Universal Epic Universe Archives

July 1, 2025January 3, 2026

Expanding Epic Universe, Part I: An Armchair-Imagineered Build-Out of Universal Orlando’s Cosmic Theme Park

As if foretold by the stars, it has arrived… the first major theme park in the U.S. in nearly a quarter of a century is here. Universal Epic Universe is meant to be the park that finally shifts the gravity in Central Florida for good, establishing Universal’s now three-park, eleven-hotel property as more than a side trip from Disney World, but a destination in its own right. Epic Universe brings with it big brands, big attractions, and a 21st century mindset that has otherwise come to Disney and Universal as piecemeal, land-sized expansions; never as an all-at-once new gate with the all the ambition and audacity of a greenfield project.

But now, it exists. And that’s the first step to get where we theme park fans really want to end up: “armchair Imagineering.” It’s a time honored tradition to basically throw away the rules, budgets, and realities that confine the actual park and begin to imagine what you’d do if you were in charge. And with a fresh park to play with, we have quite a bit of room to work our way toward a full, imagined “build-out” of what Epic Universe could be…

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5

July 1, 2025August 8, 2025

Expanding Epic Universe, Part II: An Armchair-Imagineered Build-Out of Universal Orlando’s Cosmic Theme Park

Welcome back! As you probably know, my Build-Out of Epic Universe became so outsized and image-heavy that it attempts to add to it crashed my website. So for the first time ever, I am proud to present… Expanding Epic Universe, Part II!

If you haven’t already, I recommend that before you dig into this half of the Build-Out, you start with Part I. That’s where we examine some of the foundational considerations that shape this imaginary, multiversal variant of the park, then lay out plans for imaginary expansions of Celestial Park, Super Nintendo World, and a first from-scratch world.

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5

March 28, 2025February 3, 2026

Landlines: A Timeline of Disney and Universal Parks’ Evolutions As Told By The “Lands” They Contain

Telling the story of Disney and Universal’s theme parks isn’t easy. Some of these are parks have lifetimes now measured in decades, generations, or human lifespans. Like people, their stories are full of growth, change, “phases,” mistakes, reversals, triumphs – and often, core pieces of their identities that tend to stick around for their whole lives even as they change and arrange around them.

Over the years, I’ve tried to create unusual new “lenses” to see these parks – from the “personalities” told by their pathways to their ride count relationships; diagrams of how their ride lineups compare to unexpected timelines; leaps into “armchair Imagineered” futures, to hand-illustrated layouts of their rides. Each only captures a small piece of the real story of how these parks evolve over their lifetimes. Today, I want to introduce another.

I call these diagrams LANDLINES – timelines of the lands that have come and gone from each of these parks. My hope is that these “zoomed out” views of the spaces inside of these parks will provide yet another lens to tell their stories; ways for even us diehard fans to somehow see the parks a little differently. I hope you enjoy.

This in-depth article is just one entry in Park Lore’s one-of-a-kind Special Features collection, where we explore the threads that connect between rides, parks, and pop culture! From Imagineering’s secret Society of Explorers and Adventurers, to the history of Chuck E. Cheese; from Disney and Universal’s AVENGERS: “Custody War” to the two-part tale of animation’s rebirth in the generation-defining ’90s Disney Renaissance!

Special Features are typically available exclusively for those who support this evolving theme park history project with a monthly Membership. It’s been unlocked for a limited time, but if you enjoy what you read, consider becoming a Park Lore Member for as little as $2 / month!

Pages: 1 2 3 4