A Look Back at the Original Never Built Universal Studios Beijing

Universal Adventurer

Original Concept Art Universal Studios Beijing

Universal Studios Beijing is set to be the next Universal park to open, currently being under construction in mainland China as the first Universal theme park in the country. But this park went through several stages before the version that is currently being built was realized, and today we are going to look back on the initially announced version of Universal Studios Bejing that was never built.

This version of the park was the first one announced, and was set to be located around a central lagoon much like Universal's Islands of Adventure.

There is much we don't know about this plan, with two major lands being almost entire mysteries (the one left from the entrance and the one in the very back) but we are going to take you through what little we know.

Bumblebee Character Transformers Universal Studios Florida

Moving clockwise from the entrance at the bottom of the park, and past the mystery land we enter what appears to be an early version of the Transformers-themed land that ended up as a part of the final park. We can see versions of both the clone of the Transformers ride and the Hulk roller coaster clone that ended up becoming the Decepticoaster.

While the Hulk clone looks more like Hulk than it did in the actual park, this could easily just be due to artist choice or a lack of a decision on the final design at the time the concept art was made.

Diagon Alley Train Fire Breathing Dragon Wizarding World of Harry Potter Universal Studios Florida

Continuing clockwise, you can see both versions of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, first Diagon Alley, and then Hogsmeade, connected by what appears to be a version of the Hogwarts Express.

Universal Islands of Adventure Village of Hogsmeade Wizarding World of Harry Potter

The only notable difference between these lands and the ones that were actually built (minus the absence of Dueling Dragons/ Hagrid's Magical Creature's Motorbike Adventure) is that Flight of The Hippogriff is built on the opposite side of the land, along the lagoon. This would have given the ride some amazing views of the entire park, and been a radically different experience than any currently existing version of the ride.

Behind these lands are two mysterious buildings, one holding a massive coaster, and the other being a show building holding an unknown attraction.

Dilophosaur Animatronic Jurassic Park River Adventure Universal Islands of Adventure

Moving on, we see a traditional Jurassic Park land, featuring the classic river ride. This land would be entirely replaced with a fully custom-built Jurassic World land. The original unbuilt version would have been a near-identical copy of the Islands of Adventure version of the land.

The final land appears to be a Dreamworks/ Shrek land, similar in style to the one that exists at Universal Studios Singapore. Many notable locations from the franchise can bee seen, even if it is not clear what rides would be found within each building.

Universal Studios Beijing Concept Art Park Overview

This park is notably different than the one that will be opening this year, not even including lands that would be found in the final park, like Minion Park and a Kung Fu Panda-themed land. All versions of this park looks to be one of the best built in years, and the final version is an interesting park that will surely bring joy to the millions that visit it over the years.


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