I'm Obsessed With These 19 Renderings Showing What Universal Orlando's Major New Theme Park Will Look Like
1.On Jan. 30, Universal Orlando Resort announced they're building a new theme park to join its growing hub in Central Florida.
2.The new theme park is called Universal Epic Universe, and it's the company's fourth theme park as part of its Orlando, Florida resort. It joins Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, and Volcano Bay.
3.Universal released renderings outlining the forthcoming theme park, which is expected to open sometime in 2025.
4.Most notably, the are five areas of the new theme park, and several are based on major franchises and IPs like Harry Potter, How to Train Your Dragon, and Nintendo.
5.The first area is the entry world, known as Celestial Park.
6.Celestial Park will feature gardens, restaurants, rides, and shops.
7.This includes Starfall Racers, a comet-inspired "dual-launch racing coaster."
"Reaching speeds up to 62 mph and heights up to 133 feet along 5,000 feet of track, Starfall Racers will be Epic Universe’s most thrilling coaster experience with unique maneuvers such as the 'Celestial Spin,' in which the two coaster vehicles perform an inverted crisscross while speeding through the air – creating an 'out-of-this-world' adrenaline rush," Universal said in a press release.
8.There's also the Constellation Carousel, featuring 360-degree rotations.
9.And a wet-play section called Astronomica.
10.Celestial Park is also the gateway to the "portals" for the theme park's other areas.
11.The Harry Potter land is based on the Ministry of Magic (aka the wizarding world's headquarters as depicted in the original franchise) and Paris in the 1920s (as featured in the Fantastic Beasts series).
This will be Universal's third Harry Potter-themed area in its Florida parks. Universal Studios features Diagon Alley, while Islands of Adventure is home to the Hogwarts castle.
12.The How to Train Your Dragon area, based on the film franchise of the same name, is called Isle of Berk and focuses on "Viking adventures."
13.Super Nintendo World highlights the likes of Mario, Luigi, and crew.
14.And the final portal entry is into the Dark Universe, which will be an area filled with monsters and Dr. Victoria Frankenstein's experiments.
15.Universal also announced three new resorts associated with the new Epic Universe, including two 750-room hotels that will be adjacent to the new park. The first is Universal Stella Nova Resort.
16.Here's a hotel room rendering:
17.And the second is Universal Terra Luna Resort.
18.Here's a rendering of the hotel's pool area:
19.Then there's the 500-room Universal Helios Grand Hotel, which will be located inside the theme park in Celestial Park.
Lastly, check out the bird's-eye-view fly-through experience of the new theme park's design below:
And the Epic Universe creative team breaking down the new park here:
