Okay, I know the Legend of Zelda is the popular choice for a retheme. And I also know that Pokémon is at the top of Alicia’s list of most likely candidates.
I was wishing for a Hyrule shortly after Hogsmeade first opened. But the writing is on the wall, Nintendo is going to want all of Miyamoto’s babies together, and SNW is loaded with Easter Eggs. And while I think Pokémon is possible, I’m still of the opinion that the Simpsons are going to Disney. Springfield is gonna need a strong IP to replace it, and Pokémon is the biggest franchise in any medium.
Now over the past week, I’ve done a lot of deep thinking. Starting with the reports coming out from Hollywood over the success of this year’s Fan Fest, and then leading into my own observations here in Orlando, I wanna put forward a new candidate that has become my favorite:
ONE PIECE
Turn the Lost Continent into an island on the Grand Line. With over a thousand chapters of manga (and nearly two thousand episodes of anime) there is no shortage of source materials to draw from. The stunt show that took over Water World is a huge hit. And there was OP merch everywhere at CityWalk. The old Sinbad amphitheater probably needs a lot of work, but a new stunt show is long overdue. And gut the temple of Poseidon so you can install that newly patented boat ride technology, and get a new e-ticket dark ride. Finally, with the news that Mythos will close next year, I think it’s time that Sanji finally got his own restaurant. With some creative architecture, you might be able to create the illusion that the building is a boat. And since the boats that used to crisscross the lagoon are obviously never ever coming back, how about anchor a replica of the Thousand Sunny? Or at least the Going Merry?
The stunt show that took over Water World is a huge hit
Omg that show was so weird to a non-anime fan outside of Miyazaki which is the only one I’ve ever seen that isn’t sexist/misogynistic or creepy AF with weird sexual predators etc. I’m sure I’m missing one or two and I know some my DH and DS have watched and said almost made it without something weird and then made one of the characters a pedophile weirdly at the very end. I don’t know if One Piece is in that bucket but I still found this a large culture shock for me in Japan. I mean what the heck is this?!?!
Also it was really long. They only did it once at the end of the day because it’s like over an hour I think if I remember correctly so I don’t think it makes for a good water world replacement which is much shorter. Also no water in that Sinbad stage show. But maybe they could make it bigger like the water world stage.
Regardless I’m a big no for most anime so I sure hope they don’t do one piece personally.
Clearly I am the wrong audience. I have never even heard of One Piece. I thought it was a type of bathing suit!
But…from your description, sounds like it is Anime? Considering the number of Anime fans (including my own kids), it seems like a reasonable IP type to drawn upon.
That giant baby is a character. But a lot of em are pirates.
In Japan parks they employed little people too so there a small character as I well I recall.
So was I! The One Piece hype is real. USH sold out of One Piece merch both last year AND this year. The lines for the characters and food were soooo long! The stunt theater was packed each showing and USH added a fourth show at 12:45pm for this last weekend due to demand. (We had to line up almost 60 minutes early to get a good spot!)
I asked my DS16 about One Piece. He is aware of it, but said it isn’t his vibe. He likes “slice of life” anime (his words), such as “Your Lie in April”, and said that he thought One Piece was more action. But he did say that he thought One Piece had a rather huge following.
I was hoping he could give me some insight into the appeal. I guess not!
Yeah, I’m pretty sure I posted about it the day after the news broke. I believe on her blog, it was what made Alicia lock in on Pokémon as Lost Continent’s replacement.
Yeah, Slice of Life is a genre (not just manga/anime, but a big one). Crayon Shin-Chan is by far the most popular series.
Manga can be divided into four categories: Shonen (aimed at adolescent boys), Seinen (young adult/adult men), Shojo (adolescent girls/young adult women), and Josei (adult women). There’s also Children’s manga, but outside of Doraemon it’s not that big (Pokémon Adventures is a very distant second place)
In Shonen, while action/adventure is the dominant theme (basically anything that involves battling monsters/the forces of evil), it spans all genres – comedy, crime, romance, slice-of-life, sports, etc. etc. etc
One Piece is without question the most popular manga ever. Over 600 million volumes of tankobon (a published collection of individual issues, like the American graphic novel) sold. Over a hundred volumes, with over 1100 chapters. It takes place in a world that is 95% ocean, where they live in a semi-permanent Golden Age of Piracy. The “Main Line” landmass is a narrow ring that runs from pole-to-pole. The “Grand Line” is the equator, and thus the furthest furthest a person can be away from the one world government. This is also where both the Marines and the pirates are most active, and there’s often little difference between the two. The two oceans are both divided between north and south, with an Admiral having total authority over their jurisdiction (and a single Fleet Admiral overseeing all). Beneath them are the Vice Admirals, and beneath them the Rear Admirals. A generation ago, the so-called King of Pirates was Gol D. Roger. When he was finally defeated by the Marines, before he was hanged he proclaimed that he had hidden his immeasurably vast treasure hoard somewhere along the Grand Line – a hoard he dubbed “The One Piece”, and whoever found it would inherit his title of King of Pirates.
At the start of our story, a ten year old boy named Monkey D. Luffy lives in a small seaside village on the edge of the East Blue sea. He dreams of becoming a great pirate captain like his hero, “Red-Haired” Shanks. Shanks and his crew make port every few months, and Luffy lives for hearing their tales of adventures on the oceans. Shanks enforces a code of chivalry when dealing with the residents, and occasionally provides perfection against the tribes of bandits who reside in the mountains. Now, in this world there is a rare delicacy known as Devil Fruit. On its own, an individual piece of fruit is worth a small fortune. Because if you eat it, it grants you a super power. The powers are different depending on the tree that bore the fruit. One visit, Shanks and his men bring a treasure chest containing a single Devil Fruit from a Gum-Gum tree, with the intent of selling it to the highest bidder. But Luffy, who has a huge appetite and not knowing the significance, eats the fruit. It turns him into a Rubber Man – he can stretch all his limbs as if they were made of rubber, or even inflate his body like a balloon. The only drawback to gaining power from a Devil Fruit is that the change in your physiology makes it impossible to swim or even float. Rather than crushing his dreams of being a pirate captain, Luffy resolves to aim even higher and become King of Pirates and find the legendary One Piece!
Following a time skip where Luffy learns to master all the new abilities his body is capable of, he sets out on a small dinghy to begin building his crew and exploring the vast oceans of the world.
I think this is what my favorite ride at Universal Japan was themed too. It was an indoor roller coaster like Space Mountain but you wore VR and it was anime and it really felt like you were flying. The whole family including the teen and the grandparents loved this ride.
*Yup this:
“Doraemon XR Ride: Nobita’s Sky Utopia” was a limited-time virtual reality roller coaster at Universal Studios Japan, operating from February 23 to September 3, 2023. Located at the “Space Fantasy: The Ride” site, it blended physical roller coaster thrills with VR goggles, taking riders on a high-speed adventure through the sky from the 42nd film. [1, 2]
Well there’s a key difference between the two. Pokémon is the biggest multimedia franchise of all time; nothing comes close. However, it’s dominant medium has always been the games – One Piece dominates print. Pokémon has published both manga (admittedly in the top 100, but not even a tenth of the sales of One Piece) and comic book series, and One Piece has produced a number of games, neither is what their respective franchise is most famous for. They’re supplemental for people who are already part of the greater fandom, not casual fans.
On television, they’re more or less equal. Both have been running nonstop since the 90s, both have released dozens of movies. The only real distinction is its easier for little kids to get into Pokémon, while One Piece you’re more likely to discover in adolescence after you’ve discovered anime/manga and want to explore titles.
I told the family about the land being demolished and that one of the rumors for the new theme is One Piece.
Daughter said, “Well, I guess we’ll have to go back then.”
Husband said, “Darn” in the way of someone getting a treat.
He said that the only people that are open to anime but don’t like it, only watched the first season which was by far the worst.
I guess Epic will have settled down by the time that opens.
Space Fantasy – The Ride is a spinning, indoor roller coaster at Universal Studios Japan (USJ) in Osaka, themed as a journey through space to save the sun, featuring interactive elements, lasers, and on-board audio. It replaced the E.T. Adventure ride in 2010 and is known for its spinning cars, which add to the disorienting, thrilling experience of dodging asteroids and flying through stars. The ride has also been re-themed for special events, such as a collaboration with DJ Zedd and various anime tie-ins.
Wow, that sounds like a kickass ride! Seems a little strange that it would get an overlay of Doraemon of all things. It’s a series for little kids.
But I agree, Universal can do easily do anything of this caliber stateside. It just takes willpower – and not pinching pennies like Disney does.
It doesn’t sound all that different than GOTG in some ways if you just read the description (apart from the interactive elements/lasers). Although, the coaster itself is an older model (2x years old), and more closely resembles Curse of the Werewolf in terms of ride experience.
With the VR googles that fit really well it was surreal. I LOVED it. My family couldn’t stop talking about it as our favorite experience. It was unique. @ErikTheRed64 I mean I just watched a Sesame Street ride from Universal Singapore and it seems great too even for an adult! LOL
