By Contributing Writer Michella MOUSAED
Decorative boards plaster the walls of the new construction sites at “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter” themed area and “Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem,” which are being created at Universal Studios Hollywood as part of the NBCUniversal Evolution Plan.
The “Terminator 2 3-D” ride had its final showing at Universal Studios Hollywood last December, then began deconstruction the following morning. It was rumored that they were constructing “Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem” at that site as part of the NBCUniversal Evolution Plan. It was a high possibility that they were building that ride because in the Universal Studios Orlando park, they took out “Terminator 2 3-D” and replaced it with the “Despicable Me” 3-D ride in 2010.
“Based on the consumer feedback at our sister park, we expect the ‘Despicable Me’ ride experience to be a popular, family-friendly attraction for Universal Studios Hollywood,” said President and Chief Operating Officer at Universal Studios Hollywood Larry Kurzweil in a press release.
“The ride continues the story line of the main characters from the blockbuster film through all-new 3D Ultra-HD animation, together with an interactive ride vehicle system.
“Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem,” which will feature Gru, his adopted daughters and the minions, is now under construction and scheduled to be unveiled in the summer of 2014.
Other areas that have closed down included the “Adventures of Curious George,” an interactive water play zone and the Gibson Amphitheatre in order to make room to build “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter” themed area. Universal Orlando already premiered this attraction in 2010 and Universal Studios Hollywood will begin construction this summer. “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter” includes settings and magically themed-rides from the J.K. Rowling book series and films.
NBCUniversal announced plans to begin construction of the first projects of its 25-year Evolution Plan.
“The Evolution Plan represents a $1.6 billion investment in tourism and production,” said Cindy Gardner, Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Universal Studios in a press release. “This long-term investment in two industries that are vital to Los Angeles will create more than 30,000 jobs and generate $2 billion of economic activity during operations for the region.”
