In a recent interview on the Discover Universal podcast, Universal Creative revealed new details about the story and nighttime light show of Celestial Park, the central land of Epic Universe.
Details about Celestial Park
JC Cloward, assistant director, and Catherynne Jean, creative director, joined the podcast to talk about Celestial Park. Jean described Celestial Park as a “world between worlds” powered by the Chronos Machine, which has “mysterious origins.”
The Chronos draws energy from the universe to maintain the Celestial Park’s magic of vitality and open the portals to the other worlds of the Epic Universe. Guests enter Epic Universe beneath the Chronos, as seen in the concept art above.
Cloward adds that Celestial Park is the “connective tissue” of the worlds and Chronos is a “swirling, moving machine.” A vendor in Italy makes the device and Cloward said they recently saw a test video of it spinning. They also refer to the machine as the “Celestial Cypher.”
Although we don’t know who built the Chronos, we do know that it is very old. People have come to live in Celestial Park and maintain the device and the land. These residents are known as “Celestians.” They have figured out how to build the park’s other portals.
Cloward described the process of stepping out of Celestial Park into one of the IP-based lands as an “experience.” The portals begin with the Celestial Park theme, but guests then pass plasma screens that give them the feeling of walking through swirling nebula gas.
“I believe, and many of us believe, that it will revolutionize theme parks in the future,” Cloward said of Epic Universe and Celestial Park. He added, “Bringing the park aspect back to theme parks was more than just a statement; it was a driving force that shaped the development of Celestial Park.”
Celestial Park will have 26 gardens, each with its own theme and different plants. Some of the gardens have historical ties to restaurants or attractions.
“They are more concerned with the aesthetic beauty of relaxation and appreciation of nature,” Jean said.
Regarding the transition from day to night, Jean said they had a “major transformation planned.” The story behind the show is that Apollo, the god of the sun, takes care of the day’s radiance. At nightfall, he passes the baton to Luna, the goddess of the moon, who is responsible for the night’s glow. A ceremony with “beautiful” music will see the lights slowly come on, getting louder and louder as the music swells until there is a burst of light, followed by a “dance of light in everything – the plants, the trees, the buildings.”
“It’s like a firework of light,” said Jean.
After the ceremony is completed, the land is fully illuminated for the evening.
“Celestial Park” features a completely original soundtrack – the most original music Universal has ever commissioned.
Cloward added that Stardust Racers (formerly Starfall Racers) will also change at night. The dueling roller coaster is one of the largest Universal has ever built. And they’ve chosen not to light the coaster track at night. This means the intricate pulsating lights on the coaster trains have a chance to glow, making them look more like comets shooting through the night sky.
Another attraction at Celestial Park is the Constellation Carousel, but Cloward said he doesn’t like to call the ride a carousel. He says it’s “so much more” than a carousel. The ride system consists of four ride tables. There is a large surface with three smaller tables inside it. All of them can function and rotate independently of each other.
Each ride also has its own pitch and yaw function, allowing it to twist, turn, and go up and down. It can fly up to 6 feet high. The rides were inspired by different constellations, such as the Big Dipper. Animal rides include lions, dragons, and peacocks. Cloward and Jean expect guests to pick their favorites and want to come back to ride others.
Constellation Carousel will have eight different music tracks, so guests in line are unlikely to hear the same program more than twice. Jean said it’s “like a jeweled music box.”
Celestial Park’s final attraction is Astronomica, a water playground with a compass rose design. It can function as a standalone fountain, but can also be programmed to connect to “maybe one of the big fountain shows” (Jean was careful not to say definitively would Link to other shows). It also has its own soundtrack that the fountain jets interact with.
The show’s main lagoon is called Cosmos. The water jets can shoot higher than the Universal Helios Grand Hotel if they want to, but “we probably won’t do it because we know what the winds are like in Florida, and if we did that, we’d soak everyone in the park.”
Atlantic is the country’s most upscale restaurant and is designed to resemble a giant Victorian aquarium. The outside is made entirely of glass. Inside, mechanical fish (or “biomechanical lanterns,” as Jean says) swim along the ceiling. This means that even people outside can look in and see the fish swimming through the aquarium. Real bronze sculptures also adorn Atlantic.
Another restaurant is Oak and Star, a BBQ restaurant for travelers and cross-country travelers. It is decorated with murals of “little critters” and stained glass windows.
The last restaurant is The Blue Dragon, a pan-Asian restaurant. It is always night in the Blue Dragon, which resembles a market with a terrace and bar. Lanterns move up and down in the room.
Watch/listen to Discovery Universal’s full podcast episode about Celestial Park below.
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