The themed entertainment space has always existed at the intersection of cutting-edge and timeless. The best theme park experiences merge innovative new technologies with the tried-and-true concept of providing guests with an unforgettable, immersive, and — most importantly — fun experience.
Few leaders in the theme park industry are as familiar with this delicate balance as Lee Romaire, award-winning artist and founder of Romaire Studios, a boutique special effects firm that frequently works with some of the biggest names in themed entertainment.
A theme park battle
Romaire likens the fight for dominance in the themed entertainment space to a battle. “In the near future, we will see a major battle between Disney and Universal over who is the dominant destination theme park experience,” he asserts.
For many years, Disney was unparalleled in their theme park destination offerings, from having more parks, rides, and shows to more hotels and resorts for guests. Now that Universal is opening more parks and hotels, Universal Studios Florida is becoming as much of a multi-day destination as Orlando’s Disney World since guests will have to stay for multiple days to experience everything the parks have to offer.
Of course, the recent significant development in the world of themed entertainment is Universal Parks and Resorts’ recent announcement of the “lands” that will be opening with the new park Epic Universe — the company’s fourth in Orlando after their flagship Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, and the water theme park Volcano Bay. This new park, packed with experiences both IP-based and built around original concepts, cements Universal as a bonafide competitor to Disney, not just in terms of quality but also their number of offerings.
Themed experiences beyond the major theme parks
In addition to the major theme park battleground that is Orlando, Florida, the theme park industry can also expect to see more regional, smaller parks and experiences gain popularity.
S&P Global reports that, while these regional-themed experiences suffered a hit during the pandemic, they have experienced a fortunate rebound thanks to improvements made during their downtime. Major companies in the theme park industry have even begun to express interest in opening regional experiences, such as Universal’s year-round “Halloween Horror Nights” attraction planned for Las Vegas or its plans to open Universal Kids Resort in Frisco, Texas (outside of Dallas).
Beyond theme parks, Romaire suggests an impending proliferation of themed entertainment in other arenas. He points to cruise ships as an example of an avenue that could become more themed, offering theme-park-like experiences.
Disney Cruise Lines has long been at the forefront of themed cruise entertainment, but other cruise lines are beginning to pursue more themed offerings for their guests — such as Royal Caribbean’s “Dreamworks Experience.” Themed cruises put on by independent third parties, with themes ranging from Comic-Con to Hallmark Channel Christmas movies, are also becoming increasingly popular.
Technological innovation driving immersion in themed entertainment
In terms of technology, Romaire sees it as particularly exciting in the themed entertainment space, and he points to autonomous and interactive robot characters. An early example of this can be seen in the Vyloo characters in the “Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!” queue at Disneyland Resort in the Disney California Adventure Park. These robotic characters interact with each other and guests in an automated fashion. Romaire forecasts that, as technology continues to evolve, we will see the interactive capabilities of these characters grow, such as line-of-sight capabilities that allow the robot to look at and follow guests.
Romaire also expects there to be a shift away from screen-based attractions. “Leaders in the theme park industry are beginning to realize that people already have giant screens in their homes,” he explains. “Theme park visitors want immersion in real-world environments.”
The solution? Romaire suggests that animatronic-based attractions are the future of theme parks. As the underlying technology of these animatronics improves, innovators in the theme park industry can offer a greater level of immersion through animatronics than they could through screens. Just look at Romaire Studios’ THEA-award-winning work on Universal Hollywood’s “The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash” attraction for proof.
Quality comes first
While it may be wishful thinking, Romaire also expresses hope for a return to the days of theme parks having more original attractions that aren’t based on movie IP. “We need more Jungle Cruises, Enchanted Tiki Rooms, and Country Bear Jamborees,” he asserts. “EPCOT was an amazing experience when it first opened, yet it had no movie-based IP whatsoever. Leaders in the theme park industry should realize that the popularity of the IP isn’t the only thing that matters. If you create an amazing, unforgettable experience, people will love it.”
One thing is abundantly clear: as long as pioneers like Lee Romaire continue to shape the future of themed entertainment, guests can look forward to more memorable, immersive theme park experiences.
Published by: Martin De Juan
