Universal’s groundbreaking new exhibition at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia puts visitors inside the immersive and innovative world of Universal Destinations & Experiences.
In partnership with Comcast NBCUniversal, the behind-the-scenes exhibition celebrates the storytelling and world-building behind Universal’s iconic creations, from the Studio Tour to the new Epic Universe theme park.
Opened on 14 February, it is the first exhibition of its kind to offer an inside look at artefacts, costumes and props from Universal parks, as well as a glimpse into the creative process behind them. “It's been a team effort by a lot of people at the Franklin,” Page Thompson, president of new ventures at Universal Destinations & Experiences, tells blooloop.
60 years of Universal theme park history
The exhibition is a celebration of 60 years of Universal theme park history, tracing its origins back to the opening of Universal Studios’ iconic tram tour.
Abby Bysshe, chief experience and strategy officer at the Franklin, says: “This project really is about the industry of theme parks, and what it takes to make a theme park through the lens of all the incredible work that Universal has done over the last 60 years.
“It's a mixture of highly interactive, great design aesthetic, real things we were able to get from Universal that helped build out the story about the design process, and some great media moments and photo opportunities.”
The exhibit is “a little bit of everything that makes a successful exhibition, and stays true to our storytelling around the Franklin Institute", she says, adding that the show aims to balance entertainment and engaging storytelling.
Created by the Franklin Institute in collaboration with MDSX, an award-winning experience design, media production and creative management agency, the 18,000-square-foot exhibition features eight themed galleries, 20 interactive experiences, and 100 artefacts.
Larry Dubinski, president and CEO of the Franklin Institute, said: “Everything we do at the Franklin Institute is grounded in the idea that science and curiosity drive possibility. This exhibition is a powerful example of that philosophy in action.
“By revealing the engineering, collaboration, and innovation behind immersive experiences like those at Universal, and by giving guests hands-on opportunities to experiment and think like theme park designers, we hope they begin to see that they, too, can build the next great attraction. Once that spark is ignited, we know we’ve done our job.”
Immersive and interactive experiences
Universal Theme Parks: The Exhibition begins with an introductory Studio Tour tram multimedia experience that brings Universal’s legacy to life through archival footage, photos, and behind-the-scenes moments.
Guests can view objects, props, design models, mood boards, and production materials that illustrate the stages of design and the creation of theme parks and experiences.
Thompson says: “Guests get on a replica of the Universal tram, come into the park, and start with the blue-sky gallery, which takes them through the process by which we design our rides and attractions.
“One of the messages that we're trying to send in that room, especially for the kids, is that it doesn't all come together right away. There are lots of challenges, and we have multiple designs.”
He adds: “Then we take visitors through different parts of our journey, whether it’s the use of robotics, how we use sound, or how we create horror experiences. Every room has interactivity.”
Merging educational content with entertainment
While the exhibition explores Universal parks, it also aims to “inspire the next generations of makers, thinkers, engineers, cooks, chefs and accountants – all the people that build this ecosystem to make these giant, multibillion-dollar experiences,” Dan Picard, owner and executive creative producer of MDSX, tells us.
The exhibit merges educational content and entertainment, Bysshe says, by “highlighting careers, and letting people experiment with all of the fun techniques and skills that go into making theme parks”.
She adds, “Whether it's projection mapping, animatronics, culinary or retail, [the exhibition] is trying to showcase the breadth of this industry, and as Dan says, to inspire that next generation.
“For us, as museum industry people, we’re very close to themed entertainment, not because we theme things, but because those skill sets translate into all of the great experiences that we develop.
“We want to make sure this industry stays robust, and that people are knowledgeable about what goes into it and what the opportunities are from a career pathway perspective.”
Careers in the theme park industry
Thompson says: “The main challenge was to try to communicate what the experience is like at the park, and all the jobs that are available in the park; so bringing the Universal experience to life for people who are standing in a museum.”
Universal Theme Parks: The Exhibition showcases “the variety of jobs that are available in the parks”, Thompson adds, through “video screens where our people – from engineers to F&B operations staff – talk about what they do at Universal”.
“A lot of people don't realise that a theme park resort is like a city, where there are all kinds of different jobs,” he says.
Philadelphia also happens to be the hometown of Universal’s parent company, Comcast, which is sponsoring the exhibition.
“The thousands of people working at two Comcast towers here can come to the museum, which is a short walk away, and learn what we do in the theme parks division,” he says. “We’re really excited about sharing what we do with our people who work in our own company.”
Similarly, Picard says: “That's what excites me, especially in Philadelphia – a place that's far away from major theme parks. To plant that seed here, because it has great colleges, universities and schools, could be the springboard for someone to go into a career that ties into this multi-billion dollar industry.”
Returning to entertainment, a variety of immersive and interactive experiences are on offer. For example, guests can build coasters, design monster masks, experiment with projection mapping, and programme animated figures using real theme park tools and technology.
In a gallery dedicated to roller coasters, Thompson says, there are coaster elements on view. “You can spin the wheels and play with them,” he adds. “There’s a point-of-view video screen showing all of our great coasters.”
In this room, guests can also see a model of the new Fast and Furious coaster coming to Universal Studios Hollywood, he reveals.
Iconic Universal brands on view
The exhibition presents IPs such as the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Jaws, Illumination’s Minions, The Secret Life of Pets, Jurassic World, DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon, Universal Monsters, and Super Nintendo World.
Immersive photo opportunities put guests inside a ride vehicle, alongside a walk-around character, in a classic Jaws storyboard, and alongside Nintendo’s iconic Super Mario '?' Block.
“I think we have a very good representation of all of our Universal IPs,” Thompson says.
A retail store for themed merchandise is included in the experience, Bysshe says: “We have great IPs in the exhibition; they’ll all be highlighted in the store, and we have some bespoke merchandise that we’ve made around the exhibition logo.”
State-of-the-art technologies
Picard adds: “We have some cool projection mapping experiences. Guests can learn about animated figures and robotics, and understand how roller coasters are retained.”
Bysshe’s favourite interactive experience in the exhibit “shows how light and sound really affect mood” and can be found in the horror gallery. “It’s a great physical/digital mash-up of an interactive, and I’m excited for people to see it,” she says.
Picard says: “We have a cooking interactive that helps people understand how storytelling even dives into the food and beverages at Universal. When we talked to some of the people making it, [we found that] their craft was just as creative as the people making the roller coasters.
“They're using cutting-edge technology like 3D printers, and it’s fascinating.
“The big thing about this exhibit is that a lot of people in themed entertainment just trip into it. This is trying to make it more purposeful, and inspiring people to say, ‘That's a cool career. I want to do this straight out the gate’.”
How to Train Your Dragon — Isle of Berk at Epic Universe
He adds: “Whether it’s a kid who loves rides or an adult who’s fascinated by how things are made, we want people to leave thinking, ‘I can do this’, and feeling inspired to explore the creative and technical careers that they probably weren't exposed to.”
As above, on view are state-of-the-art Universal animatronics, robotics, props, ride designs, costumes, and special effects.
“The goal of this, from an experience perspective, is really making sure that we’re creating a solid entry point for everyone to understand a variety of skillsets,” Bysshe says. “The animatronic figures are incredible, like the actual How to Train Your Dragon sheep from [Epic Universe].”
She adds that as a touring show, the team had to ensure that Universal Theme Parks: The Exhibition is “accessible for all the venues that are hosting it, and easy to install”.
Bysshe says: “We were definitely thoughtful about the way we implemented all of these things, how we showcased these cutting-edge technologies in a way that's going to be manageable for a travelling exhibition.”
Collaborating with Universal Creative
To plan, design and deliver the show, the Franklin Institute and MDSX collaborated closely with Universal’s teams.
“The Franklin Institute approached us about doing this exhibition. We were really honoured that a museum this prestigious wanted to talk about the behind-the-scenes at Universal,” says Thompson.
“We've gone all throughout our Universal company to acquire iconic props, drawings and sketches, many of which have never been publicly seen before, and brought it all together.”
Animatronic monster in Dark Universe at Universal's Epic Universe
Bysshe says: “This has been two years in the making. We had great engagement from Universal Creative on this project. They were strong partners for us as we were trying to build out the hallmarks that we wanted to target as part of the storytelling, things that Universal is especially good at.
“Horror is a conversation that you have to have with the Universal brands. Technology is something that they're always leaning into and trying to be cutting-edge around for their parks. Thrill rides are something that are uniquely Universal.
“Universal was great in helping navigate for us the direction that we needed to go in. It was a really nice working arrangement.”
Picard says, “Universal was highly collaborative once we told them what we were doing, and they loved it. They went out of their way, from the highest parts of their leadership to the boots on the ground, to help us secure the artefacts, understand the stories, and really get into the weeds of what gives that Universal maverick spirit its energy.”
Universal’s global expansion
“Our strategy is, first of all, continuing to grow our existing theme parks, but also trying to find new opportunities and moving to new destinations. The UK will be our next major park resort, but there’s a lot of opportunity for us, for example, in Frisco, Texas, with our Universal Kids Resort.”
Thompson adds: “That will appeal to a three- to eight-year-old audience, which we haven’t traditionally appealed to. Universal parks are much more geared to tweens and up, but we want to create a special experience for kids. That’s a new audience.”
Universal’s location-based entertainment (LBE) offering also includes a Gabby’s Dollhouse touring show, and Jurassic World: The Experience at Gardens by the Bay in Singapore, which has already welcomed more than two million visitors, Thompson says.
“We have just built a permanent Jurassic World exhibition in Bangkok, Thailand, and have a DreamPlay [family entertainment centre] in the Philippines.” Another DreamPlay will open in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, later this year, he says.
Thompson adds: “This concept will continue to expand, and we're looking a lot more into how to create these permanent attractions in locations where we might not be building a major theme park in the future.
“The museum sector is really interesting as well, because traditionally its audience doesn’t cross over into the theme park world, but there is much crossover with the skills and the people involved.”
Bysshe says: “It was really great to find the energy around Universal Creative – and the IPs under that umbrella – who were excited to tell the story, and on the back of Epic Universe opening. It seemed like the right timing as Universal is doing so much great stuff.
“I'm excited to bring this kind of content into the museum ecosystem, in general.”
Touring exhibition
Universal Theme Parks: The Exhibition runs at the Franklin Institute through 7 September 2026 before embarking on a tour of North America.
Thompson hopes to bring the exhibition to a museum in London in 2030 or 2031, he tells blooloop, to “really communicate the scale of what we’re doing in the UK to the audience there”.
“We’re building our theme park in the UK right now. We’ve just secured our planning permission, so that project is moving forward nicely and will open in 2031,” he reveals.
Touring exhibitions are a big business driver for the Franklin Institute, Bysshe says, and “in doing this project, we were hoping to take the reins on crafting a product that balances entertainment and education”.
The Franklin, she says, regularly offers successful entertainment-driven IP exhibitions, “but sometimes the rest of the museum industry doesn’t have them: they don’t really fit with the mission of museums”.
“We tried to find a nice balance between fun, engaging, entertaining and great IP, but also that mission-driven educational storytelling was really important to us,” she says.
“We wanted to have a product that would be successful here, but that really spoke to the museum industry; something that other museums would get excited about hosting.”
An evolving Universal theme parks exhibition
Thompson adds: “Walking around the exhibition today, we had a number of thoughts of new elements that we could add to the show, like new work, things that we’ve announced since the exhibition started.
"I think this is going to be a continuously evolving exhibition. The Franklin Institute doesn’t want it to be a static exhibition. They want it to evolve over the next couple of years as we continue to get new props and new drawings, and also celebrate our new attractions."
He says: “In assembling the exhibition, it came home to all of us what a fun industry we work in, and how exciting it is. We were walking around the exhibition today with some of the people who’ve worked for Universal for 30 years, and they said it made them emotional to have been part of this journey with Universal.
“We're very fortunate to work in an industry that brings people together, and delights them, and brings joy to people's lives.”
