The Future of Lost Continent

[Mad Dog]

I kinda already answered it, but, again it really goes back to there not being enough options available. The reasons as to why historically there’s been an abundance of male centered stories at the forefront of pop culture goes into a bigger conversation that deals with a lot more than, imo, is appropriate for what’s replacing a theme park land thread on a theme park forum.

I’m just saying that Wicked taps into an underserved demographic that has so far only been tapped into by Disney (and, if the rumors are true re: Taylor Swift then Universal’s gonna really have to start considering these things) and I don’t think it’s inclusion should be written off so quickly.

Yes. Disney has a stranglehold on the best female interest IP's. With Wicked, Universal has an IP that can compete on a Disney level for
that demo. So, it really behooves Universal to use the Wicked/Oz IP in a significant way. Primarily, its good business. ....Just anecdotal,
but our three granddaughters who are heavy Disney fans, actually asked for Wicked merchandise for this Christmas, and not any
Disney merch.

Universal, not taking advantage of Wicked with major attractions/land, would be business malfeasance.

 

[Freak]

Yes. Disney has a stranglehold on the best female interest IP's. With Wicked, Universal has an IP that can compete on a Disney level for
that demo. So, it really behooves Universal to use the Wicked/Oz IP in a significant way. Primarily, its good business. ....Just anecdotal,
but our three granddaughters who are heavy Disney fans, actually asked for Wicked merchandise for this Christmas, and not any
Disney merch.

Universal, not taking advantage of Wicked with major attractions/land, would be business malfeasance.

Coming from someone who could care less about Wicked, I can’t really deny it sells merch. Universal would be crazy to not consider a theme park presence of some sort.

I’m fine with Wicked coming, just not at the expense of something I love. That being said, I do think a whole land the size of Lost Content is…excessive. I do think it deserves a small lad. Something like Far Far Away at USS. Have a show and a D-ticket ride of some sort. Something like Danse Macabre at Efteling.

 

[Evan]

I have no clue what a One Piece is besides a swimsuit but (generally speaking now, this is not directed at you personally) it’s starting to get to a point where we’re gonna have to address the elephant in the room: this website is mostly used by people who are not in Wicked’s demographic, which is why some of y’all just don’t get it.

It’s totally fine to not be a fan of something, I get it, I’d guesstimate 70% of the IP’s Universal uses in its parks I couldn’t care less about, no hate generally just apathy, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not successful enough to earn a spot in some way/shape/form in the parks.

I have no doubt Wicked will be coming to the parks somewhere, but I genuinely believe One Piece would fit IOA specifically the best of all the “rumoured” options.

I also believe even if the IP itself isn’t as well known as say Pokémon, to the American audience (even though I do think it likely is still very well known), it’s not always about selecting the biggest IP, but selecting one that would translate itself best to a themepark environment.

One Piece is about adventure, travelling the high seas, following your dream, all with a dash of whimsy, and fantasy. You can choose an island to base it on, build a market, sell devil fruits, create interactive experiences, and build some really cool rides, with some really cool effects.

Now that it’s been mentioned as something being tossed around, it’s where my mind goes for IOA.

 

[Mike S]

I have no doubt Wicked will be coming to the parks somewhere, but I genuinely believe One Piece would fit IOA specifically the best of all the “rumoured” options.

I also believe even if the IP itself isn’t as well known as say Pokémon, to the American audience (even though I do think it likely is still very well known), it’s not always about selecting the biggest IP, but selecting one that would translate itself best to a themepark environment.

One Piece is about adventure, travelling the high seas, following your dream, all with a dash of whimsy, and fantasy. You can choose an island to base it on, build a market, sell devil fruits, create interactive experiences, and build some really cool rides, with some really cool effects.

Now that it’s been mentioned as something being tossed around, it’s where my mind goes for IOA.

I’m not even a fan but this would be a fantastic addition to the Lagoon, especially if you could go inside.

 

[Allison]

I have no doubt Wicked will be coming to the parks somewhere, but I genuinely believe One Piece would fit IOA specifically the best of all the “rumoured” options.

I also believe even if the IP itself isn’t as well known as say Pokémon, to the American audience (even though I do think it likely is still very well known), it’s not always about selecting the biggest IP, but selecting one that would translate itself best to a themepark environment.

One Piece is about adventure, travelling the high seas, following your dream, all with a dash of whimsy, and fantasy. You can choose an island to base it on, build a market, sell devil fruits, create interactive experiences, and build some really cool rides, with some really cool effects.

Now that it’s been mentioned as something being tossed around, it’s where my mind goes for IOA.

It sounds like it’d have the biggest impact in Japan first & foremost but I’m sure if/when it comes it’s fans will definitely be very happy and for everyone else we’d all come to enjoy it as always!

What’s funny to me though is adventure, following your dreams, whimsy & fantasy are all apart of the overarching themes of Wicked as well, no? It seems like both would work perfectly to me then!

 

[Skipper Justin]

I really hate how men will say something is for girls just because there are women in it. Wicked is a fantasy world and literally can be for anyone. I won’t go into it either but yeah I’m just constantly frustrated with how men won’t try things because they fear embracing anything with femininity.

 

[Evan]

As a man, who has seen the broadway musical of Wicked 13 times … believe me I am the target audience for a Wicked land

I just see it more in USF or Epic Universe over Islands.

 

[Mike S]

It sounds like it’d have the biggest impact in Japan first & foremost but I’m sure if/when it comes it’s fans will definitely be very happy and for everyone else we’d all come to enjoy it as always!

What’s funny to me though is adventure, following your dreams, whimsy & fantasy are all apart of the overarching themes of Wicked as well, no? It seems like both would work perfectly to me then!

Personally I’ve always thought Wicked worked best as an addition to Epic.

I really hate how men will say something is for girls just because there are women in it. Wicked is a fantasy world and literally can be for anyone. I won’t go into it either but yeah I’m just constantly frustrated with how men won’t try things because they fear embracing anything with femininity.

Has anyone here said something like that though? I’ve been under the impression that everyone has simply been acknowledging that Wicked has a very large female fanbase compared to the other IPs Universal has worked with.

 

[Circ]

What’s funny to me though is adventure, following your dreams, whimsy & fantasy are all apart of the overarching themes of Wicked as well, no? It seems like both would work perfectly to me then!

Also

Spoiler: Spoilers for both franchises?!

standing up to a tyrannical world government.

I hope that there's room in the parks for both franchises too!

Honestly, if you wanted to do One Piece in the same very basic one word pitch that a lot of the best attractions have (dinosaurs, ghosts, mythology, superheroes, dragons, monsters)... Pirates! It's a niche that doesn't really overlap too much throughout anything in the parks so far, just like Oz.

 

[Jake S]

Has anyone here said something like that though? I’ve been under the impression that everyone has simply been acknowledging that Wicked has a very large female fanbase compared to the other IPs Universal has worked with.

I believe the audience breakdown for the first movie was something like 70/30 women, which is a pretty massive split. But I also think it’s lazy in the extreme to do the, “well of COURSE men in this forum aren’t fans!”

People like things, people don’t like other things. Gender essentialism is a boring way (IMO) to talk about these things.

But as I’ve said before, monoculture has been dead for decades. Things can be very popular without being monolithic. I think that applies to just about every IP out there, whether it’s Wicked or One Piece or Avatar. You and your group not being into something is not a great indicator of anything.

 

[TheUniC6]

Coming from someone who could care less about Wicked, I can’t really deny it sells merch. Universal would be crazy to not consider a theme park presence of some sort.

I’m fine with Wicked coming, just not at the expense of something I love. That being said, I do think a whole land the size of Lost Content is…excessive. I do think it deserves a small lad. Something like Far Far Away at USS. Have a show and a D-ticket ride of some sort. Something like Danse Macabre at Efteling.

This is why the Springfield plot at USF is the best fit for Wicked if it came to UOR.

 

[Allison]

Has anyone here said something like that though? I’ve been under the impression that everyone has simply been acknowledging that Wicked has a very large female fanbase compared to the other IPs Universal has worked with.

Unfortunately it’s a part of a bigger conversation, it’s not a fun part (hence referencing the elephant in the room) which is why I hesitated to post about it for quite some time. For me being in the minority, it can’t help but be noticeable. Even though other people like may find it “boring”, when there’s an overwhelming amount of complaints about the *possible* theme park inclusion of a property centered around 2 women but nowhere near the amount of complaints about properties like Pokémon, One Piece, etc. that are geared towards boys & men (aka the majority of users on this website), it doesn’t go unnoticed.

 

[Mike S]

Unfortunately it’s a part of a bigger conversation, it’s not a fun part (hence referencing the elephant in the room) which is why I hesitated to post about it for quite some time. For me being in the minority, it can’t help but be noticeable. Even though other people like may find it “boring”, when there’s an overwhelming amount of complaints about the *possible* theme park inclusion of a property centered around 2 women but nowhere near the amount of complaints about properties like Pokémon, One Piece, etc. that are geared towards boys & men (aka the majority of users on this website), it doesn’t go unnoticed.

I guess it’s different being on a Universal focused topic because when talking about Disney I can’t really recall seeing Men poo-pooing talk about additions regarding the Princesses because a lot of them are just legitimately good movies no matter who you are. I’m still waiting for my Shanghai Pirates scale Moana ride in Adventureland damnit.

 

[Allison]

I guess it’s different being on a Universal focused topic because when talking about Disney I can’t really recall seeing Men poo-pooing talk about additions regarding the Princesses because a lot of them are just legitimately good movies no matter who you are. I’m still waiting for my Shanghai Pirates scale Moana ride in Adventureland damnit.

The only one I can recall fairly recently was the whole disgusting hateful mess that was the Save Splash Mountain ridiculousness, but, for the most part Disney has had the market cornered on media that emphasizes stories about/for girls & women. Since basically the birth of Disney animated films people have become accustomed to these stories being part of Disney’s filmography and, in turn, their parks.

 

[Mike S]

The only one I can recall fairly recently was the whole disgusting hateful mess that was the Save Splash Mountain ridiculousness, but, for the most part Disney has had the market cornered on media that emphasizes stories about/for girls & women. Since basically the birth of Disney animated films people have become accustomed to these stories being part of Disney’s filmography and, in turn, their parks.

I prefer Splash Mountain having experienced both …

 

[Rhian]

Yea . I mean I can say I love One Piece (and as previously mentioned love Pokemon and enjoyed at the very least part 1 of Wicked). But can only kinda scratch my head at what about One Piece lends itself more to a theme park than Pokemon . It actually has most of the same problems if I had to think about it, which is that there is no real stand out centralized location to use it’s literally a story where you move from location to location . Heck it even now has another problem pokemon has where there can be debate on which version of it to use between pulling from the anime , the manga or the live action netflix show. And while not to the same extent as pokemon there’s the matter of what characters do you include in the land or not do you go based off the live action or the anime/manga (and this is just talking about the straw hats here ).

I’ve seen location being a possible issue mentioned a couple times in reference to Pokémon recently, and for that I quote myself from a while back.

As Garooth and GA-MBIT pointed out, fans of Pokemon (hi!) tend to focus on the actual Pokémon, not any single location. Having the land be yet another region specific to the theme park that would fit alongside Kanto, Johto, et al. isn't a problem at all. In fact, the world of Pokémon is described pretty much like our planet but filled with Pokémon. What you perceive as a weakness because there isn't a unique place like Hogwarts or Bowser's Castle doesn't count against Pokémon the same way.

What people are most likely wanting to see—and definitely what parents are most familiar with—is Pikachu (maybe Charizard), and of course most of the starter Pokémon; visual marketing will not be a problem. There are so many we'll never see all of them but I hope over the years several are swapped out either in the ride and/or in the land over the years so we do see different ones. I've mentioned it before but this would also allow the AAs to be taken out for maintenance and not detract from the show quality because a different Pokémon can take its place.

In terms of physical places most towns in the games and anime have:

• Poké Mart (merchandise opportunies)
• Pokémon Center (think JP's dinosaur hatching kind of thing, rest area)
• Pokémon Gym (could be a show with different battles and Pokémon seasonally)

Even the buildings have a general feel but doesn't stick to a particular style meaning how it shows up in the park can have its own style. The Pokémon Center in the games for example (taken from Bulbapedia):

View attachment 24380

As long as we also have a Nurse Joy, an Officer Jenny, and a Pokémon Professor (meet-and-greet with different ones like we do with Transformers) along with at least one solid dark ride, a small coaster and/or a flat ride, it'll be great.

This is all to say that a land by itself which isn't really from any one game or episode/series isn't as important as the Pokémon we'd find there because (personally speaking) I'm only there for the Pokémon.

It might be that Universal and Nintendo are waiting to see how the Pokémon ride does in Japan both in guest satisfaction and popularity to gauge what gets built elsewhere. Do I think that IP deserves more than a single ride? For sure. But I've also seen how little effort Game Freak puts in their main games at times that leaves me scratching my head so who knows what we'll get.

If they do go ahead with a Pokémon land, I hope it's built from scratch and not retrofitted into Simpson's (or whatever land they use) existing infrastructure.

For One Piece, Universal could go the route of Star Tours and we could ride on Sunny to different locations on each ride. The POTC ride in Shanghai has a really good ride system and the set piece and screens are huge. If something like that were done it could work and we go through one of several different adventures each ride, which would cover both location and character variety. Every few years Universal could add a new one to the mix to keep it fresh.

Either way they could pick one version of the story (live action seems the likeliest bet) and have nods and Easter eggs to any other permeations for the super fans and that would be enough for most.

I think Mario Kart and SNW handled that aspect quite well.

 

[Palutena]

To be clear , I didn’t present those “problems” to argue that Pokemon (or One Piece) can’t be made into a theme park land or that they were impossible obstacles to overcome. Heck i’ve definitely in the past imagined up my own ideas on what they should do with Pokemon up to and including specific in-game locations , or just making up their own Florida Region, or very likely just going with whatever TPC mandates which could just be kanto or whatever the latest game is . In the end it doesn’t really matter since there’s no way in my opinion Pokemon doesn’t end up at universal orlando as a land eventually . The point was more that equal amount of thought would probably have to go into how to execute either IP and one wasn’t more “perfect for theme parks” than the other.

I also don’t mention it in my original post but also yes, the fact of the matter is some stuff work better as a ride but we are in an era where we have to argue for whether something justifies being a whole land or not . A One Piece boat ride would be perfect for the IP , though still not holding my breath on the IP being used in US parks beyond fanfest anytime soon .