Will Universal Lose The Simpsons Land To Disney in a Few Months?

The Simpsons Ride opened on May 15, 2008, at Universal Studios Florida and four days later at their Hollywood location. It was an immeadite hit with guests and executives alike. A mere five years later, a more immersive land was built around the ride.

Within the Springfield, U.S.A. area are a Krusty Burger, Moe's Tavern, and Lard Lad. These spots provide a respite for park-goers who need a drink or a bit to eat. Helping fuel more of Universal's profits for the parks.

There is also a Kwik-E-Mart that sells different The Simpsons merchandise. They also have Squishees and other things that the fictional convenience store sells.

A lot of money is made from this land.

But things are not as happy as they might seem. When Universal first struck this deal, 21st Century Fox was its own company. However, Disney bought the company in 2019, which means The Simpsons is now under their purview.

What does this mean? Many experts believe the original contract was for 20 years, which means Universal and Disney need to start negotiating renewal terms fairly soon if they want a new agreement.

Many believe that Disney may bring the rights back under their roof and set up a Simpsons land in their own theme parks. The company is widely known for doing that with its intellectual property assets.

Especially given Josh D'Amaro's "One Disney" edict. He wants the stories people watch onscreen to feel natural within the Disney parks ecosystem. Something that The Simpsons would feed into really nicely.

What comes next? If negotiations happen, they will likely come soon. Most believe there will be a semblance of the two sides trying to work together, despite being rivals in multiple industries.

Even though Disney wants to bring all its IPs under one roof, it would be best for them to let The Simpsons stay put. Not only would they get a licensing deal, but they'd also get a huge cut of merch sales.

Universal would get to keep a popular land, instead of having to build something new. Building a new land would cost millions to get something off the ground, not to mention the loss of merchandise and food sales.

Even Matt Selman, executive producer of The Simpsons, said that he thinks it is unlikely that the attraction would leave Universal. "Think about it, what would they put there?" he asks. "They'd have to close it, shut it down for what, two years? And build another area, right in the middle of Universal. I was just there. They're building a giant Fast and Furiousoutdoor rollercoaster right there. And they just built all this Mario stuff. Like, how would they— it would destroy them!"

The companies have every reason to work things out, but what would stop them?

Money would be the biggest factor. Some have expressed concern that Disney may try to price itself out of a healthy and guaranteed licensing fee. They could ask for an exorbitant fee that Universal would have no choice but to walk away from.

Some have speculated that Universal could decide that they are tired of paying for another company's IP and build a land around one of their own.

If they go that route, which properties might they use?

Some of the most talked-about intellectual properties that Universal might exploit for a new land include: Fast and Furious, Despicable Me, and Nintendo/Mario. None of those generate the excitement the company would want for a land that might cost up to a billion dollars.

One IP that could generate a lot of excitement is Wicked. While the Broadway musical is struggling, it is expected to rebound soon. Plus, a third movie in the franchise is reportedly on the way.

A Wicked Oz land would ease the loss of The Simpsons a lot. They could monetize many of the assets from the films and the Broadway musical, like turning Moe's Tavern into the Oz Dust Ballroom and serving Ozmopolitans.

Imagine a yellow brick road ride. That would lend itself to a lot of merchandise. A lot of people would want the ride. They'd also be prone to eat and shop for everything that the

The new land would likely take a couple of years to develop and build. This would give them time to start to hype the land and release a few teasers.