventual capitalization when UC converts Springfield to a new IP (along with the Animal Actors theater)?

Additionally, it would probably be smart to start introducing more app-integrated activities that will eventually be used at Epic Universe. Given the trouble they've been having with Villain-Con, it would probably be valuable to have another area that utilizes app-integration to increase uptake of the technology.

It looks like Universal has given themselves plenty of runway with this one, particularly since no new major attractions appear to be part of this new land, which should allow this to open in the late Spring/early Summer timeframe.

Shout out to Theme Park Stop for their coverage: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=T107UYwX9cw

my understanding is that it's primarily a re-skin. refurbishing the area while applying more current IP as an overall emphasis toward sprucing up the legacy parks ahead of EU.

Russell Meyer - The "water" section main structure / frame with the large bucket on top that emptied every minute or so is still standing, and you can easily see the coaster when walking past that section. The uncropped concept art shows it to be Trolls themed, and possibly called the Troll-ercoaster.

I didn't know they kept the pat where kids can get soaked until I watched the video link Keith posted from TPS.

Universal put up a new trailer about 35 minutes ago for Islands. Pretty cool.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrAQrEtUAe8

From everything I've heard, this will be a reskin/update of the play areas and junior coaster along with new meet and greets. The idea is to quickly and cheaply swap out the old IP for new properties that modern children are more familiar with ahead of Epic Universe opening rather than to put in a new attraction that's a major draw on its own. This should also give a preview of the sorts of things visitors can expect at the new DreamWorks park opening in Texas in a few years.

Pretty much everything is leveled except for the coaster, Barney building and Curious George structures, which will be re used.

A lot cheaper to retheme than redo. Regardless, it needed something done to bring the area up to date to an IP that today’s kids are familiar with.

Next on Universal’s to-do list for the current parks: Retheme Toon Lagoon.

I would hope that a re-do of Lost Continent would be the next priority now that it's became a shell of its former self.

James.Trexen - Can't imagine them leaving that section with only a restaurant for too long, but who knows. JP River Adventure is in sad shape too.

Probably will be cheap, quick and basic as others have echoed. Those expecting to be blown away by the new land should check those expectations at the door.

jeremygary - Well, it's a kids section. Kiddie coaster, place for getting wet, maybe a stage / show, and some meet & greets. Not sure there is a lot you can do a lot to blow away people.

It's a one hour rest stop for tired parents with smaller children who are hot an irritable.

Yes, it's just a kid's section (and the old IPs certainly weren't connecting in a significant way with modern audiences), but a lot of the existing attractions are pretty old, and frankly outdated compared to current standards. Family coasters have come a long way since Woody Woodpecker debuted in 1999, and while I can see not breaking the bank on a kids area when you're putting billions (with a "b") into a shiny new park down the street, this does seem to be the lipstick on a pig approach. I do think economics are playing a role here (as it is with other theme parks around the country). While I expect UC will deliver something nice and appealing to the target audience with the Dreamworks retheme, I do wonder if economic forces that are likely straining budgets at Epic Universe have scaled back what Universal really wanted to do with this project.

To Russels point i've been saying this whole time I think they should have put Nintendoland in this spot, put more money into improving this park, and kept the land for Epic Universe for future expansion. They are so obsessed with trying to get revenue from a third gate that they are sacrificing quality for quantity. Not only with this but also with Jimmy Fallon, F&F, Minions Land, etc. Also IMO making a whole park with every land being single IPs is extremely dumb. At this point who cares about the characters in Toon Lagoon, they have to pay licensing fees to Disney to use Marvel, nobody really cares about Dr. Suess nowadays, JP is classic and has staying power but they needed somewhere to stick Kong so now that makes no sense. With WDW and UO becoming entirely IP, Orlando is now total IP overload. They missed an opportunity to make something totally original that people would find interesting. Now that whole massive plot of land is just IPs that are going to eventually get dated.

They hit a major home run with Harry Potter: it was the most successful addition in the history of the industry. It was a worldwide draw, it was like the most successful IP in the world right at the peak of its popularity, it was the right thing at the right time. They will probably never be able to replicate it.

the_man2 - Nobody changes their vacation plans because of the older IP in Toon Lagoon. Seuss Land has held up nicely over the years, and has all family friendly attractions. Toon Lagoon only has the two water rides, but you get soaked, which people seem to love.

IP overload is the trend right now, and Universal is doing a masterful job securing popular ones. Avatar and Galaxy's Edge were reactionary to the HP expansion at Universal.

I haven't been to either one, so I cannot comment on them, but neither has the draw of HP and Nintendo.

"I haven't been to either one, so I cannot comment on them, but neither has the draw of HP and Nintendo."

Well that says it all, doesn't it.

Super Nintendo World was planned to replace KidZone before Epic Universe was greenlit. They even started minor preparations.

"Super Nintendo World was planned to replace KidZone before Epic Universe was greenlit. They even started minor preparations." - I have the original concept art and layout for the Nintendo Land at Kids Zone somewhere.