Construction update: Donkey Kong coaster barrel at Epic Universe
The track-jumping Donkey Kong Country roller coaster at Epic Universe reached a construction milestone with the arrival of a lift hill prop.
Donkey Kong Country at Epic Universe
Donkey Kong Country will open in 2025 as part of Super Nintendo World at Universal Epic Universe, the new theme park coming to Universal Orlando Resort.
Universal has confirmed experiences based on the “Mario Kart” and “Donkey Kong Country” video games for this space.
Though still not officially announced, the latter attraction will be a roller coaster that appears to jump the track, just like Donkey Kong does in his games, as aerial photography from bioreconstruct has shown for some time now. Note the yellow arrow in the below photo from late 2023, pointing to the exposed real track under the “wood” planks.
A version of Donkey Kong Country similar to Orlando’s will open spring 2024 at Universal Studios Japan. Universal’s publicity for this first Donkey Kong Country provides a few details that have yet to be revealed for the much-less-further-along Florida counterpart, including the placement of a major structure that construction teams recently assembled at Epic Universe.
Let’s take a look in photos bioreconstruct captured from the sky in March and April 2024.
Donkey Kong Coaster Lift Hill Barrel
Just behind Donkey Kong Country, in a future backstage area, construction teams staged a larger-than-life barrel in the style of Donkey Kong video games. Note the scale overall; this thing is huge. In the wide photo, the barrel is situated at the bottom right corner.
Contractors will likely ultimately install this barrel at the top of the coaster’s outdoor lift hill. That’s where a similar barrel is positioned in concept artwork released last December for Universal Studios Japan’s version of the Donkey Kong coaster, which will be titled Mine Cart Madness.
Again, there may or may not be differences between Osaka and Orlando’s versions of the ride, but by the looks of construction so far, the exterior portions are a close match.
Compare the barrel in above photos to how the prop looked just a few days prior, below.
The craftspeople of Epic Universe are building Orlando’s first new theme park in 25 years at a rapid pace.
Jumping the Track
As construction progresses, we can start to more easily see how various ride elements will disguise the track-jumping illusion. As seen in the photo below, at one point the ride vehicle will travel across a water feature, appearing to skim the surface despite the actual track being hidden from view underneath.
Elsewhere, the magic trick’s secrets are evident for the time being, likely awaiting more theming and landscaping to come.
Another milestone for Donkey Kong Country: a coaster train is on the tracks! This makes the fourth Epic Universe roller coaster to begin visible testing, following Starfall Racers, Hiccup’s Wing Gliders, and the unannounced Dark Universe coaster. The Donkey Kong coaster is the sixth overall attraction in testing, adding Dragon Racer’s Rally and the unannounced Yoshi ride to that count.
At the back of Donkey Kong Country, a green wall has been erected, likely awaiting more theming and serving as a sightline barrier for guests inside the world.
Construction teams continue to make progress on other theming elements throughout the outdoor portion of the Donkey Kong coaster, including rock work and a temple wall.
Meanwhile, in Mushroom Kingdom
Donkey Kong Country is located at the back of Super Nintendo World. To get there, guests must first walk through Mushroom Kingdom, home of Princess Peach. We’ve covered construction of Mushroom Kingdom more extensively in previous updates, but there are still a few noteworthy recent arrivals.
New residents of Super Nintendo World in this area include a conkdor bird and a piranha plant.
Nintendo’s Portal and Store
The Nintendo Super Star Store is located just outside of the portal that will segue guests from the Celestial Park central plaza into Super Nintendo World. The finished design will evoke a more regal look that aligns with the majestic tone of Celestial Park rather than the fanciful style of Super Nintendo World.
Below is concept art for the Nintendo portal and the Nintendo Super Star Store.
In the photo below, the Epic Universe park entrance is at the far right and Super Nintendo World is in the foreground. Continuing clockwise from Nintendo and radiating around Celestial Park, visible are Dark Universe, Universal Helios Grand Hotel, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, the Starfall Racers roller coaster, and How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk.
Follow bioreconstruct for more aerial photography from Epic Universe and other Orlando-area theme parks.
Spoiler Alert: Peek Inside Super Nintendo World
Universal Studios Japan revealed lots of details about its version of Donkey Kong Country last December, including attraction names and info about Power-Up Bands. There may be some differences to what Universal Orlando eventually announces for Epic Universe’s Super Nintendo World, but the sneak peek is tantalizing nonetheless. Check it out in our coverage below.
As a reminder, the Mushroom Kingdom portion of Super Nintendo World is already open at Universal Studios Japan and Universal Studios Hollywood. Though the California park isn’t building Donkey Kong Country, its other attractions provide a sneak peek of what to expect come 2025 in Orlando.
Explore our coverage of Super Nintendo World in Osaka and Hollywood below, including a YouTube playlist of over 40 videos from both parks.
Here We Go! … to Epic Universe!
Want to know all things Epic Universe? You’ve come to the right place. Explore our most recent stories about the new park below.
So far, Universal has revealed full attraction names and details for Celestial Park and How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk. At the time of this writing, such details are still on the way for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, Dark Universe, and Super Nintendo World.
Celestial Park
- Overview
- Details you may have missed
- Construction update (Starfall Racers)
How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic
- Construction update (artwork, pavement)
Dark Universe
- Construction update (coaster testing)
- Tina Fey talks Dr. Victoria Frankenstein
If you’re interested in visiting Universal Orlando Resort, we recommend MEI-Travel for a free, no obligation quote and free help throughout your trip.
