Ripped a spectacular Universe Reporter notebook and looking back at the early notations of Orlando’s latest theme park. There are random creative type quotes, operational observations, and mild suggestions. To my surprise, the world has named how to train your dragon. As Berk Island rules the page, we start from there and think of the epic.
•The theatre design features of the “Untrainable Dragon” show at Burke are worth applause. Audiences enter from both sides of the hall, so when people are instructed to fill in all available spaces, they are walking towards the center from both sides – the best seats in the house. In other theme park theatres, the early birds have to go all the way to unwanted seats on the edge.
•I have never seen many photos from this location. It is the top of the tower in the heart of the Viking Training Camp. It’s a play area, but it’s open to adults. It offers spectacular unique views, including a lined coaster view of Hiccup’s wing gliders with adjacent Stardust Racers. Along the way, there is a dragon-themed viewing station (“Dragon Vision”) and on the first floor there is a game where sheep fire a fired by a sheep named “Baa-llista”.
•Hicukap’s wing glider has some amazing surprises. Visitors will see the flashy parts of the ride from the solid ground, but there is more to discover. Its neighbors are Dragon Racer Rally, Aerial, Swing, (Foresight Alert) Gliding attractions. If there is a Bark proposal box, you may submit “Exchange names of two vehicles.”
•Universal Orlando has designed and sourced a full wardrobe in-house for the first time. In the past, there have been third-party experts who do patterns, then corrections, tests, bubbles, rinses and repeats. “It was a big, massive victory, so it was less transported and cheaper,” said Jeff Polk, executive vice president/Epic general manager. “The better side to it was that we were able to take local knowledge of how the fabric works, how it exudes the back of our wardrobe, and how it fits like a normal person,” he said.
And pointing to Viking-inspired Burke clothes, Polk said there are options for park workers. “They can mix tops and bottoms to match, they have quilts and tunics. They have small hats and big coats,” Polk said. “We make things out of ventilated fabrics that are very lightweight and breathable.
• Signed near the epic soon realm: “Forgive me the dust of the stars.”
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•There is no blue carpet lineup for pre-opening ceremonies: Orlando Magic or Orlando City Soccer Club Players. Though there were other professional athletes, including Brook Lopez (Milwaukee Bucks), Ryan McDonna (Tampa Bay Lightning), and Kirk Cousins (Atlanta Falcons). There’s a Disney logo on the rafters of the soccer stadium, which may not have been a smart visual. Magic star Paolo Banchelo appeared on NBC’s “Today” show, but the crew, part of Comcast’s corporate family, was in town.
•The carpet scene was created by Tom Williams, former chairman and CEO of Universal Parks & Resorts, who retired from the company for over 30 years in 2022. Williams was in charge when Epic was announced in 2019.
• On a daytime drive to the park, I climbed the hill/ramp/roundabout to the magnificent boulevard from Kirkman Road, where I was at the dome Helios Grand Hotel with a calm shimmer. It’s amazing to say, but I have a dawn of a new era of vibe.
•I was obscure about the shiny look of the Stella Nova Resort until it was visible nearby. Its individual brick-like tiles are even more stunning outside the car.
• Also in its neighbourhood, passersby can see the behind the insanity of Minecart, the Super Nintendo World Coaster. From the park side, the temple looks quite like Stoldy. From outside/behind the scenes it appears thin and fragile. It’s attractive and overwhelming. It’s not always fun to ruin your magic for yourself.
•I chatted with Gregory Hall, assistant director of creative design at Universal Creative. He spoke about the animatronics of the attraction that shares the stage. “Trying to balance was a real challenge. We didn’t want to create one figure of telling people what we like,” Hall said. “We want to create unique moments whenever we see new people or new monsters.” But can we talk about the barefoot Dracula, strangely? He laughed. “It takes another hour to tell you.”
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•Finally, a flashback to the old Halloween Horror Night exercise. Here, we ask the creator to use two works to explain each haunted house. This time, senior showwriter (and Hhn Alum) Patrick Braillard gave the spectacular land two cents worth.
A celestial park? “Recharge…and rejuvenation – despite being a Stardust Racer,” says Briard.
Super Nintendo’s world? “Fun play. Or a chaotic game. It’s really fun.”
Dark Universe? “Unexpected lore because over time, I think people will discover more layers of storytelling that took place in that world.”
Harry Potter’s Magical World – Ministry of Magic? “A breathtaking range. That world is crazy.”
How to Train a Dragon – Berk Island? “The dragons are abundant. It’s always activated, so it’s a lot of fun walking there. The land looks alive. It’s so much fun to do with the dragons doing.”
It is clear that the writer is limited to two words.
“I gave you two…and my justification,” Brailard laughed.
•Trends: People who say there has been too much talk about the epic universe while asking me questions about the epic universe. Certainly there were many from many outlets. There are more. You will immediately ask for your future column to enter your park wish list. It’s crazy and creative, but I also want some sane suggestions.
Please email dbevil@orlandosentinel.com. Bluesky: @themeparksdb. Thread account: @dbevil. X Account: @themeparks. Subscribe to the Theme Park Rangers newsletter at orlandosentinel.com/newsletters.
