The last major theme park opened in the United States was Disney’s California Adventure in 2001. More than twenty years later, the next major theme park in the US is opening this year in Orlando, Florida.
Universal Epic Universe is the newest theme park in America after a twenty-four year long wait. Epic Universe aims to immerse guests in an interconnected universe featuring five unique themed worlds within the park.
The first thing guests will see as they enter Epic Universe is the Celestial Park. Celestial Park is the heart of Epic Universe, both thematically and literally. Celestial Park serves as the entrance to all other worlds within Epic Universe. Because of this, Celestial Park offers many different food and shopping experiences for guests to enjoy before returning to the fun inside the themed worlds.
Moving on to the first themed world, guests will step into How to Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk. The Isle of Berk is a Viking themed area with thrilling rides and immersive experiences. While the area features classic theme park attractions such as rollercoasters and pendulum rides, it also leans into its Viking theming with unique rides such as a mock naval battle where teams of guests compete against each other using water cannons.
The next area in the park is Super Nintendo World. Super Nintendo World features characters from two of Nintendo’s biggest properties, Super Mario and Donkey Kong. Inside of Super Nintendo World, guests can fully experience the feeling of being in a game with the Power-Up Band. The Power-Up Band is a wristband allowing guests to interact with physical objects inside of Super Nintendo World in order to play interactive games and win digital prizes.
While the first three worlds have a fun and friendly atmosphere, the next world’s main selling point is being the opposite. Dark Universe is the next world within Epic Universe, and it is home to the classic monsters from Universal Studios’ horror catalog. Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, and The Mummy are just a few of the iconic characters within the world. Dark Universe has a consistent horror theme throughout the area, whether it’s the rides or the dining experiences, guests are sure to be immersed in the spooky atmosphere.
For the final world, guests will experience a new facet of the Harry Potter universe in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic. While the Universal Studios park already has a Harry Potter themed section, the Ministry of Magic is based on the Fantastic Beasts movie series, a spin-off of the Harry Potter films. In the Ministry of Magic, guests can experience live shows, rides and more. Guests can also buy their very own wand within the park, this wand will allow guests to cast spells within the Ministry of Magic causing effects at certain locations.
Interest in Universal Epic Universe can be seen at Shadow Ridge as shown by Shadow Ridge sophomore Xavier Grafell who states, “I want to go to the Epic Universe park because I really like Nintendo games and I think it would be awesome to go to a place themed around them”
Interest can also be found among the Shadow Ridge staff. Shadow Ridge History Teacher Allison Wilson states, “I think Universal Epic Universe looks pretty cool. One of my favorite movies as a kid is How To Train Your Dragon. That movie and its sequels have always held a special place in my heart. Getting to see a real life Berk and the characters would be pretty neat. As an orchestra kid, the soundtrack for that movie has always been one of my favorite compositions, so adding in that extra element of touching orchestral soundtrack on top of being in an immersive park that makes you feel like you are in the movie, would definitely be a fun experience.”
