First Look at Universal’s Mythical Isle of Berk, Part of the Upcoming Epic Universe Park

Universal Orlando today dropped more details of the upcoming, highly anticipated new theme park, Epic Universe, the resort’s fourth Florida gate. More specifically, Universal unveiled what guests can expect at the Isle of Berk, one of five distinct, unique worlds planned for Epic Universe.

The world takes inspiration from DreamWorks’ Academy Award-nominated “How to Train Your Dragon” trilogy, which started with the 2010 film of the same name. Universal says that the new land will “capture the heart, humor, and scale” of those films with attractions, encounters, and both small and large details.

Here’s some of what Universal revealed this week:

A world straight from the big screen
Taking inspiration from the “How to Train Your Dragon Trilogy,” Universal is planning an immersive and grand are for The Isle of Berk. That includes a lagoon and two 40 ft. tall Viking statues overlooking a village below built to resemble Berk, the home of the Hairy Hooligan Tribe and one of the main settings of the movie trilogy.

The Isle of Berk will be the home of Hiccup, one of the franchise’s dragon riders, and his friendly dragon, Toothless, with other familiar Vikings and dragons expected to make appearances, too.

Attractions
Universal is planning four attractions and one live show for the Isle of Berk:

• Hiccup’s Win Gliders, which Universal describes as a “family thrill coaster” that will take guests high above the Isle of Berk, through its lagoon, at speeds up to 45 mph. Guests will experience “what it’s like to fly on a dragon.”
• The Untrainable Dragon, a live show that takes inspiration from the “Untrainable” show at Universal’s Beijing resort. Guests should expect musical numbers and life-sized dragons.
• Fyre Drill, an interactive boat ride attraction that will equip riders with water cannons to shoot flame-like targets to practice putting out fires, something that the fictional residents of the Isle of Berk have to do when living with dragons.
• Dragon Racer’s Rally, an attraction that allows guests to control dragon-riding trainers that can go up to 67 feet in the air, manually choosing how mild or wild the ride can be.
• Viking Training Camp, an interactive adventure play camp for “junior Vikings,” with slides, an agility course, and a teeter-totter all themed to the franchise.

Just one part of Epic Universe
Isle of Berk will be one of five worlds in the all-new Epic Universe, which is scheduled to open next year as Universal Orlando’s fourth theme park after Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios, and Volcano Bay.

Universal has already teased some details of Celestial Park, the first section of Epic Universe that guests will encounter when they enter. That world will have, among other things, a dual-launching roller coaster called Starfall Racers, as well as the Constellation Carousel, an astrological take on the traditional carousel, and Astronomica, an interactive wet-play area.