Aerial photographer bioreconstruct shared new snaps of the Epic Universe construction site this week, including photos of Toothless from “How to Train Your Dragon” uncovered on Hiccup’s Wing Gliders, Yoshi spotted on Mount Beanpole, and more.
Epic Universe Construction Update
Epic Universe Overview & Entrance
Since our last Epic Universe update, much of the theme park has started to take shape. In the above photo, you can see the Helios Grand Hotel, Celestial Park, Dark Universe, and more as the park’s construction continues.
At the Chronos, the portal of Epic Universe, an American flag waves in the air as the structure has reached its tallest point.
Universal Helios Grand Hotel
Landscaping is in progress at the guest access road for Universal Helios Grand Hotel. As you can see from the photo, this road travels over the Epic Universe perimeter service road.
Here, we have a view of the dome construction at the Helios Grand Hotel’s pool. The inner dome was recently installed. If you zoom in, each beam of the structure is numbered 1-32. The outer dome is currently being assembled at ground level.
Cabanas are being constructed near the pool as seen in the top center of this photo. You can see the zero-depth entry to the pool at the bottom left.
Work continues on the domes of the hotel. The three surrounding domes appear to be finished, but the large center dome is still being covered. For scale, the yellow movable scaffolding at the left is about 18 feet tall — just to give you an idea of how massive this hotel is.
How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk
In How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk, work is in progress outside of the land’s portal for a back-of-house gate, seen at number 1 in this image. Number 2 marks the guest exit from the land, showing that guests will only travel into the land via the portal.
This aerial shot shows a large dragon statue and a Viking ship staged in the front bay of the land. Like in the films, the dragon statue will “breathe” fire.
Trees were recently planted along the shoreline of the bay.
Here, an arm of Dragon Racer’s Rally is partially raised. Nearby, framing for tents over the queue has gone up.
Once complete, the area for Dragon Racer’s Rally will look like this concept art.
Another angle of Dragon Racer’s Rally shows the other arm is partially raised. You can see just how close guests in flight will get to the queue tents.
Bioreconstruct initially caught Toothless at Hiccup’s Winged Gliders in our last report but wasn’t able to get a better photo… until now.
This incredible shot shows how detailed the figure is. It appears his giant paw rests on a button — perhaps he will be the one to launch riders “into the sky”?
Dragon houses look vibrant and colorful in How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk.
Above is the entrance to Hiccup’s Winged Gliders, the land’s family coaster. The entire structure is gray with primer, just waiting for its final paint job. A dragon head sticks out from the upper front area.
The entrance to Mead Hall is still covered in scaffolding. However, the statues to the left and right were recently painted and weathered.
New theming was recently added to Spit Fyre Grill. At the right, a dragon now sits above the restaurant’s sign. To the left, a dragon and an arch mark the entrance to a dining area. At ground level, we can see the staging of targets for the Fyre Drill boat ride.
Speaking of Fyre Drill, bioreconstruct got a view of the ride’s start, which seems to have all its targets installed. Many boats are staged throughout the water path. A temporary dam can be seen at the station on the right.
Celestial Park
This aerial overview of Constellation Carousel in Celestial Park shows that some walls and scaffolding are up, potentially indicating that the turntable is moving for testing. The blue pavement seen at the left of this image was recently added.
At Stardust Racers, scaffolding remains on the center rockwork by the station. Since our last update, Universal shared a first look at the new roller coaster.
Looking above the entrance to Stardust Racers, this frame was recently painted green. Vines are starting to cover the sides and will eventually cover the frame completely.
You can see the intended final look in this shot from the park model at the Epic Universe Preview Center in CityWalk.
Super Nintendo World
Peach’s Castle in Super Nintendo World had its turret roofs recently added. However, only one has been painted pink so far.
Various construction materials are staged throughout the land as work continues. Toward the bottom left, you can see a piranha plant loaded on a platform, likely for transport to its installation location.
Bowser’s face is coming together on the facade of Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge. The main tower with horns still looks as though it needs its final paint and weathering.
The many Yoshis of Yoshi’s Adventure are covered up with black tarps. Scaffolding remains on the lower levels of the land.
Bioreconstruct spotted Yoshi on Mount Beanpole in Super Nintendo World. The top of the How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk portal can be seen to Yoshi’s left.
In the background on the ground level of this photo, Funky’s Fly ‘n’ Buy from “Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze” can be seen surrounded by scaffolding in Donkey Kong Country.
Here’s another angle of Funky’s Fly ‘n’ Buy, housed in a “downed” airplane.
The arrow in this photo points toward the warp pipe that will connect Super Mario Land and Donkey Kong Country.
The arrow in this photo points to the start of framing for the themed mushroom cap of Toadstool Cafe.
Heading over to Donkey Kong Country, Dixie Kong can be spotted along the beginning track of Mine Cart Madness.
Here’s a current look at work on the theming at the top of Mine Cart Madness. The golden idol facade still remains behind scaffolding.
A new structure was recently added along with tents for the ride entrance of Mine Cart Madness. You can see the coaster’s exit walkway along the wall.
The arrow in this image points to what will be interactive drums for guests to play in the land.
This image shows an aerial look at current work on a photo op that will be Donkey Kong’s house, as well as a barrel-themed snack stand, reportedly named Bubbly Barrel.
Here’s another view of the photo op and snack stand. A Screaming Pillar can be seen at the right.
Painting is in progress at a water feature on Mine Cart Madness. Here, carts will skim across the water, while the actual coaster track is sideways and underneath.
Dark Universe
Flying above Dark Universe, we can see that the last of a large dirt bank has been removed. A new flat dirt staging area sits near the center of this photo between Oak and Star Tavern and Pizza Moon. The dirt bank originally extended behind Curse of the Werewolf.
Curse of the Werewolf
During his trip above Epic Universe, bioreconstruct caught a photo of The Curse of the Werewolf testing in Dark Universe.
Over at The Burning Blade Tavern, landscaping in the area appears complete. From the ground, the windmill will look as though it’s sat upon a terraced hill. You can spot an outdoor lounge under the roofing at the bottom right of this image.
In this photo, you can see a lot of The Curse of the Werewolf track. The barn in the middle of this spinning ride will shuttle trains backward and then forward to return to the station.
The queue for The Curse of the Werewolf is taking shape. The entrance for the attraction will be between the carriages in the lower right portion of this photo.
Coffins have been added to carriages alongside the edge of The Curse of the Werewolf queue.
Themed tents are starting to take shape near the heavily forested section of the queue. This is near the attraction’s initial launch. The steel frames are a new addition to the brown frames that were present a few weeks ago.
Frankenstein Manor
Scaffolding sits around the main entrance of Frankenstein Manor. The tallest section of the peaked roof was recently added.
We can now see the pavement in front of Frankenstein Manor. It was covered in plywood immediately after being cast months ago.
Guests will cross a ramp to get to Frankenstein Manor. The pathway is starting to take shape but is currently covered in a protective sheet.
Village of Darkmoor
This photo gives a wide look at the village of Darkmoor in Dark Universe. The buildings in the area have been built up considerably since the last update.
Work is being done to the base of the portal to Dark Universe. The picture above shows the structure that guests will walk under to get to the land.
The above photo shows all of Dark Universe. Frankenstein’s Manor is at the bottom left, the village of Darkmoor is above it, and The Curse of the Werewolf is to the right.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic is scene in the middle of this photo right next to the Helios Grand Hotel. This world will have the largest building at Epic Universe.
Here is the portal to the The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic. Check out the golden hand with the wand at the top.
From the opposite side of the entrance, we can see the back of Meteor Astropub. Bricks are being installed on the outside of the building.
Scaffolding covers the arch in the center of this photo. The arch is going to be a replica of Porte Saint-Denis in Paris. Letters are being inscribed on the arch. You can just make them out through the scaffolding.
The wall at the bottom left of this photo had previously been open so that construction crews could transport equipment. It has since been sealed. Rumors indicate that a show building could be added on the outside of this wall years from now.
The storefronts are under construction and look more colorful every day.
The above photo shows the shortest portion of the new Harry Potter world. Despite being shorter than the rest of the land, it will still be taller than Diagon Alley.
A French Butterbeer billboard has been installed.
The center of the street between the buildings is now visible after scaffolding was removed. The steep hill with stairs in between the buildings is meant to look like Montmartre in Paris.
These white structures are going to be Sacré-Cœur turrets just like you would see in Paris.
The arrow in this photo shows where the turrets will eventually be placed, adding to the background theming of the land.
The red tent under construction is the entrance of Le Cirque Arcanus. Guests will exit the show at the end of the street in the center of this photo.
Beneath the scaffolding in the bottom left of this photo, you can get a better look at the exit from Le Cirque Arcanus.
The triangular facade at the center of this photo is the tallest point in the new world. The construction workers and equipment allow you to see just how high it truly is.
This intersection is where five full-size Paris streets come together. You can see a tunnel that leads to an inner courtyard at the bottom of the photo.
The arrows in the above photo show two of the three entrances to the inner courtyard.
A statue is being built atop the fountain beneath the arch in the above photo.
The yellow arrow in the above photo points out the curved shape of the Paris Metro entrances. This will serve as the entrance to Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry, the land’s main attraction.
Universal Stella Nova & Terra Luna Resorts
The concrete around the pool at Stella Nova Resort is being cast one stripe at a time.
This photo shows the Terra Luna resort and it’s under construction pool.
Our final photo shows how close these two resorts are to each other. You’ll also notice that construction is going on in the top right corner of this photo. This will be a dual-branded EVEN and Staybridge Suites hotel that is set to open in 2025.
What do you think of the Epic Universe update? Let us know what you’re most excited about in the comments!
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