For so long Disney has remained the king of Theme Parks. Occasionally, someone else will temporarily step up and challenge them, only to eventually be put back in their place by the reigning juggernaut that is WDI (Walt Disney Imagineering).
Today we will take a look at a few up and coming challengers to the throne and what they are achieving in the world of themeing.
Universal Studios:
One cannot attempt an article like this without starting at the biggest contender… Universal. With powerful IPs (intellectual properties) behind them, Universal has been the largest driver to push WDI in recent times.
With the opening of Spiderman, Universal solidified itself as a major player in the theming game and pushed the technology on step beyond. The marriage of digital and realtime themeing was into new at the time, but the way it was delivered as well as the massive scale was truly a kickstart to the industry.
Years later, not to rest on there laurels, Universal picked up the rights to the mother of all IPs, Harry Potter. Working from the author JK Rowlings specifications, Universal recreated both the look and feel of the books/films and manage to once again solidify themselves as major players in the industry. With the creation of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Universal had once again pushed the dark ride/technology combo to a new extreme.
With the push for this level of up close detail on their Hogwarts castle and in fact all of Hogsmead Village, Universal has pushed WDI to get back n the horse and start creating again (see the new Fantasyland as well as Cars Land).
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