Loss of Character
Universal Studios-Hollywood evicts its heroes
With a revitalized Disney once again dominating the theme park industry, Universal Studios has its hands full in struggling to remain competitive. That its parks remain somewhat relevant is primarily due to two franchises Universal doesn’t even own; they’re just renting.
First, there’s the world of Harry Potter, which is inspiring a much-hyped new land at Universal-Florida’s Islands of Adventure (IoA). Second there’s the Marvel comics group, which provides IoA’s most marketable faces, most noticeable land, and most popular attraction—the Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man. Note, however, that while Universal operates theme parks on both coasts, Harry, Spidey and friends can only be seen in Florida.
J.K. Rowling, who had been entertaining theme park proposals for nearly a decade, has always insisted that any Potter presence be expansive and expensive—two modifiers that Universal’s corporate parent, NBC, has neither the acreage nor the budget for at Universal Studios-Hollywood (USH).
The Marvel contingent, on the other hand, had been among USH’s most popular walkaround characters—until last Tuesday. As part of severe financial cutbacks hitting the park, USH will not renew its licensing deal with Marvel, set to expire January 31.
“USH wanted a massive cut in the rights fees,” said one insider. “Marvel wanted a modest increase. Marvel also wanted USH to consider building one or two Marvel themed attractions similar to IoA—which Marvel loves—or retheming an existing attraction to a Marvel theme. Apparently switching the Back to the Future ride over to a Simpsons theme really hurt the relationship between USH and Marvel.”
USH’s suddenly job-less performers were upset because they were initially informed that they would work for another month. At the last moment the decision was made to go Marvel-free effective January 1.
The park’s marketing department was equally miffed, after prominently featuring Marvel characters on thousands of 2008 brochures they printed to distribute to travel agents and in racks of local hotel lobbies.
Visitors were even angrier. Despite small crowds, during the first days of January, Guest Relations received a large number of complaints from Marvel-seeking guests, several of whom demanded their money back.
USH’s Marvel Mania store remains open, last anyone checked. “We do plan to have the store—for right now,” said an USH spokesperson. Even after the licensing deal ends, USH will be permitted to sell Marvel paraphenalia (it still peddles Betty Boop merchandise, nearly a decade after that deal lapsed). Yet, expect the park to blow out the superhero souvenirs as quickly as possible or just ship them to Orlando. At USH, they’ll only confuse the guests or further remind those expecting to see Spidey.
Universal’s association with Marvel dates back to the creation of IoA in the 1990s and the opening of a Planet Hollywood-type Marvel Mania restaurant at USH in 1998. The eatery suffered a quick death, but characters continued to appear at the park, including in an excrutiating “Spider-Man Rocks!” stage musical and a short-lived Ultimate Marvel Mania pep rally.
The loss of Spider-Man, Wolverine, Captain America, and Green Goblin leaves a gaping hole in USH’s character department. The roster now consists of a disjointed assortment of cartoon figures (Shrek, Dora the Explorer, Scooby Doo, The Simpsons, Curious George, Spongebob, Woody Woodpecker), Lucy, Marilyn Monroe, and a handful of monsters. Most of its lookalikes (Charlie Chaplin, the Marx Brothers, Laurel & Hardy, W.C. Fields, Betty Boop, Xena) were canned about five years ago. To temporarily fill the action hero void, USH is looking into a “cheap and fast” deal with the rightsholders to the Lord of the Rings characters.
Long-time park visitors might wonder why USH doesn’t just pull out its old Alvin and the Chipmunks costumes, now that the furry threesome are starring in an extremely successful movie. For years, the Chipmunks were USH’s most popular “fuzzies” (granted, in a day when their prime competition were Chilly Willy and Andy Panda). Unfortunately, a nasty dispute over the Chipmunks movie between Universal and the rightsholders irrevocably ended their movie-and theme park-partnerships.
So why does NBC appear unwilling to invest the time, money and effort into reestablishing USH as a vibrant, cutting-edge theme park? “NBC is very hands-on at USH, especially when it comes to spending money,” said the insider. “The park doesn’t turn a profit, but has relatively low expenses and is not carrying much debt—quite unlike the two parks in Orlando.”
Overbearing debt forces NBC to keep its Flordia parks competitive by constant marketing and big-time additions. There’s no such pressure with USH. It can operate at minimum standards, constantly discounting to keep the turnstiles moving and adding attractions as infrequently as it can get away with to still maintain an illusion of freshness.
But USH’s latest move makes one question if Universal is even interested in operating a viable theme park. After all, USH appeared to be far more popular and profitable 20 years ago, when it was marketed as a real, working studio where you could glimpse behind the scenes of actual movie and TV production and learn the secrets of the craft. There was the incomparable, two-hour-long studio tour, stunt show, special effects displays, even an audience show in which selected guests stepped into the scenes of a famous movie. Everything was totally unlike what you would find at Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, or Marineland. As proof that Universal’s offerings were utterly unique and compelling, Disney copied most every element in designing its own studio park for Florida.
Universal, regrettably, figured two could play at that game. Not long after the opening of Disney-MGM, Universal decided it wanted to be Disneyland. In 1990, USH added Fievel’s Playland for kiddies. In 1991, USH opened its first dark ride, the E.T. Adventure. The next year, construction began on a Back to the Future simulator ride. Soon after, planning started on a Jurassic Park flume ride. Less and less would visitors feel as if they were backstage at a real movie studio. As at Disneyland, USH guests would be transported to the artificial environments inside the movies. We see E.T.’s neighborhood or Doc Brown’s Delorean from the same angle we’ve always seen it, just in 3-D. We no longer peek at it from the priviledged, off-camera view.
Consequently, USH increasingly placed itself in direct competition with the Disney parks. As such, most of its individual attractions are just fine. They just don’t add up to a satisfying whole. The park lacks Disney’s pre-planned cohesiveness and intangible magic. At USH, you don’t enter through the comfort of Main Street USA. Instead, the first thing you hit is a House of Horrors. You exit the Mummy roller coaster and head for… a tribute to Lucy? From the outside, most USH attractions look like industrial buildings. There’s little build up, little anticipation. Housing an attraction in a soundstage underscores that what’s inside is fake (which is perfect for a moviemaking exhibit, but death for a themed environment attraction).
Equally important, at Disneyland, the goal is to create the most amazing experiences and attractions possible, to keep them fresh, and to market the heck out of them. Certainly there have been mis-steps over the years, but ones that seem to be eventually corrected—as a once-again bustling Submarine Lagoon will attest. And Disney certainly has its own set of budgetary constraints to deal with. But in the end, Disney knows that if you have something that works, you stay with it. You cultivate it, you grow it, you expand upon it. You don’t kill it (except perhaps as an ill-advised marketing stunt to sell miniature lightbulbs).
Unfortunately, that’s just what Universal is known for doing, first by killing its trademark Wild West Stunt Show (see “Winding Down the West,” December 20, 2001) and ever since by paring back all Hollywood connections to its character program. USH should ignore Disneyland and instead learn from Disney’s California Adventure—you can keep adding attractions ’til you’re blue in the face and it won’t make a lasting impression on attendance if the park as a whole doesn’t have a compelling identity and lots of heart.
