Yes, if the business model works out -- and this is a great test. But even beyond that, it's a chance for Universal to introduce itself -- brand-wise -- to potential guests and promote their major resorts. It would be smart to have a preview center / showcase exhibit marketing Hollywood and Orlando. However, given they reportedly invested $6 billion in Epic and Cedar Fair (with 12 parks) has a market cap is only $4.5 billion, it would seem another strategy would be to acquire Cedar Fair and then re-launch selected parks over time with Universal branding and upgrades. It would also be a way to acquire the DC Comics license which could be useful...say to replace Marvel at IOA.
Absolutely, if both projects are successful I'd like to see even more diverse, small-scale offerings. It's unlikely to happen if we're being honest but I would love to see a Starcruiser-esque Ilvermorny hotel
@DrStarlander I would stay far far away from the Cedar Fair balance sheet. They are already planning various park closures, ride closures & sell offs. Why absorb all of that with no ROI for a decade or more. Plus Comcast has some of its own problems on the media side of things, while still planning Universal Great Britain, and major IP additions like Pokemon. Just say no to acquisitions (like they allegedly did with Port Aventura).
Texas feels like it'd be a great state to host a third set of major universal/disney parks for the US. It sits halfway between California and Florida, has a lot more open space than both states, it's a great state economically, and internationally I think it would do well bordering so many Mexican States.
Still strange that Universal is willing to build SpongeBob attractions in their new park, considering it seems they wanted to move on from Nickelodeon in their own parks, especially since after the downsizing of the channel’s presence in their other parks.
I think because most kids cartoons only last for a couples years at best in their popularity before something else takes over. SpongeBob has been quite resilient in continuing to be popular despite how long it's been on-air. Part of this continued popularity comes from kids and teens who watched it now sharing it with their own kids. At this point, it's probably safe to say that SpongeBob will continue to be popular for years to come.
SpongeBob is found in a few parks in the US at a regional amusement/theme park level, while Orlando Is a World Wide theme park so they want to avoid putting money in a regional IP there. Univeral kids is gonna be their Legoland, a regional theme park. So using a regional IP makes more sense.
@@Themeparkfishthere’d also a SpongeBob dark ride shooting game in Las Vegas, there’s just so many nick merch and rides out there it’s not going to push people to come as much as other current relevant IP
I think universal has thought that if they make it a full on resort like the Orlando with big thrill rides Orlando and Hollywood would probably loose less attendance as everyone is going to this park and not the main resorts.
@@Art3free-3They don’t offer the same experience though. You go to USH, and it’s pretty much the same stuff they have over in Orlando. Making it more of a full resort would attract out of state tourists, rather than the same old crop of bored parents trying to get their moneys worth out of an annual pass. It’s central enough though that really, they would probably just attract more central US visitors, who’d drive to a universal resort, rather than fly. And with the economy being in a questionable state right now, that may be a better investment. Even Disney thought to put his park within driving distance of a major metropolitan area until it could sustain a need from outsiders.
@@Art3free-3they have the land, but are restricted by the city government on what they can build. So nothing too high, and “no dark rides.” They would have to build it elsewhere without such restrictions, and they really need both parks to be close. What I’d like to see is either an expansion land for Nintendo IPs, or a kiddie version of Wizarding World. I know that may seem overdone, but a lot of HP can’t really enjoy Wizarding World. They either can’t fit into the seats, or don’t like coasters. And the rides are too extreme for kids, so pretty much, it’s that interactive wand experience, and shows. A kiddie version would solve this, and get kids interested in going to the real I’ve when they are older.
It will be fascinating to see how this park performs financially in the long run. I'm hoping it does really well - and opens up a new wave of park construction across the country.
I don't have young children, but I think this is a great idea. Families can make short trips for the kids, no need to go to a coast. It may help to develop brand loyalty so as the children get older they'll want to visit the bigger parks.
Universal are killing it. I have this thought that the extra theme park space next to Epic may be pencilled in for one of these Universal Kids Parks in the future.
cool to see that they're actually going through with this considering there was push-back from a good amount of people in the city of Frisco. Just wish it would've been an all ages park, Texas really needs A major themepark, Seaworld isn't cutting it and neither is six flags in my opinion
I’m rooting for them but a little skeptical that a kids park on this scale is viable, even if it’s significantly smaller than Epic Universe, it’s close to the size of the original Disneyland CA park [edit: I see now the theme park is only about 37 acres or a little less than half the size of Disneyland]. Walt was successful because he wanted to build a park where adults could have fun alongside their kids and even back in the early 1960s newspapers remarked on how they observed more adults than children at Disneyland. I guess we’ll see and I hope I’m wrong as I’d love to see more premium regional parks developed.
This is local for me, and honestly I'm mostly skeptical of it because the weather here is not going to be conducive to what I've seen about the attraction plans. Only one indoor ride, almost no indoor eateries, no water rides to soak you in cool water, AND the park hours are only going to be during the hottest parts of the day? With DFW weather, that's a recipe for abject misery in the best cases, and potential medical emergencies in the worst cases.
@@JBAGrimthere’s about two good weeks in the spring and two good weeks in the fall. Otherwise, extreme hot and cold due to the humidity. A lot of the park is actually indoors, or under shaded structures. It’s confusing because they said “no dark rides” but the mayor of Frisco later clarified. I mean, if you think about it, that carousel inside Stonebriar Mall could be considered a “dark ride,” as it’s an indoor ride. Shrek’s Swamp and Bikini Bottom looks to have a bit of splash pad areas that will be popular among kids, but probably not so much for the adults. It’s not like Peppa Pig over at North Richland Hills. That’s practically all outdoor, with a few splash pads. Probably explains why they opted for a March 2025 rather than owning next month, as it looks to be almost done.
Hopefully it gets a lot of the soul of the originals. They hopefully don’t give a watered down version. People will feel the difference and many have been to the major theme parks. Would be a waste if they didn’t give it that same magic.
They also have that tiny gabbys dollhouse spot at the front on the side in the art but not really a full land more a playground. Not sure why universal keeps giving gabby the shaft. She has a big screen movie next year and one of Netflix's highest rated kids shows and sells tons of merch, but they just throw her in as a tiny little extra in the parks.
NO NOT GENSLER Why are these entertainment companies obsessed with the most soulless architectural firm in America????? I’ve worked on projects around the world. As soon as Gensler is involved, I become concerned about overall quality because they excel at offices and little else.
Why not make it a little more immersive and polished like Epic, where they're supposed to take their time, instead of the usual universal that works fast but isn't as interactive or immersive. After all, this land doesn't cost that much money, does it?
I think them having SpongeBob will make this a lot more popular than it would be otherwise. Could see this park get expanded many times over the years.
And depending on height restrictions from the city, if need be, they could turn the south lot into a parking garage, and annex the north lot for more park space.
They are saving Mario for bigger city and Pokemon will go in universal Orlando. Life of pets is already in Orlando. I think this hotel may be a trial to see how it does.
@@JT_Toons Texas isn't a vacation destination like Florida and CA. The big resorts want to be in a place where people are already going, otherwise it's too risky for the long term.
@@dannielz6Florida was pretty much a swampland in the 60s when Walt Disney bought all that land. There wasn’t enough of a local base to attract park guests. It was a huge gamble that people on the west coast would be willing to drive there. It is quite a drive to bother CA and FL parks from the central US. Very few make the trip via car these days. They would river to this though.
I'm very excited for Universal Kids Resort coming in summer 2026 I hope that next year we will get a announcement for the rumor lands and the hotel we will get
Man, Universal is on absolute FIRE lately. But what worries me is that they might over extend themselves, and end up on the losing end. I have a feeling people's pockets are gonna be real shallow in the coming years, and these kinds of excursions might be out of range for many families. We shall see. As a long time Uni fan, I'm truly rooting for them, though!
Man, when I first heard Rumors of a Universal Park coming to North Texas, everyone I knew, including myself, were so pumped. Then we were all slightly disappointed when they announced it would be a Kids focused Universal studios & I can still say I'm disappointed. I hope this park does GREAT numbers and Universal decides to build an adult version..
With the rumored Jurassic Park area and coaster. I thought for the roller coaster at 4:18 it looked like it could also be a potential Woody Woodpecker attraction given that the coaster is surrounded by trees and you’re soaring near those trees like what a woodpecker would do. But then again, nobody really cares about the IP anymore yet it seems plausible.
Do you guys think any hotels will come with express passes to epic come July? And do you have any idea what single day tickets/express pass prices will look like? (even a ballpark) Sorry, you just tend to be right about everything 😂
I was just at universal this summer, and was told only the three original hotels (hard rock, royal pacific and portifino) will be offering fast passes. Sorry I don't know what the price will be but very expensive.
@@UmmYeahOk With how Universal is handling their IP aimed at young audiences it’s like the “Mother Ignoring Kid Drowning in the Pool” meme. The mother playing with the young girl is Universal with the Minions or a currently popular DreamWorks franchise, then the boy drowning is IP like Woody Woodpecker or Curious George and the skeleton that is underwater is An American Tail, The Land Before Time, and Balto.
@@thedrewster0408Other than direct to home video sequels, I don’t think Universal ever did anything with LBT and Balto. At least AT had a park presence with stage shows, meet and greets, and a park playground. Its downfall was that the children playing on the structures had no clue who Fievel was, unless their parents forced them into watching it. I’m not sure when the last time the Universal Kids channel aired it, but it was probably years before they started airing the LBT animated series. My daughter loved riding the Woody Wood Pecker roller coaster, but even when I was a kid, that franchise was outdated. I think I saw an animated series with him and his family when I visited France back in 2010. I don’t know when or if it aired in the US.
@@UmmYeahOk There was an animated reboot of the franchise that brought back his mid to late 1940s character design and it did air in the United States but only on Fox Kids from 1999-2002 before getting cancelled. Then after 15 years of nothing for the franchise, there was the terrible live action movie that was initially released in theaters in Latin America, primarily in Brazil back in late 2017 before releasing direct to DVD in 2018 for America. As well as the TH-cam web series that’s made by the same director that did the movie. I honestly have little to no hope that this franchise would ever get back to its glory days again unless if they just completely reinvent the character for modern audiences to make him less “obnoxious” to modern audiences, I don’t know.
@@thedrewster0408I guess I was too old, even back then. I was 17 in 99, and no longer watched Fox Kids. It wasn’t that I was too cool. It was mostly due to scheduling. But even if I woke up early, or my high school didn’t let out at 4:05, I was more about Kids WB. Hadn’t really watched Fox since Animaniacs and those shows moved to the new WB network. Still watched Fox for Simpsons, Futurama, and Family Guy. Assumed Fox Kids was more about the latest anime trend. I do remember a live action movie that was very briefly marketed. Looked terrible. It was doomed to fail. Really, the only way Woody has a chance is if Universal treated him like their Mickey Mouse or Bugs Bunny. WB would sometimes have Bugs present in the WB intro of movies. Universal used to do that with Amblin and Feivel.
It looks like a cool park, but why build a whole theme park when Universals theme parks are already severely lacking for kids attractions? There are whole swaths like Toon Lagoon, Doctor Seuss, Simpsons, Men in Black that are outdated and could really use something like this to attract more families to the parks. It's odd to me that the US parks offer so little for kids because the international parks have amazing kids attractions like in Osaka and Beijing.
Universal Studios Florida did just add new Minions and DreamWorks attractions and Epic Universe opens next year with Super Nintendo World and How to Train Your Dragon, so there is new stuff for kids in Orlando. Simpsons may be replaced soon. But I think kids I know anyway still like the Dr Seuss rides. Especially the Trolley!
Oh brother im sick of hearing about Toon lagoon being "outdated" or "Unpopular". They just have to redo the ride with characters that people DO care and make it a worthy equal to both DreamWorks & Iumination. I know it sounds arrogant, but I just want to see Woody and his pals have the respect they deserve (at least this once).
Isn’t Harry Potter WB? Ghostbusters Sony? What’s your point? Universal has a long history with Nickelodeon. While the current SpongeBob meet and greet, gift shop, and Dora and Diego meets are mere remnants of one HUGE footprint, they never really stopped partnering with them. Now, I’m sure this may have taken up some of their budget for the new park, I understand the desired goal. This is for the parents. Young Millennials and other Zennials grew up with SpongeBob, and not only can they share their love with their children, but they can be kids again, as well.
This is complicated because 1) Krusty Krab doesn’t serve beef, and 2) it is illegal in the state of Texas to defame beef. They could serve a type of vegan “impossible” burger, so long and it’s made clear that the meat is not beef. They could also sell a special type of Sandy burger, having a traditional beef burger that she would have enjoyed back home in Texas.
It you look at the original concept, it’s very similar. My thinking is they were restricted on height, so the turrets that made the structure so appealing were removed, and in by doing so, it lost its soul.
Unfortunately agreed. looks like Hampton in or something, or any box chain hotel/motel- no shade to them but not what you would expect for universal theme park hotel. It deserves much more visual interest than a paint job afterthought. They are already starting off on wrong foot. Hopefully they can read the comments and adjust. Can’t just throw up a box with no architectural interest, paint it calling universal and expect parents to want to pay more than once to stay there.
I personally think they should've built it somewhere else nearby as where they are building it is restricted to what they can build such as hight and the fact they can't build dark rides is just silly
I suspect with tariffs coming from the new president we will see delays in construction, like we did with Epic during his last term. So 2026 is probably not gonna be reality anymore.
Majority of the manufacturing and steel-work is done in the US anyways. All for moving as much back here instead of relying on child and salve labor from China.
No, tariffs will not affect this project. Per city guidelines, it must be open by 2027 or will subject to additional penalties financially and lose many local city tax benefits, etc. In fact, with the new president incoming, this project has gained a greater financial stability due to incoming policy which will allow better financial forecast. Under the current regime, Universal Executives had expressed doubts more opportunities around the US because of the current regimes inflation and policy management causing the average Americans under burden and stress. Universal Executives have recently hinted that this new change is going to be the greatest thing to happen to them in the past two decades.
@@marcosgallegos6242 As someone who has been making consumer products and bringing it in from China for decades, I can tell you that the recent inflation -- a GLOBAL issue -- was due to the pandemic shutting down Asian factories and disrupting supply chains and increasing freight costs significantly. You won't believe how much we had to pay for a container load vs. before the pandemic, ridiculous. The issues have been slowly working out, and it has little to no reliance on what the White House of either party can control. But the US was way better off than the rest of the world. I can also tell you tariffs do cause inflation (it happened to my products under either political party) and it affected product quality too (when an aspect of our product incurred a tariff, we "value engineered" -- reduced quality/cost -- on a different aspect to try to compensate). No journalist will even explain this be cause they don't know how product development and sourcing works. Many items being purchased for this park would be impacted by any tariffs in place when they arrive in the US port. I can also tell you that almost 20% of construction workers may be affected by deportation. I'm not making a political statement about whether people should or should not be deported, I am only reporting that last time this happened, construction labor costs skyrocketed. Same happened in the UK after Brexit and they lost the laborers from continental Europe. So, the economic conditions of the future and how they impact this park are complex and by no means a slam dunk positive or negative as the biased pundits would suggest.
I remember going Universal Nicktoon studios live slime shows a kid.Gettingnmy photonwithb🧽 I wish Universal would make cartoon networks Adventure Time a Ride so I wouldn't have to travel to Dubai to experience it.
Do you think Universal should build more Universal Kids parks and Universal Unleashed year-round haunts around the country?
Yeah, especially if they add new properties to other potential Kids resorts instead of cloning the parks, like Mario or Pokémon.
Another 1 or 2 Kids parks makes sense for sure. Illinois & Washington State are my picks.
Yes, if the business model works out -- and this is a great test. But even beyond that, it's a chance for Universal to introduce itself -- brand-wise -- to potential guests and promote their major resorts. It would be smart to have a preview center / showcase exhibit marketing Hollywood and Orlando.
However, given they reportedly invested $6 billion in Epic and Cedar Fair (with 12 parks) has a market cap is only $4.5 billion, it would seem another strategy would be to acquire Cedar Fair and then re-launch selected parks over time with Universal branding and upgrades. It would also be a way to acquire the DC Comics license which could be useful...say to replace Marvel at IOA.
Absolutely, if both projects are successful I'd like to see even more diverse, small-scale offerings. It's unlikely to happen if we're being honest but I would love to see a Starcruiser-esque Ilvermorny hotel
@DrStarlander I would stay far far away from the Cedar Fair balance sheet. They are already planning various park closures, ride closures & sell offs.
Why absorb all of that with no ROI for a decade or more.
Plus Comcast has some of its own problems on the media side of things, while still planning Universal Great Britain, and major IP additions like Pokemon.
Just say no to acquisitions (like they allegedly did with Port Aventura).
As someone who lives in the area I really hope it turns into a Disney Springs-esque place. It would be a really nice addition to the area.
We can’t wait for your universal GB updates ❤
Absolutely love the soundtrack in this video!
Thank you so much for the shout out! I just uploaded November’s update on my channel today if anyone is interested.
Wow great timing! Checking it out now!
Texas feels like it'd be a great state to host a third set of major universal/disney parks for the US. It sits halfway between California and Florida, has a lot more open space than both states, it's a great state economically, and internationally I think it would do well bordering so many Mexican States.
How's the weather in Texas?
@@Daniel-ii6kf this year has been very nice. Its been very peaceful so far
No thanks. I’d rather go to places without racist.
@Atyomommahouse-p2m You know you dont meant that, Texas people are wonderful people.
@@Atyomommahouse-p2mwell Florida isn't any better
Wow, it's going to be crammed
"Dawn of a new era"
Still strange that Universal is willing to build SpongeBob attractions in their new park, considering it seems they wanted to move on from Nickelodeon in their own parks, especially since after the downsizing of the channel’s presence in their other parks.
I think because most kids cartoons only last for a couples years at best in their popularity before something else takes over.
SpongeBob has been quite resilient in continuing to be popular despite how long it's been on-air. Part of this continued popularity comes from kids and teens who watched it now sharing it with their own kids.
At this point, it's probably safe to say that SpongeBob will continue to be popular for years to come.
SpongeBob is found in a few parks in the US at a regional amusement/theme park level, while Orlando Is a World Wide theme park so they want to avoid putting money in a regional IP there. Univeral kids is gonna be their Legoland, a regional theme park. So using a regional IP makes more sense.
confirmed ?
Hopefully they do a retheme of toon lagoon soon
@@Themeparkfishthere’d also a SpongeBob dark ride shooting game in Las Vegas, there’s just so many nick merch and rides out there it’s not going to push people to come as much as other current relevant IP
These videos are so well done. It's a shame its not for adults with it being so close to where I live.
I agree! I live close. I wish it was just a regular Universal park.
I think universal has thought that if they make it a full on resort like the Orlando with big thrill rides Orlando and Hollywood would probably loose less attendance as everyone is going to this park and not the main resorts.
@@Art3free-3They don’t offer the same experience though. You go to USH, and it’s pretty much the same stuff they have over in Orlando. Making it more of a full resort would attract out of state tourists, rather than the same old crop of bored parents trying to get their moneys worth out of an annual pass.
It’s central enough though that really, they would probably just attract more central US visitors, who’d drive to a universal resort, rather than fly. And with the economy being in a questionable state right now, that may be a better investment. Even Disney thought to put his park within driving distance of a major metropolitan area until it could sustain a need from outsiders.
@@UmmYeahOk Maybe if this park gose down well they might add a studios park
@@Art3free-3they have the land, but are restricted by the city government on what they can build. So nothing too high, and “no dark rides.” They would have to build it elsewhere without such restrictions, and they really need both parks to be close.
What I’d like to see is either an expansion land for Nintendo IPs, or a kiddie version of Wizarding World. I know that may seem overdone, but a lot of HP can’t really enjoy Wizarding World. They either can’t fit into the seats, or don’t like coasters. And the rides are too extreme for kids, so pretty much, it’s that interactive wand experience, and shows. A kiddie version would solve this, and get kids interested in going to the real I’ve when they are older.
That last "expansion plot" mention looks like a detention/water quality pond based on the contours in the drawing.
It will be fascinating to see how this park performs financially in the long run. I'm hoping it does really well - and opens up a new wave of park construction across the country.
Wish they had Nintendo land considering there's a video game museum down the road
Great news update Alicia
I don't have young children, but I think this is a great idea. Families can make short trips for the kids, no need to go to a coast. It may help to develop brand loyalty so as the children get older they'll want to visit the bigger parks.
Universal are killing it. I have this thought that the extra theme park space next to Epic may be pencilled in for one of these Universal Kids Parks in the future.
That would be nice! Would love to see SpongeBob in Florida!
@@aidsetab806 doesn’t he already have a store and meet and greet with “SpongeBob StorePants”.
cool to see that they're actually going through with this considering there was push-back from a good amount of people in the city of Frisco. Just wish it would've been an all ages park, Texas really needs A major themepark, Seaworld isn't cutting it and neither is six flags in my opinion
I’m rooting for them but a little skeptical that a kids park on this scale is viable, even if it’s significantly smaller than Epic Universe, it’s close to the size of the original Disneyland CA park [edit: I see now the theme park is only about 37 acres or a little less than half the size of Disneyland]. Walt was successful because he wanted to build a park where adults could have fun alongside their kids and even back in the early 1960s newspapers remarked on how they observed more adults than children at Disneyland. I guess we’ll see and I hope I’m wrong as I’d love to see more premium regional parks developed.
This is local for me, and honestly I'm mostly skeptical of it because the weather here is not going to be conducive to what I've seen about the attraction plans.
Only one indoor ride, almost no indoor eateries, no water rides to soak you in cool water, AND the park hours are only going to be during the hottest parts of the day? With DFW weather, that's a recipe for abject misery in the best cases, and potential medical emergencies in the worst cases.
@@JBAGrimthere’s about two good weeks in the spring and two good weeks in the fall. Otherwise, extreme hot and cold due to the humidity. A lot of the park is actually indoors, or under shaded structures. It’s confusing because they said “no dark rides” but the mayor of Frisco later clarified. I mean, if you think about it, that carousel inside Stonebriar Mall could be considered a “dark ride,” as it’s an indoor ride. Shrek’s Swamp and Bikini Bottom looks to have a bit of splash pad areas that will be popular among kids, but probably not so much for the adults. It’s not like Peppa Pig over at North Richland Hills. That’s practically all outdoor, with a few splash pads. Probably explains why they opted for a March 2025 rather than owning next month, as it looks to be almost done.
Hopefully it gets a lot of the soul of the originals. They hopefully don’t give a watered down version. People will feel the difference and many have been to the major theme parks. Would be a waste if they didn’t give it that same magic.
They also have that tiny gabbys dollhouse spot at the front on the side in the art but not really a full land more a playground. Not sure why universal keeps giving gabby the shaft. She has a big screen movie next year and one of Netflix's highest rated kids shows and sells tons of merch, but they just throw her in as a tiny little extra in the parks.
NO NOT GENSLER
Why are these entertainment companies obsessed with the most soulless architectural firm in America?????
I’ve worked on projects around the world. As soon as Gensler is involved, I become concerned about overall quality because they excel at offices and little else.
its universal there is nothing to worry about
Wait Universal Kids Resort that crazy
Makes sense knowing that the current head of universal creative came from gensler
I'm so taking my little niece and nephew here! We live in the area 🎉😊
Parking takes more space than the actual park, this is nuts
I was thinking that too. its probably that big as they cant build parking garages due to hight
I wonder if this will snowball later on into disney makeing a mini park in texas too
Why not make it a little more immersive and polished like Epic, where they're supposed to take their time, instead of the usual universal that works fast but isn't as interactive or immersive. After all, this land doesn't cost that much money, does it?
any update for universal horror unleash in las vegas yet?
I think them having SpongeBob will make this a lot more popular than it would be otherwise.
Could see this park get expanded many times over the years.
And depending on height restrictions from the city, if need be, they could turn the south lot into a parking garage, and annex the north lot for more park space.
I'm surprised they're doing Jurassic Park and not something more kid friendly like Secret Life of Pets, Super Mario, or Pokemon.
They are saving Mario for bigger city and Pokemon will go in universal Orlando. Life of pets is already in Orlando. I think this hotel may be a trial to see how it does.
If they do include Jurassic Park, it'll very likely be something associated with the Camp Cretaceous cartoon
What? JP/JW is very well known with kids.
I hope this means universal studios is coming to texas and this is a test
A rumor about Fiesta Texas closing, that might a prime place for Universal.
Texas is too close to Florida. I seriously doubt they would build a brand new universal park.
@Daniel-ii6kf but it's like the middle of the us which I think would be perfect. So why not build a park in Texas.
@@JT_Toons
Texas isn't a vacation destination like Florida and CA. The big resorts want to be in a place where people are already going, otherwise it's too risky for the long term.
@@dannielz6Florida was pretty much a swampland in the 60s when Walt Disney bought all that land. There wasn’t enough of a local base to attract park guests. It was a huge gamble that people on the west coast would be willing to drive there. It is quite a drive to bother CA and FL parks from the central US. Very few make the trip via car these days. They would river to this though.
I hope this means a full blown Universal for Texas is in the plans
I'm very excited for Universal Kids Resort coming in summer 2026 I hope that next year we will get a announcement for the rumor lands and the hotel we will get
Make it bigger!
Man, Universal is on absolute FIRE lately. But what worries me is that they might over extend themselves, and end up on the losing end. I have a feeling people's pockets are gonna be real shallow in the coming years, and these kinds of excursions might be out of range for many families. We shall see. As a long time Uni fan, I'm truly rooting for them, though!
I wish more of these of these parks were more designed with public transit in mind.
Not in TX
Man, when I first heard Rumors of a Universal Park coming to North Texas, everyone I knew, including myself, were so pumped. Then we were all slightly disappointed when they announced it would be a Kids focused Universal studios & I can still say I'm disappointed. I hope this park does GREAT numbers and Universal decides to build an adult version..
yes
With the rumored Jurassic Park area and coaster. I thought for the roller coaster at 4:18 it looked like it could also be a potential Woody Woodpecker attraction given that the coaster is surrounded by trees and you’re soaring near those trees like what a woodpecker would do. But then again, nobody really cares about the IP anymore yet it seems plausible.
Going after the Legoland Market, I think it will be interesting to see if it works. I think Mattel should have gone after this market
Alicia... the music had me twerking on the couch 😂🎉
550 million s for the entire park? I'm guessing it would look even worse than the recently built DreamWorks land at Universal Orlando..
Do you guys think any hotels will come with express passes to epic come July? And do you have any idea what single day tickets/express pass prices will look like? (even a ballpark) Sorry, you just tend to be right about everything 😂
I was just at universal this summer, and was told only the three original hotels (hard rock, royal pacific and portifino) will be offering fast passes. Sorry I don't know what the price will be but very expensive.
@@Marie0626thank you! i feel like they will just be express passes for the existing parks though, probably not also epic ):
Still kinda strange to me that Paramount lets Universal use SpongeBob so much.
next universal adults plz no one under 21 allowed
like that would happen.
@@Art3free-3 well a boy can dream
I wish they would build a crusty crab restaurant here in Orlando at Universal Studios
Everyone know will this version of park will have characters meet and greet
This gets a hotel before Hollywood!
Where would you put one?
@@UmmYeahOk there is a small amount of room at the back of citywalk and behind Forbidden journey for one. however then sightlines wont be the best
We need a Texas bioreconstruct!!
I think SpongeBob is good for all ages, more so than trolls or minions. Helps a bit with the “older siblings” demographic.
Will we get a krabby patty and krabby patty pizza however?
If woody woodpecker ain’t here I’m not going
No Fievel either. 😢
@@UmmYeahOk With how Universal is handling their IP aimed at young audiences it’s like the “Mother Ignoring Kid Drowning in the Pool” meme. The mother playing with the young girl is Universal with the Minions or a currently popular DreamWorks franchise, then the boy drowning is IP like Woody Woodpecker or Curious George and the skeleton that is underwater is An American Tail, The Land Before Time, and Balto.
@@thedrewster0408Other than direct to home video sequels, I don’t think Universal ever did anything with LBT and Balto. At least AT had a park presence with stage shows, meet and greets, and a park playground. Its downfall was that the children playing on the structures had no clue who Fievel was, unless their parents forced them into watching it. I’m not sure when the last time the Universal Kids channel aired it, but it was probably years before they started airing the LBT animated series.
My daughter loved riding the Woody Wood Pecker roller coaster, but even when I was a kid, that franchise was outdated. I think I saw an animated series with him and his family when I visited France back in 2010. I don’t know when or if it aired in the US.
@@UmmYeahOk There was an animated reboot of the franchise that brought back his mid to late 1940s character design and it did air in the United States but only on Fox Kids from 1999-2002 before getting cancelled. Then after 15 years of nothing for the franchise, there was the terrible live action movie that was initially released in theaters in Latin America, primarily in Brazil back in late 2017 before releasing direct to DVD in 2018 for America. As well as the TH-cam web series that’s made by the same director that did the movie.
I honestly have little to no hope that this franchise would ever get back to its glory days again unless if they just completely reinvent the character for modern audiences to make him less “obnoxious” to modern audiences, I don’t know.
@@thedrewster0408I guess I was too old, even back then. I was 17 in 99, and no longer watched Fox Kids. It wasn’t that I was too cool. It was mostly due to scheduling. But even if I woke up early, or my high school didn’t let out at 4:05, I was more about Kids WB. Hadn’t really watched Fox since Animaniacs and those shows moved to the new WB network. Still watched Fox for Simpsons, Futurama, and Family Guy. Assumed Fox Kids was more about the latest anime trend.
I do remember a live action movie that was very briefly marketed. Looked terrible. It was doomed to fail. Really, the only way Woody has a chance is if Universal treated him like their Mickey Mouse or Bugs Bunny. WB would sometimes have Bugs present in the WB intro of movies. Universal used to do that with Amblin and Feivel.
It looks like a cool park, but why build a whole theme park when Universals theme parks are already severely lacking for kids attractions? There are whole swaths like Toon Lagoon, Doctor Seuss, Simpsons, Men in Black that are outdated and could really use something like this to attract more families to the parks. It's odd to me that the US parks offer so little for kids because the international parks have amazing kids attractions like in Osaka and Beijing.
Universal Studios Florida did just add new Minions and DreamWorks attractions and Epic Universe opens next year with Super Nintendo World and How to Train Your Dragon, so there is new stuff for kids in Orlando. Simpsons may be replaced soon. But I think kids I know anyway still like the Dr Seuss rides. Especially the Trolley!
Dr Suess will never be outdated
Obv you haven’t been to the parks 😂 if anything there’s too much kid stuff
Oh brother im sick of hearing about Toon lagoon being "outdated" or "Unpopular". They just have to redo the ride with characters that people DO care and make it a worthy equal to both DreamWorks & Iumination. I know it sounds arrogant, but I just want to see Woody and his pals have the respect they deserve (at least this once).
Kids love Seuss Landing. Every time I’m at Islands, Seuss is jam-packed! Even the zoo playground isn’t a secret anymore.
isnt spongebob paramount?
Isn’t Harry Potter WB? Ghostbusters Sony? What’s your point?
Universal has a long history with Nickelodeon. While the current SpongeBob meet and greet, gift shop, and Dora and Diego meets are mere remnants of one HUGE footprint, they never really stopped partnering with them.
Now, I’m sure this may have taken up some of their budget for the new park, I understand the desired goal. This is for the parents. Young Millennials and other Zennials grew up with SpongeBob, and not only can they share their love with their children, but they can be kids again, as well.
I’ll be laughing if it turns out that Paramount pulls out SpongeBob like they did with Universal Beijing.
Are we taking bets on if Wendy's will be the provider at the Krusty Krab, or they getting the boot?
@@RolenTBard They are getting two boots! Use the Wimpy burger as a base and crowd test the final product.
More like reuse Krusty Burger’s Formula
This is complicated because 1) Krusty Krab doesn’t serve beef, and 2) it is illegal in the state of Texas to defame beef. They could serve a type of vegan “impossible” burger, so long and it’s made clear that the meat is not beef. They could also sell a special type of Sandy burger, having a traditional beef burger that she would have enjoyed back home in Texas.
@@UmmYeahOk I think they break the rules for this one. No one wants a kelp burger.
@@LChatmanFLThere’s a huge Californian population there. I could see them wanting one. 🤣
Sorry but this Hotel looks ugly, at least compared to the first concert art showing that beautiful Colonial revival architecture
Gensler builds soulless boxes, but American companies are obsessed with their office parks. Their people handled the redesigned core at Epcot.
It you look at the original concept, it’s very similar. My thinking is they were restricted on height, so the turrets that made the structure so appealing were removed, and in by doing so, it lost its soul.
Unfortunately agreed. looks like Hampton in or something, or any box chain hotel/motel- no shade to them but not what you would expect for universal theme park hotel. It deserves much more visual interest than a paint job afterthought. They are already starting off on wrong foot. Hopefully they can read the comments and adjust. Can’t just throw up a box with no architectural interest, paint it calling universal and expect parents to want to pay more than once to stay there.
That Minions water ride tho 👀👀
Alicia, do you think theres any chance that Spongebob building is a dark ride, or is that highly unlikely?
The mayor of Frisco said the initial plans will not have a dark ride, so I would not get our hopes up. But not certain yet.
@ThemeParkStop makes sense. So weird for a mayor to say that haha, unless I'm missing context. Thank you 🙏🙏
@@RankingTheMouse He was answering questions from locals on Facebook, so it wasn't just out of nowhere I swear lol
I personally think they should've built it somewhere else nearby as where they are building it is restricted to what they can build such as hight and the fact they can't build dark rides is just silly
There aren't any rules against dark rides, the mayor just said the initial plans don't include any
@ oh ok
100
It’s so small.
Meh. I prefer USH mostly rather than Universal Kids Resort. That’s all I’m In for it with one theme park.
Looks cool but I’m probably never going.
The name is the reason.
What happens when you have kids of your own though? Going to take them to Disney?
@ I don’t want kids, but good point
I just hope you don’t need a kid in order to ride the rides
I do not know about the rides, but the official FAQ states you do not have to have children with you to visit the park.
I suspect with tariffs coming from the new president we will see delays in construction, like we did with Epic during his last term. So 2026 is probably not gonna be reality anymore.
Majority of the manufacturing and steel-work is done in the US anyways. All for moving as much back here instead of relying on child and salve labor from China.
No, tariffs will not affect this project. Per city guidelines, it must be open by 2027 or will subject to additional penalties financially and lose many local city tax benefits, etc. In fact, with the new president incoming, this project has gained a greater financial stability due to incoming policy which will allow better financial forecast. Under the current regime, Universal Executives had expressed doubts more opportunities around the US because of the current regimes inflation and policy management causing the average Americans under burden and stress. Universal Executives have recently hinted that this new change is going to be the greatest thing to happen to them in the past two decades.
Tariffs won't affect most businesses to after 2025. Much of the stuff will be under contract already.
@@marcosgallegos6242 As someone who has been making consumer products and bringing it in from China for decades, I can tell you that the recent inflation -- a GLOBAL issue -- was due to the pandemic shutting down Asian factories and disrupting supply chains and increasing freight costs significantly. You won't believe how much we had to pay for a container load vs. before the pandemic, ridiculous. The issues have been slowly working out, and it has little to no reliance on what the White House of either party can control. But the US was way better off than the rest of the world.
I can also tell you tariffs do cause inflation (it happened to my products under either political party) and it affected product quality too (when an aspect of our product incurred a tariff, we "value engineered" -- reduced quality/cost -- on a different aspect to try to compensate). No journalist will even explain this be cause they don't know how product development and sourcing works. Many items being purchased for this park would be impacted by any tariffs in place when they arrive in the US port.
I can also tell you that almost 20% of construction workers may be affected by deportation. I'm not making a political statement about whether people should or should not be deported, I am only reporting that last time this happened, construction labor costs skyrocketed. Same happened in the UK after Brexit and they lost the laborers from continental Europe.
So, the economic conditions of the future and how they impact this park are complex and by no means a slam dunk positive or negative as the biased pundits would suggest.
If I can’t afford to fly to USH or USO due to the economy, then I may be able to afford to drive to UKR. It’s only 45 minutes away.
I feel like this parks pointless but what do i know lol
$550 million. This is about to be so trash 😂
I remember going Universal Nicktoon studios live slime shows a kid.Gettingnmy photonwithb🧽 I wish Universal would make cartoon networks Adventure Time a Ride so I wouldn't have to travel to Dubai to experience it.