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Universal Orlando's North Parking Garage Swaps Jaws, King Kong and Jurassic Park for Trolls, Shrek, Minions and Transformers
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Universal Orlando's North Parking Garage Swaps Jaws, King Kong and Jurassic Park for Trolls, Shrek, Minions and Transformers

Michael Travels
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It's time to stop telling yourself "we parked in Jaws." Universal Orlando's North Parking Garage is getting new themes, and the shark, the giant ape and the dinosaurs are not part of them.

Attractions Magazine spotted new signage in the five-level garage on Thursday, November 5. Instead of the familiar Jurassic Park, Jaws and King Kong sections, the new signs give every level a single franchise of its own.

A wall-mounted level directory in Universal Orlando's North Parking Garage listing Transformers on level 5, Minions on 4, Shrek on 3, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial on 2 and Trolls on level 1, with You are on Level 1 printed in the pink Trolls panel
The new level directory, photographed on level 1. Photo: @MagicCityMayhem Mikey, via Attractions Magazine

The new lineup, level by level

  • Level 1: DreamWorks' Trolls, in pink
  • Level 2: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, in white and blue
  • Level 3: DreamWorks' Shrek, in green
  • Level 4: Illumination's Minions, in yellow and blue
  • Level 5: Transformers, in gray

That replaces the Jaws, King Kong and Jurassic Park sections and their red, blue and yellow color scheme. As Attractions Magazine put it, "It's time to say goodbye to Jaws all over again." Universal Studios Florida closed the Jaws ride back in 2012, so the garage signs kept the shark's name on the wall for more than a decade after the ride itself was gone.

Why one theme per level matters

The old North Garage was themed by section rather than by floor, and its primary red, blue and yellow helped tell it apart from the South Parking Garage, whose sections are themed to The Cat in the Hat, E.T. and Spider-Man. The new setup ties one franchise to one floor, so once the changeover is done, the theme in your parking photo should tell you which level you are on.

One wrinkle: E.T. already has a section in the South Garage, and now has level 2 of the North Garage as well. If you note "E.T." when you park, note which garage, too.

Looking down a staircase and escalators inside the North Parking Garage toward a pink overhead Trolls sign pointing right to rows 01 to 07 and RV parking
At the bottom of the escalators and stairs, a pink Trolls sign points to rows 01 to 07 and to RV parking. Photo: @MagicCityMayhem Mikey, via Attractions Magazine

Still a work in progress

The swap is not finished. Attractions Magazine says "the transformation is not complete just yet," and says the old themes will most likely be fully cleared out as the days and weeks go on.

Universal has not announced the change. We found nothing about it on the Universal Orlando blog or Universal's media site on Thursday evening, so there is no official word yet on a finish date, or on whether each level gets its own music. Universal's own guide for music fans says "Each area of the parking garage has its own designated theme, in both sight and sound," so new soundtracks would fit the pattern. We will update if Universal says more.

Sources

Image credits: Both photos by @MagicCityMayhem Mikey, via Attractions Magazine.

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