Universal Orlando has announced construction in the Lost Continent at Islands of Adventure, confirming recently-filed permits that detailed demolition and fueling the fire behind rumors of replacement for the abandoned area of the park. This covers everything we know so far, which brand-new land concepts are possible, and what we’re hoping happens.
Let’s start with the construction permit, which was filed under the name “Project 555,” and was originally uncovered by Behind the Thrills on Twitter. It outlines demolition covering nearly five acres of “retail, show, and attraction buildings” at an address that corresponds with Islands of Adventure.
As measured by Behind the Thrills, the courtyards and attraction buildings for Poseidon’s Fury and The Eighth Voyage of Sindbad are more or less 5 acres. Even so, there are multiple candidates for removal and replacement in Islands of Adventure that are about that size and could have corresponded with the permit, so further corroboration was needed.
Exactly that came after Orlando Business Journal reported on Universal Orlando’s filing of that same permit. Universal informed the outlet that there would, in fact, be construction commencing soon in the Lost Continent land at Islands of Adventure.
“In the coming months, there will be construction activity in Lost Continent as part of site planning to ensure the area is ready for any future developments,” confirmed Director of Public Relations Kristen Smith in an emailed statement to OBJ.
What’s Going & What’s Staying
At this point, that’s the only thing we know for certain about the Lost Continent demolition and construction–just what’s contained in public documents and that statement from Universal Orlando. However, there are a few other things we can surmise.
The first is that fan-favorite Mythos Restaurant is probably safe. It’s on the other side of the walkway that leads into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and our expectation is that this path will remain open for the foreseeable future. Also safe are nearby shops & first aid facilities.
These are not expected to be removed, period, and will likely continue to operate during the construction and redevelopment process. None of these necessary or valuable facilities are outdated or otherwise due for replacement, so it would be counterproductive to remove any of them unless absolutely necessary for reasons unknown.
This is corroborated by the size of the redevelopment area, which cannot include the shuttered attractions in the Lost Continent and the operational restaurants and retail. It stands to reason that it’s the defunct attractions on the other side of the walkway being replaced, rather than the operational restaurants. Those will probably be redeveloped or reimagined further down the road to match the new theme of the land, but there’s no reason to bulldoze any of that.
Lost Continent Demolition…And Construction?
Universal Orlando has not confirmed a timeline for the Lost Continent’s demolition or what will be replacing this island of the park once demolition is complete. Technically, Universal hasn’t even confirmed that any substantive construction is happening. What they said was that this is “part of site planning to ensure the area is ready for any future developments.”
That could just mean that Universal is tired of incurring whatever costs are associated with preserving and maintaining the spaces, and wants them razed. These venues have been defunct for years now, and it’s fairly obvious nothing is planned to fill the existing attraction footprints as they stand.
I’m skeptical that this is an open-ended demolition without subsequent construction. Even if Universal is incurring costs on the Lost Continent, they’re fairly insignificant in the grand scheme of things. This island looks nice–nicer than many other fully operational lands at Universal Orlando. Demolishing it and doing nothing would be bad show, which is unlikely.
Given the totality of the circumstances, our view is that something is going to be built on this parcel in the near future, Universal just isn’t ready to announce that yet. So they confirmed the permit, which is fairly incontrovertible, and what it concerned to get ahead of further speculation, but aren’t willing to go any further yet.
Universal is “notorious” for taking a construction-first approach, announcing details after work is already well underway. This contrasts Disney, which makes announcements and generates hype long before earth is moving (we first knew of a Dinoland replacement in 2022; DINOSAUR is closing in 2026 and Tropical Americas opens in 2027). Air quotes around notorious because different fans favor different approaches.
My view is that it’s a grass is greener thing. Disney fans praise Universal’s tight-lipped approach, but I suspect that if Disney did likewise, the suspense would (figuratively) consume us. It’s kind of nice to have one theme park power player do it one way, and the other do it the opposite way. Keeps things interesting and exciting. But I digress.
Lost Continent History
This announcement marks the beginning of the end for the Lost Continent, which has already been lost to the sands of time over the last two decades.
The Lost Continent is one of the original eight themed islands at Islands of Adventure, dating back to its 1999 opening. It was partially demolished and taken over by the Hogsmeade ‘island’ of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in 2010. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey was added, the Flying Unicorn roller coaster was reimagined into Flight of the Hippogriff, the Enchanted Oak Tavern restaurant became Three Broomsticks, and the Dueling Dragons roller coasters were rebranded as Dragon Challenge.
Those coasters were removed and replaced outright by Hagrid’s Magical Creature Motorbike Adventure. That left the Lost Continent with the award-winning Mythos Restaurant, which is still operational. Now extinct are the Eighth Voyage of Sindbad, which closed in 2018, and Poseidon’s Fury, which closed in 2023. There’s also the Mystic Fountain, which is a lot of fun; it’d be nice to see that also live on in some capacity.
Universal’s Aggressive Expansion Plans
Following the opening of Epic Universe earlier this summer, Universal has been moving full steam ahead to update their two legacy theme parks in Orlando. Demolition has already kicked into high gear on the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit roller coaster at Universal Studios Florida, with plans for a new attraction to take its place. (To the above point, we still don’t know what intellectual property is replacing that roller coaster or anything else beyond what’s on the construction permits.)
Universal Destinations & Experiences CEO Mark Woodbury has repeatedly reiterated plans for aggressive expansion at Universal Orlando Resort, as we covered just last week in Universal Orlando Plans Expansion at All 3 Parks & Endorses “Rising Tides” Theory.
Though Woodbury has emphasized the expansion paids at Epic Universe, he’s also mentioned that there are projects in development for all three of the Universal Orlando Resort theme parks. Woodbury clearly wants families to view the Universal Orlando Resort as a weeklong destination and not just a 1-2 day add-on to a Disney vacation. He sees ample opportunities for further growth of its theme park business, and will continue to move aggressively to capture more market share from Disney. In order for that to happen, the legacy parks need to get on Epic Universe’s level.
Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida (especially) are in far more urgent need of modernization and redevelopment than Epic Universe is of expansion. Dino-Rama or Animation Courtyard–two lands in the process of replacement at Walt Disney World–would be right at home in USF. And Universal fans might hate to hear this, but their beloved Islands of Adventure also has a couple of islands that have aged less than gracefully.
Honestly, though, the Lost Continent is not one of them! To be clear, I’m not lamenting this news or suggesting Universal is making a poor decision. That’s not the case at all. This is necessary. It’s just unfortunate that this was the most logical landing point for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter back in the aughts, and that the Lost Continent has since died a slow death.
There was a time when this was my second-favorite area of the park–but that time was back when the park opened and I was a kid. As an adult, I can appreciate the world-building that still exists, but the land was lost long ago. (At least its demise has been on-theme?) It’s beyond time for this to happen. My hope is that some of the thematics of the land can be preserved, as those are strong.
What’s Next: Replacement Rumors & Speculation
As for what could replace the Lost Continent, I have no clue. When it comes to Universal Orlando, I don’t have any sources; and quite frankly, I don’t have my finger on the pulse of the rumor mill to nearly the same degree as I do with Disney. Accordingly, it’s difficult for me to assess the veracity of the various rumors to know what passes the smell test and what should be discarded.
Whenever I do hear rumors about Universal Orlando projects, they’re generally in one of a few buckets: Nintendo, Wicked, classic Universal IP, or some random anime thing. This could be in any of those buckets, or a totally different one about which I know nothing. But if I had to guess, I’d probably put Lost Continent’s replacement in the Nintendo bucket.
In the near to medium term, my suspicion is that Universal Orlando will build new Nintendo lands in Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida, as opposed to the Epic Universe expansion pad adjacent to Donkey Kong Country. Nintendo is the marquee draw that gets families booking trips to Orlando, so it behooves Universal to borrow a page from its own Harry Potter playbook and spread Nintendo out among all 3 gates as opposed to consolidating the brand. This makes more sense than dedicating an entire land to Wicked or bringing back Amity Island or whatever.
Nintendo is the Future
When it comes to Nintendo, there are two properties credibly rumored as next up on deck for Universal Orlando: Pokémon and Zelda.
Specifically, there have been rumors in the past via credible insider Alicia Stella of Orlando Theme Park Stop that Universal Orlando would replace Springfield with a Pokémon-themed area and Lost Continent with the Legend of Zelda. That was over a year ago and might not be current, but it’s still sensible that these two properties would be slated for the parks. I’d hazard a guess that Universal Creative has “explored” a lot of land replacement ideas, and there are probably pitches for both properties in a number of locations.
From a fan-facing perspective, Zelda is probably the obvious candidate for replacing the Lost Continent. The Kingdom of Hyrule has environments like this, so elements could be salvaged if Universal Creative wanted a cost-effective overhaul. That would be pragmatic to stretch budgets further, but who knows if Nintendo would allow that. The agreement might dictate a fresh build.
From Universal’s perspective, Zelda in Islands of Adventure and Pokémon in Universal Studios Florida probably makes the most sense. Like Disney, we’d expect to see Universal build more based on need, not thematic integrity. Pokémon is the more popular franchise and USF needs a shot in the arm more, so that goes there. But who knows–there might be some other expediency I’m not considering. Zelda has been high-growth and has a movie coming out, so maybe it’s viewed as a bigger draw over time.
This could also be wishful thinking on my part. My favorite Nintendo series is Zelda, as made clear by Breath of the Wild: The Magic Kingdom of Video Games. I spent way too much time on that game and Tears of the Kingdom. I also have a lot of ideas for potential Zelda rides, and hope to see the franchise get its own land, not just a single attraction and area like Donkey Kong Country.
Everyone loves boat rides, and no video game is better suited to be the basis for one than Zelda’s Wind Waker title. The game itself is timeless, with the music and design of the talking boat being especially iconic. The character models would probably need to be updated to the BotW/TotK looks of Link, Zelda, etc.
Another possibility is a Zelda-based Hyrule Castle dark ride. Rather than being a love story between Link and Zelda like Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast, this attraction would be an adventure with a climactic encounter with Ganondorf. The attraction could start slowly with a focus on scenery, building in excitement and intensity as the tour progressed. Mystic Manor at Hong Kong Disneyland is another good example of what this ride could resemble in terms of pacing and vibe.
Ultimately, it’s my strong suspicion that Universal will greenlight two Nintendo lands, one in Islands of Adventure and one in Universal Studios Florida, fairly soon. While other properties like Wicked are clearly on the table based on executive interviews, that’s probably for single attractions.
Nintendo is what has longevity and drawing power, and can turn Universal Orlando into a multi-day vacation destination. Without having any inside info whatsoever, I would be shocked if there isn’t an announcement along these lines soon, with the next Nintendo land opening before the 2030s.
Need trip planning tips and comprehensive advice for your visit to Central Florida? Make sure to read our Universal Orlando Planning Guide for everything about Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida. Also check out our Walt Disney World Vacation Planning Guide for everything about those parks, resorts, restaurants, and so much more.
Your Thoughts
What do you think will replace the Lost Continent in Islands of Adventure? Expect the ambitious plans for additions at Universal Orlando to revolve largely around Nintendo? Or do you think it’ll be a healthy mix of franchises and even an original concept? Expect it’ll be full steam ahead on expansion and redevelopment at Epic Universe, Islands of Adventure, and Universal Studios Florida? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment about the need for new attractions and refreshed areas at the two existing gates? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
