Universal Orlando Resort is a theme park resort complex located in Orlando, Florida. Owned and operated by Comcast via Universal Parks and Resorts, the resort originally opened with its original park, Universal Studios Florida, in 1990. Since then, the area has expanded to include a second theme park, a water park, a shopping plaza, and eight hotels. A third theme park, titled Epic Universe, is currently in development, though little to no information is available.
History[]
Around the same time that The Walt Disney Company opened its second park, Epcot, at Walt Disney World in 1982, Universal executives had begun planning to create a rival park similarly to their current Universal Studios Hollywood, but in the Orlando area. After numerous delays, Universal collaborated with director Steven Spielberg and Peter N. Alexander in 1986. While creating the park, executives decided to take elements from the Studio Tour at Universal Studios Hollywood, which usually focused on the tram encountering some sort of trouble, such as an attack by King Kong. This specific scene was adapted for Kongfrontation. Other rides based on the Studio Tour include Jaws and Earthquake: The Big One.
Universal Studios Florida officially opened to the public on June 7, 1990, and featured dozens of rides based on films and television, some of which were not owned by Universal. The park was a success, and established Universal as a rival in theme parks with The Walt Disney Company.
In 1997, Universal Studios Florida opened a Preview Center, which detailed plans for the expansion that introduced second park Islands of Adventure and shopping center CityWalk. Both opened in 1999, and with Universal Studios Florida, formed the Universal Orlando Resort. Over the years, both parks have received plenty of refurbishments, which have resulted in the closure of several attractions, though some were able to open without replacing existing attractions.
Universal also acquired SeaWorld Orlando's Wet 'N Wild waterpark in 2001, and subsequently added it to the resort. However, it closed in 2016. Volcano Bay opened the following year as its replacement.
A third park titled Epic Universe is currently in construction following an acquisition of extra land near the resort in late 2017. Epic Universe is scheduled to open sometime in Summer 2025.
Licensed Properties[]
In order to compete with the nearby Walt Disney World, Universal recognized it needed more than just its own library of film and television properties to attract audiences who would otherwise have flocked to Walt Disney World. As a result, Universal Orlando Resort features a significant number of intellectual properties that are licensed by other companies, usually rival film and television studios. Listed below are lists of Universal's own properties in the parks, as well as the properties that have been licensed, along with their respective owners.
It should be noted that characters from DreamWorks Animation Studio have frequently appeared in the Universal Parks via licensing, but the studio was acquired by Comcast (Universal's parent company) in 2016, therefore making it part of the Universal library.
Universal's Intellectual Properties:[]
- Jurassic Park
- Back to the Future
- King Kong
- Jaws
- E.T. The Extra Terrestrial
- Despicable Me
- The Secret Life of Pets
- Universal Monsters
- The Mummy
- The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
- The Fast and the Furious
- The Blues Brothers
- Fear Factor
- Woody Woodpecker
- An American Tail
- Shrek
- Madagascar
- Kung Fu Panda
- Trolls
Current Licensed Properties:[]
- Harry Potter, Scooby-Doo, and Beetlejuice (Warner Bros.)
- The Simpsons (20th Century Studios. Acquired by The Walt Disney Company in 2019.)
- Transformers (Viacom and Hasbro)
- SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, and Betty Boop (Viacom)
- Men in Black (Sony)
- Barney and Friends (HIT Entertainment)
- Curious George (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)**
- Hello Kitty (Sanrio)
- Spider-Man, Hulk, X-Men, Fantastic Four, etc. (Marvel Comics. Acquired by The Walt Disney Company in 2009)**
- The Cat in the Hat, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Lorax, etc. (Dr. Seuss Enterprises)**
- Dudley Do-Right (Jay Ward Productions)***
- Popeye (Warner Bros.)
Former Licensed Properties:[]
- The Terminator (The Halcyon Company)
- Star Trek and I Love Lucy (CBS)
- Twister (Warner Bros.)***
- Animal Planet (Discovery Communications)
- Various Nickelodeon characters (Viacom)
- Various Hanna-Barbera characters (Warner Bros.)
- Ghostbusters (Sony)
Although certain DreamWorks characters have appeared in the Universal Parks and Resorts in the past, Comcast (Universal's parent company) acquired DreamWorks Animation Studio in 2016, therefore making them part of Universal's library.
Universal has adapted this work or one of the associated works to film, but they do not own the rights to them. It's worth noting that The Grinch sometimes appears as he did in his respective film.
Joint venture between a division of Comcast and the company listed.