Islands of Adventure: A Blue Sky, Armchair Imagineered Build-Out of Universal Orlando’s Storied Second Gate

Seuss Landing

Background

At least in the development of Islands of Adventure, Seuss Landing was always described as the park’s Fantasyland equivalent; the area most overtly aimed at families with children from, say, 0 to 7. Obviously in a park whose purpose was to capture the Magic Kingdom’s audience, that makes it a very important space.

Even more so, licensing the rights to use properties from Seuss Enterprises (a very extended and difficult ordeal via Seuss’ famously protective widow) was a major coup in assembling a lineup of perpetually-culturally significant IPs. In a way few character catalogues can manage, Seuss really does feel intergenerational and evergreen… like Grandma knows its characters as well as Junior, and that Junior’s grandkids will, too; no reboots, sequels, or even blockbuster big screen movies needed.

Seuss Landing was also a highlight of the park’s “making-of” marketing, given how designers used substantial imagination and engineering to make the land’s whimsical, pastel, shapeless architecture, its invented instrumental score, and its smörgåsbord of otherworldly fantasy creatures mix together in one colorful, nautical, rhyming picture book port. It’s said that you can’t find a right angle anywhere in the land – Universal even uprooted and replanted palm trees left twisted and kinked by 1992’s Hurricane Andrew!

Long before Dreamworks Animation tackled the worlds of The Grinch or The Lorax, Seuss Landing made the works of Seuss into three-dimensions. It’s wonderful, whimsical, and wacky. My only issue is that by nature of bringing only one of Seuss’ stories to life as a dark ride (The Cat in the Hat) and featuring a single spinner ride, it doesn’t quite live up to being the park’s Fantasyland.

Early concept art suggested that a Grinch themed mine train coaster through Mount Crumpit and a dark ride experience centered on Horton Hears a Who were part of the initial plans, as well as an Autopia-style driving experience. None of that came to be. So as I re-approach Seuss Landing two decades later, I kept that all in mind, mixed it with reality, added some imagination, and came up with a build-out I really like…

Build-Out

As you enter Seuss Landing, one of the first attractions you encounter is “If I Ran the Zoo.” (The book If I Ran the Zoo, it should be noted, was one of six books Seuss Enterprises decided to no longer publish in 2021 for its harmful depiction of stereotypes – none of which are reflected in the attraction.) I actually count “If I Ran the Zoo” among the hidden gems of the park. If you’ve never stepped inside, it’s a very cute walkthrough “hedge maze” that leads to an interactive playground of Seussian creatures, play features, and splash pad games.

I like the idea so much that I actually upgraded “If I Ran the Zoo” to a ride further on in the land, and as a result, turned the existing walkthrough into THE LORAX TRUFFULA GROVE. That way, the walkthrough labyrinth can be a sort of interactive, playful retelling of The Lorax for those who wish to linger, while the final area can serve as a sort of “What if?” sequel – a fully restored truffula forest playground of climbing nets, slides, water splash pads, and encounters with humming-fish, swomee-swans, and brown bar-ba-loots. I love the idea of a fully built-out “natural play” area as it would appear in the Seuss world. This could also host a meet-and-greet space with The Lorax himself, which I think would be a neat environment for it.

Just beyond is the GREEN EGGS AND HAM CAFE – a sweet if underutilized food service window that’s only in recent years begun to find its footing with potato hash dishes… when it’s open. Even though the path that leads past it is by far the quickest connection to the next island, it’s much less traveled – mostly because it’s a lot of placemaking but nothing to do.

That actually worked for my needs, and allowed me to relocate the existing ONE FISH, TWO FISH, RED FISH, BLUE FISH Dumbo-esque spinner, but a new SNEECH BEACH SPIN teacup ride. (It actually kind of pains me to add so much noise and traffic to this nice lagoon-side path, because I really do love that each island has a quiet, tucked-away shoreline and this really is Seuss Landing’s. But placing the two spinners here adds great kinetic energy to the coast, uses this underutilized real estate in a cramped park, and opens One Fish Two Fish’s current spot for development that you’ll read about below.)

Meanwhile, obviously the classic CARO-SEUSS-EL also remains. And between the carousel, “Dumbo,” and teacup equivalents, we’re suddenly talking about the same family flat ride capacity and experience spread as a Fantasyland, making Seuss Landing all that more attractive as a place to spend the whole morning.

And since this is a dreamy, Blue Sky build-out, why not press for SYLVESTER McMONKEY McBEAN’S VERY UNUSUAL DRIVING MACHINES – the wacky, individually-speed-controlled “bumper cars” initially intended for those blue and purple tracks that weaves overhead throughout Seuss Landing? Our friends at Storybook Amusement beautifully chronicled the making of this would-be ride, which never opened. Reportedly, disputes with the ride’s manufacturer and an unclear plan for ride evacuation stalled the opening. It wasn’t until 2006 that the current iteration – the High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride – finally opened on the same tracks.

I really, really like the idea of the Very Unusual Driving Machines as a ride with no clear counterpart at Disney Parks, and a ride that would be beloved by the 5 – 8 year old set, allowing them the joy of the PeopleMover and the thrill of the Astro Orbitor, all with the two most important elements of Autopia – the control and the crashes.

It’s such a great ride idea, and looking at these new powered coasters on cruise ships that are set at a minimum speed but allow you to throttle up from there, I think you’ve got the technology you need (just on a much slower scale in Seuss Landing) perhaps embedding drive tires as a redundant way to get vehicles into evacuation zone blocks… I don’t know. The answer is out there, and if we’re reimagining the park, why not go for it?

Back on the main path, my built-out Islands of Adventure would want to do something about THE CAT IN THE HAT. In theory, this ride should be the park’s equivalent of E.T. Adventure – the headlining whole-family dark ride based on a beloved and widely known character. In practice, I feel like it’s always a near walk-on. I think anyone who’s ridden it in the last decade will tell you why…

Once on board, it’s painfully clear that it’s a quarter-century-old ride whose animatronics, animation, effects, lighting, and moving sets haven’t really ever been given a full-on refresh, much less a “plus”. Add to that that the ride system itself (the same as Men in Black: Alien Attack next door) is capable of very quick, dizzying spins, but was reprogrammed in 2014 as to mostly ignore that capability altogether, apparently when the quite intense spinning proved out of sync with the whole-family audience.

I say that all to say that I think the “flow” of the ride is really good, and the scenes themselves are cute. It just needs a stylistic refresh, a relighting, and maybe as needed, a switch to trackless vehicles that can dance, rollick, and spin around, dispatched into the ride in sets of two or three. Because otherwise, it’s such a great story to translate to the dark ride format, and I think it’s retold well!

Adjacent to the Cat in the Hat showbuilding is one of the park’s few remaining expansion pads. I believe that the Mount Crumpit coaster was planned for this space, and I definitely think the Grinch deserves such a presence. But for this plot, I went with a unique two-in-one solution that I’m excited about. Basically, I re-used the “Circus McGurkis” (currently a quick service restaurant with a very cool interior but very standard food) as a shared queue house for two attractions.

The first is IF I RAN THE ZOO SEUSSIAN RIVER CRUISE. This water-based attraction would be an Intamin tow boat ride – the same ride model as Disneyland Paris’ Storybook Land Canal Boats. Riders board this system from a continuously-revolving platform, just like they might a white water rapids ride. The boats move continuously, towed by an underwater rope system and a series of pulleys.

A peaceful, playful ride, guests would through indoor and outdoor zoo exhibits populated by Seussian creatures –  a sort of zany, wacky, whimsical, compact Jungle Cruise in a park that really needs a Jungle Cruise equivalent. For example, imagine an “Elephant Bathing Pool” with Horton-esque elephants as one of Universal’s frequent direct nods at Disney. This feels like a great, all-ages, high-capacity attraction of simple animatronics and fun, comical setups… and maybe a few fun light water sprays during hot months.

Sharing the same real estate is the CIRCUS McGURKIS TRAIN RIDE STOOPENDOUS – a powered family coaster that boards from within the circus tent, then dips, turns, and twists above the river ride. Though less than 1,000 feet long, this no-height-requirement, any-age, preschool-friendly ride would not only provide second-story views of select “exhibits” from the water ride, but exclusive rooftop vignettes of escaping animals and zookeepers!

Finally, I’ve forced a new expansion pad by relocating the park’s marina and re-routing a backstage road. On the plot, I’ve added a small new sub-section accessed between the Circus McGurkis tent and the High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride. Built around a dazzling Christmas tree and covered in fluffy white snow, tis miniature Whoville area would be reigned over by Mount Crumpit (which is also aligned to serve as a weenie to Seuss Landing from Port of Entry.)

Even rerouting backstage traffic, there isn’t much room here. Far, far less space than you’d need even for something the size of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. I think you could fit a vertically-stacked roller coaster like the Matterhorn, but frankly, with my new powered coaster train ride, I feel like Seuss Landing has its family coaster and thus we can dedicate this space to what’s really needed: an indoor dark ride featuring The Grinch (and I don’t need to tell you – we’re talking about the style of the book and 1966 Chuck Jones TV special, not the live-action Jim Carey vehicle from 2000 or the 2018 Illumination film, which are both nice, but don’t aesthetically fit Seuss Landing or Islands.)

My ride concept would be THE GREAT GRINCH NAUGHTY OR NICE WHOLIDAY HEIST. Guests would enter the grand Whoville Post Office just beyond the town tree. There, they’d be invited by the precious little Cindy Lou Who to join her in traveling through town, armed with Wholiday Cheer Dispensers to spread good will and Wholiday decorations. Of course, the Grinch himself would crash the pre-show party, wickedly suggesting that visitors instead join him in “wrecking the halls,” coming together to teach the Whos a lesson.

The ride itself would resemble Toy Story Midway Mania, with guests in rotating vehicles armed with Wholiday Cheer Dispensers. But in this unique ride, guests would be able to use a lever to set their poppers to either Naughty or Nice. Vehicles would travel not to screens, but to physical, projection-mapped sets, each a mini-game. For example, The vehicles may pull up to the whimsical front porch of a Whoville home, with “Nice” guests using their Cheer Dispensers to string lights, while “Naughty” guests burst their bulbs. The next scene – a Whoville living room – may have “Nice” guests wrap presents while “Naughty” guests aim to shred their wrap-jobs. Guests could even swap their lever between “Naughty” and “Nice” as they choose, changing their Cheer Dispenser’s effects mid-game.

Cars of “Nice” guests might create a wonderfully festive Wholiday celebration, ending with a final scene in Town Square as the Whos sing “Welcome Christmas” together; overwhelmingly “Naughty” riders would instead unlock a finale with Thurl Ravenscroft’s “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” as the Grinch relishes in the Christmas Eve chaos. In most arrangements, the battle between “Naughty” and “Nice” would be scored to determine whether cheer or sneer reigned supreme.

Finally, since the Circus McGurkis has been mostly transitioned to a queue for the new coaster and boat ride (leaving just a “Circus Snacks” snack stand), I added the WHOLIDAY FEASTHOUSE as the land’s go-to quick service. (This also allows this restaurant’s kitchen continue to double as a Team Member cafe, as Circus McGurkis’s does now.)

I think a Wholiday Feasthouse of festhaus-style community tables and holiday decor lends itself to more “in-universe” food and drink (Roast Beast, Beezlenut Cake, Who Hash, Truffula Treats, and land-exclusive “Cup of Cheer” chocolate drinks). There could even be a festhaus-style stage for read-alouds, caroling, and small-scale stage presentations – which could also make the space attractive for corporate rentals.

So altogether, Seuss Landing already came with a dark ride (Cat in the Hat), a spinner (One Fish Two Fish), a maze and playground (which I’ve rethemed as the Truffula Grove), a carousel, and the aerial train ride (which I’ve restored to bumper cars).

My version of the land adds a second dark ride (Wholiday Heist), a second flat ride (Sneech Beach Spin), a powered coaster (Circus McGurkis) and its paired outdoor boat ride (If I Ran the Zoo) with a new quick service restaurant. Interestingly, that would leave Seuss Landing with eight rides – as many as Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Altogether and in terms of a built-out, fully-matured park expanded over decades, that doesn’t seem like a huge ask! But it’s enough to make this island feel complete; big enough that a family could spend the whole morning there, with plenty of capacity and some really diverse experiences. It also makes it a real shame that Seuss Landing really hasn’t changed at all with the exception of the Train Ride opening in 2005. This is an IP and an island that are a major coup, and I’d like to see Universal embrace that and expand on it.

Hopefully this gives you a sense of the direction I’m going – embracing this park’s unique role and its already-spectacular ideas, expanding where I can, and replacing only what really would benefit from replacement. Speaking of which, onward…!