Aerial photographer bioreconstruct shared new snaps of the Epic Universe construction site this week, including photos and videos of Donkey Kong Mine-Cart Madness and Curse of the Werewolf testing. Bio also spotted the statues from the defunct Monsters Cafe Bone Chillin’ Stand in a staging area for the park.
Epic Universe Construction Update
Epic Universe Parking
Crews are installing roofing atop the toll plaza entrance of the Epic Universe parking lots. A yellow arrow added to this photo points at an excavator in a strip of dirt. Bio notes that work is starting for the route from guest parking to the park’s entrance.
A larger section of dirt is ready to be paved for another parking lot. It’s next to the Epic Universe staging area, which has been getting progressively smaller as the parking lots are paved and materials are moved into the park.
Epic Universe Staging
In the staging area, Bio spotted some props for the Donkey Kong Country area of Super Nintendo World. There are two oversized palm trees yet to be painted and a trio of giant red-orange flowers. One flower has a yellow center. The yellow centers for the other two flowers are sitting next to them.
In this wide photo are several white, green, and yellow elements, also for Super Nintendo World.
The gray turrets in these photos are for Princess Peach’s Castle. Guests enter Super Nintendo World through the castle after walking through a Celestial Park portal and up an escalator.
The staging area also houses elements for How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk. In the above photo is part of a two-headed dragon figure. There’s also a small dragon house.
Classic Monsters fans will be happy to know the spinning figures from outside Monsters Cafe will find a new home at Epic Universe. Bio saw the Gill-man (a.k.a. the Creature from the Black Lagoon), the Wolf Man, and Frankenstein’s Monster lying on the ground.
The trio were once atop the Monsters Cafe Bone Chillin’ drinks stand at Universal Studios Florida. The cafe closed permanently in May 2022, while the stand closed in November 2022, to make way for Minion Cafe.
We don’t yet know how the statues will be incorporated into Epic Universe. One of the park’s lands is the monsters-inspired Dark Universe, however, the statues don’t necessarily match the gritty realistic style teased for the land.
The Wolf Man is still holding his pizza while the Gill-man holds a shrimp dish. The menu prop has been removed from the hand of Frankenstein’s Monster.
Epic Universe Entrance
The entrance portal and tower are starting to look more like their concept art than not. The Chronos device that powers Celestial Park — the central land of Epic Universe — and its portals is at the top of an emerald tower. The device includes circular elements representing each land, which will spin and move when activated. A Time Turner from “Harry Potter” represents the Wizarding World; Mario is on a golden emblem for Super Nintendo World; a dragon is silhouetted on a red-orange orb for How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk; and a purple element represents Dark Universe.
An Epic Universe sign has been installed above the entrance portal, at the base of the tower. This is where most guests will enter, although guests staying at Universal Helios Grand Hotel will have their own entrance. Right behind the entrance is Chaos Overlook.
Celestial Park
Chaos & Luna Overlook
Chaos and Luna Overlook both look over the water features of Celestial Park. A major feature at the center of these water features is a statue of a woman — likely Luna herself. Parts of this massive statue have been installed, with the woman’s torso jutting out from a scaffolding platform in front of the paved Chaos Overlook.
Luna’s hair is flowing behind her head. The last piece of her hair has yet to be installed. She has one hand draped on her head and the other held out to the side. Previously released concept art shows that large circular elements will be installed around her.
Nearby are various elements wrapped in protective plastic. These include curved pieces that may be part of those circles. There’s also a rabbit, which will be next to Luna, leaping through one of the circles.
Luna is wrapped in a bronze strip of fabric (keeping her modest for the family-friendly park).
On the fabric over her chest is a white crescent moon. Luna is the Roman goddess of the moon who, according to recently released details of Celestial Park, rules the land at night. Apollo, the god of the sun, rules during the day.
Luna’s knee is visible below the construction platform, sitting on a sculpted section of water foam.
Some rocky formations have been formed, while others are just outlined with steel frames. A tower on the left of Chaos Overlook is topped with blue-green jewels. Concept art suggests the tower will hold an illuminating flame.
A matching tower is on the other side of the overlook.
Compare the above photos to the concept art of Celestial Park below.
Water will flow from the Luna statue through streams that connect other features of Celestial Park.
There will be a special light show at dusk to represent the transition from Apollo to Luna.
The building on the left in the background of the above art is Atlantic, one of the restaurants of Celestial Park.
Atlantic Restaurant Water Features
The waterfront restaurant will have an opening dining room looking over the water.
As Bioreconstruct captured, the water features are still under construction. The various rock walls and formations will make the water cascade down from Luna.
The blue water table at the top of this photo is the large pond that will be right next to Atlantic. The one in the foreground is attached. Crews were power-washing the blue flooring after wind brought dust and dirt into the empty table.
Universal Helios Grand Hotel
The Universal Helios Grand Hotel is located opposite the main entrance. Final paneling and paint are being added, including chrome pieces on the hotel’s domed rooftops. The largest dome has yet to be completely covered but the three domes visible in this photo are now a shiny bronze color.
The golden pegasus figure visible on the right in this photo is the top of Constellation Carousel. Behind that is Atlantic. The statue of Luna is at the top center.
The hotel curves along with the fountain in front of it. Amphitheater seating around the fountain will allow guests to view water shows. Fireworks will be set off from the lake behind the hotel.
Super Nintendo World
Donkey Kong Country
Bio happened to catch Mine-Cart Madness running several vehicles with and without test dummies. In the photo above, one mine cart vehicle has orange and blue dummies inside. It’s approaching a “broken” section of track — but it’s all an illusion. The real coaster track is below the more train-like track and the vehicles are held up with an arm, giving guests the illusion that they are jumping through the air like Donkey Kong. The column next to the broken track is a Screaming Pillar with its mouth open.
The roller-coaster is part of Donkey Kong Country, an expansion to Super Nintendo World also coming soon to Universal Studios Japan. It will open with Epic Universe.
Bioreconstruct’s video below shows some of the mine carts moving along the track.
In the photo above, Bio has labeled:
- A frame for a roof under the track
- A look at the real sideways track
- A treehouse frame
- Funky’s Fly ‘n’ By — Funky Kong’s business housed in a plane
- The last scene of Yoshi’s Adventure
The theming around Mine-Cart Madness is more complete. Flooring looks like a sandy desert. There are blue-gray temple walls with cartoon vines growing over them.
These flowers and palm trees may look familiar after the staging area photos earlier in this article. There are also large spiked sticks next to the coaster track.
Nearby is a row of barrels that will be interactive drums.
Here’s another look at one of the ride vehicles testing. In this photo, it’s at the top of the first lift hill. Four water dummies are seated in the car. The water-filled dummies help test the weight distribution of the coaster before putting real people on the ride.
This cart is heading up the ride’s second lift hill. The track is hidden below fake stonework, so it will look like guests are going up the side of a temple.
This photo shows the track after the first lift hill above a wooden bridge. The track below, surrounded by golden temple walls, is that of the second lift hill.
Near the top of the attraction is a giant wooden barrel, which will seem to shoot guests out of it just like in the Donkey Kong games. Scaffolding was recently erected around the barrel. There are a couple of unpainted palm tree figures and golden bananas. In the background are two more Screaming Pillars.
This overview shows the treehouse framework next to the curving track. Rockwork within the track’s curve has been painted to look like it’s covered in green moss.
Two ride cars are visible in this shot. One is in the foreground, to the right. The other is at the far left in the background.
In addition to the carts with dummies, one empty cart also ran on the track. Here it is taking the turn right after the “broken” section.
Here is a car right after being shot from the barrel and landing on the mine cart track. It’s heading inside the temple. Scaffolding on the right covers a large face.
Dark Universe
Curse of the Werewolf
Also testing was Curse of the Werewolf, one of the Dark Universe rides. This outdoor roller-coaster features trains of spinning cars. As seen in these photos, each car faces a slightly different direction as they whip around the track.
This attraction is located at the edge of Darkmoor village, in the Guild of the Mystics’ camp. Guild seer Maleva warns guests they bear the mark of the werewolf. They are then sent speeding through the forest, pursued by werewolves.
Medallions on the sides of the train cars feature running wolves. There are golden-bronze details on the edges of the cars. They’re also painted in slightly different shades of green, yellow, brown, and gray.
Bioreconstruct saw an empty train and a train nearly full of water dummies. See the coaster testing in his video below.
Bio estimates one train of 20 guests runs each minute, for a total of 1,200 guests per hour.
How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk
In the “How to Train Your Dragon”-themed land, Isle of Berk, Bioreconstruct took some photos of the trains for Hiccup’s Wing Gliders. This coaster wasn’t testing, but that allowed for good photos of the trains. They are made to resemble carved wood, with grain and tree rings on the seatbacks. A carved and painted dragon’s head is at the front.
This photo offers a slight look at one of the dragons. The dragon on each train is painted a different color. The train cars in these pictures have a light green dragon and teal blue dragon.
The dragons vary slightly in style from those pictured in Hiccup’s Wing Gliders concept art. The most notable difference is the absence of wings — but these may be added later.
Bioreconstruct also caught a glimpse of a life-size Toothless figure next to the coaster track. When Bio returned to get a better photo, Toothless was unfortunately covered. The dragon is on a platform overlooking the coaster.
Universal Stella Nova & Terra Luna Resorts
Near Epic Universe are the Stella Nova and Terra Luna Resorts, which will open early next year before the park. Pictured above is the Universal Stella Nova Resort, now completely covered in galaxy-inspired reflective paneling. Construction offices were recently removed from the parking lot.
In the foreground of this photo is Universal Terra Luna Resort. The base is now partially painted dark blue, similar to that of Stella Nova across the street.
This photo shows the resorts in the foreground and Epic Universe in the background. Between the two is road construction.
Epic Universe is scheduled to open in 2025.
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