It seems that there really isn’t a dull week at the Universal Orlando Resort anymore. More news leaked from Universal Orlando this week and we will fill you in on what happened. In a related item we will also share the latest construction pictures from the Transformers ride construction site. But that isn’t the only breaking news. While we know that we will be seeing more Harry Potter at Universal, we just learned that guests will soon be able to experience even more of Springfield near The Simpsons Ride! We then trim things up with another round of good news coming from inside Islands of Adventure and the impressive upkeep standards they are adhering to.
TRANSFORMERS
Recently Universal ‘accidentally’ let the cat out of the bag, although briefly, when it posted a wait clock on Facebook for a big announcement.
http://fb.bltdigital.com/universal-countdown/
The explanation is a little geeky, but please bear with us. You see, all of the pages that you visit on the internet are really just a series of files. Those files are either programming code or images that are requested and then viewed on your computer. Images can be a variety of file types i.e, .gif .jpg. .png or in this case a .swf file. SWF files are what is often known as Flash. Flash can be an animation or even an interactive game. In this instance, Universal posted a flash file early yesterday that acted as a countdown clock to a big announcement. On the surface this was no big deal. But, the problem is that anybody with a cursory knowledge in HTML could see what the Flash file or the .swf file was named if they looked at the code.
Notice the file is called “TransformerCoundown_clock.swf”
The twittersphere and fan sites alike lit up like a Christmas tree with the news that the secret had gotten out. Once Universal realized the blunder they quickly changed the name of the file.
Oh well. So a little thunder is stolen from the announcement. Or perhaps a little media storm is what they had in mind all along. Either way, it just goes to show the power of social networking in this crazy digital world we live in today. We’ll be sure to share the announcement with you when the make it, even though we are pretty sure we already know what it is.
And now for construction pictures!
HARRY POTTER in UNIVERSAL
Another one of the worst kept secrets at Universal Orlando is the Harry Potter project inside Universal Studios. We see the framing and construction is moving at a brisk pace here.
SIMPSONS EXPANSION PREPARATION
Another bit of interesting news comes from the area near the front of The Simpsons ride. Now that the new midway games are constructed in front of The Simpsons, and the vending tents have been relocated, work will soon begin on the addition of more Springfield shops!
It is rumored that we will soon be see a completely rebuilt Kwik-E-Mart and the addition of a Krusty Burger location and a Moe’s Tavern.
SEUSS LANDING
Back in Suess Landing more work has progressed. The colors are more and more mind-bending everyday and we love it.
The little accents and details are so thrilling to see.
More painting and surface stripping here.
Old paint has been stripped away to prepare for more bright paint.
PORT OF ENTRY
We also caught some interesting new vehicle props at the entrance of the park.
LOST CONTINENT
Even the Lost Continent area of Islands of Adventure is seeing additional upkeep and attention For instance, the griffin at the entrance has been nicely touched up.
BLUE MAN GROUP
Finally we have seen no real progress over at the Blue Man Group but we are hopefull that things will change soon. Here at Universal they always do.
To sum up, we will have more Springfield near the Simpsons, the Transformers ride has been all but confirmed, everything is being painted, and more Harry Potter is on its way. If you haven’t gotten the bug yet, it’s a wonderful time to be a Universal fan.
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