For a while, it seemed like Universal caught Disney sleeping.
After nearly a decade of relative stasis in the Orlando theme park world, Disney appeared comfortable with its position as an unchallenged entertainment leader, while Universal seemed resigned to its status as a Central Florida also-ran.
But then, one day, Disney got a bit too overconfident and attempted to play hardball with a woman named J.K. Rowling, and the rest has been modern theme park legend.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter catapulted Universal into the forefront of Millennial and Generation Z minds — making Disney, suddenly, play second fiddle to another creative land. Building on that momentum, Universal opened a second Harry Potter expansion, several new attractions, a new resort, and even a new water park.
Now, though, we are at a crossroads for Universal, and the company must decide if it truly wants to take on Disney or if it is happy being a distant but very proud second place.
If they are as ambitious as they claim to be, here are five reasons why they should wind up to take another swing at the Mousy King.
Non-Harry Potter Attractions Have Disappointed
Image: elisfkc, Flickr (license)
You could make a very compelling argument that Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is the greatest theme park attraction ever built. It is so whimsical, inventive, and fun that you could almost forget how arrestingly beautiful its scenic design is. It is, simply, a master work — both of its own design and in replicating the visual vocabulary of one of the most iconic fictional universes of all time.
Following that up was, obviously, an unenviable task for any designer. If you showed up to an audition, you wouldn’t want to have to perform after Meryl Streep, right?
Nevertheless, Universal tried to take the excitement from Potter and funnel it into attractions built around other intellectual properties. Skull Island: Reign of Kong and Race Through New York: Starring Jimmy Fallon are perfectly fine attractions on their own. Fast and Furious: Supercharged provides an opportunity for fans to engage with some of their favorite characters in a theme park environment. That’s valuable.
But none of those attractions even remotely approach the brilliance of Forbidden Journey. That’s a problem.
Universal needs to increase its hit rate with new attractions, or simply build bigger and more ambitious attractions than the ones it has opened in recent years if the company wants to compete with Disney. This is especially important because …
Pandora Was Way Too Good
Image: chad_sparkes, Flickr (license)
Pandora: The World of Avatar was Disney simultaneously at its best and at its worst. Borne of an ill-conceived partnership and based on a film franchise that, while monetarily successful, has largely receded to history, Pandora was both a tone-deaf response to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and a singular achievement of artistic vision.
No one was clamoring to truly spend time in Pandora quite at the same level that Harry Potter fans dreamt of walking through the doors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was pure arrogance that led Disney into believing they could transform this film franchise into as beloved an environment as the Wizarding World.
And yet, against all odds, Pandora was a masterpiece. Chief Imagineer Joe Rohde created one of Disney’s most surreal and beautiful spaces within a park he built as an ode to the real beauty of the natural world. Even working in a headwind, Disney pulled off something remarkable.
As Disney’s attendance increased following the opening of Pandora, Universal was left with some uncomfortable questions. If a once-in-a-century gift fell into their laps with Harry Potter, and Disney was somehow able to match that land’s astonishing immersiveness with something based on a backbench intellectual property, how could Universal truly compete long term? If Joe Rohde and Co. could throw something together with plaster and greenery that is as magnificent an achievement as Pandora, what could Imagineering do with a bigger property?
Universal needs to move now in making another shot at Disney, because the answer to those questions is just around the corner…
Star Wars Is Coming
Image: Disney
With apologies to Universal, the only thing that comes to mind here is a scene from Avengers: Infinity War. After Bruce Banner has been summoned back to earth, Tony Stark explains to him that the Avengers have broken up. In response, Banner looks at him, sullen, and says, “Listen to me: Thanos is coming. It doesn’t matter who you’re talking to or not.”
Universal, hear me: Star Wars is coming. It doesn’t matter if you own IP or not.
It’s hard to overstate it, but when Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge comes on line in 2019, it will be an event unlike anything we’ve ever experienced in the theme park world. Disney, likely, isn’t even prepared for the mass of people who will arrive in Anaheim and Central Florida hoping to experience this incredible universe for themselves. There will be hours-long lines, overcrowding, and tickets so expensive, you’ll need to save up for half a decade to go.
If Universal thinks they can withstand the sea change without heavily going on attack, they will be washed away.
Rumors of Universal’s third non-water park gate have reached a fever pitch, and the massive tracts of land they’ve acquired near the convention center certainly portend something big. But whatever Universal has planned, they clearly need to widen the scope of what they think is possible. Attractions on par with Skull Island or Fast and Furious will not be enough to slow Star Wars’ reforming of the Orlando theme park landscape.
The IP Wars Will Wait for No One
Image: disneyabc, Flickr (license)
If Bob Iger’s legacy could be summed up in two letters — and, honestly, it probably should be — those two letters would be IP.
The concept of intellectual property has been the singular focus of Iger’s term as the Walt Disney Company’s CEO, acquiring Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, and now 20th Century Fox’s Film holdings. Once the 20th Century Fox deal is officially completed and processed, Disney will own the rights to seven of the top 10 highest grossing films of all time, and 10 of the top 15 (all unadjusted for inflation). In eight of the last 10 years, the highest grossing movie of the year is now owned by Disney.
Simply put, Disney now owns most of the ideas that one could conceivably wish to adapt into theme park attractions or lands.
If Universal wants to stay in this fight, it needs to pony up either for the full theme park rights to these properties in perpetuity, or for full ownership of the properties themselves.
The company’s decades-old decision to license Marvel, for example, not only has benefitted Universal by allowing them to create The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man and The Incredible Hulk roller coaster, but it also denied Disney the ability to use its eventual ownership of Marvel to steal market share in Florida. Canny deals like that one, which lock down beloved characters in perpetuity, are the kinds of moves Universal needs to make to compete with Disney long term.
Universal is Cool Again
Image: dkelly1126, Flickr (license)
But the single most important reason Universal needs to make a big splash is far broader than any of those above.
Universal is cool now.
When you tell someone you visited Universal Orlando, they’ll inevitably gasp and ask you how great the Harry Potter attractions were. To a person, the envious inquisitors want to learn every detail about the Hogwarts Express, Gringotts, the Leaky Cauldron, and Honeydukes. The energy is palpable.
That’s something you can’t pay for. The “cool” factor is something that cannot be described. It simply exists, and once you have it, you must fiercely protect it.
For a long time, Universal was decidedly un-cool. Perhaps in its Nickelodeon heyday, there was a mystique to the property, but that changed long ago as it morphed into a classier version of a regional amusement park. But now, with the Wizarding World of Harry Potter nearly a decade old, that reputation has changed.
It’s time for Universal to take another shot at upending the theme park hierarchy. It’s time for Universal to dream big. It worked once before, but between corporate changeover and a hefty reinvention project centered on the support facilities of the resort, the momentum stalled. Now is the time to recapture it.
Remember, Universal: Star Wars is coming. And with a snap of its fingers, it can make half of your market share disappear.
