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Sorry, I’m afraid not. I’m located in DFW, so my drone videos will be restricted to that area.

I'M TALKING ABOUT YOU MAKING VIDEOS AFTER THE PARK OPENS

Oh. I haven’t really thought about that to be honest. I have no plans on visiting in 2025, but maybe 2026. Last June, I went to Universal Studios Japan, and people who know me personally were wondering why I chose not to vlog it. That was because my channel was too small, was focused on stuff to do in Texas, it was my first time going, so I wanted to enjoy it, and also because there was already plenty of content from other people. I am sure there will be a ton of content next summer about Epic from everyone else who is already covering it. I do plan on making a ton of content when Universal Kids Resort opens. Since there are fewer people covering this specific park, my efforts will be more appreciated there. Because it’s designed to be a regional park, there will be less people traveling just to come visit, so content on this subject will be needed. Peppa Pig is really just a clone of the others, but UKR will definitely be new.

OK AND WHO AREA OF UNIVERSAL KIDS RESORT YOU GOIN FIRTS

Honestly, first thing I’m doing is probably filming a walkthrough. I will most likely head to Trolls first, saving SpongeBob for last. More people tend to go right, so my thinking is less people going left, but also feel like most adults will be going to SpongeBob first, whether they have kids or not, because that franchise may appeal more to them. Don’t know where the central Minions themed section will start. There will definitely be a ton of content to film; rides, shows, stores, food, etc. And I have no doubt that the bigger channels, (the ones located in Florida, thus cover a lot of Universal parks, especially Epic), will probably show up anyway, either for a media event, or simply for the channel content.

Thanks for watching. Be sure to check back tomorrow. I have an October update scheduled to go public that morning. So much more has been done! They’re just adding the last finishing touch ups. I am pretty confident that they will meet that 2024 deadline!

Agreed, but garages are more expensive than just wide open lots. Remember, Universal Orlando used to not have parking garages at all. They only got garages because they needed space for Islands of Adventure and their CityWalk. What this means though is that there is room for growth. They have already set aside land for a future expansion. It is right next to the north lot. So if they decide that the park is successful enough to warrant a need for an even larger expansion, they could annex the northern parking, converting the southern lot into a parking garage. A parking garage would have the added benefit of hail protection. Ideally, locals would not want to visit a park when a storm is predicted, but it could happen. I remember one time they kept several schools in Frisco from letting out due to bad weather. The bigger issue is sight lines. They were in agreement with the city that they would not be visible from a certain height. The southern lot had its elevation graded much lower to account for this, but I do not know how many levels of a garage they could get away with before becoming an eyesore to their neighbors.

Someone ask that question in the meeting. This is not their exact words, but they mentioned something about there being a possibility of that in the future with expansion. We already know where a lot of the cars are parked for the construction workers is the actual expansion area they are leaving open for future development. The big parking lot next to that could also be converted if they build a big parking deck later.

@@Aggie4life77 Good to know. Thank you!

I believe they said June 2026, so let’s go with summer 2026.

Hope so. That, and the mini golf.

Not very, I’m afraid. It’s 38 miles. 1-2 hours depending on traffic. 41 miles if you use the toll, and then it’s 45 minutes to an hour and 5 minutes. This would be one of those cases where I would recommend UKR guests from out of state to stay at the UKR hotel, or nearby, spend your day in Frisco, and then head on over to the other side of DFW. although there still is plenty to do in Frisco, especially if you’re a fan of soccer or shopping. Staying near the DFW airport is great because there really is a bunch of other stuff you can do there depending on when you go, and even if you don’t pick a specific time the mall nearby is where Legoland Discovery Center, SeaLife, Peppa Pig World of Play, and Meow Wolf are. It puts you closer to the new Peppa Pig Park, but also Six Flags over Texas, the original. There’s plenty for young kids to do there, but is great if you have older people you’d like to entertain as well.

@@texney That is very similar in distance, 45 mins, Legoland FL to Disney/Universal/SeaWorld/BuschGardens.

I would love for that too. I enjoy her videos. Her research and use of media like that from bioreconstruct is greatly appreciated by the theme park enthusiast community. She actually has commented in early past videos of mine, and used a clip of one of my early videos in one of her UKR reports, so I know she’s out there lurking. Of course, this was back when I didn’t have great equipment, but she still cited me as the source, so that was nice. I believe her last UKR video was when they finally got around to breaking ground, but now there’s ample parking, roads, and even foundations, so I’d imagine she’s hard at work assembling something. But at the same time, Epic Universe has a broader appeal, and with it so close to finishing, it makes sense for her energy to be spent on that. If we don’t see a UKR update from her this year, then I’m sure once Epic opens next year, she will. Thanks for watching.

Thank you. I honestly was doubting their use due to my inability to get them to sync up properly, as it involves a lot of manipulation using software from 2007.

@@texney you did a great job… I’m trying to upgrade a replica of what it could like like in Planet Coaster… for fun… during breaks when I’m not teaching , grading or planning… so your overlays help me envision the layout. I made an original design, but may redo it when the new Planet Coaster comes out.

Thanks again. I’ve never played Planet Coaster, but I think it would also be pretty fun to recreate it in Minecraft, or, what are the kids into these days? Roblox? Is that still a thing? I guess Planet Coaster would be more realistic though.

@@texneyroblox is definitely the hot spot right now, but planet coaster has a bit more realism… I love the open ceiling. 💗

Thank you. I honestly was doubting their use due to my inability to get them to sync up properly, as it involves a lot of manipulation using software from 2007.

Thank you. I honestly was doubting their use due to my inability to get them to sync up properly, as it involves a lot of manipulation using software from 2007. As for Camp Jurassic, technically it’s in the new art, just not as apparent. If you get a hold of it, and zoom in on the bigger building, there is the Jurassic Park logo. One of the outdoor rides looks to be somewhat inspired by the Jurassic World gyrospheres. There also looks to be a possible raptor encounter or other dino interactions in the back. The use of the animated series within the land is still an unknown. Everything else seems to be pretty vague, especially the two playgrounds. I didn’t do a 2.0 prediction video like I had with the original concept art due to how much more vague things were.

@@texney Got it. Looks like there is a dark boat ride over there as well.

Not really. Or, at least, none that I can see without asking city hall in person. I’m not sure how people like Theme Park Stop does it. I can access tax documents and permits, but really nothing visual, no information of value. So far, they have the park set out as “suites,” or basically sub parcels of land. The north parking lot would be one, the hotel another. I’ve got 9 separate “projects,” and really can only see if a light pole passes inspection, or if a permit had be approved or denied, if they’re still waiting on boring stuff like storm water inspections. The site they use is one that a lot of other local municipalities use. Its mostly to look up existing permits, submit stuff to be approved, pay fees, and get inspections. You have to be logged in to see actual plans that you’ve submitted, but again, I’m sure some things can be made public upon request. I can tell you that the first foundation for a Trolls building has been paved, as predicted. Unfortunately, that drone video won’t come out till later this month, after my series of driving videos get fully published. It’s the first of the official park to get a foundation, so it probably will also be the first to go vertical. Staff parking has also started being paved in segments, and will most likely be complete by the time the drone video uploads.

It would be nice, but unfortunately we would be lucky if we even got some sort of tribute. The 2.0 concept art, which seems to sync up with what is shown in this months video, has a blue water tower by the parks main front. They could very easily put some sort of Fievel reference on it, or at the very least, pipe in “Somewhere Out There” in the music loop. It would also be nice if they relocated the former Fievel’s Playland pieces and stuck them in the future expansion area, or embedded it inside the hotel, as the Legoland Hotel has a playground inside it. The first film ends with Henri telling Fievel about there being “more America.” Fievel asks “can we go see it?” and Henri tell him “some day, you will!” So it would just be perfect that he left Florida to see “more America.” Second film also has a great closing quote: “Just remember, Fievel - one man's sunset is another man's dawn. I don't know what's out there beyond those hills. But if you ride yonder... head up, eyes steady, heart open... I think one day you'll find that you're the hero you've been looking for.” Fievel’s Playland just saw its sunset. But just because DreamWorks saw its dawn, doesn’t mean that Fievel can’t find dawn somewhere else. That sun moves. I chose my thumbnail characters for a reason. They did used to air the franchise on the Universal Kids network. It’s Universal’s first real successful kids film, that’s good enough for adults to enjoy. (At least the first one anyway). Plus, I enjoy the whole Bluth/Spielberg/Katzenberg feud with Disney, which is essentially what this park is. Fievel’s history with Universal Parks adds a lot of value to an otherwise unknown character. And enough time has gone by that a reboot would make sense. It’s a valuable IP that they’re not really doing anything with. Although, Funko did recently release a Pop series of it.

Well, the IP would certainly match the target audience. Not sure Fievel will make it in. Although it would be interesting to see Universal us their own "mouse" in a park.

Agreed. They have him, might as well use him. “I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing-that it was all started by a mouse.” Without Fievel, there would be no Amblimation. Without Amblimation, there most likely wouldn’t be a DreamWorks. I feel that if Universal wanted to target Younger Gen X and Older Millennials, they might have found something to do with him. Instead they’re after Younger Millennial and Older Zennial parents, since they’re the most likely to have children that young, which is why I believe they paid Paramount for the right to have that SpongeBob land. It will be a huge success for them. Some may even go without kids. I just hope that it doesn’t hurt the overall budget.

www.balfourbeattyus.com/careers/job-opportunities Balfour Beatty is the one overseeing construction of the park. That website doesn’t seem to list any openings in the DFW area. It’s possible that they subcontract out. I’m not sure if you are allowed to do this, but, if you are unable to contact them through email or phone, the end of the video, where it shows driving past the “park guest exit,” that is currently the construction crew entrance. You could drive up to the temporary office buildings, and I guess, ask if they’re hiring, or where to go in regards to subcontractors. Go at your own risk though, because again, I’m not sure what’s allowed. Mario Sinacola & Sons Excavating is doing the roads for the city. You could probably contact them as well, since it’s possible that they may also do work for the park, but that’s just an assumption. I would see what your skill set is, and see who’s hiring in the area for those jobs. Universal is also hiring to fulfill similar positions. I’m just not sure if they are hiring for the initial construction of the park, or general maintenance once the park is open. In other words, they need landscapers, but I don’t know if they are hiring to plant the first opening day plants, or to take care/replace them once opened. At the very least, it’s worth checking out and applying. jobs.universalparks.com/job/19516120/universal-frisco-park-general-interest-frisco-tx/ Good luck, and thanks for watching.

Yes!!! The ‘going vertical soon ‘ part has me super excited!!! I usually grab a good iced coffee and drive by every weekend just to see the progress … but this video really did a great job getting me over the top excited when it showed the Trolls area (I could visually map out where the other areas might be).

Same. My daughter will be in high school by then, but I’m hoping it will be more like Disney, with family style rides instead of extreme thrills the regular Universal parks are known for. Thanks for watching!

It’s a pretty simple park, and very “copy and paste” from the other locations. Most everything is already there, just needs more pavement. I think they can make the deadline, but it would probably be more like November or December. They would want a grand opening where it isn’t 110 degrees out, so the timing will benefit them. I should be back out there in the next couple of weeks, so it will be interesting to see where they are at now. Thanks for watching!

The problem with 380 is that it is funded by TxDOT as well as constructing it. Being a government agency, they are in control of that, and have little, if anything, to do with the Universal project, since that is a business, that is also involved with the needs/request of the City of Frisco rather than TxDOT. Universal Kids would affect DNT, if they weren’t already in the process of expanding it. Both DNT and 380, at least those phases, should be complete by the time Universal Kids opens. To be honest, I don’t drive on 380 often, and when I do, I freak out a little. My grandparents used to live off 380. …literally. In fact, my grandmother would get rear ended a few times trying to turn into the driveway, I guess because, at the time, the highway was higher, and the property lower, thus hard to see why on earth someone would be slowing down. NOTHING existed there back then. It used to be a two lane asphalt road back when they lived there. They had to start buying water utilities when they improved 380 the first time, (the concrete road you see today), as they were on well water. That’s how middle of nowhere, rural nothingness, that area was back then. So to see it today, in its present state, is a huge time jump for me, especially since their home was demolished several years ago. It’s just a vacant lot now. I should have the August update in a couple weeks. Hopefully more pavement. Thanks for watching.

@texney Thank you for the in depth comment, and yes I'll be tuned in! The growth in the area overall is definitely insane

Me too. I’m hoping they’ll have some sort of preview center, probably whenever the city roads are paved to get to it. With the complete redo of the original concept art, I don’t know how much of the new concept we will see come to life, especially with the disappointment of the new area that replaced KidZone in Orlando. Right now, they seem more focused on parking, driveways, staff buildings, the hotel, and park entrance. It was good seeing them do something in the actual physical park that day, even if it’s just grading. Thanks for watching!

There’s also a June update, and hopefully sometime next week a July. I’m excited to go back out there because they had moved dirt around the main park entrance, and I am hoping more has been done to it since then. At the very least, more should be paved. I’ve been doing monthly updates since dirt started moving in November, but May is when I finally got a decent enough drone to get real footage. Thanks for watching. ruclips.net/p/PLx1Q7X_YqZ2lSVBT8QcWy8Spidcm-NwpA

Me too! There’s still hope “somewhere out there.” The updated concept art shows a blue water tower, right in front. While still generic, and part of a possible minions themed boat ride, they could pretend that this is the tower from the first movie where Fievel spent the night and sung his duet with his sister. Simply piping in music or a small sculpture of him sitting on it would be plenty. It would be a wonderful nod to the Universal classic that spawned Amblimation, which later became the Spielberg side of DreamWorks. I recall they used to show the franchise on the actual Universal Kids network channel many years ago. So with this being Universal Kids resort… …? Also would be perfect to give the old Playland a new home, either by putting it in the future expansion land for a few years, or within the actual hotel itself, as the Legoland Hotel has a playground inside. In any case, “never say never!” …”whatever you do.”

Hopefully soon. If I don’t post in the next couple of days, we won’t have a June update, so I’m hoping I can at least get out there tomorrow despite the triple digit heat. I’ve been out of town for a couple of weeks, so I’m behind on my updates.

@@texney awesome I look forward to your next update !! Thank u!

Just uploaded June’s update. Thanks for watching.

As head of The Walt Disney Studios, Katzenberg knew all about upcoming Disney collaboration with Pixar films. There was an ongoing feud among the two companies over Antz before it was ever released. Katzenberg wanted his film to release before Bugs Life. Same thing with El Dorado, only not so much was known about the New Groove project at the time, only that it was set in the ancient Central, possibly South America. Emperor’s New Groove, was a difficult script, with the story constantly having to be rewritten. Anyway, Antz/Bugs Life: An ant won’t accept his role as a colony worker, and his independent thinking ends up saving his colony. El Dorado/New Groove: mostly just two animated movies set in ancient Mayan, possibly Incan, civilizations. Stories are a bit different, but Disney was still in that phase where they would release Pixar movies in the late spring, with Disney animated films in the early winter. Bee Movie/Ratatouille: Main character is not supposed to fraternize with humans, but ends up befriending one, learning that not all humans are bad. Small Soldiers was produced by DreamWorks Pictures and (in North America) distributed by them as well. They made a lot of live action movies back then. Bad Guys/Zootopia. A certain group of animals are seen as evil. In Bad Guys, it was pretty much anyone who wasn’t human. In Zootopia it was predators. Nick said that "If the world's only gonna see a fox as shifty and untrustworthy, there's no point in trying to be anything else." This was pretty much what Mr Wolf thought in the beginning. Zootopia came out several years before Bad Guys, but both are supposed to have their sequel released in 2025. Yes, it was based on a book, but so was Shrek. Fairy tale creatures are in the public domain, so DreamWorks is free to do with whatever they want with them, but they clearly liked using them as a way to get back at Disney, who also became successful through use of these characters. The first movie is filled with jokes about the company and it’s CEO at the time. I pretty much used the strongest examples, and then threw up a bunch of extra ones which had similarities for comic effect. The Katzenberg/Eisner feud is a fun one that I have interest in. It reminds me of when Don Bluth was fed up with Disney, and left to start up his own animation company. Only, instead of attacking Disney head on by releasing films on the exact day as Disney releases, DreamWorks tried to release theirs before.

@@texneyThe Bad Guys isn’t in the public domain. Neither is How To Train Your Dragon. Heck, Small Soldiers wasn’t even made by the animation studio. Yes it was produced by DreamWorks, but it’s not the same DreamWorks that makes animated films.

I don’t recall saying that either films (The Bad Guys and How To Train Your Dragon) were in the public domain. I said that the fairy tale creatures used in Shrek were. They were in the public domain back when Disney used them as well. As for Small Soldiers, it was produced by DreamWorks Pictures, Universal Pictures, and Amblin Entertainment. This was due to their early start up years, as both DreamWorks and Amblin had studios offices on the Universal Studios lot, with Spielberg tied to all three. So, I’m not sure what you’re trying to get at. The same DreamWorks that made Shrek is the same DreamWorks that made Sweeney Todd. It doesn’t matter what production departments worked on what if it’s the same company. …Although, a Sweeney Todd themed cruise ship would be kind of cool. 🤔

@@texneySee that’s the thing, because the Fairy Tale characters are in the public domain, DreamWorks was able to do what they want with the Fairy Tale characters in the Shrek series since there’s no copyright. But the Bad Guys & How to Train Your Dragon were movies based on books, so the authors of the book were probably consulted when DreamWorks made their movies. Also, DreamWorks Pictures is not the same studio as DreamWorks Animation. Like Amblin Entertainment, DreamWorks Pictures mainly produced movies that Stephen Spielberg was involved with, or directed. DreamWorks Animation, is the studio that everyone knows about as this is the studio that makes the animated movies like Shrek or Trolls or Kung Fu Panda. Other then the name, both DreamWorks studios have nothing in common.

DreamWorks most definitely got permission from the authors of Bad Guys and How to Train your Dragon for those movies, as well as the author of the Shrek! book. It’s cheaper than dealing with the lawsuit. Back to DreamWorks pictures not being the same studio as DreamWorks animation, I think you are basing this belief on dated logos and names. If you look up both “Small Solders VHS opening” and “Shrek VHS opening,” you would clearly see the DreamWorks SKG logo, followed by “DreamWorks Pictures Presents” on both. So by your logic, the original Shrek was done by a different studio, and not the same one as say, Bad Guys. That said, you could argue that two different DreamWorks studios were working on entirely different projects. One was working on Prince of Egypt, while the other was working on the CGI Shrek film. Both movies are still DreamWorks though, just as their live action movies were DreamWorks. Disney went through different names throughout their 100+ years as a company, but they are all still Disney. The physical studio that made Snow White may not be the same that did Wish, but they are still Disney. Parent Trap and Love Bug aren’t even animated, but they are still Disney. Play the time game again, and look up Nightmare Before Christmas VHS opening. Originally Disney released the movie under Touchstone, because they wanted audiences to know that this was not the same type of movie Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast was. When it came time to rerelease the movie on new media, all the Touchstone logos were removed and replaced with Disney. So, you have people who say Roger Rabbit isn’t Disney, it’s Touchstone, but at the same time somehow believe Nightmare Before Christmas is Disney.

This one is in Texas. It is supposed to open sometime later this year. The one in Florida opened in 2022. Thanks for watching. 👍

_“Our state fair is a great state fair”_ There are permanent pavilions and concrete at our state fair. The only dirt you’ll find is at the rodeo, which is also indoors. A lot of the other stuff just sits there unused for most of the year. They do use the Cotton Bowl and a concert venue (they keep changing sponsors, thus changing names). There used to be a big science museum until they relocated. I’m sure they probably host several mini events, that the city can charge for usage. They have the state fair in the fall, which only means it’s not triple digits out. But still 80-90 degrees means people want to spend most of their time indoors, if possible (midway games and rides are still outside.) If I remember correctly, when building Epic Universe, they started with the parking, then structures, then actual pavement for guests/staff. It appears like they’re doing the same here. When building a house, you usually pour the foundation before the driveway. But for commerce, usually it’s the parking first, which is why sometimes you’ll end up with a parking lot for a business that was never built, which is a weird find, especially decades later. Ideally, you don’t want to pave concrete that construction equipment needs to drive on. Concrete needs at least 7 days to cure before actual vehicles can drive on it, due to their weight. That would make continued construction a nightmare, as they would have to avoid these areas. It’s probably why Universal Kids has large gravel on its driveways and foundation sites, because they still need to be able to drive on it. Concrete is ok for foot traffic typically after a day. So cosmetic things like paint and textured surfaces can go in after. I’m going to assume a very late 2024 opening date. They still have seven months. We don’t really have unions here, as Texas is a right to work state. Labor is unfortunately (for the worker) cheap. They could get this thing up real fast if needed, as it looks like a pretty simple park. They could open, and still have removal or refurbishment of what’s left of Mountasia as a second phase. Honestly, it’s pretty smart. Legos are a timeless toy, whereas Peppa Pig may not be a thing a decade from now. So keeping things minimal is best. Probably why they threw up Florida’s Peppa Pig in the Legoland parking lot.

@@texney speaking of the Florida Peppa Pig, I didn't even know it existed until it opened. I wonder how long it took to open up the Florida Park? I am with you on keeping the dirt so the construction vehicles and what not can get around, it just looks like so much is left to do and I am only guessing because I don't really know. The State Fair in my city is pretty big and has a permanent home. It's mostly asphalt, grass and some concrete. So the operators come in and in just two weeks everything's up. Anyway I hope it all works out and they at least get some of the Christmas crowd.

And I'm going to assume that it will open on September 30th 2024

Yes. The entire first Shrek movie was intended to be a crack at Disney. Lord Farquaad (which sounds very close to a vulgar name on purpose) was meant to be Eisner. And if you remember the scene when Shrek sees the castle and jokes about him needing to compensate for something, that’s one. The Welcome to Duloc animatronic is meant to be a representation of Its a Small World, and the fact that there’s a queuing line and counting wheel just to get into the kingdom allows to viewer to understand that this is supposed to be the “magic kingdom,” or at least, it would be, had they not banished all the fairy tale creatures. Since fairy tales are public domain, both Disney and Dreamworks are free do whatever they want with the original stories. Anyway, Eisner essentially promised Katzenberg the position of President of the Walt Disney Company, but then later refused. This resulted in the two not getting along, and ultimately lead to Katzenberg leaving, joining up with Spielberg, who also was burned by Disney with their use of Roger Rabbit. Together, along with David Geffen, they formed DreamWorks. That’s why you’ll see “SKG” written in the logo. One of the many things that bothered Katzenberg was Eisner making fun of his height. By making Farquaad incredibly ridiculously short, he was turning the tables. Even the “f” in the banners were lower case because he was so short. The compensation line, Shrek saying “men of his stature are in ‘short’ supply,” and Donkey trying to figure out what he meant, thinking that Shrek believed “he has a really-” but gets interrupted. …there is a lot of adult humor in that movie which definitely is not something Disney or even Pixar would do, thus setting them apart. I find the whole Katzenberg vs Eisner topic is very fascinating, one that lead to a series of copycat movies and other concepts. Since he worked at Disney, he pretty much knew about their current and future plans.

Thanks for the tip. I was going to wait till July, so I would have two months in between each visit, but if they’re speeding things along, I may have to start doing monthly updates like I do with Universal. These are just a series of driving videos, which is why they’re every four months. Frisco changes so much so fast, that it makes sense, whereas, I only have one set of NRH driving videos because not much really has changed, at least since last year. I think some residential north of NRH2O finished the year before Peppa Pig announced its plans for a Texas park. Also, I got a new drone. Once these driving videos are done, (I think there are three more scheduled to go), everyone will finally get to see the entire Universal Property. I may have to come back out to Peppa Pig if they are indeed speeding things along and actually film the full property. It would be good to know what they plan on doing with the former parking lot, since it’s been removed, and if they currently are doing anything to the former Mountasia area. The property south of it recently was for sale. I wonder if Merlin bought it.

Thanks for noticing. When I first started doing the driving videos, waiting… …hoping… …they’d break ground, I used soundtracks from DreamWorks films. The very first series had Spirit - Stallion of the Cimarron. I wasn’t sure if anyone would notice, being that it’s an old hand drawn style animation from over twenty years ago, but even if not, it seemed appropriate given that there was still so much pasture and prairie land, plus, Bryan Adams!!! My favorite DreamWorks movie is Sweeney Todd, but I don’t know if that soundtrack would fit right. 😁 I used what I could from Shrek 1 & 2, and decided to just go with Trolls for 2024.

“Large screen TV,” you say? I’ve been informed that a better drone is on the way. The crappy cheap one I’ve been using films at 720, but this new one will have the better 1080 resolution. So hopefully you’ll be able to finally see some better quality drone footage of the ENTIRE property with these monthly updates.

Your videos are fine the way they are by the way I just meant that my astigmatism is so bad that I have to have it on the large screen TV to see it in the detail that I want. 😂Lol (with practically any video.)

When I saw the Peppa Pig ride all the way from the main road (26) Easter weekend, I knew you were right in requesting an update. I was excited to get out there yesterday, but was surprised that was basically it. Just a bunch of people still moving dirt around, but it looks like instead of a flat boring piece of property, the work being done was making this out to be several elevations, with all the plumbing and electrical mostly buried by this point. I bet things will really start to move along quicker soon, but I’m thinking this will be more of a late fall/early winter opening, if that 2024 deadline stands true.

​@@texneyearly winter sounds about right, if they pull it off at all

Yeah, I wanted to make sure I had video of the 2024 banners because it was such a shock last year when they claimed the opening date. The video will be amusing if they fail to meet that deadline. It took Universal nearly 10 months before breaking ground with a 2026 promised date. Peppa Pig made their announcements a month or so after Universal, breaking ground in last spring, promising 2024. Now, granted, this is basically a clone of the Florida park, so they don’t have a whole lot to do now that electrical and plumbing is all buried. I truly believe that everything they need to get this park up and running has already been delivered, some as early as last October, and on the premises, while Universal is making theirs from scratch, and are still constructing them off property, which is why it will take them longer. Merlin Entertainment surprisingly owns and operates a lot of entertainment venues, mostly theme parks outside the US. They own all the Legolands, and their first Peppa Pig theme park, they built right next to Legoland for that reason. They also own SeaLife, which is why many are next to Legolands, though the one in FL is not. In the DFW area, they first invested in a large outlet mall right outside one of the busiest international airports in the world. They built one of their Legoland Discovery Centers, with a SeaLife, next to it. I wanna say 6 or so years ago, they opened up a Peppa Pig World of Play in that very same mall, but on the other side of it. It’s mostly just an indoor playground themed to the show, but its success inspired them to select DFW for their second outdoor Peppa Pig park. The line to get in STILL backs up into the mall on the weekends and holidays! I grew up with this mall, so I always felt the Discovery Center space had a bit of a curse on it, as everything that opened was pretty cool, but could not last more than a year or two. Merlin Entertainment broke that curse, as the discovery center has been open for about 14 years, as has SeaLife, which took over the Former GameWorks location (if you remember the gaming aspect of DisneyQuest, that’s what it was). At one point, Disneyland would rent out space in the future Discovery Center by the month just to unload unsold Disneyland merch, as we would not get our own Disney Store for a while. With the closing of so many Disney Stores, this mall has one of the last surviving few as it remains an outlet for not only the website, but for the parks as well. If you’re familiar with Character Warehouse, this is somewhat similar. What I am interested in is how much of the former Mountasia family fun center will remain. It would be nice if there are things other age groups within the family could enjoy together like go karts, miniature golf, and such, but the property looked kinda in disrepair before they bought it, so I don’t know what can be saved, and what will be saved. I remember my first driving videos there. The blue barns looked like the scene from a horror movie!!!

@@texney Merlin here in Florida is moving the Sea life aquarium from International drive in Orlando to their park. So when you visit Legoland FL you will be able to do Peppa Pig and SeaLife. Not sure what they will do with Madam Tussaud's Wax museum on I drive. When the Frisco park opens up I want to take my grandson so that I can compare it to Legoland.

Forgive my late reply, but regarding the desire to compare the Frisco park to Legoland… …it reminded me of my September visit. You know, open grasslands, with a future road… …I found a Lego brick. Like, no lie. Someone left behind a Lego brick!!! It might’ve fallen out of one of the workers trucks, because why else would it be doing there? But there it was, staring up at me, as if to say “Hi. This is it. Legoland.”

@@texney I hope some Legoland exec didn't try to put some funky hex on the park... Just kidding. But that is weirdly ironic.

@@texney To me, Texas always seemed the next logical step for them to build a Legoland. And I was perplexed when they went for what seems a standalone site for Peppa Pig Theme Park. Then the Universal Kids announcement came and all was clear.

You know what? Yeah. Yes I could. I will definitely take your request into consideration. I wasn’t going to do that park often, simply because my kid is too old, and I am still a little bit mad at her for playing “muddy puddles” on our carpet with a bottle of ink she found. (What is this show teaching these kids?!?) But I noticed that one drone video of it seems to have a following, so there’s no real reason why I shouldn’t. To be honest, my in laws live directly behind it, and could even walk to it. They’re excited because by the time it opens, their other grandchild will be just the right age for it. This park is scheduled to open sometime this year, but that drone video is from January, and even though they have park attraction elements ready to install, the property didn’t really appear that far along. So it would be nice to do an update to see if they’ll actually make that deadline. They already missed spring break, and the summer will be big, with NRH2O right next door. I probably won’t do monthly updates like I do with Universal, but I could probably start doing videos every four months, like I do with the Universal driving videos. That would put the next update in May, but since I will be over there visiting for Easter, if it looks like things have sped up, I may do it sooner rather than later, because, like I said, the elements are there. They’ve got a lot of stuff in storage containers, and there’s an old building (shown in the Peppa Pig thumbnail that they’re probably using for storage as well). It’s most likely a direct clone of Florida. BTW, if it’s alright for me to ask, are you local? Do you have any interest in the Peppa Pig World of Play in Grapevine, or have ever been to it? My daughter was already in kindergarten by the time it opened, so I never took her. I was wondering if you were interested in any video of that. It’s too weird for an adult to buy admission without a kid, but I do have some video of the gift shop, and outside, that I took last year. Do you have any interest in that as a potential video?

@@texneyHaha😅Did not expect that response but I only live like 18 minutes away from the park. I am interested in the park because my child currently likes peppa pig and I have never really taken him to a theme park of some sort. Kinda wanna know how much progress they have made. Also of course you can post the video-I will be looking forward to it🎉

I will see what I can do. In the mean time, I highly suggest taking your kid to Peppa Pig World of Play in Grapevine Mills ASAP. They grow up so fast, and I regret not taking my kid IMMEDIATELY when it opened, because she really did grow out of it fast. I’d pick a weekday when schools are in session because I have seen spring break, and that line is LONG! I can’t imagine standing in that line with a toddler. That mall is busy on weekends and holidays, so it may be too much stimulation, and a meltdown is possible. (for adults, I don’t know about children 😁) Look up some videos about what it’s like, and just realize it’s an indoor playground for them, which essentially is what the theme park will be, with a handful of kiddie rides. But you go to see your kid smile, and that’s enough of a good time for you, I guess. Besides, unlike the theme park, it’s fully air conditioned. 👍 Merlin Entertainment owns the Legoland AND SeaLife, as well as World of Play at Grapevine Mills, so seeing the success of that indoor Peppa Pig play area is what led to them picking DFW for a second US location. They’ve had that Legoland Discovery Center for about 14 years now, and it’s been such a success that they expanded. I wonder if we’ll see a true Legoland somewhere in DFW in the future. …after our kids are all grown up, of course.