You don’t associate Universal Studios as a kid-friendly park. While there are attractions such as Minion Mayhem, Shrek 4D, and to some extent, Harry Potter, that bring young children through the turnstiles, it’s still considered a thrill seekers park. And with Disney spreading its pixie dust right around the corner, maybe it’s time Universal take a bigger approach to catering to young children.
Universal Studios Orlando used to be home to Nickelodeon Studios, the premier kids television network. Once that closed, it seemed the kid-friendly appeal of the park went away. In its place, Universal built roller coasters, intense dark rides, and a Simpsons themed land that didn’t exactly have kids in mind.
Currently, Universal Orlando has a Woody Woodpecker kid-themed area in their park. And while that’s something for the little ones, it’s still not enough to compete with Disney. What Universal can do is revamp that Woody Woodpecker play area, and give it a complete makeover by adding newly acquired DreamWorks Studios characters.
While it might not seem like a big difference to just replace a Woodpecker with characters like MegaMind and a Kung Fu Panda, things would be better if they did. How many kids these days still watch, or know of, Woody Woodpecker? With the ability to incorporate DreamWorks characters into a children themed area, things will seem a bit more current and modern.
DreamWorks has been on par with Disney regarding successful kid-friendly films. Why not capitalize on that and bring more families into the park by adding a land that incorporates these public properties. There is plenty of land available to expand and grow this portion of the park as well.
By doing this, Universal Orlando can add its helping of pixie dust on the theme park capital of the world. This would take a chunk of business away from Walt Disney World, making them a lot more money in the long run.
Follow Daniel James Gentile on Twitter @dgentleman9288