SATURDAY SIX Presents: Artists Inspired by EPIC UNIVERSE

Theme parks are many things to many people. For some they provide thrill in the form of E-Ticket attractions. Others enjoy the peace and tranquility when walking around places like EPCOT’s World Showcase or Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Many enjoy the feeling of wonder and amazement when walking into Diagon Alley or Pandora: The World of Avatar. Theme parks are all that and more…much more. For me personally, the thing I love about theme parks the most is how much they inspire others to create themselves. This week’s SAT SIX takes a look at artists in the theme park community who have been inspired to create their own artwork based on Universal’s Epic Universe, starting with…

# 6 – Dark Universe

A while back we did an article looking at Artists Inspired by Halloween Horror Nights and there’s just something about “the bad guys” that makes many artists want to create. The very existence of Dark Universe in a modern day theme park gives me a lot of hope for the future. I would have said there was almost no chance of something like this ever happening in a theme park world that not only does almost everything have to be family friendly but you have to make sure to steer away from things considering scary or creepy. However the game has been changed, with Epic Universe being the dawn of a new era, with Dark Universe giving fans of Universal Classic Monsters everything they ever wanted and and then some.

Everyone was looking forward to the highly anticipated Monsters Unchained attraction in Dark Universe, but once the portal to Darkmoor Village was opened, one of the things that stood out to guests was interactions with walk around characters including The Invisible Man, Frankenstein’s Monster and The Bride. However it was the character of Ygor who really made an impression and spawned a whole bunch of artwork.

Big fan of this faux ad.

One of the most creative people I have ever come across is the talented Phillip Weatherford (AKA The Horizoneer) and this piece featuring multiple characters of Dark Universe in a Mary Blair-style just rocks my world.

One of my favorite surprises of Dark Universe was the violinists in Darkmoor who tell their story through music. Just a fantastic concept and executed brilliantly through the performers in the park.

Outside of Ygor, the other character in Dark Universe who has struck a major chord with artists across the theme park community is Victoria Frankenstein.

The architecture inside Dark Universe is so evocative of the time and place that the land exists in. I adore this piece which features all the main areas of Darkmoor Village.

One takeaway from anyone visiting Epic Universe will be the amazement when they see the Burning Blade Tavern light up. The fire breathing dragon in Diagon Alley has to be one of the most photographed elements in any theme park outside of Cinderella Castle, and I think we can safely assume the Burning Blade will be in many pictures as well with guests going back home and showing their friends and family while saying, “you won’t believe this…”

At both Disneyland and Disney’s Magic Kingdom, the façades for their Haunted Mansion attractions is a favorite for many theme park fans, as they stand out as a stark contrast to everything else in either park. Frankenstein’s Manor in Dark Universe immediately joins those two as an all timer when it comes to setting a mood for guests preparing to ride an attraction.

Longtime readers of this blog series know how much we love artist Hayden Evans‘ work. He is one of the few people in the community who has had his artwork featured inside both Disney and Universal theme parks. Hayden’s most recent piece featuring Frankenstein Manor is a jaw dropper (and you can purchase a print of this masterpiece by CLICKING HERE!)

Frankenstein’s Manor is the home of the E-Ticket attraction Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment. Guests on that ride board a “Catacombs Navigation Unit,” which is similar in style to the “Flying Benches” that Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey attraction uses. Essentially a seating system attached to a KUKA arm. Seeing a drawing of this just made my day.

# 5 – Portals

I think one of the most genius ideas of Epic Universe as a whole is the park’s introduction of portals to transport guests into each of the various lands (not to mention the park itself.) This gives each land an opportunity to have that incredible moment of feeling transported to a different place that has only been successfully pulled off only a handful of times in theme park history. My favorites include walking under the train station before the reveal of Main Street USA in Disney’s Magic Kingdom, Radiator Springs in Disney’s California Adventure, and Diagon Alley at Universal Studios Florida.

The portals themselves are filled with wonderful details, and so are these fantastic drawings by our favorite tiny artist, Jaime S.

These portals as drawn by Taylor Baird are just as spectacular.

How can you not love the creativity involved for this piece using the portals to the four lands in the park?

I can’t get enough of 8-bit style art used in any format, so I was definitely a huge fan of this piece of the Chronos portal.

This next piece involves an actual photograph of the Chronos Portal and does a really fun job of also explaining concept of the park’s portals.

I envisioned this being a digital display that could cycle through verses, alternating between #ChronosLore and park thesis stuff.” – Park Lore

# 4 – Super Nintendo World & Isle of Berk

If Epic Universe went one direction with Dark Universe, it went in the complete opposite direction for two other lands: Super Nintendo World and How to Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk. Both of these lands are incredibly colorful and vibrant, featuring kid friendly attractions.

Super Nintendo World is comprised of two areas: Super Mario Land and Donkey Kong Country. The latter is the home of Mine Cart Madness, a thrill ride which features a “how did they do that?!” element of your ride vehicle seemingly “jumping” a piece of broken track. This particular moment sparked several pieces of art.

One of my favorite artists in the theme park community is Emory Alvarado, the creator of Li’l Boo. Emory drew this piece featuring characters from each area of Epic Universe, including Toad from Super Nintendo World and Toothless from Isle of Berk.

Like Ygor in Dark Universe, Isle of Berk had its own fun surprise with the debut of walkaround characters Ruffnut and Tuffnut. The interactions these two have had with guests are just fantastic to watch.

We’ll close this section with a drawing of Isle of Berk’s Toothless having an interaction with Captain Cacao.

You may be asking, “Who is Captain Cacao?” Glad you asked, because that leads us to our next section…

# 3 – Captain Cacao

Captain Cacao is the mascot of the Moonship Chocolates & Celestial Sweets candy shop in Epic Universe. That’s right, this was a character just for a store inside the park, but this bear has instantly become a fan favorite, joining characters like Figment, Duffy the Bear, and the aforementioned Li’l Boo.

The “actual” Captain Cacao – as seen in the store – is a large bear that can be seen piloting the Moonship along with his companion Maya.

However the version of Captain Cacao that many artists prefer to draw is the cute version, which you can purchase as adorable plush, tumblers and even sugar cookies.

# 2 – Celestial Park & Grand Helios Hotel

I would have bet there was a zero chance in today’s theme park world that we would ever see a new land dedicated to something that wasn’t associated with an Intellectual Property. I’m glad to report Universal proved me wrong, as Celestial Park features several attractions, a whole bunch of dining venues, and an entire world building aesthetic that is completely original to the park.

When Universal Creative and Disney Imagineers are allowed to flex their creative muscles, and not be bound to IPs, we get some really amazing stuff in the theme parks. Pirates of the Caribbean, the Jungle Cruise, Islands of Adventure’s Port of Entry are all examples of the magic we can get when creative people are allowed to be, well, creative.

# 1 – LEGO

As a merchandise guy, there’s just something about seeing theme park stuff recreated in LEGO form that brings a huge grin to my face. Over the years Phillip Weatherford has created one terrific piece after another featuring things we love at the Disney and Universal parks, and I’m happy to say he’s continuing that amazing work with some wonderful creations featuring Epic Universe…

I know many people prefer Weatherford’s large LEGO sets (like Frankenstein Manor above) but my favorites are the ride vehicles. For two reasons. 1) I wish both Disney and Universal would create ride vehicle toys for all the major attractions and 2) Small scale LEGO projects are the only ones I know deep down that I’d be able to actually put together.

So there you have it: Artists Inspired by Universal’s EPIC UNIVERSE! See you next weekend for the latest installment of the SATURDAY SIX, where we’ll look at something fun from the world of Disney and Universal. If you enjoyed yourself, be sure to check out the THEME PARK ENJOYMENT INDEX, giving a monthly recap of all the theme park news you need to know (and a lot more you don’t need to know, but we’re gonna tell you anyway). You can also follow Your Humble Author on BlueSky (@derekburgan).

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Special Thanks to The Elite Brandon Glover, Digital Maestro Scott Walker, the bio-est of all reconstructs @bioreconstruct, Captain Cruiseline Scott Sanders of the world famous Disney Cruise Line Blog, my personal protege Hunter “Elvey” Underwood, artist @SonderQuest, the mighty maven of merchandise Hedgehog’s Corner, the SAT SIX Fun Squad of Parkscope Joe and “the Dadalorian” Nick, hot shot Michael Carelli, charter member of the Universal Four @Nitro230, the permit princess Alicia Stella, master cartographer Tommy Hawkins, and Hermione Granger’s tutor Megan Stump for their invaluable assistance with this article. Absolutely no help was added by SeaWorld Influencer @SuperWeenieHtJr. The SAT SIX is inspired each week by goofballs Aengus Mackenzie and LitemAndHide and you Potterheads will enjoy Meg’s other blog work over at the Central Florida Slug Club.

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Artist Spotlight Class of 2023: Marie Catano | Savannah Hamilton | Bunny Wars

Artist Spotlight Class of 2024: Jaime S. | Jess Feldman | Bryan Bindman

Artist Spotlight Class of 2025: Brandon Starr | Kristi O | Henry Taylor

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