[MouseMan]

Universal Plans Theme Park Expansion
Mon May 20, 4:05 PM ET

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Universal Studios theme park group is planning to expand in the United States and globally, building rides based on hit movies like "Shrek" and scouting sites for overseas parks, a spokesman said on Monday.


The move comes as attendance at U.S. theme parks here and in Orlando, Florida has shown signs of a rebound following the Sept. 11 attacks, and as the number of visitors to Universal Studios Japan has beat expectations.

The expansion is among the first strategic moves approved by Barry Diller as he takes the reins of Vivendi Universal Entertainment (VUE), the U.S.-based entertainment division of French media concern Vivendi Universal.

Diller's $10.3 billion sale of his film and television assets to Vivendi Universal closed earlier this month and put him at the top of VUE.

Universal plans to develop three new attractions based on two blockbuster animated movies from 2001: "Shrek," which Universal Pictures backed along with DreamWorks, and "Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius," which was backed by Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc.

"Shrek," the big green ogre whose fairy tale existence mocks the very fairy tale he lives in, took in more than $250 million at domestic box offices last year and won the Academy Award for best feature-length animated movie.

The "Shrek" ride will be fairly modest and will feature clips from the movie, motion simulation and three dimensional special effects. It will open in summer 2003, simultaneously, at Universal Studios theme parks in Hollywood and Florida.

"Jimmy Neutron," about the exploits of a boy genius and his efforts to save the world from aliens, will take theme park visitors on a ride in Jimmy's space ship and feature popular Nickelodeon characters like SpongeBob SquarePants. It will open in spring 2003 only at Universal Studios in Florida.

All three attractions will cost Universal only about $60 million, according to the Universal spokesman. That is a far cheaper than the $75 million it spent for the "Spider-Man" adventure in Orlando.

Meanwhile, Universal also is looking at sites in Germany and China to build a new park. Using a strategy that worked in Japan and has worked for rival The Walt Disney Co., Universal is looking for local ownership, financing and construction partners.

Universal owns only 24 percent of Universal Studios Japan, outside Osaka, Japan, but collects fees for managing the property. It only invested some $90 million of the park's $1.7 billion cost.

Universal Studios Japan opened last spring but already has seen over 11 million visitors, which is well above the 8 million first-year attendance forecast.

Universal also operates the Universal Mediterranean theme park near Barcelona, Spain.

Vivendi Universal American Depositary Shares were off 2.22 percent or 67 cents, on the New York Stock Exchange (news - web sites) on Monday, amid a down day for the Dow Jones Industrial Index and a generally negative trend among media stocks.

__________________

Lanyards are hidden hidden. Turn them on in your options

~°o°~ MouseMan ~°o°~ TD Admin ~°o°~

Become a TalkDisney Premium member

[Shadow Jedi Rhy]

Although a pretty good ride the new Jimmy Neutron Ride is basically the same as the old Hanna Barbera Ride it replaced. The movie is different and of course it's more up to date with the new cartoons but all in all is very similar. This got me thinking and if anyone can answer this I'd much appreciate it: What was the name of the villain in the old Hanna Barbera Ride? I can picture him as he looked like an old train conductor and had a bumbling dog for his side kick but can't remember his name for the life of me, any help would be much appreciated. Thanks.

[Disneyland1955]

Will they be expanding here in CA?

[Shadow Jedi Rhy]

I haven't heard anything about a CA expansion and from what I've heard they could use one out there.

[CA Screamin Guy]

They should expand out here - for a $57 dollar admission, I would expect much more.

[Shadow Jedi Rhy]

Very True

[CA Screamin Guy]

That's really a main reason why I don't go there that much - last time I went was June 2001 (that's a long time ago if the fact that I live less than 10 miles away is thrown into consideration).

[DisneyDriver]

The last time that I was at Universal Hollywood, was back in 1997. I was extremely disapointed with the way the park was, as far as working the crowds. It took me , no kidding, 2 hours just to get to the ticket window to purchase a ticket. Then once inside, the timing of the events to go to, really did not work for you, if you want to see one after the other. Along with the high price of admission, well...I don't go there anymore.

If they fix the way to park, enter, attend, speed up their "Speedways", then maybe...maybe I'll check them out.

[Ryan C.]

I heard a while back they were building a park in CAnada on the NY Border. I still can not confirm this