The theme park community’s very own eye in the sky, Bioreconstruct on Twitter, has taken to the skies above the Epic Universe site this afternoon. He has shared aerial photos that show quick progress on the future theme park.

The very first foundations for theme park areas are starting to appear, and they are located within the Super Nintendo World area. There are also several cranes set up around the future Nintendo-themed zone. Let’s check out the progress in this detailed photo update.

The photo above shows nearly the entire site for the future theme park. The backstage areas, including the Team Member parking lot, can be seen at the top of the photo. Super Nintendo World can be seen on the bottom-left of this image.

Looking closer at a zoomed in version of the same photo, we can compare the Super Nintendo World area to a permit image showing where the structures will be built.

Below is the permit image. You can see where the Donkey Kong roller coaster area will be on the left, the Mario Kart ride on the right, and Yoshi ride, along with the rest of the land, above.

We can see from the aerial photos that the first foundations being poured in this area are located under the ride buildings for Donkey Kong, Mario Kart, and the Yoshi ride.

This next photo reverses our view, but gives you a better idea of depth. It certainly seems that some of these initial foundations are at essentially “basement level” below the attractions.

The next photo shows one of the several cranes in this area, and it appears to be lowering a piece into one of the sunken foundation areas below the future Mario Kart building. To the right of that area is a long strip filled with rebar waiting to be poured. This is the edge of the Mario Kart building.

To the right of the Mario Kart building, in a close up view of the same photo, we can see some unique forms taking shape. These may be related the foundations below the queue areas for the Yoshi’s Adventure family ride.

Here is a reverse angle below, with a better look at this uniquely shaped area below Yoshi.

Zooming back out, in the next image the Nintendo land’s entry is now on the left. Mario Kart building towards the top, and Donkey Kong on the right. Directly below the Super Nintendo World area is an expansion plot for Epic Universe, which we can now see is being used for construction parking.

The overlay image below by Tommy Hawkins shows the approximate locations of each of the attractions for Super Nintendo World.

Next, let’s take a closer look at the foundation work happening beneath the future Donkey Kong roller coaster area.

Plenty of rebar is in place for additional pouring. This area is part of the future ride building for the Donkey Kart mine cart coaster, and will likely be for the maintenance area at the back of the structure, just behind the load area.

The track for the Yoshi ride is already on-site, nearby, and ready for installation. It was delivered shortly after Universal Studios Japan opened their version of Super Nintendo World last year.

Other supplies have been arriving more recently, like these coils of electrical wire, seen in the next photo.

While work in the Nintendo area is picking up steam, other areas are still playing catch-up and will require a bit more prep. The area we believe will be home to a land based on the Universal Classic Monsters seems to be the next furthest along.

In the image above, the outline for the Monsters land’s main attraction can be seen at the top-middle of the photo. This structure recently had all of its permits approved.

The next photo shows a wider view of the future Monsters area, in center of the frame. Below that, areas of the park’s central hub are being shaped for future foundations as well.

Below is a look at the entire park, looking south. At bottom of the frame is the future Wizarding World area, and left-middle of the image is what we expect will be an area themed to How to Train Your Dragon. These areas have not yet received any foundation work.

All of this quick foundation work is possible thanks to a concrete plant that was recently installed on-site. This temporary concrete plant is located near the back of theme park, near the future Wizarding World area.

The concrete plant will be packed up and removed when the job is over, but that could be a while, as they’re only just getting started.

Located just south of the future theme park, the next two photos show where the additional hotel will be built that we discussed earlier this month.

The next image shows the future home of this second hotel for Epic Universe, located at the right arrow. (The first hotel will be located at the back of the park). The arrow on the left is showing the road that guests of the hotel will take to get to the Epic Universe parking lot.

Here’s one last look at all of the cranes currently on site for work happening now at Super Nintendo World.

Below is another wide angle of the entire theme park site. Left arrow is roughly where Epic Universe’s entry plaza will be located, and the right arrow is near the center of the park’s hub.

The company says they expect to open Epic Universe by summer 2025 at the latest. They said construction was moving full steam ahead now, and boy, they were not kidding. They plan to invest around $1 billion on construction for the new property over the course of 2022 alone, so things are only going to get wilder from here on out!

As always, a huge thanks to Bioreconstruct for sharing these amazing aerial photos. If you’re not already, you should follow Bioreconstruct on Twitter for more photos around the Orlando theme parks.

Check out our recent construction update to see the progress being made to backstage areas and new roads being added, or watch the video below. And see our Everything We Know story, or our How Big is Epic Universe story, for more details on the upcoming Epic Universe theme park in Orlando.

Subscribe to the news feed or enter your email address below to never miss an update. Official Art: Universal Orlando | Aerial Photos: Bioreconstruct

---

Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month. All patrons receive behind the scenes posts and exclusive podcasts. Learn More

---