Isle of Berk Archive

Documenting all aspects of the new Isle of Berk world at Universal’s Epic Universe!

[isleofberkarchive]

hello! i’ve created this account because i’ve been closely following the development of the Isle of Berk (or HTTYD land) at Epic Universe in Orlando, FL for the past 5-6 years! in addition, i’ve been a massive HTTYD fan since 2010.

since the land was rumored to be in the works, i’ve been insanely excited. now, it’s finally here! and with an upcoming visit planned for june, i figured i’d create a place where i can document every aspect of the land; be it animatronics, props, merch, or events, i want to record it all here.

oftentimes, the “little things” that make a good theme park great are overlooked and forgotten about, especially as time goes on and attractions are replaced or updated. Isle of Berk is absolutely FILLED to the brim with details and easter eggs lovingly included by the team behind this world. i want to make sure those details don’t go unnoticed.

in the couple months leading up to my visit, i plan to post some of the development and early planning concepts behind Isle of Berk. feel free to follow along and give me suggestions!

[isleofberkarchive]

Happy one year anniversary to Epic Universe and Isle of Berk!

one year ago today, Epic Universe opened to the public!

(image credit: WDW News Today)

to celebrate, Universal is released limited anniversary merch for the park, including Isle of Berk specific items:

a new, gold-accented version of the toothless loungefly backpack and the Isle of Berk vinyl are now available.

(image credits: Inside Universal)

all are available online for purchase here:

Universal Epic Universe Merch | Universal Parks Shop

Live in the future of adventure with the Universal Epic Universe Collection. Shop exclusive apparel, accessories, drinkware, and more celebr

[isleofberkarchive]

the Isle of Berk soundtrack IS COMING TO STREAMING!

i absolutely cannot wait. if you haven’t had a chance to hear these tracks in person, take a listen to the only upload online right now:

i’m a really big fan of these tracks made especially for the land. of course, hearing the main soundtrack outside is very special, but when you go inside Mead hall or one of the retail locations, this is what you’ll be hearing. it’s incredibly warm and atmospheric, giving the land itself a sense of life.

John Powell and “The Mead Hall Band” did a great job giving the classic melodies of HTTYD a comforting twist, and I am SO glad that it will be more accessible soon (though i still will be purchasing the vinyl next time i’m in Berk)!

[isleofberkarchive]

aerial photo and video of the dragon drones backstage

this is where the drones are launched, and i believe they only fly over this general area, to avoid being directly above of guests.

photo and video provided by Bio, as per usual!

[isleofberkarchive]

one year ago today, Epic Universe soft opened!

lovely photography by Bio, as always!

[isleofberkarchive]

the Viking Training camp will be closed for an 18-day period next month

hopefully, during this period, the “baa-lista” sheep cannon game will be fixed. apparently, it’s frequently out of order.

image via Bentleys_Enigma on twitter.

the game allows you to shoot “sheep” balls at several dragon targets:

remember these symbols from HTTYD 2’s dragon racing scene?? plus the skullcrusher and cloudjumper of course.

images via WDWNT

[isleofberkarchive]

with the closure of the Epic Universe Preview Center in Universal’s Citywalk, i think it would be fun to reflect on how accurate the scale model was, and to see what changed between the construction of the model and the actual construction of Isle of Berk!

first off, we can see that at the time the model was built, Hiccup’s Wing Gliders was actually called Dragon Flight, as seen in this picture by Bioreconstruct.

additionally, the track layout and show elements seemed to be a bit different. instead of a toothless animatronic at the start, the model shows a toothless figure flying over the track, with additional rock work resembling the setting of the Test Drive scene:

as for mostly everything else, little changed from this concept to the final result. aside from a few signage changes and small details, the model turned out to be incredibly accurate.

notice the different catchphrase engraved on the portal, as opposed to the “we, my friends, have dragons!” that we ended up getting.

one last thing i’d like to point out. the model included an interactive VR feature that guests could use to see animated elements in the model in real time. for Berk, a monstrous nightmare and several gronckles are shown flying above the land, further reinforcing that the original plan was to have a gronckle drone in addition to the MN.

footage credit to AdamPancake on YT.

[isleofberkarchive]

a nice look at one of the deadly nadder tails. i really like the subtle swaying animation here.

footage from themeparknerd’s video “Top 10 Epic Universe Animatronics!” on youtube (check it out!)

[isleofberkarchive]

Universal Theme Parks: The Exhibition

…opens this weekend! starting February 14th and running until September 7th 2026, this unique exhibition will be located at the Franklin Institute in Pennsylvania.

Attractions Magazine shared this first look at the dragon drone prototype that will be on display:

the exhibition will feature never-before-seen concept art, props, and other behind the scenes insights.

previous concept art has already shown that plenty of Isle of Berk content will be shown:

[isleofberkarchive]

i’m a bit late on this, but Fyre Drill is currently undergoing maintenance; while it was originally intended to be from 2/1 to 2/8, it has now been extended until February 13th, opening back up on the 14th. this is likely to address some issues with the weak water pressure from the water guns, as well as other operational kinks. it’s also typical for water rides to use the winter months to their advantage for maintenance, due to lack of demand.

to my knowledge, this is the first kind of ride maintenance to occur at Epic, as it is the first winter it’s been open.

image via Theme Park Stop on Youtube

[isleofberkarchive]

NEW Isle of Berk vinyl!

this past week, Universal released the soundtrack of Isle of Berk in vinyl form. the vinyl itself is a beautiful red color.

images via Inside Universal

[isleofberkarchive]

Themed manhole covers in Berk

for “communication”, the mystery class symbol is used (featuring a changewing)

and for “private storm” the tidal class symbol is used (featuring a scauldron)

as far as i’m aware, there’s only these two variations within the world, but it’s possible i missed one!

[isleofberkarchive]

Universal Creative team testing Monstrous Nightmare drone

some stills from episode two, “The Handoff” of the docuseries Epic Ride.

at this point in time, the drone was still being tested intensively. the team realized that it likely wouldn’t be ready to go on opening day, due to its unpredictably in windy weather.

because of the drone’s unique shape, it was a struggle getting it to take flight reliably: “we have wings that go off 10 feet, five feet in each direction and then we have head, neck, tail, all moving at the same time” —Alec DiLiello, associate engineer of Ride and Show.

[isleofberkarchive]

recently added signs to the “viking dryers”

thanks to Bioreconstruct for catching this and for the great photography as usual!

[isleofberkarchive]

here are the dryers in full, pre update. not sure if i ever posted them. they’re near fyre drill!

[isleofberkarchive]

recently added signs to the “viking dryers”

thanks to Bioreconstruct for catching this and for the great photography as usual!

[isleofberkarchive]

Isle of Berk has won the award for best theme park land at the 32nd annual Themed Entertainment Association (THEA)!

[isleofberkarchive]

themed beer pulls in the isle of berk

image via Kate Pacitti, the creative lead of berk.

here they are at spitfyre grill!