Why the opening of Epic Universe could be good for Disney fans
The buzz in the theme park world is on Universal's Epic Universe park, set to open in 2025. It's going to be a huge shift with an amazing new slate of attractions that many feel may give Universal the edge in the Orlando theme park wars. The big question is how Disney can compete but it's overlooked how this may end up being a good thing for Disney in the long run.
It's no secret Disney has been on a creative low point in the last few years. Bob Chapek's penny-pinching ways, combined with the pandemic shutting down the parks for so long and economic issues, led to the cancellation of various attractions. The much-hyped redo of Epcot has been met with a muted reaction, and while Disney can still provide some great attractions, most of them are for the international parks.
Universal seems to be taking the edge despite how they have their own issues with guests like a reliance on screen-based rides and just as reliant on IP as Disney is. Epic Universe is going to be a mix of lands based on Nintendo, Harry Potter, Dreamworks movies and a "Dark Universe" of monsters. It's intriguing with a variety of rides and seems set to excite more than what Disney has done.
Yet the potential is there that seeing Universal step up its game can lead to Disney doing the same. After all, it's happened before.
The Disney-Universal Orlando Wars history
For most of their respective existences, Disney and Universal rarely clashed in theme parks. Universal Studios Hollywood was a working studio with the tram tour the only "ride" while Disney was okay with just Disneyland and Disney World and never did the twain meet.
That changed in the mid-1980s when Universal announced plans for a version of the Studios in Orlando, the first direct competition to Disney. In response, Michael Eisner pushed for the Disney-MGM Studios to be created and no one doubted for one instant it was to hit back at Universal. Disney got the edge with the Studios opening in 1989 to success while Universal Studios Orlando had an infamously rough opening.
Disney continued to dominate in the 1990s until Universal made a bold move with the opening of Islands of Adventure. A park dedicated more to thrill rides and for young adults was a big shift as well as City Walk which meant Disney's Pleasure Island was no longer the go-to nighttime dining/entertainment district in the city.
As it happened, Disney was ready. The same year that Islands of Adventure opened, Disney had one of the best slates of new attractions ever for Disney World: Test Track, Rock n Roller Coaster, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Buzz Lightyear's Ranger Spin, the Animal Kingdom's Asia expansion and more. That was a fantastic year for theme park goers and showed that Universal had pushed Disney to expand well to gain more customers.
It's interesting this is mostly for Florida as in California, the rivalry isn't as heated. That's likely due to how both Disney and Universal have to compete in California with more parks such as Knott's Berry Farm, Six Flags Great Adventure and others. Orlando, somehow, is the real battle of the two companies and it's taken some turns.