This is an opinion piece by Michael Shorkey, but I do agree with a lot of the points he has brought up in this article. 

Could Universal Take Over the Theme Park Business?

With the current climate of Theme Parks being shut down across the world, Disney seems to be the most affected by the shutdown. When a company who bankrolls many of their projects through Theme Parks and Licensing you’re gonna have trouble. Disney seems like they will sell their overseas parks to other companies and simply license the Disney Name similar to what they have with Tokyo. But one company that definitely has the financial backing to wait this pandemic out is Universal.

Universal Theme Parks were pretty much made to compete with Disney, and being owned by Mega Corporation Comcast they seem to have no shortage of Money. Their Epic Universe project is simply delayed, not canceled, unlike at Disney who has been silently canceling a few projects on top of lain off most of their workforce. Many Imaginers who worked at Disney were poached by Universal in the past, but now it seems more than likely Universal will take advantage.

Universal is also opening a Nintendo Themed Land at their Japanese Park with the other parks planning on adding those expansions at a later date. A HUGE missed opportunity by Disney, as many people have compared the popularity of Mickey and Mario for years, and now instead of the Plumber hanging out with the Mouse, he is instead befriending a Laughing Woodpecker (That wasn’t a sex joke).

Let’s also not forget the time Disney had the opportunity to bring Harry Potter to the Disney Parks, but because the Imaginers at the time weren’t able to compromise with J. K. Rowling, she took her Magic Wands elsewhere– and where did she land her broomstick at? Universal of course.

With Disney potentially downsizing for a number of years to recoup their losses on the 20th Century Fox acquisition (A HUGE Mistake), they most likely won’t be king of the Theme Parks for a long time. The Age of the Mouse is over, the Age of the Minions has come.

Will Disney get back on top? Most likely, their parks are the most popular in the world, but for those who are hoping for bigger rides and expansions will probably have to wait another decade, for now Disney has a Dark Future ahead, and all they can do is wait and reap what they have sown. Perhaps they might realize the mistakes of owning International Parks and Kowtowing to Foreign Governments. Only Time will tell.

What do you think? Comment and let us know!

Here’s Mr. Shorkey’s bio. We haven’t had a chance to input it into an account yet, but I wanted to be sure and give him the credit!

“Independent Film Writer, Independent Film Maker and Film Historian. Hardcore Disney Admirer and Greatly Respects the Legacy of Walt Disney, George Lucas, J. R. Tolkien and many others. Has written a number of articles for smaller websites and is currently in the process of launching my own production company. I have a great Passion for storytelling and believes that with a paper and pencil you can many any work of art, no matter where you come from, be it in the written word or in drawing.”