Back in January, Universal announced plans for a new US theme park that many were shocked to learn wouldn’t be in Florida or California. Situated on 97 acres in Frisco, Texas (about 30 miles north of Dallas) this new park would be unlike any other theme park Universal has opened in the US or anywhere else around the world. It will be full of family-friendly attractions, interactive and playful shows, character meet and greets, and other attractions that are specifically designed to appeal to families with small children.
Now, according to the Dallas Business Journal, Universal has selected an architecture firm to lead the design of the new proposed Universal theme park which is estimated to have a budget of $550 million theme park. Gensler which is the world’s largest architectural design firm has an office in Dallas and is already working on the Fields development which is set to include two 18-hole PGA golf courses and a resort.
Now, to be clear, neither Universal or Gensler have officially confirmed this news but it has certainly got theme park fans talking and speculating over whether if true, the project will be led by former president of Walt Disney Imagineering Bob Weiss.
In October 2022, Bob Weiss who had worked in Imagineering for 42 years announced that he would retire at the end of the year. During his 6 years as president of Walt Disney Imagineering (2016-2022) he delivered over 200 projects despite the struggles of COVID-19.
In January 2023, Gensler announced that they had hired Bob Weiss and according to The Journal Of The American Institute Of Architects, in his new role, “Weis will collaborate with Gensler’s global leadership platform to envision and bring to life unique experiences for clients across a variety of industries where the firm is immersed — from entertainment, lifestyle, hospitality, retail, sports, mixed-use, and cultural institutions to wellness and workplace.”
On Gensler’s People Page it says, “As former President of Walt Disney Imagineering, Bob brings more than 30 years of leadership creating, designing, and developing some of Disney’s most iconic projects around the globe. His experience in pioneering large-scale groundbreaking and story-driven experiences further expands Gensler’s ability to drive design innovation that meaningfully shapes the human experience.”
Now, with the rumor that Gensler has been appointed as the architect firm to lead the new Universal Texas theme park and with Bob Weiss having been hired back in January, surely it would make sense for Weiss to head up this exciting and highly lucrative project.
We will await confirmation and further details of what is expected from this new and different Universal theme park located in Frisco, Texas but what we do know is that it will have immersive themed lands as well as space planned for additional future expansions. It will also have a hotel attached to the park.
Current concept art is not giving much away although there is a boat ride visible and we expect playgrounds and water features. IPs could include characters from franchises like Trolls, Despicable Me, Shrek, Kung-Fu Panda, The Bad Guys and more.
To check out the details we know so far head to, Everything We Know About the Experimental New Universal Texas Theme Park and Further Details Revealed For Experimental New Universal Texas Theme Park.
We will keep you up to date with further details about this exciting new Universal theme park coming to Texas, let us know your thoughts by leaving us a comment below or on our Facebook page.
