Universal Parks & Resorts today announced a one-of-a-kind theme park, unlike any other in the world, specifically designed to inspire fun for families with young children.
The new park concept, set in a lush green landscape and featuring immersive themed lands, celebrates Universal‘s iconic brand of entertainment, humor and innovation and brings to life its beloved characters and stories in ways that will wow even the youngest theme park goers.
The proposed park will be designed to be more intimate and engaging for younger audiences and will be sized for a regional audience. It will be full of family-friendly attractions, interactive and playful shows, character meet and greets, unique merchandise and fun food and beverage venues.
Although smaller in size, it will still carry the same quality as Universal’s other larger resort destinations. Part of 97 acres of land recently purchased by the company, the proposed park also has plans for an adjacent themed hotel and room for expansion.
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The entire area is intended to have a completely different look, feel, and scale than Universal Parks & Resorts’ existing parks, such as Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood, and will appeal to a new audience for the brand.
Universal Parks & Resorts selected the city of Frisco, in North Texas, as the area for this new concept given the city’s growing population and ability to attract businesses to the area. The proposed location for the new concept is ideally situated east of the Dallas North Tollway and north of Panther Creek Parkway.
“We are excited about the opportunity to partner with the city of Frisco and Mayor Cheney as we work to bring this innovative, new concept to life designed specifically for a younger generation of Universal fans,” said Page Thompson, President, New Ventures, Universal Parks & Resorts.
“We think North Texas is the perfect place to launch this unique park for families given its growing popularity within this part of the country.”
“Frisco is one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S. and has been recognized as a great place to plant professional roots and raise a family,” said Frisco Mayor Jeff Cheney.
“This new Universal concept will continue to enhance our tax base, expand employment opportunities and bring even more fun to Frisco benefiting our residents, businesses, and visitors.”
Universal Parks & Resorts also announced a brand-new permanent entertainment experience in Las Vegas that will bring to life Universal’s vast library of classic horror films and today’s most terrifying tales.
With a variety of unique, immersive, fantastic horror-centric experiences that surround high energy food and beverage spaces by day turned haunting bars and eateries by night, the new concept marks the first time Universal has created a permanent horror experience beyond its theme parks.
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It will deliver on the thrills and frights its horror fans have come to love and excite anyone looking for a new level of experiential entertainment. The space will also feature a continuously updated experience, must see seasonal events, and one-of-a-kind merchandise.
Universal has long defined the horror genre with its classic films featuring iconic characters such as Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy and the Wolf Man – and redefined modern horror and suspense stories through collaborations with such high-profile filmmakers as Jason Blum, James Wan and Jordan Peele.
“Universal is known for our ability to deliver original, highly-themed and terrifying horror entertainment experiences for millions of fans every year,” said Thompson. “We are excited to give our global fanbase yet another way to get scared and have fun with fear in the heart of Las Vegas, the perfect place for this type of unique concept.”
Universal’s new horror experience will be the anchor tenant in a new 20-acre expansion of Las Vegas’ immersive AREA15 entertainment district that initially opened to the public in September 2020 and has attracted more than four million visitors since that time. Occupying a 110,000 square-foot space, the new Universal experience is an innovative, creative complement to AREA15’s roots in experiential art and entertainment.
“AREA15 curates a constellation of best-in-class experiences. Universal’s never-been-done-before concept will be a perfect fit because our guests know they can expect fresh, exciting entertainment at AREA15,” said Winston Fisher, Chief Executive Officer, AREA15.
“We are enormously gratified to have an extraordinary company like Universal as our partner as we embark on the next phase of growth for AREA15.””
“Las Vegas is an entertainment destination unlike any other – and we are thrilled to welcome Universal to our city,” said City of Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman.
“The Universal experience will bring exactly the kind of high-quality, exciting entertainment our city, our visitors and our residents want.”
“Las Vegas is a vibrant community and increasingly known internationally for the creative arts experiences that we offer,” said City of Las Vegas Councilwoman Olivia Diaz.
“Universal’s decision to anchor their next innovative creation in the city is exciting news for my residents and visitors alike. The job opportunities will be invaluable for our community, especially for those interested in the entertainment industry.”
Mirko Parlevliet has been reporting on the entertainment industry since 1998 and founded Vital Thrills in 2018 to cover the latest news on streaming, movies, TV, and video games.