After a brief break, we’re back with July’s photo update around Universal Studios Hollywood! This month, we take a look at the progress of some of the park’s projects, alongside multiple other changes that have occurred since our last update.
Let’s get started!
Park Update Index
» CityWalk Hollywood
» Baker Street
» Globe Theater
» The Walking Dead Attraction
» Universal Plaza
» StarWay Refurbishment
» Lower Lot
» Halloween Horror Nights 2018
» A Little Bit of This and a Little Bit of That
CityWalk Hollywood
Remnants of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom can still be found around Universal CityWalk including the LEGO Blue photo-op as well as the themed exterior of the Universal Studio Store, though the Tyrannosaurus Rex and Gyrosphere outside of the Universal Cinema have been removed.
A photo-op for the new film Skyscraper has appeared nearby, also found in front of the Universal Cinema.
Work continues on Vivo, where some of the signage has visibly gone up on the exterior of the building.
At the former location of Saddle Ranch, the walls surrounding the plot that was featured in our previous update have been removed and replaced with black fences backed by shrubbery, providing guests with a much nicer view as they exit the park.
Baker Street
Many changes have occurred on Baker Street since the closure of the Globe Theatre. Walls have sprung up on half of Baker Street, beginning just to the right of The Walking Dead attraction and stretching all the way around the Globe Theatre. Sebastian the Piano Player also played his final performance just before demolition began on Baker Street.
Globe Theater
Although the exterior of the Globe Theatre still remains intact, walls themed to Baker Street now surround the building. The future of this plot has been heavily speculated but has not been confirmed at this time.
The Walking Dead Attraction
As a result of the demolition of both the Globe Theatre and the Baker Street facades to the right of the entrance of the attraction, the exterior queue of The Walking Dead Attraction has been tightened as scaffolding engulfs a portion of the walkway. This began with the move of the overhead monitors to the opposite wall only a few days prior. In addition, although some of the props previously in front of the spray-painted “Wolves Not Far” wall has been removed, the effort was made to squeeze in the body bags in the remaining space in order to retain some of the outdoor queue’s theming.
Universal Plaza
Although their arrival has come later than expected, guests can now meet Mr. Ping, Po, and Tigress throughout the day in Universal Plaza. The popular Mr. Ping meet & greet has returned in an impressive fashion, sporting an intricate facade of Mr. Ping’s noodle shop including the actual venue in which hungry guests can purchase multiple authentic Asian dishes. An additional meet & greet featuring Po and Tigress is located just to the right of Mr. Ping’s shop.
Outside of the meet & greets, planters providing additional seating have also sprung up alongside string lights in Universal Plaza, adding a decorative touch to it all.
StarWay Refurbishment
Since our last update, the StarWay refurbishment appears to have concluded, though in a surprise move, the directions of the escalators have been reversed, with the two innermost escalators now going down, and the two outermost going up.
Lower Lot
No significant construction progress appears to have occurred on the former plots of Soundstages 22-25, 28, or 31. However, red and green height balloons briefly appeared on the 22-25 plot, leading to increased speculation about the future of that location.
Halloween Horror Nights 2018
As the Horror Nights season approaches, construction continues on the various maze locations throughout the park. The maze located in the Parisian Courtyard particularly appears to be far along, with rockwork detail appearing on the facade.
The confirmed location of the Trick R’ Treat maze also appears to be far along in construction, with multiple rooms in the uncovered section of the maze visible from afar.
The three mazes located in the Metro sets of the Universal backlot also appear to be progressing quickly in construction.
Walls have also appeared around the WaterWorld queue as maze construction begins and now seems to be moving along.
A Little Bit of This and a Little Bit of That
Merchandise from the Jaws franchise has appeared in the Production Central store just in time for both summer and the approaching Shark Week.
Since the DreamWorks Theatre’s grand opening, some confusion has sparked over the apparent name change of the Kung Fu Panda Adventure. Initially introduced as The Emperor’s Quest, the attraction has since been advertised as Kung Fu Panda Adventure on the marquee of the theatre, the wait time boards throughout the park, and on the Universal Studio Hollywood app, though merchandise related to the attraction still reads The Emperor’s Quest.
In addition, the new Banana Cabana at Super Silly Fun Land is now open.
A vehicle from Jurassic World has also appeared in front of the Feature Presentation store for guests to take photos with.
Since our last update, the DSD originally located between the two separate sections of the Universal Studio Store has been relocated to just in front of the Animation Studio Store, providing guests with a better view of the park’s current wait and show times.
That’ll do it for this month’s update. Be sure to follow Inside Universal for continuing coverage of Universal Parks and Resorts.
