Universal Orlando Announces New Cinematic Spectacular Fountain Show to rival World of Color

Although it hasn't been announced yet officially we know that Universal Orlando has the project to expand the Harry Potter land at Universal Orlando park, and not Islands of Adventure where the "part one" of the land has been built. We also know how damaging it has been for WDW and apparently Disney consider that because of the Harry Potter land guests are staying one day less at WDW.

Obviously the part two of the Potter land, if it's build at UNI instead than IOA, is going to be a nightmare for WDW executives as it'll mean that UNI guests coming for Harry Potter will probably stay two days instead of one, as they'll need a two parks tickets - and it will be hard for them to see the whole two parks in one day. Until now the only good news for WDW was not only the opening of the new Fantasyland later this year but also that their Potter part two won't open before 2014 or 2015.

But apparently Universal was not decided to wait 2 or 3 more years to have their guests staying longer in the parks and they announced a new nighttime show at Universal Orlando lagoon, called "Cinematic Spectacular". And guess what? It's a fountain show with projections on waterfall screens, and yes, it's the counter-attack of Universal to Disney's World of Color! Universal know that Disney have no plans to bring World of Color at WDW in a near future and apparently they decided to build their own "World of color" based on Universal phenomenal movie library. And the new show - as well as a new parade - will open...this spring!



Here is Universal official statement about this Cinematic Spectacular lagoon show: "Narrated by award-winning actor and recent Golden Globe - Cecil B. DeMille honoree, Morgan Freeman, Universal Orlando’s brand-new nighttime show, Universal’s Cinematic Spectacular, will celebrate the most powerful and emotional moments from Universal Pictures’ most iconic films – all on cutting-edge waterfall screens within the Universal Studios lagoon and surrounded by colorful fountains and pyrotechnics. The experience will take guests on a journey through epic cinematic moments filled with heroes, horror, laughter, good vs. evil and triumph. The new show opens this spring, runs all summer and then on select nights through the end of the year".

And here is the video announcement by Universal.




Now, as if this was not enough, Universal Orlando also announced a new "Superstar Parade which will feature familiar animated characters with all-new floats through the streets of Universal Studios Florida"...



...and a new 3D attraction called "Despicable Me Minion Mayhem", "which will take guests on an unforgettable 3-D adventure with their favorite characters from the hit film – Gru, Margo, Edith, Agnes and the mischievous minions. The experience begins when guests enter Gru’s home, where they learn that they’re being recruited to become minions and undergo “minion training.” Things don’t go as planned, and guests find themselves on a wildly hysterical journey with Gru and his daughters. Once guests make it through training, they join an interactive, minion-inspired dance party where they can show off their best moves.here is the video announcement". here is the video announcement...




...AND they also announced a major upgrade of the beloved Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man ride at Islands of Adventure: "Universal Orlando is transforming what is already one of the most amazing attraction experiences ever created into what will feel like an all-new adventure. The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man will soon feature all-new, 4K digital high-definition animation, new high tech 3-D glasses and upgrades to the set, audio and lighting systems. The re-animation of the ride film will include an entirely new level of detail for guests to discover, including a cameo by legendary comic book icon and Spider-Man co-creator, Stan Lee". Here is the video announcement as well as an example of the new animation of one scene of the ride.







All of these are opening this year and obviously Universal intend to be ready for 2012 to face WDW New Fantasyland opening...

With Disneyland Paris 20th Ann Disney Dreams! show in front of Sleeping Beauty castle it will be the second major fountain show to open in 2012. By the way, talking about the DLP show, although i have no doubt that Disney Dreams! will be great there is a good news and a bad one coming with it: the good news is that the Disney Dreams! show is here to stay, even after the 20th anniversary. Now for the bad one: as i told you quite a while ago DLP had the project to build a small lake at the Walt Disney Studios to install the World of Color show. It would have been a night time show, but now that they will have the Disney Dreams fountain show at DLP i think we can say bye-bye to have a World of Color at the WDS as it will be very surprising that they decide to have two fountains show using more or less the same technology in both parks. Not to mention that WOC would have been probably more expensive to build than the upcoming Disney Dreams show...

To come back to Florida we'll see what the next round will be between WDW and UNI - and from who it will come - but it promise to be interesting!

Pictures and videos: copyright Universal Studios

Harry Potter Phase 2 at Universal Orlando : How they might do it

Universal Studios Hollywood held a press conference yesterday to confirm that the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is coming to Universal Studios Hollywood. Hogwarts Castle and the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride will be built but Universal didn't announced yet an opening date, just saying "“The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood will be as impressive as what has been created in Orlando – and is expected to transform tourism in Los Angeles for decades to come. It will be a fully immersive environment for the entire family that brings the stories of Harry Potter to life and is faithful to the visual landscape of the films, including a majestic Hogwarts castle to serve as the centerpiece of the themed environment. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood will be created with the same commitment to authenticity and the same level of talent and resources as its Orlando counterpart”.




When Screamscape released the news last monday that Harry Potter Wizarding World phase two might be built at Universal Orlando instead than Islands of Adventure it was a shock for theme parks and Harry Potter fans as for the first time in theme park history a land might be divided between two theme parks. As you know Lance revealed that the Jaws area at Universal Orlando - which will be closed early January - could be transformed in Harry Potter Wizarding World phase two. And as you can see on the video above Universal also confirmed yesterday that "the Orlando Wizarding World would also be expanded, with details about that promised to come sometime in the future".

Lance said that "they did not confirm if the Phase 2 expansion was coming to replace Jaws but his sources keep saying that the Potter expansion will take the place of Jaws and Amity areas". So, if Lance sources are right this Potter phase two at Universal Studios Orlando will be the "London" part of Harry Potter stories and guests will board the famous Hogwarts Express which will transport them from Universal Studios ( London ) to Islands of Adventure ( Hogwarts ). The idea as i've written early this week might look half-genius half-insane but if this is confirmed - which i hope, personally - how could they do it? Let's have a look at that thanks to Google Earth.



On the Google Earth screen capture above - click on it to enlarge the picture - you will see that Harry Potter land in IOA and the Jaws area at Universal are not specially close. We can even say that the Jaws area is at the other end of Universal Studios. Also, you'll note that they don't have a lot of room available in IOA behind the Potter phase one, and this could explain the incredible idea of Universal. Below, another shot of Wizarding World from above coming from the excellent Theme Park Guy website.



Now, considering the distance between the two areas, how could they do it? On the next Google Earth screen capture below i've tried to imagine how they could resolve the problem. On the right you'll see the space that might become Potter phase two, formerly the Jaws and Amity areas. As you see its a pretty big space and, because guests are supposed to board the Hogwarts Express to go to Potter phase one at IOA they'll also need to create the train station which could be located in the back as i've put it on the picture. Why in the back? Because the train will need to go from there to IOA and in my opinion the best way is to go around the park through what is basically now parking lots, with a track which would be parallel to the avenues outside the parks. It will be also simple to create 3D projection tunnels like the one Universal created recently for King Kong 3D at Universal Hollywood. They could use the same technology to create amazing projection effects during the ride aboard the Hogwarts Express, and most of all they would have the space to do these tunnels along this road.



Now, they will also need an arrival train station at IOA and i think they have the space available to build it in the location i've put on the picture above. They still will have to create a link from the IOA station to the Potter phase one entrance, but that's the easy part.



However in my plan there is some element that might be a problem for a railroad track going the way i've put it. If you look at the picture you'll note that there is at least two backstage cars entrance and obviously they will need, in this case, to have the cars and trucks going under the railroad track. Anyway, they don't have a lot of choice as the others choices would mean to have the railroad track going through the Studios which would be more difficult.

One last thought: if you remember well the Potter movies, Harry Potter and all other young sorcerers embark the Hogwarts Express on the 9 3/4 platform which is a hidden one. And they access it by going through - literally - a column of the train station. Universal won't probably reproduce this effect for the guests but i thought "how will i do it if i have to?". I think that the best way to do it would be to recreate part of the station, including the train station columns, and on one of these columns - which are mostly square columns - to have three of the sides really built in "hard". And the side which would face the guests could be a projection on a mist screen giving the illusion that it is as hard as the other sides of the column. You need to have a lighting quite dark to hide the trick but it might work....as long as there is no technical problems with the mist screen which would have to work fine all day long, and that's not easy. But if it works, you then could ask the guests - by group of one, two or more depending how many they are in each group - to run towards the column and "go through" to access this 9 3/4 platform!

Anyway, this amazing Universal idea has yet to be confirmed and may be they will simply put the Transformers ride where the Jaws attraction is now and the dream will be over!

Pictures: copyright Theme Park Guy, Google Earth

Harry Potter Land Phase Two Build at Universal Orlando instead than IOA : Genius Idea or Pure Insanity ?

If Screamscape sources are right something between totally amazing and pure insanity seems to be about to happen at Universal Studios Orlando. Basically, they will build the phase two of the extremely successful Harry Potter Wizarding World at.....Universal Studios instead than Islands of Adventure where the land is now. It's a bit like if you create half of a land at Disneyland and the other half at DCA. But Universal idea is even more complicated than that as the Potter phase two which will be build at Universal will be the "London" part of Harry Potter stories and guests will board the famous Hogwarts Express which will transport them from Universal Studios ( London ) to Islands of Adventure ( Hogwarts ).

Of course this will mean that Harry Potter fans who will want to live the full Harry Potter experience will need to buy a two parks ticket! It may sound like a brilliant or cynical business idea from Universal - and it is both indeed - but for Walt Disney World this might be a truly diabolical idea. Right now, considering how popular Harry Potter is, more and more visitors coming to WDW are spending at least one day at Islands of Adventure. But if Potter land phase two is built at Universal Studios you can count on Universal to sell not only two parks tickets but also "two days two parks ticket" as it will be hard for the guests to see all of both parks in one day.

The goal obviously is to keep the guests at Universal Orlando for two days instead of one, which also mean one less day - in fact two less days at WDW! And Universal is working at full speed on the project for an opening scheduled in 2014, i.e one year or two before the opening of the Avatar land at Animal Kingdom! If what Screamscape reports is confirmed WDW execs are really going to get mad! But once again this could also be good news for WDW fans as Disney will obviously have no other choice to counter-attack again with more new rides at WDW...or never-seen-before ride technologies in the Avatar land.

Jump to the Screamscape report to read full details about all this and let us know in the comments what you think about this "genius or insane" idea!

Picture: copyright Universal Studios