Universal Announces ‘Family-Friendly,’ Kid-Focused Theme Park
By Movieguide® Contributor
Universal Parks and Resorts announced plans for a brand new, kid-friendly theme park outside the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas metropolis.
The park is specially designed for children aged 3 to 9, with enough rides to fill a two-day trip. The 97-acre location is just a quarter of the size of Universal’s Orlando park, but will include four or five different themed areas, as well as a 300-room hotel.
“The proposed park will be designed to be more intimate and engaging for younger audiences and will be sized for a regional audience,” a press release about the park reads. “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.”
While there are already plans to expand the park, Universal Parks and Resorts President of New Ventures Page Thompson shared that the target audience will remain children under the age of 10.
There’s no word yet on what characters and fictional worlds will be a part of the park, but Thompson shared that they’re eyeing content like TROLLS, MADAGASCAR, KUNG FU PANDA, HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, MINIONS, and CURIOUS GEORGE.
There is also no official word yet on when the park might open, but Universal fans can’t wait for the kid-friendly park!
Movieguide® previously reported on developments at Universal’s Orlando location:
Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure theme park will consider revamping the Dr. Seuss-themed area after Dr. Seuss Enterprises, the company that manages the late author’s books and characters, decided to stop the publication of six of the iconic children’s books.
Movieguide® previously reported:
Dr. Seuss Enterprises announced that they would stop publishing six of Dr. Seuss’s classic children’s books.
“These books portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong,” Dr. Seuss Enterprises told The Associated Press. “Ceasing sales of these books is only part of our commitment and our broader plan to ensure Dr. Seuss Enterprises’ catalog represents and supports all communities and families.”
The titles affected include “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street,” “If I Ran the Zoo,” “McElligot’s Pool,” “On Beyond Zebra!,” “Scrambled Eggs Super!,” and “The Cat’s Quizzer.”
The Islands of Adventure theme park contains a section called “Seuss Landing,” that features many characters from Dr. Seuss’s books. Furthermore, one of the attractions is themed after one of the canceled books, “If I Ran the Zoo.”
The park also features a gift shop called the “Mulberry Street Store,” referencing another book that will no longer be published.
A spokesperson for Universal Orlando spoke to the local Spectrum News about the park’s relationship with Dr. Seuss Enterprises.
“We’ve removed the books from our shelves, as they have asked, and we’ll be evaluating our in-park experience, too,” the spokesperson said. “But our guests can plan on continuing to be able to enjoy their favorite experiences at ‘Seuss Landing.’”
Notably, the announcement of the canceled publications came on the late Dr. Seuss’ birthday, which the president traditionally celebrates for “Read Across America Day.” Faithwire reported that while former President Barack Obama and former President Donald Trump both praised Dr. Seuss’ influence on child literacy, President Joe Biden neglected to follow suit.
Faithwire reported: “Over the course of his two terms in office, Obama said Dr. Seuss’ writing ‘challenge[s] dictators and discrimination,’ ‘call[s] us to open our minds,’ and encourages readers ‘to take responsibility for ourselves.’ In the final year of his presidency, Obama called Dr. Seuss’ one of America’s revered wordsmiths’ who ‘used his incredible talent to instill in his most impressionable readers universal values we all hold dear.’”
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