In the theme park industry, there’s a tendency to always want to go big. When Disney or Universal has opened a new attraction in the last few years it’s been something literally big and exciting, like Universal’s Velocicoaster or Epcot’s Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind. The fact is most people don’t tend to make a big deal out of “little” additions to theme parks, but today Universal Orlando Resort announced plans to open a brand new land next year, that will almost certainly be “small” in many ways, and that’s why it’s brilliant.
Earlier this year, Universal Studios Florida closed the Woody Woodpecker KidZone, an area dedicated to smaller guests, and rather than replacing it with something big and exciting and meant for older guests, today Universal announced that a new land based on DreamWorks Animation will open in 2024. While few specifics were given, the new land is clearly designed to be a family environment, with attractions even the youngest guests can enjoy.
As a professional theme park writer, frequent theme park visitor, and dad of smaller kids, I love to see this. Unlike Disney, which a couple of years ago replaced its family-friendly A Bug's Land with the, admittedly awesome, but less family-oriented Avengers Campus, Universal is making sure to keep an area dedicated to kids, and that's not the only move it has made recently.
The New Dreamworks Land Is Part Of A Larger Trend Toward Making The Park More Family Friendly
This new land will follow the new Villain-Con Minion Blast attraction, part of a new Minions-themed land that is currently in technical rehearsal and will be opening officially anytime now. The ride is unique because it doesn’t have a ride vehicle of any kind. Instead, guests stand on a moving walkway, but this means the ride has no height or size requirements of any kind. Any guest who can stand on their own, or sit in a wheelchair, can experience it.
While there has been some criticism from the people who have a chance to experience Minion Blast so far, that it just isn’t fun or exciting enough, that seems to all be coming from adults who are mostly looking for a new thrill ride. Universal seems to be trying to focus on experiences that allow for accessibility and inclusion and that’s a good thing.
Not Every New Theme Park Attraction Needs To Be An E-Ticket Thrill Ride
Universal Orlando’s last two big additions to Islands of Adventure have been roller coasters. But that means height requirements and restraint systems that guests need to be able to fit inside. So again, not everybody can experience what’s new, especially little kids.
These new additions to Universal Orlando, along with the recent announcement of a brand new Universal park coming to Frisco, Texas, which is specifically designed for families with small children, indicate a company-wide focus on attractions that allow more people to experience them.
While those of us that are older will certainly want bigger, grander and more thrilling experiences, most of us love theme parks because we fell in love with them as children, so these sorts of experiences need to be important to any theme park company. Minion Blast or a Trolls-themed family roller coaster may not feel like a major attraction for everybody, but for some riders, for whom that is the biggest and newest attraction they will experience on a given trip, it is.
With another part of Universal Studios Florida already sitting empty following the closure of Poseidon's Fury, one wonders just what sort of attraction will replace that one.
