{"id":531,"date":"2026-05-23T05:06:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T05:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=531"},"modified":"2026-05-23T05:06:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T05:06:00","slug":"how-epic-ride-the-story-of-universals-theme-parks-docuseries-captures-the-race-to-meet-opening-day-deadline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=531","title":{"rendered":"How \u2018Epic Ride: The Story of Universal\u2019s Theme Parks\u2019 Docuseries Captures the Race to Meet Opening Day Deadline"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\tShowrunner and director John Marks recalls the first time he set foot in Epic Universe. It was late October 2024, six months before the theme park opened to the public. \u201cIt was bewitching,\u201d he says. That very feeling is what he wanted to capture for viewers when he was pitched to shoot Peacock\u2019s three-part series, \u201cEpic Ride: The Story of Universal\u2019s Theme Parks.\u201d The series follows the theme park\u2019s construction during those six months leading up to its opening day on May 22, 2025. <\/p>\n

Read more \u2018Bait\u2019 Team on the Show\u2019s James Bond Plotline and Depicting Inner Struggle: \u2018Being Muslim in the West Feels Like You\u2019re Stuck in a Spy Thriller\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tMarks knew he didn\u2019t want to make a commercial. The theme park, which opened last May, marked the first major theme park debut in the U.S. in almost 25 years (Universal\u2019s Islands of Adventure opened in 1999). Public excitement ran high, but behind the scenes, those six months were filled with challenges as everyone raced to meet the opening day deadline. \u201cIt was a ticking clock, and that clock was ticking loudly at the end of 2024,\u201d Marks recalls.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe series kicks off with \u201cThe Build,\u201d diving into the history of Universal Studios\u2019 theme parks. Subsequent episodes focus on the park\u2019s construction, weaving in its history and how Universal Pictures films tie into the attractions. Among the key talking heads are Vin Diesel, Bryce Dallas Howard, Universal\u2019s chairwoman Donna Langley, and Steven Spielberg. For Marks, it was about finding the right voices to fit the \u201caccordion\u201d of storytelling. Diesel, whose \u201cFast & Furious\u201d franchise is Universal\u2019s biggest, was an obvious choice. Spielberg, a longtime Universal collaborator, was a no-brainer. Marks explains, \u201cSpielberg crosses over from film into the parks. He\u2019s been a partner going back to the 1970s with the first \u2018Jaws\u2019 ride.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBeyond the big names, Marks wanted to highlight the creative minds behind the park\u2019s creation. He included technical engineers, ride designers, and costume artists to tell their stories. \u201cThey could speak on what it\u2019s like to create something that masses of people are going to experience and respond to emotionally. All of these creative artists faced incredible challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen Marks walked onto the grounds of Epic Universe that October, he brought cinematographer Philipp Friesenbichler with him. \u201cI wanted him to come because I had a feeling we were going to see something that would make us hungry to show it to people,\u201d Marks says. He continues, \u201cI\u2019ve never been to a place that vast, that creatively detailed, while it was still a work in progress. I\u2019d never seen anything like that on camera, and I knew my cinematographer would see the same thing.<\/p>\n

Read more Paul McCartney Explores His Ever-Present Past in \u2018The Boys of Dungeon Lane,\u2019 a Delightful Return to Wings-Era Form: Album Review<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWhat was beautiful about it was something utterly mundane: people in construction helmets walking around the most amazing, staggering roller coaster you\u2019ve ever seen. When dusk hit and the lights came on, surrounded by mud, I thought, \u2018I want people to feel what I\u2019m feeling right now.’\u201d That bewitching feeling became his North Star for storytelling. \u201cIt\u2019s special to see a place like this. If you\u2019re moved by it, you might want to come see it for yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tMarks adds, \u201cWe felt the emotion of the people in the park who were making this \u2013 from the highest-level executive to the ride engineer inspecting the roller coaster. There was tremendous emotion around all of this. If we could capture that emotion, we could tap into the viewers\u2019 emotions so they could feel why people spend years creating these parks. Hopefully, it would move people to want to come and see it all in person.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWith its first anniversary around the corner, Epic Universe has proven to be a massive success. Rumored to have cost $7.7 billion to build, the park involved thousands of people to bring its 750 acres to life.<\/p>\n

\n\tDoes Marks plan to do a follow-up? He hasn\u2019t been asked yet, and he admits the documentary was \u201cquite an undertaking.\u201d Still, he reminds audiences that Epic Universe is an immersive storytelling world. \u201cThese places that tell these stories \u2013 they are the stories in and of themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more CAA Expands Annual Emerging Filmmakers Showcase with Launch of Workshops and Networking Conversations<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How “Epic Ride: The Story of Universal” Docuseries captures the race to theme park’s opening day deadline.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":530,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[217],"tags":[568,569],"class_list":["post-531","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artisans","tag-epic-universe","tag-universal-studios"],"yoast_head":"\nHow \u2018Epic Ride: The Story of Universal\u2019s Theme Parks\u2019 Docuseries Captures the Race to Meet Opening Day Deadline - 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=531\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How \u2018Epic Ride: The Story of Universal\u2019s Theme Parks\u2019 Docuseries Captures the Race to Meet Opening Day Deadline - 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