Epic Universe: Universal Destroying Modern Theme Park Ideology
Universal casually revealed the coolest thing anyone theme parks has done this century… maybe you’ve seen it. I apologize it took until this announcement to fully understand the severity of Universal's Epic Universe.
What’s about to become the fourth theme park at the Orlando resort is throwing the first punch in what will become a war between the two Orlando titans. Sure, Universal and Disney have always been rivals, but that was to say… a Cold War. A race between who could out innovate the other, a battle for who could convince a vacationer to visit their park over the other.
With Epic Universe that choice becomes more clear. The debut of this park will usher in a new age, the theme park civil war, if you will… a show which I will be enjoying front row.
But this “war” isn’t just about who can build better rides, it's a psychological war. One company uses nostalgia as bait, and the other is flipping that ideology on its head. How? It exposes the greatest Disney World knick-knack of all time, the lie they’ve sold you.
Nowadays, The idea of Disney World has since become better than Disney World. With inflated prices, budget cut rides, and changes to guest experience, the western world has lost its sense of value for what a theme park really is.
But don’t worry, instead mark your calendars, because come summer 2025 we’re reminded of what a good theme park is.
It’s the first time in a while anyone, whether that be florida resident, tourist, or even Disney Vacation Club members, sees the potential Disney could’ve had… but chose not to.
We get to see the full potential of what the theme park titans will make when held to their high-priced standard, forcing them to put their money where their mouth is.
Today, we’re exploring the Epic Universe and the reason it exists. Another third park introduces new experiences, increases capacity, and ultimately revenue… But why did they settle for this style of theme park? Spoiler, They're using Disney's strategy to drive out the Disney customers who are beginning to see the resort's flaws.
Epic Universe is a piece in a calculated game of chess.
Epic Universe isn’t checkmate, but it is check. If Universal continues playing this game they will become the new kingdom of Orlando theme parks.
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Harry Potter fans are lucky Disney didn’t get their hands on it
Seriously. The fact that they wanted to build a spinning tea cup type ride for the sorting hat, says it all.
No joke seriously
J.K. Rowling didn't want to give Harry Potter to Disney, because they almost always change the story
Didn't Universal make the films to begin with?
@@myrakhaliq7126 But Universal practically did the same thing.
Disney is literally the definition of "You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain."
Well said
They're going through their early 80s phase again. We might be getting close to a big rebirth for Disney
@@officialmonarchmusicI’m looking forward to what this could mean for both companies. Competition always benefits the consumer.
That's called "late stage capitalism", the logical endpoint for any company.
I wonder who actually came up with that Dark Knight line because it's so incredibly relevant and quotable
Theme park attendance and demand rises. Universal: well, guess we’ll have to build new attractions and parks. Disney: well, guess we’ll have to charge people to be in the crowd.
This is false… Universal is literally trying to catch up to Disney in terms of attractions, and options. Here’s a fact, a new person to the parks can come to universal studios and IOA and do everything multiple times in 2-3 full days without express pass. They have four non budget hotels. Universal is at the “increase market share stage” not the “taking over stage”. I know this from internal knowledge. Not to mention universal can’t compete at the moment in terms of family/kid attractions.
Ig that’s fact but my whole family and other people we met at universal had the same story as us went to Disney was underwhelmed and bought universal tickets for the next day 💀😭
@@GodsServant543I just got back from a vacation doing both Disney and Universal (All parks at both places). Guess where we will be going back to…Universal! Disney was so severely underwhelming that we likely won’t be back for a looooooooong time, if ever.
@@wadeausburn978 Who’s we? Maybe you’re just a universal family. Disney still has higher attendance than universal, especially when it comes to families with smaller children.
@@wadeausburn978I'm an annual passholder to both and the guy you're responding to is 100% right. The only reason the chatter is like this right now is because expectations and standards have been so low for universal compared to disney. So disney builds 10 very popular rides in a decade and everyone remembers the one mistake or disappointment but Universal builds 2 good rides in a decade and everyone overlooks the treadmill wii game that they call a minions ride because they're like a little kid and it's cute that they're trying.
One thing I think helps is the fact that Universal was able to get ahold of a number of Disney's imagineers. So now they have this untapped Talent that's probably itching at the feet to really get creative again and I think that's what we're seeing with epic universe
"Get a hold of" is a funny way of putting it. I love it. Haha, Disney mistreated and burned out their Imagineers and they ran to Universal. Look up the Beastly Kingdom, and how Disney scrapping that project directly led to Islands of Adventure at Universal. Or how Dreamworks was founded by disgruntled Disney and Pixar animators, and now are firmly in Universal's camp. Universal welcomes talent and creativity with open arms, allowing their designers to build and invent. Disney's modus operandi always seemed to be; if they cant own it or control it they want nothing to do with it. After all, it wasnt just JK Rowling, Nintendo also went to Disney first about a potential park.
@@emorynox5395 exactly, if disney "senses" that new prospects wont increase their monetary value, they toss it at second glance, AND SO MUCH OF THAT HAS BEEN DEAD WRONG. Shows that had large backings and love (Owl House, Amphibia) put on a tight rope and told to walk the plank, while innate talent was rejected and decided to go elsewhere to where they could ACTUALLY work their magic. When I was younger, all my artist friends wanted to work for Disney.. NOW? Big fat hell no 💀 Its such a shame, theyre going downhill stupid fast and they keep burning money into the wrong things/raising the prices/changing things that didnt need to be changed and theyre losing EVERYONE from the middle class to people who have been long time lovers of disney/annual passholders Universal >> Disney, and if you want bang for buck still, id even say choose Busch Gardens theme park visits/holidays should never be so stressful/nerve-wracking for vacationers AND the people working there
@@emorynox5395I felt bad that the imagineers came up with an amazing ride for avengers campus. An “e ticket quinjet ride” that guests would get to pilot their own jetpack seats sounded so amazing. But then the higher ups got greedy and budget cut everything before just canceling the ride altogether for a way cheaper “multiverse ride idea”. Of course I feel bad that the imagineers were mistreated and that their amazing ideas were thrown out due to Disneys greed. Around the time the quinjet ride was cancelled that was also when Disney tried to force the imagineers to move to Florida or else they’d lose their jobs. So that’s how Disney lost a lot of its talent and creativity
Agreed, disney going with IP's instead of creating new experiences. Edison square could have been amazing!
That is not only true, it's ongoing. I would say "ongoing problem", but Disney doesn't see it as a problem. The company has reduced the imagineering staff and outsourced much of what used to be done in-house. I don't actually think outsourcing innovation is a good idea, maybe I'm wrong.
I’m an architect for Isle of Berk at Universal Epic. It’s so cool that we can actually talk about it now. I had to sign a few long NDAs so I couldn’t tell anyone about it for a long time, so I love hearing people’s thoughts about it now
I'm so excited to see it! The concept art as well as the quick short videos being released look amazing! This entire park looks like it's truly taking the theme park experience into the next century.
omg! what was your favorite part in designing and creating a how to train ur dragons park? i cant wait for it to open!!
BRO, I grew up with Httyd as one of my hyperfixation and that's still true. Try to get them to make more nicer plushes! I will literally spend so much money there hahaha. I feel so faint thinking about how excited I am. Literally planning a week trip in a year or two just so I could go back to what I remember (Isle of adventure and studios), and now httyd!!!
Ive worked as an artist for both Disney and Universal. What I can say about the experience from an employee perspective is there is a HUGE difference between how these companies invest in there creatives and artists. Disney contracts out most of their work. Their park maintenance, on the viz art side, is all third party. That leaves you with unhappy, under compensated, and typically (though not always) passionless people working with basically no direction from Disney itself. Universal has built themselves a robust in-house art team to take care of the parks. They DUMP funds into their property and their people. They spare absolutely no expense to get the job done and shower their employees in goods, opportunity, and appreciation. We are compensated well and happy at work. These parks are our full time home so we give it the love and attention it deserves. And we are compensated abundantly in return.
You dropped this King 🫴 #ad
Lol you mean like the lawsuit on Universal for infringing on employee rights?
And then you met ET and rode to the moon on your bicycle. We believe you sure. The funniest part is you're talking like you ran the company and knew everything about everything
Please tell cms to stop calling guests “friends” a la wdw. Prob ex wdw employees. Been happening recently. Makes my skin crawl
@@weatheredseekerok Bob go back to Disney & continue to suck what was once a fun place to death.
disney really needs to finish animal kingdom and epcot before they make a 5th park.
Wdym animal kingdom is the best park at WDW and epcot is basically fully developed
@@HugeRMCFanBoY-bx3odAnimal Kingdom is the best, but you can’t deny that Dino land clashes with everything else
@@HugeRMCFanBoY-bx3od EPCOT could use another country badly. People really only go to EPCOT for the food festivals. If they didn't have those EPCOT's attendance would plummet. There just really isn't much to do there other than walk around.
@@CobbleBompster Dinoland fits. In any case, I don't want modern Disney getting their grimy hands on Dinoland. Animal Kingdom is fine enough without Encanto and Indiana Jones thank you very much!
@@ducktails1695 I agree. I'd like to see more SHOWS in Epcot. It could really use them, not having to take as much space as rides yet providing interesting educational experiences in the many countries. They can add in live or animatronic shows to replace their awful circle-vision shows from the eighties.
As someone from Florida… universal has always been better than Disney
Exactly. Even as a kid I'd always beg to to back to Universal instead lol.
I think there bove the best but I have to agree that universal is the best
Animal Kingdom was also literally supposed to be a Disney clone of the SeaWorld/Bush Gardens park style. Literally every park after Disney is an Disneyfied clone
Epic Universe is finally getting me out to Orlando. I’m already planning and saving for my trip next summer. It’s my birthday present to myself. I’ll be staying at a Universal resort and doing all of their parks. I can’t wait!
Have fun !! Genuinely even their older parks are immensely fun, I hope you end up having a fantastic trip !
I've never been to either resort, but I always say "People go to Disney because it's Disney. People go to Universal because it's actually a good park."
Well, you'd be biased and partly incorrect. The experiences in Disney World are not to be undermined. Universal has a very exciting and full theme park (Islands of Adventure) and one really mid-teared park with many hits and many misses (Universal Studios). Disney World has so much stuff to do that you can actually stay there for a full week and want to keep going. The real problem with Disney World is that because it promotes itself as the perfect destination, the flaws hit harder. It's a park based on magic. What do you think happens when you pull back the curtain? It turns into a trick. But it didn't have to be. Last time I went, it was beautiful. My family and I had the best 6 days of the last decade. But I can say with much certainty that they are paying a. lot less attention when they're performing their magic tricks now (if ya get what I mean).
it kinda depends. I enjoy both, but Disney I can spend a whole week at, and Universal is more of a 2 day experience. Their Islands of Adventure is awesome, but Universal Studios outside of Diagon Alley is really mid. Plus I really dislike Universal's over reliance on 3D glasses and screens on so many rides. Many of them are the exact same ride just with a different movie
spot on. I can go to Disney for a day and already be done with it. Universal, I could spend a week there and it wouldn't be enough still. It has so much more to offer for my interests.
As someone who's grown up in Florida, can confirm. Even as a kid I always preferred Universal.
Truth
I live in Florida and have a good friend that worked at both Disney and Universal, a couple years at each. He told me Disney managers beat him down really bad. His universal employers treated him well. Gave him a lot of pats on the back and he loved his job
Her turning down Disney was a blessing in disguise.
More like a regrettable decision.
@@annien.1727 How? Have you seen Disney's proposal to her? It's public somewhere in the internet, at least a part of it creatively.
@riventv4927 About Harry Potter? Oh, that. Well, I must admit, it was the best decision. Harry Potter would be a poor match with Disney, anyway. Sorry about that.😅 I thought you were talking about something else.
@@annien.1727most sane KZhead reply.
@@jackdunes4630 What do you mean "sane"? I was just voicing out my thoughts about this. It's just simple.
Been closely following Epic Universe since 2020 or 2021. The new park is a small part of the massive property they acquired to expand the resort. If they follow through with the planned second entertainment area (like CityWalk), an additional water park, more hotels, and park expansions, they will certainly start to push Disney out of the market. Rumors for a Legend of Zelda overhaul to Lost Continent and a Lord of the Rings expansion to Epic Universe will utterly annihilate any competition.
Give me Zelda and no other park will be able to compete
If it makes Disney USA finally truly innovate and not just reuse stuff, it's a win for everyone.
honestly agreed. and with Disneyforward and the big thunder mountain possible expansions we could actually see quality that comes close to Fantasy springs in tokyo. Im just hoping that this civil war between disney and universal will actually kick Disney in to shape for innovations.
Super Nintendo World also gives the equivalent of 4 Disney princesses for Universal in the forms of Peach, Daisy, Rosalina and eventually Zelda.
Everything you said is spot on, except that comment about Nintendo having a resurgence in the 2010's. Nintendo has never gone anywhere, maybe the most valuable entertainment name and brand in the world from the 80's until today. Sure the Wii U underperformed, but that was against Nintendo expectations, and their other product lines carried them through that.
thank you for the correction
Nintendo was straight bangers from the NES all the way to the Wii. The amazing thing is how much they have shown constant experimentation throughout that period. The Wii and Switch are drastically different from the results of the console wars arms race seen in the PlayStation and Xbox.
@jdmichal virtual boy? Game boy micro?
@HugeRMCFanBoY-bx3od The Virtual Boy was pushed out because they needed some revenue until the N64. DEFINITELY needed work on it to not be garbage, but in the gap between the SNES and N64; I'll give them props for actually getting some to buy it. The Game Boy Micro was a revision of the Game Boy Advance AFTER the DS came out. The GBA had already run its successful course. That was just a send off.
PlayStation: Allow me to introduce myself.
The checkmate would be universal incorporating some kind of park area including lord of the rings.
LotR is already rumored to be part of the plans for the UK park and only the UK park (if it's approved and built).
And pokemon since universal studios japan have pikachu and other pokemon in the parade
@@kiramutoujaeger Pokemon will replace Simpsons in universal when the contract expires, LOTR is one of the considered expansions for epic universe.
After visiting Tokyo Disneyland and its partner park Disney Sea, I can safely say that Walt Disney World is old news now. Tokyo is so much better.
That's because Tokyo Disney is NOT Disney. 😂
Im a HUGE Disney freak, but gotta admit, they are screwed if they dont come up with anything
They will, everything new that comes out in their parks is always amazing
I can't get over the scale of the park... and seems like they are including nearly everything they promised, unlike Disney who release a blue-sky concept and then roll it all back cuz budget. So, us theme park nerds, go into the park slightly disappointed.
In the past two years my family and I have been to both Disney World and Universal Orlando. Both of them are very expensive, but you 100% feel like your dollar goes way further at Universal. Additionally the medium grade hotels at Universal blow Disney's out of the water. Case in point, Cabana Bay.
Cabana Bay is awesome
@@CarloisBuriedAlivecabana bay… 🤮. Stayed there once. Never again.
@@dratelectasis what were your issues with CB?
@@CarloisBuriedAlive rooms were so crappy. Then again, I only stayed there because I’m used to staying at the portofino and RP. So maybe I’m just spoiled
@@dratelectasis to be fair, we stay in the family suite and those rooms are great (pool view, living room area, two TVs, and a small section with a microwave and sink) and it tends to be slightly cheaper than regular rooms at the main 3 hotels. We enjoy the extra space. Before that, we stayed and enjoyed Portofino
As someone who always preferred Universal as a theme park destination over Disney pre-Harry Potter, I’m so happy at the growth of the resort and super excited for Epic Universe (the Dark Universe theme is something I’ve wished for since childhood)
Same here! I'm an enormous Un8versal Monsters fan and have always dreamt of a park themed after them. Dark Universe will be a dream come true.
If I was ceo of Disney I would actually invest 60 billion in the parks and not just say I would
That would be a great idea. But you wouldn't have that kind of capital after going woke/broke with all the stupid crap you approved over the last 10 years.. You barely have enough money to keep the lights on at this point.
And...STOP BEING WOKE AND PANDERING TO THE CRAYOLA CULT!
Tomorrowland is super run down and outdated. Not to mentioned rides braking down many times. Also genie sucks and makes parents feel bad and feel forced to give money so that children can enjoy
"Come back, we have Dole Whip!"
*Sorry kids we had to cancel our trip to islands of adventure were going to disney*
You can get pineapple dole whip at universal.
@tomm2213 I can even get it at the Texas State Fair. And yes Universal has it too.
Menchie's frozen yogurt shops have Dole Whip too.
A park where you enter themed lands through a portal. If only Walt thought about that…in 1955…and if only that were duplicated in 1971 in Orlando. Disney has done some budget cuts lately and it needs to address the issues at EPCOT. Spaceship Earth is about 1/2 decade beyond due for an update. Journey lacks imagination. The Wonders of Life still sits unused. Who knows if they’ll ever finish the center of old EPCOT Center. Animal Kingdom is still a 1/2 day park. However, the technology and the animatronics at Disney still rival anything at Universal. While Universal has come a long way from Screen City, it still has a long way to go. Coasters aren’t everything.
Disney World began building the Tron ride in early 2018, and just finished it pretty recently. Meanwhile, Universal Orlando has taken like 6 extra years to build an entire theme park with many rides and ideologies
One thing that I think is a huge deal for Disney, is Universal Great Britain. The amount of people who will stop going to the Orlando parks because there’s a world class theme park less than 2 hours away from most uk major cities will definitely scare Disney.
That’s not how that works, depending on what’s in the universal park… It’s not really a competitor for Disney… As of today, universal is a thrill ride park… Disney is a family oriented, non thrill ride park.
It will be beneficial to Universal in that they can capitalize on a new local market but I doubt they would purposely destroy the destination status of their existing Orlando resort. So we can expect Universal GB, if it happens, to likely have all new attractions that compliment existing offerings. In short, they'll build a park that offers something new but still makes the Orlando Resort a desirable vacation destination. Which means it likely won't effect Disney that much.
@@GodsServant543it isnt though. universal is more family then disney. Theres only two intense rides: Rip ride rocket and the mummy. Hell the mummy isnt that scary other then the themeing.
@@GoogieBuiscut Ok, you’re only mentioning universal studios, not IOA. Also, you’re not being honest or you haven’t been to all of Disneys park. Magic kingdom has more child Friendly attractions than both IOA and US in Orlando. Because some kids get on it, doesn’t mean child or family friendly. Many adults and grandparents can’t or won’t do rides that spin or cause motion sickness. Simpsons, Gringotts, rip ride rocket, mummy, are not family friendly. They’re more intense than most Disney rides. This doesn’t include ioa…hulk,velocicoaster, hagrids, forbidden journey, even the water rides are higher in intensity. Look at height requirements.. it’s not comparable. If you look at universals new parks, they’re making them much less “thrill” oriented.
That intro had me cracking up! 😂
It was a masterpiece!
Koen Sanders from Efteling (CEO of operations and marketing), says that Universal is hungry to learn from their design team. Disney is also visiting Efteling a lot. It still suprises me that with no Expansion since 1995 Disneyland Park in France can charge a good €95 for a day ticket, while Efteling is only €48 with continious expansions, adding in another darkride (Dance Macabre, a Intamin Motion Stage simulator, without screens, with animatornics according to the same Koen Sanders.). If you see what Efteling can do for just one third of the budget of Universal and Disney, you are going to question where the money goes at those parks.
No one's questioning where the money goes, yachts don't buy themselves!
@@user-zp4ge3yp2o Lol. 😂
Disney will probably never build a 5th park, or at least not in our life times. They have enough land at their existing parks to expand without accruing the cost of a major park expansion.
Yes, they will. I'm SURE they'll come up with brilliant new park ideas.
Why build a whole new Park with new infrastructure required to support a whole new park when there is plenty of land to expand at existing parks?
Universal just keeps getting W's.
That How to Train Your Dragon area looks like a big flop.
@@ryandefranco7740 What? Nah, I'm sure plenty will go there. Dragons are dope!
Fr when I was little we would always pick a dragon to be us and just imagine we were them it was good times
@@ryandefranco7740 disney fan boi
@ryandefranco7740 How to train your dragon holds something special in my heart when I watched it in theaters. I think they picked the right choice for the children to enjoy 😌❤️
Disney lost the vision Walt had years ago!
As someone who used to work there and is friends with many who still do, there are numerous people in the Disney company that share Walt's dream and vision, but the company is run by corporate suits now and while they work hard to maintain the magical friendly persona on a surface level, backstage it operates like a soul sucking machine and they make it near impossible to move up let alone enact meaningful change
Literally all of the points in this video are what I have been thinking about towards Disney and I'm glad you are exposing the true reality of Disney losing the theme park race.
The thing is Universal has just been slowly but surely waiting for their time to strike. Disney has been cranking stuff out but nothing revolutionary. Universal knew they couldn’t handle the Disney Mongol immediately so they have just been sitting back waiting, planning playing the long game. Wait until Disney starts slip or get comfortable waited for the Galactic cruiser hotel to flop. Now here they are.
Why does Micky in a white van seem like the perfect fit?
Free candy, kids!
🙄Absolutely DISGUSTING!!! What an INSULT!!!😡 It's NOT a perfect fit!
@@therealpskilla502 Would Mickey really give candy away for free?
Mickey: *Hey kid you wanna come to my clubhouse!*
@HugeRMCFanBoY-bx3od Yes, to play fun, innocent games and the like!
Universal understands what the people want. We want immersive lands, bold attractions, and a BREEZY experience. And they know how to give it to us. Ever since the wizarding world, universal has been on fire. We have gotten bold, intricate, and immersive lands. If anything universal has pioneered the immersive land, and Disney has been trying to replicate it ever since. The keep spreading their ride portfolio, from family coasters, to thrill coasters, dark rides and water rides, universal has just about nailed everything. And everytime they use old technology (like the spiderman ride system and potentially the robotic arm) they always one up themselhes and take what the learned and improve on it. To top things off, they build things so fast it seems like something is always happening with universal. What is really putting them ahead though is the ease of visiting a universal park. You walk in knowing that you can enjoy yourself and get all the rides you want to do done without having to worry, or plan your day out. The rides are built with capacity in mind and there is no cheap skip the line option, which means that 90% of people in line are waiting stand by which helps the average guest with waits. There is no universal textbook like how you have to study for Disney. You can just go and enjoy yourself.
They are really stagnant on any ride that isn't a thrill ride though, I'm sorry to say. They are lacking in the dark rides category. Spider-Man is very overrated and every other ride seems to be focused on moving so fast you can't even really understand what's going on. You can especially see that in their self-destructive screen era throughout the 2010s. Epic Universe looks like the are finally fixing it though
Universal Orlando has plenty of awesome dark rides. Yes, none of them are in the Disney classic slow burn, diarama-style ride like Haunted Mansion, It's a Small World, Pirates of the Caribbean, etc. Universal tends to have a bit more action and energy. But they are still definitely dark rides.
i love pirates and mansion just as much as the next guy, but that's only half of what a dark ride can be. they have more thrilling dark rides, something disney doesn't really focus on. To say they dont completely have slower moving rides is not fair though. The nintendo land rides are both slow moving dark rides, and they opened up secret life of pets in universal hollywood which is literally a modern take on the haunted mansion. @@officialmonarchmusic
@@a_cowwithlegs Secret Life of Pets is great, and it's what I'm hoping is the start of a wonderful era of detailed dark rides. But notice how none of them are in Orlando, yet. This is why I'm hoping EU is the start of a new generation of more balanced rides. Also, Disney has Rise of the Resistance, and plenty of more thrilling rides with heavy theming. Universal has no balance. The thrill rides don't feel significant if there's no counterbalance from them. The slow-moving dark ride is an art which Universal has yet to perfect. ET is their closest so far
@@officialmonarchmusicto be fair, thrill seekers are a big part of universals guests, so it makes sense that they focus on it more. It’s something Disney doesn’t have much of, both parks are unique in their owns ways..but I do agree with your statement. My favorite Disney rides are their slow moving dark rides, and that’ll never change even if I don’t personally LOVE Disney anymore lol
As a fan of both Disney world and Universal Orlando, I don't see this as a war. I see this as a huge benefit to the theme park goers. It's exciting to always have some new attraction in Orlando, whether that's Disney or Universal or even SeaWorld. We're all winners here
This isn't even including phase 2 of Epic Universe, rumours hint at a LotR land for example.
The big difference as well is that unlike Disney the top brass at Universal actually ENJOY their own theme parks! Time and time again, the Disney board and the people they hire consistently speak about how they DON'T understand WHY people visit the parks. They fire all the imagineers and hire firms from Vegas who NEVER visited the resort and treat it as just another casino. The recent EPCOT "renovations" were headed by people who never stepped foot in it. Disney is run by Hollywood heads who see Disney as a movie studio that has this weird theme park thing associated with it that is the only section of the company that consistently makes money - money that they keep taking at the expense of the parks to fund failing studio decisions because that's all know know and WANT to know. The Disney board as it is now is NOT interested in the theme parks. As long as it generates revenue for them to continue running the company as a failing movie studio they are going to invest as little as possible from what they're funneling from it. And as a lifelong fan, this completely breaks my heart.
Perfectly put.
I, personally, haven't been back to WDW for years. So many Disney fans complain about all the things you've stated here -- but, they keep going back. This really amazes me, that people just put up with paying so much more, and getting less. Epic Universe maybe, just maybe, will finally change that.
There are MANY people complaining that Disney decreased their service while increasing prices. But why not? The parks were over crowded and the veteran customers they had were replaced by new customers with money and no comparison to 5 years ago. It was a short term solution that made them millions of dollars. BUT they were selling out their own future and lagacy.
Because people like to complain. A few years after it opens, there will be people complaining about Epic Universe. Complaining is the human national pastime. 😂
@@disneygrama In the case of something as expensive as a WDW holiday, people should complain when they aren't getting their money's worth. Current Disney management is just letting the product coast along on its past reputation. It doesn't even come close to meeting the old standards. Ride through attractions with a few barely animated figures, and lots of display screens, are something even 6 flags can accomplish.
"Celestial Park" indicates another change in Universal's theme park strategy that you mentioned but I think needs more examination as it indicates A LOT about Universal's long-term strategy. That is the role of IP in the park. Universal pays for its Harry Potter license. What if something went wrong and they were to suddenly lose that license? Sure, there's probably loads of contractual legalese trying to keep that from happening, but its definitely a possibility. Building entire parks off one IP is risky, unless you flat out own everything like Disney does. It also means you need to lean even HARDER into nostalgia to milk every dollar you can over decades out of what you build as that property ages. Universal and Disney have been following that same strategy, but once again we see Universal trying to change the rules. Celestial Park is celestial because stars AREN'T an IP. Astrology is folklore and astronomy is science, and neither can be copyrighted. Their central hub will NEVER need to be rethemed for IP reasons. But the worlds? Like the video said you don't have to walk through one to reach another one. If one world is closed for re-theming the other worlds will remain accessible and the rest of the park can operate normally. This is Universal recognizing its success with the Harry Potter licensing, but also realizing the glaring vulnerability it created. Their entire park can't be too dependent on one IP. Losing their HP license can't shut down an entire half their park, and if it does they have to at least be able to pivot quickly. I'm really excited to see how far they're going to take this "agility over brute force" approach. Its the idea of having parks themed off a large variety of IPs, and built in a way so that retheming can be done rapidly without interfering in the operations of other parts of the park. Could we see Epic worlds rethemed every 4-8 years? I hope they lean into this strategy and we get a larger variety of themed experiences than we ever would at the "forever IPs" Disney parks are built around.
This is why I would say keep an eye on that "How To Train Your Dragon" world. Its 2024, things "blow up" in popularity, then peter out WAY faster than they did when IoA and Disneyworld were first built. This "agile" IP strategy may be seen as a way to adapt to this new reality. The "Train Your Dragon" world is Universal experimenting with the concept of "what if we base a section of our park off an IP that's TRENDING rather than waiting for it to be TIMELESS before we commit?". What if we try to draw people in with novelty, rather than nostalgia? This experiment is facilitated by the structure of their new park. If it doesn't work they will simply re-theme that world to something more nostalgic, and they have every other world built on a nostalgic franchise to float the park while they do.
Well said. I think Disney buying Marvel likely had a huge impact on this strategy change. Luckily they had good lawyers, and their contract is air tight to protect their interests as long as they care to have Marvel at IoA. But they may not be getting such favorable terms in these newer deals. And the existing Marvel land, based more on the cartoons from the 80's and 90's, definitely shows its age in styling.
@@Justin-og9gu Maybe, but dragons and vikings are popular fantasy/history figures, so even without the IP, the underlying theming is pretty timeless
@@candidwings5609 its not themed to generic vikings and dragons, its themed to "How to Train Your Dragon" If the Harry Potter sections were themed to "generic witches and wizards" their sections would look COMPLETELY different than they do. If "How to Train.." doesn't work out, you can bet money its section will be themed to another IP, not converted to a generic viking theming.
@@Justin-og9guDisagree. No disrespect to the series but imho its core concepts of "vikings" and "riding dragons" really aren't original enough to completely rule out a generic re-theming, really the only thing it'd be missing is the artstyle of the characters and dragons I guess. Would it probably be smarter and more profitable to grab another recognizable IP? Sure. Do I think it's "utterly and totally impossible" that it could be genericized? Not at all.
Universal has an elite Intamin coaster. Thus, they win
New England does too.......... yet its only the 7th best six flags park
@@HugeRMCFanBoY-bx3od"straight track and helixes: the ride" is an elite intamin for you? you put it on the same level of velocicoaster and taiga?
@@terg8472 Superman at New England is not "straight track and helixes", that's superman at America and Darien Lake. The one at New England is a genuinely elite coaster
And with epic universe, a brilliant looking mack
@terg8472 yes I do Velocicoaster is hella overrated
Four different themed lands that are accessed by a portal from a central hub… that sounds a lot like the original Disneyland design from 1955… but yes, I do agree that this will affect Disney a lot, I think that the MK no matter how outdated it gets it’ll always have a big appeal as it’s classic, it’s the “castle park”, it’s Walt’s vision, it’s extremely nostalgic.. but the other WDW parks will probably all lose in attendance to Epic Universe when it opens.
I work with the electronics for Disney and universal and I can confidently say Disney still uses electronics from before I was even born while universal is using electronics that came out last month.
Universal actually listens to us
Universal Studios is awesome. I need to check out the Florida one someday.
Universal has to watch out to not try to become disney. They do a lot BETTER than disney. If they try to mimic too much it would be a mistake. Broadly, let wdw keep the stroller crowd. Specific recent example, cost cutting by eliminating package pickup from citywalk and seasonal closure of rides
Here's to seriously hoping - fingers tightly crossed - that history won't repeat itself.
This means SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa will need to add more than just rides they need to add the theming back in. More than just the minimum too.
We dont visit often but occasionally for the coasters
Unpopular opinion: Disney has slight edges on efficiency that make a difference. Example: Most of their lines are more efficient. I spent 30 minutes waiting for Gyro in a line of 20 people at Universal. And everyone has waited way too long for butter beer. Another example is Disney has lots of kids rides where the movement never stops, so you get through lines faster. I also think the recent cinematic rides like ratatouille, Mickey Mouse train, and Rise of the resistance are far ahead of anything at Universal. I still very much want to see Universal win the war, especially with Nintendo world. I want Disney beat back into the 90s. But I don’t think it’s accurate to say Universal has the better parks today.
Because I live in the UK I am stupidly excited about us potentially getting a universal park with rumors saying that the IPs used will be based of UK properties to be unique no other park in the UK comes close and it could potentially knock Disneyland Paris of the top spot because in Europe the only real current competitor to Disney is Europa Park
I've been watching those construction updates since the park was primarily a dirt lot. I'm so excited to see the finished park
I honestly can't wait go to Epic Universe. From what I've seen so far, it looks like it will be the greatest theme park in the country!
Are you kidding me back when it was actually MGM Studios you did not have a shopping mall call Star Wars Galaxy's Edge excuse me
It would be awesome if this drives a third great era of theme park construction after the first being Magic Kingdom and Epcot, the second being Eisner vs Universal, and the third being now.
The band aid on Cinderella's castle is so perfect.
I grew up as a HUGE Star Wars fan, seeing the first one from the back of a station wagon in a drive in, in '77. Took the family to all the Prequels releases. Youngest adult daughter and I went to Disney's Force Awakens and.... meh, she came out and said "I felt like I just watched A New Hope". We skipped the rest of SW movies in theaters, I have seen most of the rest on the internet, my daughter never watched another SW thing again. And this is a girl who read almost ALL of the SW novels, she and I are their target audience. And then they built SW land (Galaxy's Edge) that represents.... nothing in the movies. And although one ride is fantastic, the other is lame and there are only two rides in the whole land. Hell, I would be happy with an immersive walk through attraction. A huge disappointment. When you have South Park mocking your products (put a chick in it, make her gay, make it lame) you know you have lost the culture war. I tell this story as just a single failure in a HUGE lists of Bob Iger's 100 billion $$$ failures.
My family used to make a yearly trip to Disney, we loved it, it was the highlight of every year for us to go. Then we moved to Florida, I got my own annual pass, I went ALL the time. After covid, Disney was charging more for annual passes and offering less. I switched to a Universal pass and ive never been happier.
The intro is spot on for me. We are Disney people and our 2025 Disney vacation switched to epic universe the second we saw what was coming. We will go back to Disney for sure but depending on how badass EU is it might be far less frequently.
Me, a Californian: Can we just get more of Florida's theme park stuff please? We don't need (but absolutely want) Epic Universe, just the other extra stuff form Orlando. I know Disney lost their tax district over there but that doesn't mean they should invest in metaverse, that means they should invest in expanding over here... What was stopping Disney from putting the money they put into Fortnite into expanding over here?
another amazing vid! one of your best yet :)
This is a super well made video dude! When I watched it I I thought it would be like a 500k+ channel but found it only had 10k! And I have passes for both Orlando parks, I think that Disney is better with the out of ride expirence while Universal does better with the overall rides and whatnot, still love both parks a ton. Oh and Busch gardens is very underrated, they have some great coasters over there
We will never see a new park for Disney, they dont have the revenue for that
I am SO hyped for dark universe. The monster cafe was one of my favorite things at universal, now we get a whole themed lanf
It's a genius move, especially because the only real park that tops its theming would be Tokyo DisneySea halfway around the globe. If only The Oriental Land Company could run ALL of Disney's parks...
Fat chance that'll happen.
In the past I'd agree, but with the way the OLC has chosen to run their their Disney resort since the pandemic started, trust me, you wouldn't want that. They're no better than Disney themselves, arguably worse in some ways lately. And this is coming from someone whose favorite park of all time is DisneySea
@@Tortidis987 How so? The priority passes? At least those are free. I'm hoping that if greater Disney management improves, that the OLC will follow suit. (Similar to how they followed the principles of the company's COVID response which got them here.
@@annien.1727 Yeah, it probably won't
@@officialmonarchmusic it goes beyond priority passes (which were only made free for the 40th anniversary and could become an upcharge again in the future). They've absolutely gutted live entertainment, they no longer sell annual passes or even multi-day tickets, park hours have been shortened, while at the same time there have been significant price hikes (relative to Japanese residents, I understand it is more affordable for American tourists right now). There are attractions that have been "temporarily closed" since 2020, and they don't properly invest in seasonal events anymore, but still market them as if they do. I still adore those parks, but people tend to idealize the OLC. As beautiful as DisneySea is, it truly is a shell of its former self right now. I hope they can course correct the way that I hope Disney's other resorts can.
Honestly universal is so much better than Disney at this point. Horror nights is awesome too
disneys for kids are u a kid
@@user-fe7py7ws1c I went to disney at the prime age (5-7). I was bored out of my mind and my patients found it boring too. then I wen tot universal and I absolutely loved it.
Been a universal fan since 2002. My grandson only will go to animal kingdom. Can’t wait for epic universe to open. Thanks for the video.
You know the funny thing is that Universal is the only Hollywood media conglomerate to _not_ have a sing;e Fortnite collab (that includes Fox before it got bought by Disney BTW)
I switched to my computer so I can write this comment. Bob Iger has quite literally signed DISNEY'S death warrant, with terrible leadership. He Slept on the Harry Potter World which quite literally complete transformed Universal's Parks. Id bet 80% of park goers now-a-days go strictly for Harry Potter. Then Completely screwed the Star wars fans By pumping out trash, and only after all the fans grew tired and disheartened by Lucas Films did they consider "Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge". If you've gone to Disney 10 years ago and today you'd be very disappointed by the lack of innovation. Aside From Guardian's ride which is absolutely AMAZING.
This was such a fantastically put together video! I’m a fan of both parks but I have to say universal is definitely the innovator
It is, without a doubt, the most baffling thing in theme park history that Disney, of call companies, let Universal get Nintendo. I mean - what? They worked with Nintendo in Japan, how did they let Universal get a Nintendo land with a Pokémon thing coming later? So, like, not just one and done - but like, there will be more Nintendo down the line - with one of the biggest gaming franchises ever being added next. After Epic opens, really - you go to Orlando for Universal and then do a day at Disney for specific rides.
also, that part at the end is dumbass territory - people are not happy to pay - increase demand is not "happy to pay", not even close.
Well done video. My son and I have discussed this over the years. Epic is going to be a huge problem for Disney. I can’t believe they have been sitting on their hands for the past two years.
As other commenters noted, a lot of Disney Imagineers left to join Universal. Disney doesn’t have any creative talent remaining to design anything that competes with Epic Universe.
@@SalivatingSteve you aren’t wrong.
I overheard a disney cast member that when epic opens disney is “toast”
As a lifelong Disney fan im psyched to see this. Disney parks have been REALLY slouching and this will hopefully be the kick in the pants they need. I hope they don't respond by doubling down on IP and trying to beat universal at their own game, I hope Disney responds by trying to recapture what they historically have done best, immersive themed areas that push the boundaries of technology and creativity in theme parks.
You make the point that Disney pulls at heartstrings through nostalgia. Which is true. Or was true. Because that's why they've turned off tens of millions of Guests: over the past 5, 6 years, ideologues tell us that all that nostalgia we loved -- romance, chivalry, dreams, magic, imagination, family -- was based on racism, bigotry, privilege and backwards thinking. So we're told "Come to the place of your memories" and in the same breath "Your memories are vile and hateful." Until Disney gets rid of those who have soured the past, they're gonna keep on slipping.
Wow you put this perfectly
We all know that Epic Universe will affect Disney in some scale. How much, no one really knows - although I’m sure both companies have spent a few million on the data. What I’m really wondering how much Epic Universe will cannibalize their own parks. Everyone knows that Florida is a destination location and people only have so much time and money to spend when visiting. I rarely go to more than 3 parks when I visit and never more than 6. Which parks I go to depends on who I’m with. Am I travelling with my kids? Extended family? Corporate event? To suggest that Universal doesn’t bank on nostalgia ignores their market. It’s just swapping one IP for another. In this case, it’s just the next generation of IP. Disney’s parks have expanded on Frozen, Peter Pan, Star Wars, Avatar, and Tangled while Universals is banking on classic monsters, minions, dragons and Potter. I, like everyone else, likes new and flashy. I was one of the first to go to Islands and later Hogsmeade. What Epic Universe is doing is changing the priority for the vacationers. On the short term, it’ll have that newness shine. The long term will all depend on the execution. Harry Potter was a success - but an IP that they have to pay boatloads to WB and JK. Nintendo is another IP they pay out to. And honestly, the current offerings is nothing game changing. The two current rides don’t do much for all ages. I truly hope Epic Universe gives us an epic universe. But when people go to vacation, are they just replacing one universal park with another? When I visit Orlando, I already forgo the original Universal Studios Florida park. I will usually go to Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Islands on a three day excursion. Maybe at the start I’ll bump out Hollywood. Afterward? Who knows. When I’m going with my kids, we will usually visit 4 Disney parks and islands. It’s more likely that epic will bump out islands with them (I did a poll in my household). Of course, I’m just speaking for myself. But I’m curious to how it will all play out. And what is Disney’s response? Do they have a game plan? Or are they really floundering? We’ve seen them do this before. I think Disney is in a halfway through their usual decade long “lost” cycle. It started when Lasseter was ejected and replaced with corporate hacks. Iger had already decided to either run for president or do philanthropy or whatever post-Disney. He checked out long before Chapek. It’ll take another 5 years to correct.
100%. When it opens it'll be an added day but long term it's replacing a universal day not a disney day
Anyone else feeling lukewarm on the Epic Universe lands? Nintendo is all well and good, but How To Train Your Dragon is an IP I don’t really hear anyone talk about anymore now that it’s trilogy is finished, Dark Universe is dead and only had one movie, and the author of Harry Potter has been drawing controversy and alienating a lot of fans over the past few years.
Pandora=Joe Rhode, Galxys Edge= LucasFilm. THAT'S why they don't like the rest of WDI
Thank God Disney didn’t waste park space with the hp franchise. Galaxy’s Edge is and always will be leagues ahead of wizarding world.
Universal needs better hours tho. The park closing around 6 o’clock on some days is too short of a day to be able to do things.
I love how universal also continues to make investments in the current parks while building a new park. Also universal team has the skills to manage multiple projects at one time. If Disney does open a fifth gate it would take 10 years or open without many attractions or experiences. They need to fix parts of the current parks as well.
Cool video. I watched a couple minutes and heard approximately 77 metaphors about theme parks and who is better
As a huge fan on each park, I felt that this video essay was biased to the point where I couldn’t take what you said with much credibility. Yes Epic universe will be amazing and I cant wait to experience it but saying that Disney isn’t doing anything is asinine. They are literally in the midst of the Epcot improvement, they are creating multiple new expansions to their existing parks, and they have been creating new experiences via their cruise lines. They do have things they can improve upon in the parks yes, the digital faces were an experiment to create more animated faces and it failed miserably in everything except for runaway railway. The new Tiana ride however doesn’t use them so they are learning when to use this technology. And it would not surprise me if eventually they remove those digital faces one day from seven dwarves and frozen. This “war” you say is dumb just as the console wars are for video games. When major companies compete we as consumers benefit. Enjoy them both for their differences and next time put forth all of the facts it will make for a more convincing argument.
Lol the intro, I'm dead 🤣
Universal realized in-between theming and one big berm was outdated and a huge waste of time and money, and decided to instead making a bunch of micro parks with their own gates.
I love to imagine what Universal would do with Star Wars, Marvel or Pirates of the Caribbean, creating those worlds and actually focusing on the peoples happiness.
Lmao you think Comcast cares about your happiness
Keep in mind, this park is being designed by former Imagineers who were shoved aside. These are many of the same people who built the WDW we love. Now they’re at Universal.
All disney needs to do for me to return is make it relatively affordable again. Until then they can add anything they want, people can't afford to go.
When I worked there in 2018 they didn’t even tell us about this park being built.
Disney gives you a world, Universal gives you a Universe, what vacation will you choose
I literally cannot wait to go to the Httyd lands, that plus all the dinos in the Jurrasic Park area??? AHH
Only worried new portals would be hard to make, maybe chaining them together like a normal park but idk
Disney needs to add more thrill rides, they have Tron Lightcycle, and Space Mountain, and that's it! They could add Big Grizzly Runaway Mine Train, but they won't.
You also didn't mention how imangineers have left disney to go work on epic universe.
Disney destroyed all their nostalgia marketing which is cause them to even the battlefield for Universal.
Very well made video! I agree with just about everything you said!
This is literally the golden saucer from ff7. Amazing concept
love this breakdown of epic universe, not sure I've seen this perspective yet from anyone!
People need to understand that Disney is focusing on the west coast in order to take out universal studios, since universal doesn’t have any room to grow out west, then they will focus on Florida. They will let universal have there moment out east til Disney returns with a flurry!
It seems to me that as far as the Disney Theme Parks go the company is making 2 major mistakes. 1) Admission prices exceeds what regular people can pay, especially if it’s a family. And 2) for a long time now Disney has tried to do things on the cheap starting with maintenance and even with new things they tend to seem to try and make good enough instead of awesome because they think customers won’t notice or care. That leaves Disney trying to play catch up and it’s not working.