Theme park and video game fans alike rejoiced Monday when Nintendo released a Nintendo Direct YouTube video that previewed the Universal Studios Donkey Kong land coming to Universal Japan and Epic Universe in Orlando, Florida.
Nintendo Representative Director and creator of Mario and Donkey Kong Shigeru Miyamoto hosted the guided video tour.
A screenshot of Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto at Super Nintendo World in Universal Studios Japan – YouTube, Nintendo
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The new land will debut at Universal Studios Japan on December 11 before opening with the rest of Epic Universe in Orlando on May 22, 2025. Miyamoto, who is essentially the face of the Nintendo company, hosted the video from Universal Studios Japan.
Walking through the warp pipe entranceway, Miyamoto quickly brought guests through Super Mario World and into the new Donkey Kong area. He noted how the tunnel that leads to this new piece of the theme park land transforms from blocks into rocks. It wasn’t long before the familiar “jungle beat” known so well to Donkey Kong players could be heard.
A screenshot of Shigeru Miyamoto entering Donkey Kong Land – YouTube, Nintendo
We’re then treated to a sweeping view of the land, including Kong’s treehouse, Funky Kong’s plane, and a massive temple that will house the Donkey Kong roller coaster attraction.
A screenshot of the Temple in Donkey Kong Land at Universal Studios – YouTube, Nintendo
The Donkey Kong creator then previews some of the interactive features of the land, including a bongo drum rhythm game (similar to Donkey Kong Jungle Beat on the Nintendo GameCube) that reveals an animatronic Rambi the Rhino from Donkey Kong Country upon completion.
A screenshot of Rambi the Rhino revealed in Donkey Kong Country at Universal Studios – YouTube, Nintendo
Guests can also find the trademark K O N G letters hidden throughout the land and scan them with their Nintendo Power Up Bands. Their progress then automatically syncs to the Universal Studios app.
A screenshot of Shigeru Miyamoto finding the letter K in Donkey Kong Land at Universal Studios – YouTube, Nintendo
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Miyamoto previewed some of the food and beverage offerings for the new land. This included the banana flavored DK Crush Sundae served in a souvenir Donkey Kong Barrel and the DK Wild Hot Dog topped with Doritos and an avocado sauce.
A screenshot of the DK Crush Sundae in a souvenier barrel mug at Donkey Kong Land at Universal Studios – YouTube, Nintendo
Miyamoto even got the opportunity to meet his creation face to face when he approached Donkey Kong’s treehouse and experienced the all-new Donkey Kong character meet and greet.
A screenshot of Shigeru Miyamoto meeting Donkey Kong at Universal Studios – YouTube, Nintendo
The character is absolutely massive and can even beat his chest like his classic video game version. After previewing some of the merchandise found at a Funky Kong-themed gift shop, Miyamoto enters the giant temple and the queue to the much-anticipated Donkey Kong mine cart roller coaster.
In the queue, he encountered a number of wall paintings, including one that paid homage to the original Donkey Kong arcade game that Miyamoto himself created.
A screenshot of Shigeru Miyamoto marveling at a Donkey Kong wall mural at Universal Studios
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As he continued through the queue, Miyamoto came to perhaps one of the most impressive features in this Universal Donkey Kong land—an audio animatronic version of Cranky Kong that tells guests the story of this attraction.
A screenshot of the Cranky Kong audio animatronic figure in Donkey Kong Land at Universal Studios – YouTube, Nintendo
Miyamoto ended the tour with a look at the very beginning of the Donkey Kong mine cart roller coaster. The ride features a special side rail system that will allow the cart to jump the track the way it does in the video game. Unfortunately, the preview didn’t get much further than the first 30 seconds of the new attraction.
“Donkey Kong made his debut over 40 years ago in the first arcade game I created,” Miyamoto said to close out the video. “Since then he’s continued to evolve with each new system. Initially her started out as 2D pixels, followed by pre-rendered visuals on Super NES. Then, on Nintendo 64 he evolved into 3D. And now, thanks to the incredible talent at Universal Creative, the world of Donkey Kong has come to life in the real world and can be experienced first hand!”
Are you excited for the upcoming Universal Donkey Kong land? What are you most excited for? Is there anything that you don’t like? Sound off and let us know!
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