More than two dozen dragons will pose for photo ops, breathe fire and soar above the Viking village of Berk when the world’s first How to Train Your Dragon themed land opens with the new Universal Epic Universe theme park.
Universal Orlando has pulled back the curtain on the new dragon-themed land debuting on May 22 as part of the 750-acre theme park that will feature more than 50 rides, attractions, shows and experiences.
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The How to Train Your Dragon — Isle of Berk themed land will feature a dual-launch roller coaster, twin thrill rides, water-battle boat ride, Broadway-caliber live show, kids play structure, three eateries and a dragon meet-and-greet area.
The Isle of Berk will drop visitors into the fantastic world of the film franchise set between the period of the second and third animated movies where raucous Vikings and rambunctious dragons live in harmony.
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Visitors stepping into the 15-acre land will pass through the Viking and dragon sentry statues that mark the entry to the eighth century village of Berk.
Recreated film locations will include Hiccup’s House, Gobber’s Forge and the bleachers from the Dragon Fight Arena.
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Everything you see will be massive and rugged — from the 9-foot-tall doors to the handmade benches carved by chainsaw. Six real-timber buildings will ring a lagoon dotted with Viking ships.
Rocky cliffs and the mountain backdrop dotted with dragon houses will be handcrafted from 160,000 square feet of rockwork.
Hiccup’s Wing Gliders
The Isle of Berk’s marquee attraction will be themed to Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III –— the star of the DreamWorks film franchise that will grow to include a live-action movie that debuts in theaters on June 13, just three weeks after the park opens.
Hiccup’s Wing Gliders will be an Intamin dual-launch family roller coaster with a dark ride-style show section, according to Roller Coaster Database.
The backstory for the dragon training-themed coaster finds Hiccup inventing a new winged flying machine that will launch aspiring dragon riders skyward for a bird’s eye view of Berk.
Riders aboard the new swooping and soaring glider contraption will encounter Hiccup and his dragon Toothless along the way.
Dragon Racer’s Rally
The Dragon Racer’s Rally thrill rides coming to Epic Universe will lift riders 70 feet in the air aboard single-seat gondolas at the end of a cantilevered arm rotating around a central tower.
Riders will control the wings of the Gerstlauer Sky Fly interactive winged ride with their hands — choosing to simply sit and spin, gently teeter-totter like a see-saw or wildly rotate like a plane propeller.
The Viking-made winged contraptions will be themed as dragon-riding training vehicles designed to teach aspiring dragon racers how to perform high-speed barrel rolls and other aerobatic maneuvers.
Epic Universe’s Isle of Berk will get a pair of side-by-side Sky Fly rides that will be themed to Astrid and Snotlout, respectively the best and worst dragon racers from the film series.
Fyre Drill
The often quarreling and hysterical twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut will run Berk’s Fyre Skool where Viking teams will compete to outscore and outsoak each other aboard boats brimming with water cannons.
The Fyre Drill attraction will be a Mack Rides Splash Battle-style interactive boat ride located in the middle of the Berk village lagoon.
Riders will be able to squirt water cannons 28 feet through the air at more than 130 moving flame-like targets and other boats and bystanders.
The Untrainable Dragon
“The Untrainable Dragon” live show starring Hiccup, Astrid and Gobber will bring a Broadway-level production featuring action, comedy, music and special effects to Epic Universe.
The storyline finds the dragon riders unable to train a mysterious new dragon that shows up in Berk.
Hiccup and a 1,100-pound Toothless dragon with a 27-foot-wide wingspan will fly above the audience during the highlight of the show.
The Epic Universe show will be similar to “Untrainable” at Universal Beijing with the Florida version set in another time period and featuring different characters.
Viking Training Camp
Fishlegs, the Isle of Berk’s resident dragon expert, will serve as the host of the Viking Training Camp where kids will be able to climb, slide and explore a sprawling interactive play structure.
Kids will learn about classes of dragon and the 17 unique species found in Berk.
Restaurants
The Mead Hall fast casual restaurant will be carved out of mountain rock in the middle of Berk.
The menu of hearty meals will include barbecue chicken, sausage, grilled salmon sandwiches, kale salads and chocolate mousse desserts along with meads, ciders and ales.
Spit Fyre Grill quick service restaurant will offer flame-seared meals prepared by a dragon fry cook.
The racing-themed Hooligan’s Grog and Gruel food stand will carry snacks and drinks.
Dragon Encounters
Epic Universe visitors will find Night Fury, Deadly Nadder, Hotburple and many more species of dragons in the Isle of Berk.
Photo opportunities at meet-and-greet locations throughout the land will pair popular characters with their dragons — including Hiccup and Toothless, Astrid and Stormfly and Gobber and Grump.
Ruffnut and Tuffnut will also be found wandering through the village.
Universal promises the Viking village will feature 30 animated and static dragons — including dragons that breathe fire and fly overhead.
Video footage has captured animatronic drone dragons flying over Epic Universe before the park’s opening. Local TV news helicopters have caught Universal employees on the ground testing an autonomous robot meet-and-greet dragon with animated facial expressions and body movements.
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In addition to the Isle of Berk, Epic Universe will feature four other themed lands: Harry Potter’s Ministry of Magic, Dark Universe, Super Nintendo World and Celestial Park.