As any theme park aficionado will tell you, things in Orlando are going to be epic in 2025. That’s when Universal Orlando’s third theme park – Epic Universe – is set to be unveiled, powering up portals to fantastic worlds you’ve never seen before… Last month we launched into the cosmos for a sneak peek at the epic new Starfall Racers dueling-and-dancing coaster combo en route to the park’s celestial hub. But today, we’ll pass through another portal entirely and see what Epic Universe may have in store…
We should say: in keeping with Universal’s long tradition of “worst kept secrets” (Jurassic World VelociCoaster was practically testing by the time Universal officially announced it), very, very little is officially announced about of Epic Universe at all. Technically, only Super Nintendo World is confirmed for the park. But construction images of the third gate align with what our friends at Orlando Park Stop have been saying all along in regard to the park’s hub and other three “IP lands”: Universal Monsters, The Wizarding World, and How To Train Your Dragon.
Today, we’ll explore what awaits in the Isle of Berk, the mythical Viking world where dragons are real… Along the way, we’ll dig into Universal’s upcoming version of a flat ride that only two other theme parks in the U.S. have. Are you ready to become a Dragon Rider? If so, you’ll want to head into Universal Orlando’s first immersive, DreamWorks-centered land and strap into a ride that’ll leave you breathless…
DreamWorks & Dragons
Universal purchased DreamWorks Animation in 2016 for $3.8 billion, equipping the company with one of the few modern animation character catalogs to rival Disney’s similarly-acquired Pixar. With that purchase, Universal became the parent company of a number of successful franchises, including Shrek, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda, Trolls, The Boss Baby, and The Bad Guys. (Shrek, Madagascar, and Kung Fu Panda attractions existed at Universal Parks prior thanks to the same kind of licensing deals that allowed Disney to have Star Wars attractions before the company acquired Lucasfilm outright in 2012.)
Of course, if we’re talkin’ “epic,” few of DreamWorks’ franchises can rival How To Train Your Dragon, a three-film saga that arguably flies as close to Disney and Pixar’s brand of world-building and “timelessness” as DreamWorks tends to get. (Otherwise, the studio admittedly tends to favor more timely, modern stories, modern jokes, celebrity cameos, and top 40 pop soundtracks).
The film series follows the hapless Viking Hiccup and his unlikely companion – the last known Night Fury dragon – named Toothless.
Over the course of three films, three television series, and an expanded universe of video games, soundtracks, animated shorts, comic books, and graphic novels, fans have come to explore the Viking world of Berk – a rocky island in the “Barbaric Archipelago” of the Greenland Sea. There, the great Hooligan clan resides in a village of wood and stone, precariously positioned among the island’s rocky arches and crashing waves. And what awaits there for guests sounds like a stunning lineup…
Isle of Berk
Again, Universal hasn’t officially acknowledged that a land based on the How To Train Your Dragon franchise is part of Epic Universe’s lineup, even though site plans and construction confirms it. If there were any question, the existence of the land would’ve been triple-confirmed thanks to a recent trademark filing for the mouthful-of-an-official-name, “How To Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk”.
Given that it’s still not technically, officially announced at all, Universal hasn’t released any confirmed concept art of the Isle of Berk at Universal Epic Universe. But from site plans and Park Stop’s research, we know more about this land than you might think.
For example, we expect that it’ll contain a “Great Hall” restaurant with diners communing in the soaring stone rotunda, undoubtedly noshing on flame-roasted meats.
The land will also have a large theater, likely meant to stage the ultra-impressive Dragon stage show “Untrainable” that debuted at Universal Studios Beijing, using staggeringly cool puppetry and animation. (It’s likely that “in-universe,” this theater and show will be explained as the Viking’s way of remembering and immortalizing the story of Hiccup and Toothless.)
As for the land’s rides, it’s expected that the premise of this land will be that visitors become “Dragon Riders in Training,” with each attraction meant to be a Viking-constructed test of a particular skill or quality needed to become a Dragon Rider. And that’s where the fun begins… Read on…
Viking Trials
When guests pass through the portal from the celestial hub of Epic Universe into the Isle of Berk, they’ll arrive in a land brimming with activity and motion. Clearly meant to be the family-focused land of Epic Universe, the How To Train Your Dragon land will contain a half-day’s worth of activity all on its own.
In addition to the aforementioned stage show and “Great Hall” restaurant, Park Stop reports that the land is set to contain a smorgasbord of activities meant to test your readiness to become a Viking… (NOTE: The images below may or may not be authentic; Universal has not confirmed a How To Train Your Dragon land at Epic Universe, making these concept art pieces, renderings, and mock-ups officially unofficial.)
For example, the Isle of Berk will contain a “Splash Battle” – a popular Mack Rides model in which guests load onto slow-moving boats with seats facing outward, using on-vehicle water guns to spray and splash at targets. There are many “Splash Battle” installations around the globe, but the best benefit from extensive scenery placed around the rides, which can include interactive targets and smart “clashes” with other vehicles or bystanders (who may be able to spray back thanks to on-land water guns) – an area where we expect Universal’s version to stand out.
The land will also contain an all-ages play area that looks to be Universal’s equivalent of the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail at Disney California Adventure or their own Camp Jurassic at Islands of Adventure – that is, a multi-level exploration space filled with climbing nets, slides, ziplines, and more. Surely this “Viking Training Grounds” will be a family favorite, where kids can be released to run, climb, jump, slide, splash, and explore.
The land’s “main” ride will no doubt be its family roller coaster. A thrilling test of guests’ Dragon Rider skills, this attraction is rumored to see guests strap into a Viking-crafted wooden “dragon” for a launched test run out of the Haddock House. The roller coaster will then dive, twist, turn, and skim its way across the entire land, dipping down into the lagoon at the island’s entry, leaping over a forest, and passing through a number of short dark ride scenes with successive re-launches. Manufactured by Intamin, this land-spanning coaster is reportedly meant to be a sister to the resort’s wildly popular Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure.
There’s no doubt that this ride will be the land’s visual centerpiece and E-Ticket anchor… But if you ask us, the land’s hidden gem and fan-favorite is something you might not initially be as hyped about…
Dragon Racer Rally
Since the steam-powered carousel well over a century ago, the category of attractions known as “flat rides” has expanded exponentially. Often placed on discrete, flat, concrete pads (hence their name), flat rides come in all shapes and sizes. From spinning scramblers and flying elephants to flipping top spins and screamin’ swings, ride manufacturers increasingly seek out more awe-inspiring, crowd-gathering ways to send guests circling, spinning, swinging, and more. Flat rides are really a panacea for parks, adding both capacity and kinetics in small footprints and – especially in Orlando – giving guests something to enjoy while they await Lightning Lane return times on anchor attractions.
But one of the most jaw-dropping fun, creative, and flexible varieties of flat ride that’s only now debuting is the Gerstlauer Sky Fly. How does it work? Frankly, it’s easier seen-than-said (see video below), but in short, 12 riders at a time board individual seats suspended from an overhead platform, which is itself attached to one end of a massive armature. When the ride begins, the arm begins to circle, sending the twelve riders rising and falling in continuous arcs. On its own, it’s a joyful, free-flight experience that’s wonderfully refreshing, meaning riders can sit back and enjoy the yo-yo-swing-style arcing. But the Sky Fly has a trick up its sleeve…
Each rider is also in charge of two articulating wings, held onto via joystick-like knobs. These wings can each pivot about an axis. Push forward and the wings tilt down. Pull back, and they tilt up. Or, mix-and-match to place one wing up and one down. In so doing, riders can manipulate the air currents passing over the wings to bank their seat into the flying turns; to rock back and forth; even to completely invert, weightless. Yes, on this flat ride, you choose your thrill level. And more to the point, if you want to try to flip, spin, or even balance upside down, it takes some work and (gasp!) some experimentation! This ride is a living, breathing experiment in flight testing!
Today, there are only two Gerstlauer Sky Fly ride installations in the entire United States. The first is the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shell Shock” in Nickelodeon Universe at Minnesota’s Mall of America (which went viral thanks to a video of a rider aiming for as many continuous inversions as possible).
The second is at the first major, from-scratch new theme park to open in the country in decades. If you read our popular peek into Iowa’s mythological Lost Island Theme Park, you’ll remember our incredibly high praise for its version, “Amara Aviators” (seen in the video above) stylized as a grounded air clan’s mechanical solution for returning to the skies once more.
That will make Universal’s version of the ride – reportedly set to be called Dragon Racer Rally – only the third installation in the country (and the first in any major destination park). Not only will Universal’s ride be cleverly wrapped to resemble a Viking-devised wooden flying contraption; it’ll also be doubled. Yes, there will be two side-by-side copies at Epic Universe – one running clockwise and one counterclockwise – to add a visual “clash” between the “racing” riders.
To be sure, Dragon Racer Rally does have some inherent operational drawbacks. First, this ride model is very attractive in the sense that it’s big, kinetic, and nearly as fun to watch as it is to ride. That may be a problem since even Universal’s doubled ride model will only be able to accommodate 24 riders at a time – an abysmally small capacity. (To be fair, even four copies of the ride wouldn’t help this ride even approach the capacity a destination park like Universal Orlando really needs.
That brings another significant downside to the ride. Part of the fun of the ride is in the experimentation… trying to flip, or figuring out how to rock, or finding the right tempo to fluctuate the “wings” for your ideal ride experience. The result is that this is a ride that benefits greatly from re-rides, as you learn the “tricks.” That becomes prohibitive when the ride has a very long wait and (to maximize capacity) what’s likely to be a very short ride cycle. Especially if Universal offers Express for this ride, it’s likely that “Stand-by” riders will be shut out from entire ride cycles, leaving all 24 seats to Express users. Yikes!
Trust us – Dragon Racer Rally at Universal Epic Universe is almost certain to become a cult classic, fan-favorite hidden gem of a ride. Sure, fans will flock to the launched roller coaster, blockbuster stage show, and immersive restaurant that really anchor this land… but we think this unique, experimental flat ride will oddly rise to the top, becoming a signature ride for Universal Orlando and a living example of its mix of thrills and theme.
Have you ridden a Gerstlauer Sky Fly before? What do you think about this entirely interactive, choose-your-own-thrill-level experience? Are you worried about its low capacity, or will the rest of Epic Universe’s major draws make Dragon Racer Rally a hidden gem? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
