From the time that Common Locations & Experiences introduced that it was constructing a model new theme park at Common Orpando Resort, the theme park world has waited to see what would occur. As particulars surfaced concerning the brand new park, formally named Epic Universe, it was clear that Common was placing collectively a brand new land meant to push the bounds of what expertise may do.
Contemplating that Epic Universe can be greater than 1 / 4 century newer than the most recent park at Walt Disney World, followers started to marvel if Epic’s scope and scale is perhaps so spectacular and so interesting that it might draw company to Common who may in any other case have visited Disney. May Epic Universe kill Disney World?
I’ve been to Epic Universe. I’ve seen the lands, skilled all of the points of interest it has to supply, and am right here to inform you that Disney World goes to be simply advantageous for the foreseeable future. Not as a result of Epic Universe isn’t an unbelievable place, as a result of it completely is. However it speaks to the what any theme park, particularly Disney World, must be aiming at for the long run.
No, Epic Universe Isn’t Going To Kill Disney World
It’s clear that Common Locations & Experiences is seeking to develop its international footprint within the themed leisure area. Counting Epic Universe, the corporate has 4 tasks in varied phases of improvement, together with the lately official Common UK seeking to open in 2031. By opening a European park and constructing one other one in Florida, Common is seeking to slice off a few of Disney’s market share. However the firm can also be doing issues outdoors Disney’s playbook, like constructing Common Horror Unleashed in Las Vegas and the Common Children Resort in Texas.
None of those additions are going to “kill” Disney outright. It is the 900-pound gorilla of the theme park world, and it’s going to take much more than only a shiny new theme park to alter that. Disney has extra, and it has a historical past, and it has generations of followers. Common can get there, however it’s going to take a long time.
What’s extra, historical past has proven us that model new theme parks in Florida have a tendency to profit tourism as an entire. Even when lots of people make a visit to Orlando over the subsequent a number of months particularly to go to Epic Universe, it’s a secure guess various of them will swing by Disney World, too, a minimum of for some time.
The one manner that Disney World will get “killed” within the theme park area is that if Disney kills itself. It could possibly do that by not innovating, by merely sitting again and doing nothing as a result of it believes it might’t lose. It completely can, and after visiting Epic Universe, there are some things I believe the park does rather well that Disney Parks must take discover of.
Audio-Animatronic Expertise Provides One thing Screens Can’t
Should you hang around with theme park nerds quite a bit (I’m sorry), you’re prone to hear them extol the virtues of animated characters over the usage of screens to create a narrative. Ever since Walt Disney made Abraham Lincoln stand and converse, there was a love for the expertise he known as audio animatronic. And whereas I believe there are some completely beneficial and actual makes use of for screens, each Monsters Unleashed: The Frankenstein Experiment and Harry Potter and the Battle on the Ministry present simply how nicely animatronics can enhance the story.
Monsters Unleashed is an particularly good instance, as two of the most effective animated characters I’ve ever seen will be discovered within the pre-show earlier than the experience even begins. Dr. Frankenstein is extremely emotive and bodily, and Frankenstein’s Monster truly walks!
It’s unimaginable to look at the pre-show and never bear in mind the model of the Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind pre-show that at one time was supposed to incorporate animatronics of Rocket and Groot. Whereas the present we bought continues to be advantageous, it’s lacking the power that Monsters, Unleashed has due to its animatronics.
Dwell Leisure Is Nonetheless King
One of many causes that theme park followers love animatronics over screens is that they really feel extra actual, and thus, the expertise is extra immersive. After all, there’s one other solution to make issues much more actual than that, with precise human beings.
It appears like stay leisure is waning at Disney Parks. At Disneyland Resort particularly, we’ve seen Avengers Campus bleed stay performances with one set of characters after one other slowly disappearing. The Hyperion Theater at Disney California Journey has been vacant for the reason that criminally transient run of Rogers: The Musical. The Fantasyland Theater has grow to be residence to extra character meet-ups slightly than staged performances.
By comparability, two of the very best issues taking place at Epic Universe aren’t rides, they’re reveals. The Untrainable Dragon, impressed by How To Practice Your Dragon and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter’s Le Cirque Arcanus are each reveals I might suggest you not miss. Between the human performances, puppeteering, and animated characters, the reveals are simply unbelievable.
Dwell leisure is dearer as a result of it prices cash to pay the individuals on an ongoing foundation. However that is cash nicely spent. No expertise can change the power of stay efficiency.
Brief-Time period Financial savings Imply Lengthy-Time period Struggles
In keeping with experiences, Common spent $7 billion to construct Epic Universe. Compared, Disney California Journey, the final park constructed by Disney, price (adjusted for inflation) about $1 billion to construct. Even in case you add in the price of the 2007 replace, as a result of even Disney realized that they had cheaped out on the place, we’re solely taking a look at a complete of slightly over $2.5 billion in inflation-adjusted {dollars}.
The phrase “spared no expense” involves thoughts with Epic Universe, and primarily based on what I noticed, it seems to be correct. Lots was clearly spent right here, and I really like the top results of it. What’s vital right here isn’t absolutely the greenback quantity however that Common spent the cash that was wanted to make the park all the things it might be.
Disney California Journey is a main instance, but it surely’s removed from the one one, of Disney searching for methods to economize, but additionally reducing the standard of the ultimate product in consequence. From the points of interest faraway from Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge to the E-Ticket that’s solely simply now being constructed at Avengers Campus, to the beforehand talked about eliminated of animatronics from Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, it’s grow to be far too frequent for Disney to finally underneath ship on its points of interest to make the underside line look nicer to traders.
Sadly, the financial savings typically lead to results on Rise of Resistance that fail to perform correctly for years or in introduced points of interest getting canceled outright. Whereas typically monetary constraints do result in artistic breakthroughs, it’s extra doubtless that it’ll simply result in a lesser consequence.
It’s price spending the cash up entrance as a result of it’s going to come again finally. High quality building up entrance means much less spent on upkeep later. The extra leading edge a experience is now, the longer will probably be till it feels dated and must be up to date or changed.
Competitors is an effective factor. Epic Universe isn’t good, but it surely does quite a bit proper and it does just a few issues extremely nicely. It’s clear that Common Artistic paid consideration to what Disney was doing proper when designing Epic Universe, and tried to outdo them in a minimum of just a few methods. Now Disney can do the identical.
With Disney planning to spend $60 billion over the subsequent decade on all its parks, together with the large DisneylandForward challenge, there might be loads of possibilities to create one thing nice. When it comes time to design the subsequent large factor, I hope Disney remembers what Epic Universe needed to educate them.