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Welcome, Parkgoers! Join Dustin, Logan, and Nate on Parkgoers Go!, your ultimate theme park podcast for everything Disney, Universal, and beyond. From thrilling roller coasters and must-try theme park foods to immersive attractions, insider park tips, and exciting trivia games, we cover it all. Dive deep into the magic of theme parks, discover hidden secrets, and get expert advice to make the most of every park adventure. Perfect for theme park enthusiasts, families, and thrill-seekers alike!
00:00:00 Dustin: FA la la la la la. Banana. You got to train your dragon. In this episode of Parker's Go We Do Acquired Lands part three. Let's go. Hello, everybody, and welcome to Park Goers Go, your go to podcast for all things theme parks. I'm your host, Dustin.
00:00:36 Nate: I'm Logan and I'm Nate.
00:00:38 Dustin: And today we are bringing back a old favorite, uh, which is the Acquired Lands episode. Uh, number three.
00:00:47 Nate: The big number three.
00:00:49 Dustin: Yeah. The last time we had this was way back, uh, episode eighteen. So I think season one, what we were waiting for, uh, but now we've got it. Let's see. Hopping all the way back in our first episode, we talked about Toy Story Land and Avengers Campus and Galaxy's Edge, and then episode, which was episode eight, and then episode eighteen and acquired lands two. We talked about Dreamworks Land and Pandora and Cars Land. So as you can see, we were doing pretty high quality ones. And I feel like not so much quality of IP, but maybe, um, scope of land, except for one, one of them's actually pretty good. But uh, the other two.
00:01:34 Nate: I wonder which one it is.
00:01:35 Dustin: Are also pretty good, but not as you'll see. You'll see someone's.
00:01:40 Nate: Just upset about the land they got.
00:01:42 Dustin: Well, like I said, we're kind of we're not, we're not scraping at the bottom of the barrel yet, but we're getting pretty close. So, um, let's chat about what acquired lands are real quick. So acquired lands are lands that are based off of IPS. I am and then you guys can nod and agree.
00:01:59 Nate: So they won't be able to see us.
00:02:02 Dustin: Just nod and then we'll assume.
00:02:04 Nate: Can you add a nodding noise?
00:02:05 Dustin: Yes. It just sound like creaking.
00:02:08 Nate: I was literally I was like, yeah, we need some oil over her.
00:02:15 Dustin: Um, acquired lands are lands that are based off of IP that were acquired by the company. So different than licensed land where another company owns the property and then allows the theme park to use it. Uh, this one is the company bought another company and using those IP. So today's IP ah, I mean, today's lands are.
00:02:39 Nate: Uh, San Fransokyo at Disney's California Adventure.
00:02:42 Dustin: Minions land at Universal Studios all over the world.
00:02:47 Nate: And the one, the only, the incredible. The perfected Isle of Berk at epic universe. Or the perfect instead of perfected. Put that in there. I was wondering why you said perfected, but I couldn't think of any words. And I couldn't stop. So I kept going.
00:03:13 Dustin: I thought you were trying to say perforated, but let's go on into. Let's hop on into it by jumping right over to California Adventure. Ooh.
00:03:25 Nate: All right, let's get on into it. San Fransokyo Square. San Fransokyo is a land based on the very popular Walt Disney animated film Big Hero six. Now, you might be asking yourself, Nate, I thought this was a Quiet Land episode. It is Logan. I didn't ask.
00:03:46 Dustin: Oh come on. We said it in the title.
00:03:48 Nate: Yes. If you didn't know, Big Hero six is loosely based on a Marvel comic book that debuted in nineteen ninety eight, when the Disney company acquired Marvel Entertainment in two thousand and nine. For how many? How many billion dollars? Not one, not two. Not three, but four billion dollars. They were instantly granted access to its entire archive of Marvel content, which includes over five thousand Marvel characters, along with all these different obscure themes that they could basically play with. So in twenty eleven, after the acquisition in two thousand and nine, Bob Iger, the CEO at the time of Disney, was encouraging the animators to look into this new library and see what they can pull out. That's when good old Don Hall in twenty eleven was scrolling through this database and came across the title Big Hero six, a comic that he has never heard of before. But I quote, I just liked the title. He then pitched to the. The concept to John Lasseter, who was the chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation at the time, and boom! Big hero six was greenlit for its film. Now they adapted the film without having really read the comics, which is why I say it's very, very loosely based on the comic books. Uh, the heroes are technically the same, you know, in terms of the core teams names, but the heroes are very different from what you see in the film and what you see in the land. I'm not gonna get too much into the film. I definitely recommend watching the film. The film is fantastic, but I will get into the land now. So. And now I.
00:05:33 Logan: Will start talking about the land. That's what we're here for.
00:05:36 Nate: The film was important. So anyway, in the film, they decided to create this mesh between San Francisco and Tokyo. I believe in the Marvel comic universe. This only took place in Tokyo, but they wanted like, kind of like a fresh environment. And that's what we have now in the parks. They decided to take what used to be the Pacific walk at DCA, which was a non IP dining area, and transform it into San Fransokyo, which we see in the film. The land opened in twenty twenty three, coincidentally right next to Avengers campus, which is cute because you got that, you know, that loose connection there with Marvel.
00:06:13 Logan: That nobody knew about until today.
00:06:15 Nate: That's right. Nobody knew this until today.
00:06:17 Dustin: Wait, did you say it was right next to.
00:06:19 Nate: It is kind of next to it.
00:06:21 Dustin: We ran into this problem with the last time we talked about this location.
00:06:24 Nate: Yeah. Isn't it like next to it?
00:06:25 Dustin: It's right next to cars. It's between cars and the pier. It's across though. I guess you could say it's.
00:06:31 Nate: In my head.
00:06:31 Dustin: It's across from Avengers, you know?
00:06:35 Nate: Uh.
00:06:35 Logan: Can you see it from it?
00:06:37 Nate: Probably not.
00:06:37 Logan: Oh.
00:06:38 Dustin: A little bit, yeah.
00:06:40 Logan: There you go. A little bit.
00:06:41 Nate: A little bit, little bit, a little bit. Um, so yeah, they did they in twenty twenty three, this land opened. it is. It's an interesting land because, um, unlike other, like I feel like IP driven lands, it's not, I don't want to say it's not super IP driven, but Big Hero six is just like the essence of the land, but it's not the purpose, if that makes sense. At the end of the day, it is a dining land and those big hero six elements. But if you're interested in what the land is about, the land is supposed to be a celebration in the city. After the events of Big Hero six happens, so you'll see different banners and signage around referencing the different heroes from the films such as hero, Baymax. Uh, I think I had those names written down. Hold on. Yeah! Baymax go go tamago. Honey lemon.
00:07:35 Dustin: Honey lemon.
00:07:36 Nate: Go go.
00:07:37 Logan: Go.
00:07:37 Dustin: Go go tamago. Mighty morphin time go.
00:07:41 Nate: I don't know that song.
00:07:42 Logan: You can just keep going. You can just keep going.
00:07:45 Nate: But like I said before, in Pacific War, it used to be a dining location. It is still now currently a main dining location. Um, bringing that Asian fusion, I guess you could say, which is very popular in San Francisco. So I like that they kind of like went with those themes. I feel like it's the perfect setting. So some different food spots that you can find around town is, um, Aunt Cass Cafe, uh, which is a bakery, a Japanese with a Japanese bakery, um, popular for, you know, bread bowls, but other Japanese dishes, um, the lucky fortune cookery, the Cocina cocina Cucamonga Mexican grill, um, which serves like street tacos, some other Mexican style location. Um, and there's also different like beverage places like the port of San Fransokyo. Sarah, Sarah now Sarah.
00:08:36 Dustin: And also Sarah's there.
00:08:38 Nate: Sorry. Sarah. Oh, sorry. Sarah. Um, which is Bill Gordon, Rita's top blenders for frozen margaritas, Ghirardelli soda fountain, a chocolate shop for chocolate and soda, and the cappuccino cult that shows Joffrey's. Along with that, there's also different locations like the San Fransokyo Makers Market, collectible medallions and the Pan Pacific PIN Trader. But the most notable experience is the opportunity to meet the big man himself, not Mickey.
00:09:08 Dustin: Santa.
00:09:08 Nate: But Baymax.
00:09:10 Dustin: Baymax.
00:09:12 Nate: Baymax, and Hiro have a meet and greet right in the center of San Fransokyo square. You can give him a hug. Give him a little. La la la la la la.
00:09:19 Logan: La la la la la la la la. And it is.
00:09:22 Nate: A fantastic time.
00:09:25 Logan: He looks great.
00:09:26 Dustin: Yeah, he looks just like from the movie Baymax.
00:09:28 Nate: Looks good too.
00:09:29 Dustin: I thought that's who we were talking about.
00:09:31 Logan: You're so funny. Joke. It's a joke.
00:09:34 Dustin: Uh, you got me.
00:09:36 Nate: Oh, well, that's San Fransokyo. It's a good time. I highly recommend it. It's a great place to get a bite to eat. Also to get some terrible coffee.
00:09:44 Logan: But they might have improved it.
00:09:47 Nate: And I love that it's more of a loosely Marvel based because if you know me, I love my Marvel.
00:09:55 Logan: Mhm.
00:09:55 Dustin: Well, this was also one, uh, one of those lands that was rethemed previously the Pacific Wharf, and now it is San Fransokyo square. And a lot of the stuff that doesn't make sense to the IP, like the, uh, Mexican restaurant in Ghirardelli were in the, I guess the bake shop were things that were there before.
00:10:17 Nate: So, you know, Ghirardelli, San Francisco. That makes sense.
00:10:21 Logan: You're not wrong.
00:10:22 Nate: Mexican. I guess it kind of goes into the fusion. And I guess they try to have like Asian Mexican fusion maybe, which I don't know if San Francisco is popular, but I know Mexican food is popular in California, so I guess it works. I don't know.
00:10:37 Dustin: Yeah. The only thing that I would like to see for this land is a ride. I want a big hero six ride.
00:10:42 Logan: Yeah, that would have been nice. Yeah.
00:10:45 Dustin: I don't mind the overlay, uh, or the retheming, but I mean, I'm pretty sure I've said it before. Big hero six is a fun one, and I kind of wish they got a little bit more than just a wharf, but, uh, you know, if they keep on adding to it, then I think it's cool.
00:11:01 Logan: They just have a, uh, merch cow.
00:11:03 Dustin: What do you mean.
00:11:04 Logan: Like a cash cow? They're a merch cow.
00:11:07 Dustin: Oh! Oh, Baymax, Baymax.
00:11:09 Logan: Baymax and stitch. I got you something cute that they just produce crazy amount of merch for that people just eat up.
00:11:15 Dustin: Now, do they have, uh, anything similar in any of the other parks? Like even internationally? Because I know Baymax is big internationally too.
00:11:25 Nate: I mean, Cmax is big. Yeah, like.
00:11:29 Logan: You're a big boy.
00:11:30 Nate: You find Baymax much anywhere. They have a whole shop at Tokyo Disney. See, like, I think it was strictly Baymax.
00:11:37 Dustin: But do they have, like, a land?
00:11:39 Logan: Um. I don't think there is really, like another land though. Besides, where does the Baymax like, fly around the castle? Is that.
00:11:47 Nate: Didn't he do that in Disneyland?
00:11:49 Dustin: Oh yeah. Disneyland. Yeah, he did that in Disneyland.
00:11:52 Logan: And then just the ride in Japan. Ride the Baymax.
00:11:57 Dustin: Oh, the happy something.
00:11:58 Nate: Yeah. Yeah, I forgot about that. That makes sense. Why? They had a lot of Baymax models now.
00:12:04 Dustin: So just to be clear, though, when I said when I said add a ride, I don't mean that kind of ride. I mean, like anything like more evolved.
00:12:12 Logan: It's important to be clear.
00:12:13 Dustin: To be clear. Yes, that is true.
00:12:14 Logan: I was thinking I was like, watch them. Just like put some characters on the swinging carousel of like, Baymax on the back of your chair, just pushing you as if you're he's pushing you.
00:12:25 Dustin: Yeah, it's funny too, because they do have, um, in that area. That's where the baby care center is that then that's where they sell like medications. I wonder if they have a Baymax in there that says like, uh, what does he say in the movie? Like, how are you feeling? or, you know, because he does the medical stuff. If not, they should get on that because it's right there.
00:12:45 Logan: Then they're just gonna get swarmed by. People ask me how I am.
00:12:50 Dustin: Do it.
00:12:51 Logan: That's true.
00:12:52 Nate: Has anyone seen the original, um, like characters though from like the comics?
00:12:57 Dustin: No, no, that's actually. I'm glad you bring that up. Yes. Baymax is like he can transform into like, different looking things. He doesn't look like a white puffy robot, that's for sure.
00:13:09 Nate: He looks like a dragon.
00:13:10 Dustin: Almost like a little bit. I know according or from when I'm reading, it looks like he can do. He's an artificial synth former, meaning that he can, you know, synthesize his appearance into different things and is different forms include a large humanoid male. Oh, a battle dragon. So that might be it. And then an action mecha.
00:13:32 Nate: It wasn't a very successful comic book, I will say.
00:13:36 Dustin: Apparently. Yeah.
00:13:38 Nate: I've never even heard it. I mean, I was an avid comic reader. I've never I still have not come across a single reference to Big Hero six.
00:13:46 Dustin: Well, and before we record this episode, you did bring up that you don't think that this was an acquired land. Um, being that this when did you say this comic came out?
00:13:57 Nate: Nineteen ninety nine.
00:13:57 Dustin: Nineteen ninety eight. Yeah. No, this is, uh, I think this definitely qualifies. So yeah. No. That's awesome.
00:14:04 Logan: And they just have great food. I'm not gonna go back. Oh, it's been so long. We've only went once. Isn't that crazy?
00:14:11 Dustin: Well, I have a question. Hold on. So it has a it has a wide variety of food. So, uh, Mexican. What else do you say?
00:14:19 Logan: He's doing a transition.
00:14:20 Dustin: Japanese.
00:14:21 Nate: Mexican. Japanese, Vietnamese.
00:14:25 Dustin: Do you think they sell any bananas? Banana.
00:14:29 Nate: I don't think. Isn't that what they say?
00:14:34 Dustin: I think the minions say banana.
00:14:37 Logan: I do.
00:14:37 Dustin: Okay, good.
00:14:38 Dustin: I was gonna say either that or I'm just saying.
00:14:40 Dustin: Randomly.
00:14:41 Dustin: Say banana.
00:14:42 Dustin: I think I've only ever seen the first movie, but anyways. Uh. Oh, banana. You know who else says banana? The minions?
00:14:51 Logan: Banana.
00:14:53 Dustin: So our story begins in nineteen ninety four at twentieth Century Fox.
00:14:58 Logan: What?
00:14:59 Dustin: I know, weird. Before this time, Fox had produced five animated films that had leaned more toward the mature side. But by nineteen ninety four, they were coming off of three consecutive kid films. After a temporary first look deal with Nickelodeon fell apart. When Nick was acquired by Paramount, Fox was itching to get into the family animation game, so they created the Fox Family Films division. Fox senior vice president of Production Chris Meledandri would be tasked with heading the department, and it was decided that if they wanted to make a name for themselves in this space, they may as well hire the competition of their greatest competitor, Disney, thus beginning its partnership with Don Bluth and Gary Goldman and creating what would become twentieth Century Fox Animation. During Meledandri. S tenure as Fox Animation's president, the studio released Anastasia.
00:15:58 Nate: I love that movie.
00:16:01 Dustin: Who doesn't?
00:16:02 Logan: Me. I didn't even watch it. I feel like I haven't seen him forever, far away.
00:16:08 Logan: Long ago.
00:16:12 Dustin: In the dark of the night. Okay.
00:16:14 Dustin: Also during his tenure, there was an acquisition of the computer animation commercial company called blue Sky. And under Meledandri, it went on to produce Ice Age robots and began production of Horton Hears a Who. Until another company began to eye his success In two thousand and seven, Meledandri left Fox and founded the computer animation company Illumination Entertainment.
00:16:44 Dustin: Illumination.
00:16:45 Nate: Did you like that? I do like that part.
00:16:46 Logan: When they yell.
00:16:47 Nate: It.
00:16:47 Logan: Yeah, yeah.
00:16:48 Dustin: And within the same year announced that the company would be co-owned with Universal Studios. And for their first project, they would aim for the moon.
00:16:59 Nate: That was the false project.
00:17:01 Dustin: Yeah.
00:17:02 Nate: Oh, talk about hitting a high note.
00:17:04 Dustin: Yeah, but, I mean, look at Melisandre's history, though. I mean, this isn't his first film. You know what I mean? So in twenty ten, three years after its inception, illumination would welcome its first film to the world as Despicable Me, which went on to be a big hit, launching four films and two spinoffs which followed the main character's screen stealing sidekicks, The Minions, in twenty twelve. All of these characters would find their way into the Universal Studios parks in Orlando in Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, which was a large screen simulator that was previously home to Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast.
00:17:44 Logan: Blast.
00:17:45 Dustin: And the Funtastic world of Hanna-Barbera. And that's right. When you enter the park to the left.
00:17:52 Logan: Na na na. Barbara.
00:17:54 Dustin: Strong as he can be.
00:17:57 Logan: Watch out for that tree.
00:17:58 Nate: That was such a good show.
00:18:00 Dustin: Wait, what?
00:18:01 Nate: What was I thinking?
00:18:04 Logan: I was thinking.
00:18:05 Dustin: Like, three things listed.
00:18:07 Nate: Yeah.
00:18:10 Dustin: Wait. Hold on, hold on, hold on. So we listed Jimmy Neutron, Hanna-Barbera, and think about George of the jungle. And you said that was a great show, referring to Dave the Barbarian.
00:18:20 Nate: I just love cartoons.
00:18:24 Dustin: Apparently one in particular more than the others.
00:18:27 Logan: I just love to be involved.
00:18:30 Dustin: Okay, so right when you walk into the park, that's called.
00:18:33 Logan: That's called entering.
00:18:35 Dustin: Oh my gosh. Right. When you walk into Universal Orlando, the land that you walk into was called Production Central. But in twenty twenty three, it was rethemed to minions land on Illumination Avenue.
00:18:49 Logan: Illumination.
00:18:50 Dustin: This whole retheme also took out the old, uh, Monster Cafe and Shrek 4D, which then became the Minions Cafe and Illuminations, I'm sorry, which became illuminations, Minions Cafe and Illumination's Villain-con Minion Blast.
00:19:09 Nate: They put that name on everything they do.
00:19:11 Dustin: They want to make sure that you know what illumination.
00:19:15 Logan: Illumination, illumination.
00:19:16 Nate: They even put on the side of the building just so you definitely won't forget.
00:19:20 Logan: Forget what?
00:19:21 Logan: Illumination. Illumination.
00:19:24 Dustin: I like how they called it. Could have just called minions land, but they had to make sure it was minion land on Illumination Avenue. Um, but as of twenty twenty six, every universal park has some form of minions land with, uh, Japan calling it Minion park. We've been there and some of them themed to look like the super silly Fun Land amusement park from the first film.
00:19:53 Nate: Oh that's cool. I didn't know that.
00:19:54 Dustin: Yeah. And in this land. My fun fact, actually. Isn't that fun? All right. Now, there may be a question on whether this is actually an acquired company.
00:20:05 Logan: Oh, great.
00:20:06 Dustin: I know Logan, you're asking is this acquired.
00:20:09 Logan: two out of three?
00:20:11 Nate: Yeah.
00:20:12 Logan: But let us go in a very roundabout way. Explain how it's kind of acquired.
00:20:17 Dustin: I told you, we're not scraping the bottom of the barrel, but we're getting very close. But Illumination Entertainment was founded by Meledandri and and agreed to Universal Studios. co-ownership for distribution. Okay, so technically this was a partnership, but around twenty eleven because it doesn't give a specific date on when this actually happened, it slowly became a division of Universal Studios. So it was a partnership where they just kind of absorbed the other one, you know, as one would expect. So yes, they did acquire it into their divisions. So in this land right now we have two rides, which is Despicable Me, Minion Mayhem and the moving walkway ride that is Illumination's. Uh.
00:21:08 Logan: What is it?
00:21:08 Dustin: Villain-con minion blast. We also have for, uh, food places, which is baked my day freeze! Ray's pops, Papa, Nana, and then also Illumination's Minion Cafe. I'm not a huge fan of this land, eh, because it's right at the entrance and be I wish it would have been something more than just refilling an old space. Like. You could tell that they built this land around the fact that they rethemed that one ride to being minions from Jimmy Neutron to minions and they're like, oh, we'll just build around it.
00:21:43 Logan: It's a minion walkway.
00:21:45 Dustin: Pretty much.
00:21:46 Nate: Yeah, it's a minion. Cancel. No offense to Illumination's elimination. It is one of.
00:21:52 Logan: Those that word.
00:21:53 Nate: Yeah. It's one of those things where I'm just surprised because the I. How long between the ride and the land? Like how many years was that?
00:22:02 Dustin: Twenty twenty three and twenty twelve. So eleven.
00:22:08 Nate: Years. Yeah. So that's what I'm saying. Like when they announced that the entire area was going to be taken over, I just didn't get it, I don't know.
00:22:19 Dustin: Well, I think Shrek was a big thing because Shrek stayed around for a while. But once they.
00:22:25 Nate: Yeah, but then she doesn't even have a ride anymore. He just has a playground.
00:22:30 Dustin: Yeah, but does he need.
00:22:31 Dustin: More than that? Yes. I mean.
00:22:33 Logan: Yes, he does.
00:22:34 Dustin: I don't know. My my thing is, is that I think honestly, you could get rid of Toon Lagoon and you could get rid of, um. What's that other one? Uh.
00:22:44 Nate: The lost continent.
00:22:45 Dustin: The lost continent. You could get rid of Lost Continent and put illumination land where you can explore all them there and then into lagoon. You could put Dreamworks like they could have their old land like, just to them, which I know Dreamworks does, but I mean, like more expansive, like more like, ah, because it's so rich in so many stories, but then they just like, boom, okay, we're just gonna put them right here, right now.
00:23:08 Nate: Yeah. I think it's just oddly placed. Like you said, it's in the beginning of the park. Like, why is that? I will say, though, I think that they did a good job. Like I think that the cafes and stuff are really good. Yeah. And I love the theming of the food. I like the options that they have for the most part. I just think it's random.
00:23:29 Dustin: Yeah. And when you go to the Menus cafe, I will say that's one of the more exciting places to go through to look at the, um, the attention to detail like that vending machine, I think is one of the funniest things. It's a fake vending machine, but there's just like bananas in there because it's like the minions vending machine, and then there's a fart gun and it's just really funny. I really enjoyed that. But but even the outside of the ride, I mean, the rides are made for kids. Like, don't you know, the whole land is for kids? I just think it's really weird that it's like the first thing you experience when you walk in, you're like, bam! You're like, okay, cool. I just wanted to ride the mummy.
00:24:05 Nate: I so wish they had better rides. I mean, three, what do they have three rides? Two. No.
00:24:12 Dustin: They have two rides. But in some of the other, um, parks, they have like small carnival rides because it's supposed to be themed like the carnival from the first film, which I think is kind of cute, but at the same time, I mean, if we're looking at quality of rides, I guess the the Universal Orlando does have the more high quality rides. But no, I agree. I just, I.
00:24:35 Nate: You know what, I think it you know what I think it is I think that this is a kids movie. Wait.
00:24:40 Logan: It's a kids movie.
00:24:42 Nate: It's a movie for kids and it's a land for kids that's in the center of a park. Generally, for adults like Dreamworks, land is also for kids, but they that's tucked away. They said kids out of sight, out of mind. But minions is right there. And I think it's just like, I don't know, it just doesn't.
00:25:04 Dustin: I just don't. Yeah. And I don't really, I can't really think of another theme park in general that right when you walk in, they force you to walk through a kid's section. That's almost like when you walk in through a, into like a shopping center, they force you to walk through the perfume center or section. You know, it's just like, why? Why would you do that? I mean, I know exactly why they did it, but because they just had the space. But yeah, no, so that is, uh, minions land. I will say that we talked about my section a lot longer than what I thought it definitely would. Uh, did drag on. Wait, drag on Dragon.
00:25:43 Logan: Yeah, we got it.
00:25:44 Dustin: How to train your Dragon. I love bird.
00:25:47 Logan: Got it. How to train your dragon. I'll Berk at Epic universe. Orlando. Uh! I'm gonna burp. Hold on.
00:25:56 Dustin: Take it away, Logan.
00:25:57 Logan: I said hold on. You know I said that.
00:25:59 Dustin: Hold on. Because what? You had to. Hiccup, wait. Burp hiccup.
00:26:03 Logan: I said burp.
00:26:03 Dustin: Hiccup. From How to Train Your Dragon.
00:26:07 Logan: Opened May twenty second, twenty twenty five and is Universal's newest park, featuring the five major themed worlds connected through a portal style entrance, with the hub being Celestial Park and are at least this podcast number one favorite because we did a little game and we found out, uh, I'll have Burke brings the How to Train Your Dragon films to life, presenting a version of Burke where Viking and dragons are living side by side. The land is set between the second and third films, but before we talk too much about the land, Nate, you may be asking me.
00:26:49 Dustin: How.
00:26:49 Logan: Was this acquired by universal?
00:26:52 Nate: This is the one land. I wasn't questioning that.
00:26:54 Dustin: Look, it sounds like you might be asking yourself this question.
00:26:57 Logan: I think Nate asked.
00:26:58 Dustin: I think this is a question for you.
00:26:59 Logan: Allow me to give you a breakdown. How to Train Your Dragon was created by Dreamworks animation in twenty sixteen. Comcast, the parent company of NBC universal, acquired Dreamworks animation for about three point eight billion dollars once the deal.
00:27:16 Nate: A Billion
00:27:20 Logan: Once the deal closed, Dreamworks entire film library, including How to Train Your Dragon, Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, and others became a part of Universal Pictures and universal destinations and experiences in terms of scale and detail. Berk is one of the most ambitious lands universal has built. The area covers about fifteen point five acres and features over one hundred and sixty zero zero zero square foot of Rockwork. The environment is packed with environmental storytelling details, including hundreds of barrels, crates, baskets, feed sacks, books and props to make the village feel lived in throughout the land. Guests can spot around thirty animated and static dragons representing seventeen different species, adding movement and atmosphere across the village. Very cool. The attraction lineup is designed to reflect dragon training, racing and Viking life. This land features three major attractions with the number one absolutely incredible jaw dropping, one being hiccup's winged gliders, which is a family throw, a launch coaster where Hiccup's winged contraption sends riders into the sky. Technically, toothless is the one that sends us flying into the sky, reaching speeds of about forty five miles per hour, and focuses on swooping, diving and gliding sensations meant to replicate flying alongside dragons. Next, we have fire drill guests compete using on board water cannons to hit flaming targets and even other boats. Don't worry, they're fake flames. And by that I mean like painted onto wood, making it playful and a social interaction that works well with families and groups. And to be fair, my work a little too well because when we were just there, all you hear is over the intercom, please stay in your own use your own water gun, stay in your seat. Do not move about the boat. I'm like, oh, it's getting a little too fun over there. And then we have dragons. Dragon Racers Rally, which is inspired by dragon racing, a popular activity in the films where riders are lifted around sixty seven feet as dragon riders and can control how intense their experience is from either flying gently or going full aero. Um. What's the what's that dynamic? No. Aerobatic aerobatic.
00:29:42 Nate: Aerobics.
00:29:42 Logan: Aero.
00:29:43 Nate: Do a barrel roll.
00:29:44 Logan: It's not aerobics. Acrobatics, acrobatics. It says aerobatics. Oh, I guess that does make sense. It's like anywhere. Anyway, going full acrobat and doing barrel rolls.
00:29:54 Dustin: Go full acrobat.
00:29:55 Logan: Sky. Nathaniel tried.
00:29:58 Nate: I think I did, I think I got one. It's really hard to tell.
00:30:03 Dustin: When you're upside down.
00:30:03 Nate: Well, I know when I'm upside down, but it's it's a little hard to tell if I got a complete one or not. Oh, I think I did.
00:30:11 Logan: Uh. It's terrifying, So I did not. And I just did the gentle, gentle flying.
00:30:17 Nate: It's actually not that terrifying. It's actually.
00:30:19 Logan: It is. Anyway, for younger visitors, the Viking training camp offers the large interactive play area with climbable towers, the little baby agility courses, musical instruments that kind of sound like. I was like, degrading them. Uh, games like the little baby agility courses, game slides and themed playing structures, including toothless themed elements and activities designed for various age groups, entertainment and the character interactions are a big part of Berk. At Haddock Paddock, guests can meet hiccup and the one, the only the adorable, toothless, uh. And sometimes Astrid. And, um, what is her dragon's name?
00:31:01 Nate: I don't know.
00:31:01 Dustin: Fluffy.
00:31:02 Nate: Fears? No tooth.
00:31:04 Dustin: Toothful.
00:31:07 Nate: Spitfire.
00:31:08 Dustin: Mouthful of teeth?
00:31:09 Logan: No Stormfly were you Astrid and Stormfly also sometimes make an appearance at the Haddock paddock. When I just went, I saw it was Hiccup and Toothless and Astrid and Stormfly were all in the haddock paddock, which I've never seen before, so that was pretty cool. But Astrid also walks around and sometimes she does have stormfly with her, but along side other characters that are walking around, we got ruff, ruff, ruff, we got ruff, ruff, ruff, ruff nut and tough nut. We got ruff nut. We got ruff.
00:31:40 Dustin: Ruff, ruff ruff ruff ruff.
00:31:42 Nate: Ruff.
00:31:43 Dustin: Ruff.
00:31:43 Logan: We got wolf off and we.
00:31:45 Nate: Got.
00:31:45 Logan: The twins. The twins are there and they're really funny. And then we have Gobber who you can see standing by his uh, workbench alongside his uh, gronckle who is sound asleep.
00:31:59 Nate: And breathes fire now.
00:32:00 Dustin: Nice.
00:32:01 Nate: Well.
00:32:02 Logan: I haven't seen it, though.
00:32:03 Nate: If he's walking.
00:32:04 Logan: Yeah. And then as always, you can as mentioned before, there's dragons all over the place and little baby dragons all over the place and just so cute. Um, and then allegedly I've never seen it, but we've seen some videos there may or may not be some flying dragons. It seems very, very rare, but I guess keep an eye out. Keep an eye out.
00:32:26 Dustin: Mhm. Funny that you mentioned that because I was recently watching that documentary series on Peacock. It was, um, it's called Epic Ride The History of Universal theme Parks and it, I recommend it. It's, it's a fantastic, uh, watch on not only the history of epic universe and while they're building it, but also the history of all the universal parks and, uh, so it's pretty cool. But specifically, they were talking in that about the Dragon drones and how they were testing them to actually, like, flap their wings and move their heads and different stuff like that. So that was pretty cool. And then, uh, back when my wife and I went to the universal theme park exhibit in the Franklin Institute Museum in Philly, they had a version of that too. That was, um, like an earlier version, like a concept version. So it's a shame that you guys haven't seen them yet.
00:33:12 Nate: We have seen all the walking dragons, the baby dragon.
00:33:16 Logan: Oh yeah. And then toothless is, uh, Baby Dragon sometimes make an appearance next to the Frost Dragon, which is next to the Spitfire Grill pickup area. Oh, yeah. Spitfire grill. The land also features the Untrainable Dragon, a live stage show that shows Hiccup and Toothless on a new adventure combining performance technology and music like classic live stage uh to tell a new story within the franchise, which is really focused on motherhood. Technically. That's true.
00:33:50 Nate: I was gonna say motherhood. No. Yeah. That's true. That's fail.
00:33:54 Logan: Um, it is a really, really, really cute show, but not necessarily. Um, I mean, I, I definitely recommend seeing it at least once. Uh, but it is very, um, kid driven.
00:34:05 Nate: But well done.
00:34:06 Logan: Yeah, it's super cool. Very, very cool.
00:34:08 Nate: Great staging. Whoever did the staging was really good.
00:34:11 Logan: You said that as if you did the staging. I don't know who did it, but you did. Really? You should probably.
00:34:19 Dustin: Get a raise.
00:34:21 Logan: No, it's very well done. Um, dining in Burke is themed around Viking culture. Uh, we have the mead hall serving as the central gathering place with a menu of meat, fish sandwiches, desserts and themed beverages, including mead, ciders and owls at Spitfire Grill. They offer quick service meals and at hooligan's grog and gruel, serving snacks in a racing themed shopping locations extend the storytelling with toothless treasures. Viking Traders Hiccup's Workshop and How to Treat Your Dragon, which sells themed sweets like chocolate, dragon eggs and sheep shaped marshmallows. A lot of tongue twisters in this. Come on sheep shaped tuffnut. Oh, there you go, Tiff. Not rough night. Uh, along with apparel, cosplay gear, and collectibles. And it is designed to feel like a functioning Viking village rather than just another little themed themed backdrop area environment that you just get a walk in. No, they live there. They're walking around. They're teaching you how to fly on the dragons. They're teaching you how to put out the fire of the dragons. They're teaching you how to be a Viking. And I gotta tell you, I feel like one.
00:35:36 Dustin: Like a dragon.
00:35:38 Logan: A Viking. I wish I had a dragon.
00:35:40 Dustin: Dragon rider that you could train.
00:35:42 Nate: That I could be.
00:35:43 Dustin: So be a dragon.
00:35:46 Nate: Now, I do think this land is actually probably the best land. Well, no, I won't say this land.
00:35:53 Dustin: This land is the best land, period.
00:35:54 Nate: I won't say that because we've been to Fantasy Springs. I know. I actually do think. I do think that this is the best land In any theme park.
00:36:06 Dustin: In any theme.
00:36:06 Nate: Park. Any theme park.
00:36:08 Logan: Wait.
00:36:09 Nate: Okay, but.
00:36:09 Logan: You remember Arendelle and like all.
00:36:12 Nate: I was thinking fantasy springs. It did make me pause. But Fantasy Springs as a whole is technically like three.
00:36:18 Logan: I'm not saying I think it is. I'm just saying if you remember that one.
00:36:22 Nate: No, I do, and I was I hesitated, but.
00:36:25 Logan: Prefacing it further with the best one that we have been to.
00:36:29 Nate: Fantasy Springs is great. I will say that I love you Tokyo, but individual land, I think it's the best.
00:36:36 Logan: Mhm.
00:36:36 Dustin: I like this land. I think it's a good land. But no, the history of Dreamworks land and how it started and how it was acquired. It's definitely an interesting read. It evolves directly. Disney and Universal. And also, uh, what is it called? Paramount. So it has its, uh, grips in a lot of different things. So, and I know at one point they were, they were getting close to bankruptcy. So they were kind of like begging universal at one point to purchase them, and they didn't at first. But then they had a. But very similar to like what we were talking about in the last one, uh, with the illumination elements.
00:37:11 Logan: Uh.
00:37:12 Dustin: I know Dreamworks was such a powerhouse when it came to just the properties. I mean, I would say it was, uh, matched very evenly with toys or Toy Story with Pixar when it comes to the names, because you got your, what is it, your Shrek, Kung fu Panda, Madagascar, how to train your dragon trolls.
00:37:29 Logan: Which one really put it on the map? Was it.
00:37:32 Dustin: Shrek? Shrek? Yeah, yeah.
00:37:34 Nate: Yeah.
00:37:34 Logan: That was crazy. What a one to come out with. They came out swinging.
00:37:38 Dustin: I know, and the same with illumination.
00:37:40 Logan: With, uh.
00:37:41 Dustin: Well, okay, when it came to computer animation because otherwise you have like Prince of Egypt.
00:37:47 Nate: Fantastic.
00:37:48 Dustin: What is it, El Dorado? Yeah. No, they're hand-drawn animation stuff was just as good as the computer animation.
00:37:54 Nate: The Road to El Dorado, the greatest film ever made.
00:37:58 Dustin: Yeah, I brought that one up. Thanks for, uh, chipping in.
00:38:01 Nate: Well, I just want to say I love it so much.
00:38:02 Logan: It's just not as interesting when you say.
00:38:05 Dustin: It, apparently. But if you do want to experience more Dreamworks stuff, there's the Dreamworks Water Park that is in, uh, the American Dream in New Jersey, which is a mall.
00:38:17 Logan: So Dreamworks water parks, it's the Dreamworks water parks.
00:38:23 Dustin: Experience that as well.
00:38:24 Nate: Did you just mention how they that the, the land also walked with, like the animators to know when they were creating it? Well, they did. And did you know that the benches in the land are made from um.
00:38:41 Logan: Wood.
00:38:41 Nate: Sketches from because they were developed. I think they were, they were making one of the films. It was either the Hydrogen Dragon two or three at the time, but they used like the sketches from those films to design those benches. And they're all one of a kind and hand-carved. It's really cool, very integrated. You know, they didn't just take the IP. They really they really walked with that.
00:39:02 Logan: They really got in there.
00:39:04 Nate: Yeah.
00:39:04 Logan: Really use some elbow grease.
00:39:07 Nate: As authentic as possible. And I think that the land itself too is just so cohesive. I love the whole.
00:39:13 Logan: And cozy.
00:39:15 Nate: And cozy, but I think I love that's what I.
00:39:17 Logan: Thought he was gonna.
00:39:18 Nate: Say. Main theme.
00:39:19 Dustin: I don't think cozy would be the word.
00:39:20 Nate: Not only is it authentic to the film in terms of everything you see, it looks like you're literally in the film. It's not like an adaptation, but the story of why you're there and what you're doing there. The whole Dragon training thing, which is obviously the focus of the films and stuff, is found in every single attraction, every single attraction. Everything you do, though, it all ties back to that core idea. And I love it. They, they had a vision and they stuck with it. They didn't. No one got lost.
00:39:50 Logan: I'm a little lost.
00:39:51 Dustin: Yep. And it's the only one in our list today that was this land was specifically made for this IP as opposed to a Retheming. So yeah, no, it's a great land. I do love this land.
00:40:03 Nate: I wonder what we will replace it.
00:40:05 Logan: Nothing.
00:40:06 Dustin: As of right now. Nothing I think. I think it has a good twenty. I think it has a good twenty years.
00:40:11 Nate: These lands are gonna give a place. Yeah.
00:40:14 Logan: We'll die first.
00:40:15 Dustin: In twenty years.
00:40:19 Logan: You can leave that in.
00:40:20 Dustin: So, uh, what do you guys think about these lands? Do you like these lands? Did you know that they were acquired? Did you know that they came from another company that was acquired by another company and all that good stuff? So, uh, if not, uh, let us know. Let us know how you guys enjoy them. Yeah. That was, uh, episode three of Acquired Lands. If you guys liked this, uh, acquired lands, you can listen to the first one, episode number eight, and then also acquired lands two, which was episode number eighteen. We should have another one coming up soon. But, uh, yeah, until then. We'll see you in the parks. All right. Bye, guys. Thanks for listening to this episode of Parkgoers. Go catch our new episodes every week and catch up on our old episodes on Spotify. For any updates or new information on the theme parks or podcast, follow us on Instagram at parkgoers. Go or visit our website at w w w dot dot com. This episode was produced by Dustin Logan and Nathaniel and edited by me, Dustin. Our theme song was created by John Riedel. You can follow Logan Nathaniel's theme park adventures on Instagram at the parkgoers. You can follow me, Dustin at Mr. Parker. If you want to reach out to us, visit our website or Instagram and send us a message, we'd love to hear from you. And until then, we'll see you at the parks.