Theme Park Bits: 'How To Train Your Dragon' Land At Universal's Epic Universe, "Magic Happens" Sneak Peek, New Disneyland Paris Parades, And More
In this edition of Theme Park Bits:
2020 will bring with it lots of new attractions and entertainment at the Disney theme parks. Of course, Disneyland has already welcomed a brand-new E-ticket attraction in the form of Rise of the Resistance. But next month, they're also welcoming into Anaheim a new parade, titled "Magic Happens". Recently, the Disney Parks Blog unveiled a few new images, including the one above, of floats that will show up in the parade from films as wide and varied as Cinderella and The Sword in the Stone. (That one doesn't show up as often in parades, which makes it an interesting deep cut.) The parade opens on February 28, so now is the time to get excited.
Before that date arrives, though, you might want to spend some time at Walt Disney World, specifically Epcot. Over there, the 2020 Epcot International Festival of the Arts is going on right now, through February 24. This sprawling event has entertainment options, sure, but it also has unique food options and some of them look downright delectable. Take, for example, the lobster chips pictured above that you can find at the Canada pavilion in World Showcase. They look truly delicious, so if you're in Epcot, get some while they're hot and available. And check out the rest of that Foodie Guide to get your appetite going.
Speaking of Epcot, and speaking of getting prepared for new entertainment, they'll also have a new show in 2020. This one, titled "Harmonious", is taking the place of the dearly departed and beloved nighttime show IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth. Harmonious is going to have its work cut out for it, since IllumiNations was so wonderful, but as we can see at the Disney Parks Blog, preparations for the new show are in full swing. Many of the show's floating platforms have arrived on site in the World Showcase Lagoon as construction continues apace. For now, though, you can watch the Epcot Forever nighttime show, but only for so long — Harmonious is coming soon.
Ambitious parade-related plans aren't unique to the continental Disney theme parks, though. At a recent event, Disneyland Paris executive Bruno Chastain announced the arrival of two new parades: the upcoming Christmas parade for 2020 (yes, someone out there is already thinking about Christmas), as well as a new daytime parade that will debut for the 30th anniversary of Disneyland Paris in 2022, and will have a five-year run. If nothing else, it's truly impressive to see that Disney's theme-park team is already thinking so far in advance. (And also, it's hard to believe that Disneyland Paris is about to turn 30.)
We'll close out today's column outside of the Disney theme parks, and instead talk about an upcoming part of Universal Studios Orlando, the Epic Universe. One of the sections of the Epic Universe will be themed to the How to Train Your Dragon films, and thanks to some recently filed permits, you can now take a glimpse at the site plan and layout for what that section will look like. From the looks of the site plan, there will be room for a land-encompassing roller coaster, a stage show, a play area, and more, including a boat ride. (Which makes sense considering the Viking theme of the films.) There's still years before we'll get to see the resolution of these site plans, but it's a nice tease nonetheless.