It’s been a few weeks since our last Universal Studios Hollywood update. Change is afoot in movie city. We’ll show you the latest construction and some Hollywood magic we stumbled upon this week.

Kathy Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb of NBC’s “Today” show were filming on location on CityWalk as part of a LA tour. The pair pre-recorded five shows in two days. The shows will air daily during the fourth hour of “Today” starting Monday (2/18).

Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Hollywood Walls and All

Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Hollywood Walls and All

Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Hollywood Walls and All

Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Hollywood Walls and All

Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Hollywood Walls and All

Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Hollywood Walls and All

Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Hollywood Walls and All
Just moments before vampire Hoda attacked Kathy Lee.
Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Hollywood Walls and All
Citywalk also celebrated its 20 year anniversary on the show with a huge cake that was offered to the audience… However, nobody in the audience actually got a slice. Weird.

Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Hollywood Walls and All
Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Hollywood Walls and All

Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Hollywood Walls and All
Upper Lot:

Walls, Walls and more walls. Now that T2:3D has closed to make room for Despicable Me, work walls have sprung up all over the Upper Lot, including around the old Wild, Wild West Arena.

The current construction areas take up a lot of space:

Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Hollywood Walls and All
Two large construction areas in this photo. Everything beyond the red line on the left and within the box at the center right are all now active construction zones.

The closure of T2:3D on New Years Eve also marked the end of the Coke Soak water play area. The whole area has been torn down and it is speculated it will be rebuilt as a Despicable Me themed play area that will replace the Curious George play area on the other side of the Upper Lot. It is rumored the The Adventures of Curious George will meet the wrecking ball as that area becomes part of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Themed construction walls block off the old Terminator building:

Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Hollywood Walls and All

Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Hollywood Walls and All

Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Hollywood Walls and All

Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Hollywood Walls and All

Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Hollywood Walls and All
From the Lower Lot one can see a construction elevator affixed tot he Frankenstein parking structure Below the Terminator 2 3D building.

T2:3D and Coke Soak have been removed from park maps. A Fast and the Furious prop zone has been installed in that area to add something to do in this corner of the park. The Fast and Furious Zone is nothing to write home about and is nothing more than a couple of picture cars and the creepy wax figure of Vin Diesel.

Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Hollywood Walls and All

Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Hollywood Walls and All

Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Hollywood Walls and All

It’s unknown what kind of Despicable Me based attraction we are getting because nothing has been officially announced yet, but it’s interesting to see the Universal Studio Store selling several types of Minion Mayhem merch.
Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Hollywood Walls and All

Walls surrounding the former Wild West arena have pushed into the walkways. While nothing has been officially announced for this area (it’s rumored a multipurpose stage and park area is being built), construction has been brisk. In just a few weeks, the entire area has been reduced to dirt and even removing several large trees. Currently there are several earth movers doing a lot of digging.

Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Hollywood Walls and All
Before
Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Hollywood Walls and All
After
Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Hollywood Walls and All
Before
Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Hollywood Walls and All
After
Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Hollywood Walls and All
Walls near Mel’s Diner
Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Hollywood Walls and All
Walls near Universal Animal Actors
Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Hollywood Walls and All
Construction walls along New York Street have been dressed with props. It’s a nice touch.
Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Hollywood Walls and All
Behind the walls, mounds of dirt are being moved around.

Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Hollywood Walls and All

Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Hollywood Walls and All

All of the construction walls have displaced the Upper Lot smoking area and the Hollywood Ticket Outlet (where you can upgrade your tickets). Ticket upgrading has been relocated to near the main entrance at the Universal Trading Post next to Guest Relations. Smokers must either go to the Lower Lot smoking section or exit the park and use the smoking section near the bus drop off area which is past the bag check and Globe fountain.

Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Hollywood Walls and All

Studio Tour:
To help make the Studio Tour more guest friendly, a couple of digital signs have been added in strategic locations. The signs display the wait time and when the next alternate language tour will depart. USH offers multiple tours daily for Spanish and Mandarin speaking guests and can offer other languages with advanced notice.

Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Hollywood Walls and All

The boarding area has been repainted to make the stars more visible. Each star represents a seat on the tram. If you are standing on a star, you are guaranteed a seat on the next tram. Sometimes guests cannot grasp this concept – this should make it easier.

Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Hollywood Walls and All

Lower Lot:
Megatron has joined Optimus Prime and Bumblebee as a full body stilt walk around character. The three characters are available to meet guests on a rotating schedule.

Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Hollywood Walls and All

With that, we close out today’s Universal Update.  Despicable Me is well underway at the Terminator building and an unknown project is under construction in the old Wild West theater.  We’ll be back soon, until then, we’ll see you in the movies!

Fievel Hitchcock
Fievel Hitchcock is MiceChat's Universal Studios Hollywood insider. He's so frequently at the park that he considers the commissary to the stars his kitchen. Fievel update's MiceChat's In The Parks columns on all things Universal Hollywood.