SATURDAY SIX Presents: Flights with @bioreconstruct VOL 5 (DreamWorks Land, EPIC Universe, How Luminous Works at EPCOT and more!))

This week the SATURDAY SIX Proudly Presents: Flights with @bioreconstruct! Buckle up, make sure you have an air-sickness bag in arm’s length, and join us inside the helicopter as we follow the blogger-in-the-sky 900 feet up in the air for a bird’s eye view of the theme parks that we love so much. BUT FIRST, a health update on Bio. For those who don’t know, Bio completed the January 2023 WDW Marathon, but with a time much slower than his usual pace. 10 days later was diagnosed with Leukemia (you can read about his diagnosis by CLICKING HERE.) This led to multiple hospital stays over the next few months to battle infections, all thanks to the Leukemia causing low immunity.

At the time, it seemed like there wouldn’t be any future runDisney marathon weekends in Bio’s future. Now, one thing you may not know is that Bio is one of a handful of Disney guests who have participated in every single WDW marathon ever held. In fact, Bio was the very first EVER finisher in a runDisney event (but that’s a story for another day.)

They say you can’t keep a good man down, and turns out Bio’s resilience is as strong as his work ethic, because in January of this year Bio not only participated in the 2024 runDisney marathon, he completed EVERY SINGLE EVENT over the course of the weekend. That’s right, the 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, and Full Marathon.  Below are the medals he took home from that weekend with additional perfect attendance lanyards for completing all of them over the years.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! Not only did he do the impossible in less than a year after being diagnosed with Leukemia, but Bio being Bio, he was also there to report that there was a change to the snack box design given to runDisney participants.

Today, Bio is in remission and bounding around the parks as always. Bicycling most mornings, and has received 12 vaccination shots since December. Feel free to check out our previous flights with Bio ( Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3, and Volume 4), but after that bit of fantastic news we’re ready to hit the air. Tap any image below to expand it as we start our journey circling over…

# 6 – DreamWorks Land

One of my favorite type of Bio aerials is what I like to call the Big Picture shots. These photos show the context of things that are just impossible to understand on the ground. For example, I’ve been going to Universal Studios Florida since pretty much the day it opened, and I have stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel countless times (including taking Bacini there to enjoy Hard Rock’s UNLEASHED amenities for dogs.) Despite all those trips to the park and all those stays at this particular hotel, it wasn’t until seeing the photo below that I truly understand the close relationship between the Hard Rock Hotel and USF. Don’t get me wrong, I knew it was close. What I didn’t realize is that it was that close.

We’ll start our journey by taking a look down at the latest land coming to Universal Studios Florida, DreamWorks Land. Replacing the former Woody Woodpecker’s Kid Zone, DreamWorks Land is going to be filled with characters and attractions based on films such as Shrek, Trolls, and Kung Fu Panda.

The first area guests will encounter in DreamWorks Land will be a recreation of Shrek’s house. One of the best meet-and-greets in ANY park was meeting Shrek and Donkey outside Shrek 4D, but that area was converted into Minion Land last year. Thankfully the meet and greet will be coming back to DreamWorks Land.

Anyone who has read my Love Letter to Shrek 4D knows how much I think the Shrek franchise has been woefully underused by the Universal parks over the years, and I think the opening of DreamWorks Land is going to prove me right. Even without having access to the financial spreadsheets of USF, I feel confident in saying that Woody Woodpecker’s KidZone wasn’t bringing all that much money back in terms of the merchandise and food/drink components. While we haven’t been given any photos or actual descriptions, Universal has announced some snacks coming to DreamWorks land including a SHREKZEL. I don’t know what a Shrekzel is, but I picturing a Mickey Pretzel except with Shrek and if that’s it Universal is going to sell a ton of them.

Bio already getting the E-Ticket shots at a land that’s not even open yet.

Next to Shrek’s house is a fountain testing a water spray, and near the fountains is a platform where children will be able to shoot water below.

DreamWorks Land is going to be filled with some next level bonkers stuff, and I for one am here for it.

Here’s an overview of the TrollerCoaster.

This past week Universal has been testing the TrollerCoaster.

You can watch video of the TrollerCoaster train cresting the lift hill by CLICKING HERE. Look at that train car below. I think we finally have a true successor to Disneyland’s Heimlich Chew Chew Train (RIP) in terms of ride vehicles that are Chef’s Kiss.

The yellow arrow in the photo below is pointing to a cat and fishbones weathervane. This sits atop a building that will lead to Mama Luna Feline Fiesta.  There, guests can play with Mama Luna’s cats via interactive screens activated by buttons, bells, maracas, and levers. For those who don’t know the reference, Mama Luna and her house of cats was featured in the movie Puss in Boots 2: The Last Wish and her particular scene was hilarious.

In front of the Mama Luna building there is this merchandise location called the High Five Hideaway.

The fountain below features the two main characters of the Trolls films, Poppy and Branch.

Below we have a look at Poppy’s Playground. As you can see, the overall design element of most of DreamWorks Land is going to be very colorful, like Seuss Landing in Islands of Adventure.

Below is the concept art for the part of DreamWorks land which will be themed to the world of Kung Fu Panda…

…and here we have an overview of how that area is looking now.

In the top center of photo below you’ll see a large bucket. This bucket is retained from when this area was part of KidZone, and the concept art shows a panda tipping this bucket over.

# 5 – Flower and Garden Festival

Alright, let’s head on over to EPCOT for a moment as we are in the middle of the Flower and Garden Festival, which is one of the most beautiful times of the year to be walking around any park.

# 4 – How Luminous Works

This past month Bio gave us a good look at how the Luminous nighttime spectacular produces its amazing effects in the sky.

Here is a closeup of one of the fountain nozzles on a Luminous barge. In the center of the nozzle you can see that there are 21 small holes, and this is what produces the streams of water that we see.

One of the biggest “wow” moments during Luminous is when we see heart shaped fireworks in the sky. That effect is created by cannons like the one below.

# 3 – MINIONS!

The opening of Minion Land last summer brought some great things to Universal Studio Florida, including Villain-Con Minion Blast and Minion Café (along with its Minion Tots), but a surprise hit is the photo-friendly Minion Land signage that was installed at the front of the land. Not only do guests love to take shots in front of this whimsical sign…

…but photographers like Bio can creatively use the Minions on the sign to frame their shots, including this one below featuring Minions appearing to climb up to watch a SpaceX launch.

Universal Studios Florida is winding down its incredible Mardi Gras celebration, and the Minions were just a big of fans of catching Mardi Gras beads as any day guest.

This Minion below is expressing himself the same way I do when catching Mardi Gras beads from a float.

# 2 – Epic Universe Hotels

Down the street from the current Universal Orlando Resort is what everyone wants to see… EPIC Universe construction. We’ll start off by looking at the EPIC Universe hotel situation. EPIC will open with an onsite hotel – the Helios Grand Hotel –  and two hotels right across the street (Stella Nova and Terra Luna.)

The Terra Luna and Stella Nova resorts will be recognizable because of the colorful tiles that coat each hotel.

You’ll notice that the white tile in the photo below has a light installed. These lights will shine as “stars” on the hotel exterior at night, to further tie into the cosmos theme.

Let’s check out the pool area for the Stella Nova resort…

…along with the pool over at Terra Luna.

This amazing shot below features all three of the EPIC Universe hotels in one shot, Terra Luna and Stella Nova in the foreground with the Helios Grand Hotel in the back.

So let’s head over to the EPIC Universe theme park site, and take a look at the Helios Grand Hotel that will be overlooking the park.

Now, over at the current Universal Orlando Resort there are some great views from their onsite resorts, including the Royal Pacific and its look at the nearby Islands of Adventure…

…or the Hard Rock Hotel and its look at Universal Studios Florida.

I didn’t think ANY hotel in Florida would ever beat Cabana Bay and its proximity/view to Volcano bay, but there’s a good chance Grand Helios Hotel at EPIC Universe has the ability to provide guests an unforgettable experience.

Absolutely love this shot of construction workers ready to secure a beam at the dome of the Helios Grand Hotel.

Our next two photos show an update on a pool area at Helios Grand Hotel. We can see the shape of the pool being dug out and what is surely going to be a bar area nearby.

While the photo below shows a more updated version of the pool shaping up…

# 1 – EPIC Universe park

Alright, time to look at the EPIC Universe theme park!

Let’s start at beginning of the park, where day guests will enter EPIC.

Celestial Park will be the main hub of EPIC Universe and will contain a variety of shops and restaurants, but will also have two attractions. One of those rides will be a dual coaster called Starfall Racers. Here is how the entrance of that attraction is shaping up…

Seeing the rock work coming together at the entrance to Starfall Racers has hit me in the feels. LOVE ME SOME THEME PARK ROCK WORK.

This month we got our very first look at the ride vehicles for Starfall Racers. Looking pretty snazzy, and you can see the celestial theme.

Now, one of the most amazing things about Celestial Park as a whole is that it is almost completely Intellectual Property free.  In today’s theme park environment, we rarely get a chance to see what Universal Creative and Disney Imagineering can do without having to find a way to squeeze an IP in. A couple years ago we got a good look at what Universal Creative can do when they are allowed to cook without the constraints of IP with Volcano Bay, but Celestial Park will be inside an actual theme park.

ALL THAT SAID, rumors and innuendo indicate that there will be a small “IP” addition to Starfall Racers in the form of a flux capacitor from Back to the Future. If true, this is the perfect use of IP in a attraction. It’s subtle, and is a nod to a former attraction at Universal Studios Florida that is still beloved by fans.

The second attraction in Celestial Park will be the Celestial Carousel. This photo below was taken about a week ago and it is  looking down at the carousel shows how the ride will work. The inner circles will spin within the rotating deck.

Here is a more current photo, taken yesterday (as of when we went to press) showing the current status of the Carousel and the cupola.

Directly next to the Celestial Carousel will be a large show fountain.

Mark my words, the CelesTiki bar in the photo below is going to be a surprise hit once EPIC opens.

In the picture above you can see a colorful pattern that is being cast in front of the portal to DARK UNIVERSE, so let’s take a quick look at each of the lands and see how they are coming along. First of all, how great does this portal look? If they sell small scale replications of the portals, you better believe I’m buying this one.

Our next stop is SUPER NINTENDO WORLD. Below is a look at the entrance portal into the land, and you can see that it will be taking guests to a second level.

The entire land is coming together nicely with many things instantly recognizable to Nintendo players young and old.

For my family, I think the Yoshi ride in Super Nintendo World is going to be a lot like Dumbo at the Magic Kingdom. I’ll be wondering why they want to do it so much, but I do have to acknowledge the ride vehicles are super cute.

We also got a look at a handicap-accessible ride vehicle. The egg-shaped vehicle featuring a smaller Yoshi has a manual wheelchair sitting in it.

Alright, next up: HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON – ISLE OF BERK.

If you look at the large mountain below, at the very top you’ll see a very tiny house.

Here’s a look at the tiny house being taken from the air. This most likely will be Gothi’s hut.

Like DreamWorks Land at USF, the Isle of Berk looks to have some cartoonishly stylized characters and elements throughout, such as these sheep and a dragon below.

Now, let’s use our Flux Capacitor, hit 88MPH and go back in time for a bit to February, when Bio took a photo that included this boat vehicle that had recently arrived to EPIC Universe.

Below is a photo from early March, and it seems as if this same boat is staged to descend a ramp into water. This would mean that the boat is part of the family water shooter ride, believed to be named Fyre Drill.

Later in March we’d see that the boat is in a service canal and is now covered up.

Which brings us to TODAY, as the photo below was posted Bio *after* this fine blog series went to print in the morning.

Onward to THE WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER – MINISTRY OF MAGIC.

As I’ve said previously, this land has the hardest hill to climb of them all. Fans love Hogsmeade Village in IOA and Diagon Alley in USF so much that it changed the course of the entire Universal Orlando Resort. That’s some big shoes to fill. However, both those two lands are created from the Harry Potter film series and even use the main actors from those movies. The Wizarding World in EPIC Universe won’t  have that crutch to fall back on, which can be a blessing or a curse. Below is a look at the icon above the Wizarding World portal as seen from the ground.

While below we have the same portal and icon as seen from the air.

Honorable Mention: Birds of a Feather…

So there you have it: Flights with @bioreconstruct vol 5! 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 Twitter (@derekburgan).

If you enjoyed this article, you will surely like the following: 

SATURDAY SIX Presents: Flights with @bioreconstruct vol 1 (Starcruiser, Disney Lake Nona Land)

SATURDAY SIX Presents: Flights with @bioreconstructi vol 2 (EPIC Universe, Tron Lightcycle Run)

SATURDAY SIX Presents: Flights with @biorconstruct vol 3 (The Destruction of Harmonious, EPIC Universe)

SATURDAY SIX Presents: Flights with @bioreconstruct vol 4 (Luminous, Journey of Water)

The SATURDAY SIX Celebrates 10 Years of @bioreconstruct

The SATURDAY SIX Presents: @bioreconstruct’s favorite aerial photos

The SATURDAY SIX Takes 3 Flights in a Single Day with @bioreconstruct

The SATURDAY SIX Presents: Our favorite @biorconstruct photos of 2022

The SATURDAY SIX Presents: Our favorite @bioreconstruct photos of 2021

The SATURDAY SIX Presents: Our favorite @bioreconstruct photos of 2020

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 LitemAndHyde and you Potterheads will  enjoy Meg’s other blog work over at the Central Florida Slug Club.