With Universal Orlando Resort’s brand new Epic Universe theme park now open, pop culture connoisseurs have the opportunity to immerse themselves in some of their favorite fictional worlds
Containing five lands – packed with rides, attractions, live shows, character encounters, dining, memorabilia and much more – the park promises to elevate themed entertainment to a whole new level. Best of all, four of Epic Universe’s worlds are based on some of Hollywood’s biggest, most beloved franchises, from Harry Potter to How to Train Your Dragon.
Branching from a beautiful, cosmic-themed central hub dubbed Celestial Park, these lands – as well as those based on Universal Monsters and Nintendo’s most popular properties – invite fans to pass through mysterious portals. Beyond these, er, epic entrances, guests are then transported into the dedicated, detail-drenched realms.
Of course, before making this leap and losing yourself in, say, Super Mario‘s stomping grounds or Newt Scamander’s 1920’s wizarding Paris, you may want to catch up on each lands’ lore, locations, and characters. Thankfully, you can do just that by streaming our curated selection of films the four worlds are based on.
So whether you’re wondering which monster movies to watch before enjoying a brew at The Burning Blade Tavern – or you want to know how vikings and dragons learned to live in harmony – read on for the best films to watch before visiting Epic Universe.
How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk
If you’re not familiar with the popular How to Train Your Dragon films, you’re in for a real treat – but you’ve also got some homework ahead of you. The delightful, family-friendly series includes a movie trilogy and several specials, spin-offs, and episodic series.
But for the purpose of familiarizing yourself with the franchise before passing through Epic Univere’s How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk portal, the films have got you covered like a horned viking helmet.
2010’s How to Train Your Dragon will quickly bring you up to speed on the series’ world, lore, and main viking and dragon characters, such as Hiccup and Toothless.
But if you’re craving a deeper appreciation of the themed world – which includes thrilling attractions like Hiccup’s Wing Gliders and Dragon Racer’s Rally – you’ll also want to watch its sequels, How to Train Your Dragon 2 and How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World.
The Isle of Berk’s timeline technically exists between the second and third cinematic entries, but as you experience the land’s rides, character encounters, and its live show, dubbed The Untrainable Dragon, you’ll definitely be exposed to references from all three movies.
Of course, if you want to take the Cliff’s Notes route – and you’re not due to visit Epic Universe for a few weeks – you could also just watch the new How to Train Your Dragon live action film arriving in June 2025.
Required viewing:
Suggested streaming:
- How to Train Your Dragon
- How to Train Your Dragon 2
- How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – The Ministry of Magic
Not unlike a Polyjuice Potion recipe, Epic Universe’s The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – The Ministry of Magic is a little tricky to follow. But it’s also one of the easiest lands to prepare for. Its extra layer of complexity stems from the fact it exists within two separate eras, as well as two different branches of the movie universe.
The world’s main attraction is Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry, which sees the boy wizard, Ron, and Hermione attempting to stop evil-doer Dolores Umbridge. Umbridge and the Ministry of Magic aren’t shown until the fifth flick, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. As such, you’ll want to be sure you’ve watched that entry before boarding the pulse-pounding dark ride.
But the baddie’s storyline extends far beyond that film, into the final two franchise installments Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and Part 2. Your best bet is to binge all seven Potter films. Short of that commitment though, you’ll want to watch the original for a basic intro, then number five for a deep dive into Dolores and the Ministry.
Things get a bit befuddling when you step off the Battle at the Ministry ride, and into the rest of Epic Universe’s Wizarding Word. The surrounding land is based on 1920’s wizarding Paris, first introduced in the Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, the second movie in the Fantastic Beasts trilogy. So as not to break the timeline – or immersion – Universal has guests travel between the eras via the magical Metro-floo.
The Crimes of Grindelwald brings protagonist Newt Scamander and a young Albus Dumbledore to the capital of France, specifically the Diagon Alley-like Place Cachee shopping district. This bustling, intricately themed area also hosts the world’s live show, Le Cirque Arcanus, which is also featured in the second Fantastic Beasts film.
So to sum up, you’ll want to at least watch Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix to fully enjoy the Battle at the Ministry attraction, and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald to appreciate the rest of the land.
Required viewing:
Suggested streaming:
- The entire Harry Potter film franchise
- The Fantastic Beasts trilogy
Super Nintendo World
Stepping through Super Nintendo World’s portal won’t transport you into a movie-inspired realm, as such, but one that brings the brand’s most popular games to life. Including both Super Mario Land and Donkey Kong Country, the area’s vibrant environments and colorful characters will be immediately familiar to anyone who’s ever lost hours trying to rescue Princess Peach or hoard bunches of bananas in any number of Nintendo titles.
But while there’s dozens of games you could potentially play to familiarize yourself with the land’s characters – from Mario and Luigi to Toad, Peach, Yoshi, Bowser, and Donkey Kong – you needn’t pick up a gamepad at all to enjoy Super Nintendo World. Nope, for a crash course on the video game-maker’s most beloved locations and characters, you needn’t look further than 2023’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
Like Epic Universe’s other worlds, Super Nintendo World is filled with attractions, interactions, encounters, and fan-pleasing details around every corner. But the main events in this area are Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge, the Donkey Kong-themed Mine-Cart Madness, and Yoshi’s Adventure, rides that include experiences, locations, and characters that are all accounted for – to some extent – in the recent film.
Required viewing:
Dark Universe
The park’s haunting Dark Universe world is interesting in that it’s not based on a single movie or film franchise, but rather inspired by the classic Universal Monsters that appeared in numerous cinematic entries between the early 20th century through the late 1950s. Some of these creeps have also crawled back to the big screen in recent reboots, like The Mummy, The Invisible Man, and Wolf Man.
Dark Universe’s biggest draws are fright-filled attractions Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment and Curse of the Werewolf, an animatronic-filled dark ride and roller coaster, respectively. Before braving these two, you’ll want to watch 1931’s Frankenstein and 1941’s The Wolf Man to bring you up to speed on their titular terrors.
But as with Epic Universe’s other worlds, there’s so much more to see and do beyond the main attractions. Dark Universe’s Darkmoor village is populated by characters – and creatures – that are not represented on the rides, while the shopping and dining options also take inspiration from the studio’s classic monster movies.
One of the land’s eateries, The Burning Blade Tavern, for example, features a windmill that bursts into flames, an iconic sight pulled right from a scene in Frankenstein.
So if you want to fully immerse yourself in Dark Universe, appreciating every spine-tingling reference and represented character – from the Bride of Frankenstein and the Invisible Man to Ygor and even the Creature from the Black Lagoon – you might want to consider a Universal Monsters movie marathon.
Short of spending a weekend peeking at your TV from beneath the bed covers, you could also watch Universal Horror, an excellent documentary – available for free on YouTube – that’ll provide all the goosebumps-raising basics.
Required viewing:
- Frankenstein (1931) – available to rent/buy
- The Wolf Man (1941) – available to rent/buy
Suggested viewing:
- Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
- The Invisible Man (1933)
- Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
- Dracula (1931)
- The Mummy (1932)