Epic Universe and Dark Universe are opening soon but there’s lots of pictures and videos online already. I know the land takes place in its own universe separate from the movies, but I thought it would be fun to speculate what from the movies might be canon to the land.

I believe some version of the events of Frankenstein happened in Dark Universe. You can see Maria’s grave as you walk into the land, you see Henry Frankenstein’s portrait in the queue for the ride (with Colin Clive’s likeness), and the dead body of the original Monster with Boris Karloff’s likeness can also be seen in the queue.

I do not believe the events of Bride are canon, as she is still alive in the land, but we do know that Dr. Pretorius existed as there is a shop with his portrait and coffin in it, so there is that nod at least. There is a character named Igor in the land who is Victoria Frankenstein’s assistant, but he’s not Ygor from Son of Frankenstein. He’s the typical Fritz-Ygor amalgamation you see all the time in popular culture. I think it’s pretty safe to say the Frankenstein sequels aren’t canon but we do have the Bride and Pretorius.

I think it’s very possible that the events of Dracula are also canon. Dracula’s immortal so it wouldn’t have any conflicts with the timeline. Sure, he dies at the end, but that was never a problem for him in the movies. He also doesn’t resemble Bela Lugosi, but he’s resembled Lon Chaney Jr. and John Carradine so that isn’t a dealbreaker either.

The events of The Invisible Man, The Wolf Man, and The Phantom of the Opera are also probably canon, but the dates have been floated to later in the timeline, when the land takes place. Though not Universal, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde also exist concurrently.

It is possible that some version of Creature from the Black Lagoon also happened, as the head of the classic Gillman can be seen hanging in the Burning Blade Tavern, confirming that there is more than one. The Mummy is immortal so some version of the events of the films could’ve also happened.

Some other Universal horror films are referenced in the land as well. The dead body of a Mole Person can be seen in a cage, and John Carpenter’s The Thing can be seen frozen in ice in the Burning Blade, half transformed into an alien from This Island Earth. It might be a stretch to say some kind of version of the events of those films actually happened, but it’s cool to know that the creatures are out there in the Dark Universe!

An American Werewolf in London 100% isn’t canon, but I can’t not mention David’s red jacket in the queue for the werewolf ride. Just a really nice touch bringing together two of Universal’s best werewolf movies.

And that’s all I got! This is the most exciting time for us monster fans in a long time. This land looks amazing and I can’t wait to go myself someday, and I hope it inspires some new movies!

We had the BEST day! We were so impressed with the beauty and details of the park. We stayed onsite and were able to get into the park at 10. We shuttled from sapphire falls which took 15-20 minutes and the shuttle was basically empty. Security check was quick and easy. Wait times were low. Food and drinks were amazing everywhere we tried. Staff is so kind and helpful. We prioritized rides over shows/ experiences. There were delays with almost every ride throughout the day but we were still able to ride almost everything. If you have a chance to go to a preview day, DO IT. The park will never be that empty again and it makes me a sad that I only had one day. Keep reading for world reviews!

Ministry of Magic: the world is beautiful and immersive. We had drinks at Bar Moonshine which were great We tried and failed with the Battle at the Ministry virtual queue. It was incredibly frustrating and probably the worst part about the new park in my opinion. There were 4 people in my party; all of us tried to get tickets at 11 and 3. Two of us were able to get single rider tickets at different times late in the day. We went to the ride entrance to ask for assistance but the workers basically told us that we were unlucky and there was nothing they could do to help us. Thankfully there was a couple who overheard us who were able to secure 8 slots and asked if we wanted to join them. It was truly a miracle. The wait time was still about an hour once we were in line. The ride was INSANE. The best dark ride I’ve been on. I can’t wait to go again. The queue itself is also very impressive and you can walk through the floo network and see the queue even without a callback time. We did not get to see Le Cirque Arcanus or buy a wand but would love to if we go again.

Dark Universe: this place was so cool. We loved the spooky vibes. The Lagoonita at the Burning Blade Tavern might be my favorite drink of all time now. Monsters Unchained was so cool but I felt the storyline didn’t have a great conclusion. The graphics are crazy good as is the queue. It closed early so we only got to ride once. Curse of the Werewolf is so fun but so short. We walked on it probably 5 times in a row though.

Isle of Berk: such a cool world with so much detail. People on my party had the mac and cheese cones and said they were excellent. We walked on Hiccups Wing Gliders 3 times. It was a lot of fun but timing seemed to be a bit off and the restraints hurt our thighs. Fyre Drill was closed almost all day. We did not get to do Dragon Racer’s Rally or the Untrainable Dragon. Wait time to meet Toothless was over an hour so we skipped that too.

Super Nintendo World: the detail in this world is amazing. We were shocked when we walked in. We waited for Mine Cart Madness for about 40 minutes. It was very fun and we were actually able to walk right on again at the end of the night. Mario Kart had a very good queue but the VR goggles messed with my eyes. They’re hard to get used to. I would like to ride a few more times maybe even without the goggles to really see the details of the ride. It was delayed off and on throughout the day. Yoshi’s Adventure was cute and had great views. It would be perfect for young kids but I would not want to wait long for it. We did not get a power band this time or try any food or drinks in this world.

Celestial Park: absolutely gorgeous. First thing in the morning we went to Stardust Racers. Only the yellow side was open in the morning. We got on quickly. I have to say I was a bit disappointed. This ride was very hyped in all the reviews I read but I felt it was slower, less thrilling, and not as smooth as Velocicoaster. We did ride again in the afternoon when both sides were open. The green side was a bit more intense but it felt smoother and we loved the dueling aspect. It was still a really good ride, I just had higher expectations. Constellation Carousel is beautiful; I wish I would’ve gone on it at night when it was lit up. We had drinks at Celestiki that were delicious. We ate at Oak and Star Tavern and were impressed with the quality of the food. The Mac and cheese was great.

Thanks for reading this far! Have fun y’all!