{"id":1412,"date":"2026-06-05T17:35:48","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T17:35:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=1412"},"modified":"2026-06-05T17:35:48","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T17:35:48","slug":"how-universals-epic-universe-park-still-drives-innovation-with-drone-dragons-power-bands-and-wizardly-wands-as-it-celebrates-its-first-anniversary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=1412","title":{"rendered":"How Universal\u2019s Epic Universe Park Still Drives Innovation With Drone Dragons, Power Bands and Wizardly Wands as It Celebrates Its First Anniversary"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\u201cFive Immersive Worlds. One Amazing Theme Park.\u201d This is the motto for the Orlando-based Epic Universe, which opened in May 2025. As the first major theme park to open in the U.S. in 25 years, Epic Universe had to debut with a bang, and indeed, it\u2019s immersive worlds, entered through dedicated portals \u2014 Dark Universe, How to Train Your Dragon \u2014 Isle of Berk, Super Nintendo World and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter \u2014 Ministry of Magic \u2014 offer rides, live shows and experiences using cutting-edge technology and detail-oriented design. <\/p>\n

Read more J. Smith-Cameron on How a Cheap Wig Helped Her Pull Off Her Anna Wintour-Inspired Look on \u2018Elsbeth\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tThe theme park has generated roughly $2 billion for the state of Florida alone in its first year. <\/p>\n

\n\tDesigning each world to be immersive is key to the park\u2019s success. <\/p>\n

\n\tJeff Polk, executive vice president and general manager of the park, has been with the company for over 36 years. Reflecting on Universal Studios Florida in the 1990s, Polk says the company was then just starting to dip its toes into immersive experiences to engage visitors. Over time, with the opening of Islands of Adventure and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Polk and his team learned from their guests: \u201cThey told us time and time again that they wanted more of those highly immersive details; they love that stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tDark Universe is one example of giving people what they wanted. The themed land centers around the classic monsters of the Universal Pictures world. Monsters roam the area, Monsters Unchained is a dark ride while Curse of the Werewolf offers a spinning rollercoaster experience. Polk calls it \u201ca love letter to our movie background.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tElsewhere, there are monster makeup experiences, and roaming performers who add to the storytelling built by the world around the guests.<\/p>\n

\n\tBeyond Dark Universe, parkgoers can use wands to engage magic in the Wizarding World, which has haptic-integrated technology that introduces a deeper level of questing. Super Mario World has power-up bands that are an integrated part of the experience. Molly Murphy, president of Universal Creative, explains, \u201cThey make you feel like you\u2019re in the video game. Our guests are responding very positively to all of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tEpic Universe offers much more than just walking into a themed space \u2014 it presents a new way for fans to connect with recognizable IP.<\/p>\n

\n\tWithin Dark Universe, there are 14 of the park\u2019s most sophisticated robotic figures that get closer to guests than ever before. Murphy says that encounters such as the Phantom of the Opera locking eyes with guests, or the werewolf swiping at guests and \u201cyou feel his spittle on you as you\u2019re riding the ride\u201d are some encounters that have come to life largely thanks to advances in technology. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt was really a step up in our technology integration in the park. The goal was to make that seamless and to get those emotional moments with the characters that you you remember. Technology is a big piece of how it came together. We have over 161 patents just procured for Epic \u2014 it\u2019s pretty significant,\u201d Murphy notes.<\/p>\n

\n\tShe notes that \u201canother example is How to Train Your Dragon, where you get to meet Toothless,\u201d where guests can even pet him and feel his leathery skin, while robotics drive the drone dragons and other dragons around the Islr of Berk, adding to richness of the experience.<\/p>\n

Read more Blue Fox Entertainment Acquires iPic Theaters in Westwood and New York, Rebrands as The Cinemas (EXCLUSIVE)<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tAnd yes, AI factors into all the innovation. \u201cAI is absolutely pushing our technology pipelines quicker and faster today than ever before,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\n\tPolk adds, \u201cIt definitely contributes to how we manage the guest experience, because we\u2019re trying to leverage it a little bit more with how we manage our Impact app. We\u2019re using a lot behind the scenes for how we look at trends within our business and maintenance and where AI has been able to accelerate how we react and respond to problems.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n\tHe adds, \u201cWe\u2019re very engaged as a company in that space, because we feel strongly that it can really assist us in making our experiences better, and how we manage our business, but also in how we deliver experiences to the guests.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe park\u2019s storytelling comes alive through its dedication to bringing more live entertainment to the worlds, and having performers and even team members become part of the experience.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe\u2019ve really tried to reinvigorate live entertainment as part of the storytelling in the world of theme parks \u2014 some of that has been a little bit lost, because we get very enamored with technology and bigger, bigger, bigger,\u201d says Polk. \u201cBut we found that these subtle touches of having live performers in a space and then carrying that over to the team member experience and having the team members really engaged as part of the story has become a very important and meaningful part of actually creating this immersion.\u201d For the guests, it allows them to enjoy the experience, not just dash of from ride to ride, \u201cchecking your little box off. You\u2019re actually just progressing through this grand experience that may have a ride in it, but that may not be the thing you remember,\u201d Polk says.<\/p>\n

\n\tStorytelling extends beyond the rides and immersive experiences \u2014 it even ripples down to the food offerings. Polk and Murphy conducted extensive food tastings, and the result is a carefully curated culinary menu. \u201cThere was storytelling built into all the food. Every location is different, and there is no duplication of things,\u201d says Murphy.<\/p>\n

\n\tAmong the offerings are viral mac and cheese cones and butterbeer crepes. Polk notes, \u201cWe had an hour wait for people to buy a mac and cheese cone; we\u2019ve sold half a million of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tPolk explains when it comes to food, it was just as much as a part of the storytelling as anything else. \u201cIt was a big piece of what we did, and that\u2019s why, as we did the Wizarding World, we saw guests really respond to, \u2018Wow, I can actually get in here and have a butter beer with my friends, something I saw in the movie, and now I can actually do it.’\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tLooking ahead, they\u2019re exploring ways to leverage the space, but with caution. \u201cYou have to watch and get a feel for what\u2019s really going to work in the space,\u201d says Polk. \u201cThere is no doubt in the future, you\u2019re going to see things continue to happen here, both at Epic and across Universal Orlando Resort.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker, Jon Wertheim to Stay at \u201960 Minutes\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How Universal Epic Universe still drives innovation with drone dragons, power bands and wands as it celebrates its first anniversary.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1411,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[217],"tags":[1347],"class_list":["post-1412","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artisans","tag-universal-epic-universe"],"yoast_head":"\nHow Universal\u2019s Epic Universe Park Still Drives Innovation With Drone Dragons, Power Bands and Wizardly Wands as It Celebrates Its First Anniversary - Relocation Observer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=1412\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Universal\u2019s Epic Universe Park Still Drives Innovation With Drone Dragons, Power Bands and Wizardly Wands as It Celebrates Its First Anniversary - 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