Summer hits the theme parks and vacation destinations in this week’s theme park news. Universal Studios Hollywood takes fans back in time with Back to the Future and Jaws while bringing in the future with new Wicked and Jurassic World fun. Don’t worry, the Universal Monsters aren’t far behind; in fact they’re all hitting up Sin City for Universal Horror Unleashed’s opening in Las Vegas this August.
Over at the Disney Parks, Walt Disney World gears up for Test Track‘s reopening. Meanwhile, Old Navy and Disney collab on one heck of a roadtrip across America with their new summer Mickey & Friends collection.
And just in time for the release of DC Studios Superman, Six Flags gets the Justice League to unite for new superhero experiences!
Mega Movie Summer at Universal Studios Hollywood
Iconic blockbuster movies abound as new entertainment, fandom foodie offerings, and more. To celebrate Jaws‘ 50th anniversary, the hanging shark makes its return to the theme park with a special Quint and Brody meet and greet, which is delightful and the actors doing their Robert Shaw and Roy Scheider impressions are fantastic. Hey if the kids can meet Mario and Luigi, letting the adults meet the Orca crew is a great compromise. There’s also more Amblin amusement park presence, with Doc Brown, his pal Marty McFly, and his trusty first time traveler Einstein the dog in the DeLorean. Both films get awesome curated cinematic cuisine at the parks too.
For Jurassic franchise fans, there is now a Mosasaur roar on Jurassic World: The Ride and a new tiny triceratops meet and greet (which was temporarily in London for the premiere of Jurassic World: Rebirth). Wicked fans will also be happy to learn they can meet Elphaba and Glinda in an alternating capacity and there’s tons of new Wicked merch in its designated store.
Universal Horror Unleashed: Universal Monsters – Area15 Las Vegas
All of the Universal Monsters will be featured in one haunted house at Universal Horror Unleashed, which is sharing more updates ahead of its arrival at Las Vegas’ immersive experience destination Area15.
“We’ve got four incredible haunted houses that put you right in the middle of iconic and terrifying scenes. In the Universal Monsters House, you get to follow Van Helsing as he battles all of your favorite classic monsters. Our legacy of creating horror in Universal Studios goes all the way back to the beginning of the film itself. We’ve been creating iconic horror movies that have stood the test of time. Our Universal Monsters Haunted House takes you through the stories of all of the classic Universal Monsters. All of them are there, and you get to walk into their world,” Universal Creative’s Lorelei Lee shared in the video you can watch above.
We can’t wait for this one, especially since The Creature from the Black Lagoon’s Gill-man will be represented at last in Horror Unleashed’s Universal Monsters house.
... continue reading