Universal’s Epic Universe has the theme park world buzzing. Visitors are praising Epic Universe for its immersive lands, incredible attractions, and much more. It’s still early, but Universal has seemingly knocked it out of the park with Epic Universe. They’ve taken what worked at their other parks (particularly with their Harry Potter areas) and expanded on those concepts in all the best ways.
Meanwhile, Disney has tried to downplay the impact Epic Universe will have on its parks and resorts at Walt Disney World. They’ve claimed that competitors opening new parks and attractions actually benefits Disney. But, there’s some serious signs of concern around the House of Mouse. Discounts on tickets and resorts have been rolled out. Even some old resort perks appear to be making a comeback.
You may already know we’ve been rooting for Epic Universe to succeed for years. We even wrote in 2019 why Disney fans should hope Epic Universe is phenomenal because it will force Disney to up their game. Guests are the biggest winner when Disney and Universal compete.
Here’s a handful of lessons we hope Disney learns from its newest Orlando rival.
Places to Relax Are Important
The heart and soul of Epic Universe is Celestial Park. Instead of building a hub that feels chaotic and busy, Universal decided to put the “park” back in theme park. Celestial Park is a green space complete with trees, an awesome fountain, and – of course – attractions and dining.
The centerpiece of Celestial Park is the Cosmos Fountain, which is a beautiful fountain surrounded by tiered seating. The fountain is the perfect spot to sit down and relax after a crazy day around Epic Universe. Admittedly, there’s a lack of shade right now and it can be extremely hot to sit around the fountain. Give it time. Once the trees grow, Celestial Park will be an amazing place to simply exist at Epic Universe.
Disney has increasingly removed places to sit and relax in their parks. We hope the positive sentiment about Celestial Park will help change that.
Lands Need Movement
Movement and kinetic energy is a critical element of theme park design. Former Disney Imagineer Eddie Sotto has discussed this at length, and has outlined how movement is often overlooked in modern design. Layering kinetic elements can make a good theme park great.
Universal seems to have taken those design concepts to heart with Epic Universe. We already touched on the awesome fountain in Celestial Park. Super Nintendo World is loaded with movement. The Isle of Berk has movement through water, fire, coasters, and more. The burning windmill in Dark Universe. And so on.
We’re not saying Disney needs to have outdoor attractions guests can see moving (it’s not always the best when it rains), but we do think Disney needs to avoid becoming too dependent on rockwork and plants. Yes, fountains cost more. That said, they add a lot. Just look at the center of EPCOT and World Celebration and tell us it wouldn’t be better with a fountain.
Roaming Characters Are Awesome
We’ve talked about how roaming characters bring lands to life when we compared Avengers Campus (pre-cuts) to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. There’s a different type of energy when guests bump into a character randomly versus waiting in line at a planned meet-and-greet or seeing a character from afar. Guests light up when they see Stormtroopers walking around. The problem is that those types of interactions don’t happen enough around Disney World.
Epic Universe has some great roaming characters in their lands. Ygor (or Igor) has been the standout hit, but guests have also had fun speaking with Wizarding World students, How To Train Your Dragon characters, and more. We want Disney (specifically Disney World) to remember that not all characters need to be behind a queue. Let characters roam their lands and see how much fun guests will have.
Raise the Bar – Again
Objectively, Epic Universe has some incredible theming and attractions. The debate over “What’s the best ride in Orlando?” is getting more and more difficult. Disney raised the bar with Rise of the Resistance and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, and Universal has answered back with Battle at the Ministry and Monsters Unchained.
Universal has demonstrated they have every bit of the talent and creativity of Disney. They’ve also shown that they’re capable of building immersive spaces that may even exceed modern Disney. Guests have been quick to compare the France built in Epic Universe with the addition built for Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure at EPCOT. Night and day.
It’s about to be Disney’s turn to return serve. How will they respond to this new wave of ride experiences?
Invest and Expand
Finally, we hope Disney sees Epic Universe as a huge success for Universal. And, we hope Disney notices that Epic Universe isn’t finished. Epic Universe has multiple expansion pads and is reportedly already planning their next wave of development. Universal isn’t just replacing old attractions – something Disney has been guilty of over the past several years. They’re adding new capacity, new spaces, and giving guests more to do.
Disney has seemed afraid to genuinely invest in new capacity. Many of their expansions have come at the cost of existing spaces. Even upcoming plans, like the Tropical Americas at Animal Kingdom and Cars rides at Magic Kingdom, aren’t genuinely new expansions. Universal is spending on brand new spaces, and their investment will likely pay off.
Remember the old “blessing of space” quote about Disney World. It’s time for Disney to break brand new ground and invest for the future.
