‘You better have dragons’: The making of How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk at Epic Universe | Exclusive interview
In this exclusive interview, we discover the secrets behind How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk at Epic Universe.
How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk at the new Universal Epic Universe theme park in Orlando brings to life a detailed world that previously only existed in the digital realm of DreamWorks Animation’s films.
In the interview below, Katy Pacitti, executive producer of How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk, spoke with Attractions Magazine about the relationship between Universal theme park designers and DreamWorks animators; the “wow” effect her team intended Berk to embody; and integrating that track into Berk’s music: John Powell’s “Test Drive.”
What goals did your team have in developing Isle of Berk?
Our goal was to create something unique and fun that embodies the films. DreamWorks created such a rich world, and they shared all their assets with us, so the team had a blast digging through the designs and applying them to the real world. When recreating a beloved film and TV series you must put yourself in the mindset of Hiccup, or Gobber, or the twins when designing so that the world comes out as authentic as possible.
What kind of tone does Isle of Berk bring to Epic Universe that makes it unique from the other worlds in the park?
We wanted Berk to feel alive and lived in with layers of theming, activity, and vibrancy. Very early on we included atmosphere (we call it Berkmosphere) with dragons and Vikings walking around and interacting as you would in a working Viking village. Berk is large and very open, so having kinetic energy, whether mechanical or human, also played a big part in making the village come to life.
Were DreamWorks filmmakers involved with developing Isle of Berk, and if so, what did that collaboration look like?
DreamWorks created a world that is perfect for realizing in a theme park, so it was not hard for us to take the torch and run with it. They were making the third film as we were in “blue sky”/concept [early development phase], so the timing was great for getting assets, helpful hints, and notes (the mountain doesn’t have a name and there is no pink in Berk). They created tapestries for us, which were also used in the third film.
We also used some of their “blue sky” designs that may not have made it into the films, but were too fun not to use. Our benches are an example of that, and our human dryers at Fyre Drill came from an outhouse design. Everything was fair game for our use. Having that access and getting that input from the producers and designers was integral in keeping Berk true and fulfilling guest expectations.
Fun fact: The benches were carved out of real logs by a guy in Alaska using a chain saw.
I love how everything within Berk is interconnected geographically. This may be a “chicken or the egg” question, but how did the attractions inform the architecture and vice versa?
Berk is an island with a very large mountain on it, so the water and the mountain kind of dictated our focus for the team. Once those were set, the buildings around the main plaza came next. It was important to deliver hero buildings as part of our commitment to guest expectations.
Hiccup’s house, the forge, a façade with a dragon icon (we used the Zippleback since it was next to Fyre Drill, themed to the twins), and the dragon feeder fountain all brought that main plaza we see in the films to life. Adding in the bleachers, the windmill, the weathervane, the sheep launcher, Eret’s ship, and Hiccup’s ship from the epilogue of the third film really helped disperse the authenticity throughout the land.
The use of movement throughout Berk is impressive, from live performers to robotic dragons to ride vehicles, whether in focus in front of guests or in their periphery. Was your team inspired by any particular existing theme park areas in creating such a strong emphasis on things in motion.
See response to question 2. I will add a quote from our marketing research team when we first started: “If you’re going to have a land themed after dragons, you better have dragons.” We took that direction seriously. That kind of validation helped us to put in as much as possible.
It was important to have an even distribution of eye candy, so the dragons are tiered from complicated to simple to static. The different levels also kept the land from being one-note.
We also wanted the play elements throughout Berk to add to the movement. We made them more Viking-like by having guests power them instead of just hitting a button. So, guests add to kinetic energy.
Last year, DreamWorks Land opened at Universal Studios Florida, and “How to Train Your Dragon” is a DreamWorks franchise. What drove the decision to separate “How to Train Your Dragon” from DreamWorks Land and give the series its own world at Epic Universe instead?
Epic was well into development when we decided to add a DreamWorks-themed area to Universal Studios Florida. “How to Train Your Dragon” is a beloved franchise with three films (and a live-action film opening the year), multiple TV shows, and two Christmas specials. The first film is DreamWorks’ highest-rated film on Rotten Tomatoes and Toothless is one of its most popular characters. With this IP, you have rich storytelling, fantastic character/dragon design, beautiful production design, and an iconic soundtrack. Building Berk was a no-brainer. And not just because I have wanted to build it since I saw the first film 15 years ago!
A question for the super fans: John Powell’s “Test Drive” track playing during Hiccup’s Wing Gliders is true wish fulfillment for many “How to Train Your Dragon” fans. How did your team approach integrating music into the ride?
We would have been delinquent to not include it on Hiccup’s Wing Gliders. We were lucky enough to work with John Powell on this project. He scored the coaster for us, as well as helped with putting together playlists for the background music.
One of my favorite things in Berk is the music in Mead Hall and the retail venues. The team went to New York with John and a small group of musicians to record parts of the soundtrack in the styling of a small Celtic band. It’s truly lovely. The harpist and John also worked on the music that accompanies one of the kinetic play elements. It’s one of those small things that adds a layer of whimsy to Berk.
Since “Test Drive” is iconic and brilliant, you will hear it throughout Berk — that and my personal favorite, “Forbidden Friendship.”
While live shows have been part of Universal Orlando since the resort opened, “The Untrainable Dragon” brings a different flavor of production, so to speak, to Universal’s résumé of live shows. How did your team find the balance of creating a show somewhat more emotional than is typical of Universal, but still retain the signature Universal DNA?
This show was created for the park in Beijing, so I do not have insight into its origin story. I can tell you [Universal Destinations & Experiences executives] Mark Woodbury and Tom Williams wanted to create something unlike what we have done before, and that team delivered that tenfold. We made some tweaks to fit into our timeline by replacing Stoick with Gobber and adjusting the dialogue between Hiccup and Astrid, since they have been in a relationship for six years in our world. It is a delightful show that has the “wow” effect expected from Universal, but embraces the DreamWorks mantra of “heart and humor.”
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