Credit: DreamWorks AnimationSince the upcoming Epic Universe announcement, a turf war has been building between Universal Studios Florida and the Walt Disney World Resort. While the House of Mouse still has many concepts in the Blue Sky stages, Universal might have just played a winning hand while the competition deals with transport.
Universal recently revealed its plans for a new experience inspired by How to Train Your Dragon that will reportedly bring the Isle of Berk to life for countless fans. USA Today shared the official press release, which reads,
“Guests visiting Berk will encounter one of the most breathtaking environments Universal has ever created – complete with immense architecture featuring hand-carved details, lush landscaping, and extraordinary heights of rolling hills surrounding vibrant dragon houses and local establishments…”
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While Universal prepares to welcome Toothless and the rest of his scaly friends into the new park expansion, the latest developments from Disney show a much different energy. From Groot taking over “small world” in Tokyo DisneySEA to a new fleet of buses at the Florida parks, it feels like the House of Mouse has dropped the ball.
Epic Universe Torches Disney World
Despite the Epic Universe still being in its developmental stages, some serious competition is underway between the two park icons. Walt Disney World might have a healthy amount of brand loyalty, but can it really compete with some of the new things promised at Universal?
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The concept art for Berk suggests that Toothless and the other dragons might get the Jurassic Park treatment, allowing guests to interact with them as they would the velociraptors or triceratops. That’s certainly to be expected from a property surrounding creatures, but the use of streetmosphere is something Disney has been lacking for a long while.
As Universal spends most of its time developing new coasters and expansions, Disney announced a fleet of 90 new buses heading to Walt Disney World. While transportation is an obvious necessity, some fans, like @GratThemeParks, can’t help but wonder if this was the wisest decision.
The user writes,
“Universal Showed us an incredible immersive themed land/Disney showed us a rat bus.”
Universal showed us an incredible immersive themed land/ Disney showed us a rat bus pic.twitter.com/CjSeMep81B
— Gratuitous Theme Parks (@GratThemeParks) March 28, 2024
Dragons and rat buses aside, there’s still some truth in the statement above. The last time Disney World opened an entire new park was with Animal Kingdom in 1998. After almost 26 years, Disney has yet to see that kind of development on American soil, as the lucky guests at Shanghai Disney will know.
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That said, it’s not entirely Disney’s fault, as the political discord with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has thrown a monkey wrench into more than a few plans. Even so, it still feels like much more could be done if Disney World truly wants to stand toe-to-toe with the new developments coming from its biggest competitor.
However, there is still hope, as there are still new developments in Walt Disney Imagineering. This week, it was revealed that the legendary Imagineer Joe Rohde was back at Disney, leading the next generation of designers at the Disney parks. With any luck, seeds of progress are already being cultivated.
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While it’s still unknown just how successful the Isle of Berk, Diagon Alley, or even the Dark Universe starring the Universal Monsters will be, Disney can’t sit by too much longer without some form of response. They might have held the crown for decades, but the Epic Universe won’t pull any punches.
Do you think Disney is slacking? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!