In a commercial you get 60 seconds to sell a product. The Universal Orlando Resort’s 2026 sales push has produced “Change Your Idea of What a Vacation Can Be.” In a single viewing, it shows an emotional hit and a look at what the Universal Orlando Resort is offering. But break it down and you see a masterclass in storytelling, showcased frame-by-frame.
This Changes Everything | Universal Orlando Resort 2026
Film students, marketing pros and those searching for ways to tell a story visually, you need to study this commercial. In 60 seconds, this commercial features four groups, tells numerous stories and showcases theme parks, hotels and a water park all at once. It does all of this while subtly differing themselves from the stigma of “Orlando theme parks are too expensive for us.”
Quickly establishing a key factor, you don’t need to be rich to visit the Universal Orlando Resort. A rusted car, a Honda minivan model that stopped being sold in 2010 and a roadtrip. A majority of the groups are seen as everyday people, making their way to the Universal Orlando Resort. It has been said, and it can be true, that visiting some of Orlando’s theme parks can cost upwards of $10,000 or more for a 5 day vacation. This commercial begins with acknowledging that fact and stating “Whoever You Are,” and “Wherever You’re From,” Universal Orlando Resort welcomes you.
Next we see a family, meeting up. The family appears to be coming from separate areas of an airport. Is this a separated family looking to reconnect perhaps? Each child is the mini version of their parent. The kids are lost in their technology as the parents fight crowds to reconnect. Mom quite literally pulls her daughter out of the digital world to bring the family together.
The Universal Orlando Resort you know, plus more
Next you get hit with the iconic Universal Orlando Resort visuals, plus a new one. The visual of kids running to the window to see Volcano Bay has been used almost non-stop since Volcano Bay opened a decade ago. The visual of the globe and Hogwarts Castle is another recognizable visual. But, something new for the general public, the world-famous Super Nintendo World.
Now the commercial takes on some energy, having dragons and dinosaurs jump in your face. You can see excitement, fear and lots of kinetic energy. It is important to note, Universal has never been afraid to add scary elements to their parks. Being scared and overcoming that fear is an essential part of not only this commercial, but many, many of their films.
Speaking of fear, we have this awesome young actor, the brother, who portrays genuine fear on a few occasions. This is amplified by the older sister cracking up at his scared moments – and let’s be honest thats exactly how it would go with siblings. These two were stuck on their devices and are now experiencing real emotion. Let us take a closer look at two of the duos in this commercial (and remember all of this happens in just 60 seconds).
The pairing up of siblings
This brother and sister duo have been seen separated and are brought together with this trip. Later on we see the sister having an emotional moment and she makes an onscreen connection with her little brother. Fear, happiness, awe, real moments that made this duo connect. After this connection, the next time we see this duo they are conquering VelociCoaster. Something that could be seen as quite scary for a younger brother. Instead “it changes them” and they are seen having a shared moment at the end of the ride.
Next, we look at this duo of brothers. The shot with the 3D Glasses (on-ride of Transformers), shows the little brother looking up to his older brother. This happens again and again. Old brother is seen overcome with emotion, not afraid to show how he feels. Little brother is always checking on him.
Later on we see the duo at Stardust Racers, easily one of the most intense rides at the resort – and the most extreme at Universal Epic Universe. Older brother is nervous, but these two stick it out. The last shot we see of these two is them looking eye to eye. The older brother experienced life with his younger brother, being with him on everything. The younger brother lived life looking up for the reaction, aware this his older brother was in the moment. On Stardust Racers, the little brother lives life too.
The parents are the storytellers of this commercial
Parents, they are a part of the commercial, but you will note they are not the stars. Instead, they are the storytellers. Look at the commercial’s wording to understand this is a parent telling another parent why they need to visit.
“Prepare for a Vacation” “It changes you.” “It changes them” “It changes everything.”
The very last shot is of a daughter embracing her mom with the Universal Globe in the backdrop. Universal isn’t the star, your relationship is. The Universal Orlando Resort just happens to be the spot where these memories are made.
The Harry Potter Friends | Universal is aware of its juggernaut
Now we switch to the older friend group. They start on a road trip. This is a diverse group, brought together by their love of Harry Potter. We go back to the first fact, they aren’t rich. The fabric ceiling of their car is falling in, their bags are stacked in the trunk. “You don’t need to be rich to visit Universal.” As you follow their journey, they have one mission and one mission only, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
Harry Potter. Harry Potter. Harry Potter. Universal gets it. Some people only visit for Harry Potter. The resort even sells a Harry Potter vacation package. They aren’t afraid to say, “yeah, we know why you are here.” This group spends their entire vacation enveloped in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (and so can you, winks Universal)
That is why we see this group get their grand finale near the end of the commercial, walking into what may be Universal Creative’s most impressive Harry Potter accomplishment, Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry. 3 parks, 3 stories, all magic. If you want to live out your Harry Potter experience, there really is no better place on Earth than the Universal Orlando Resort.
Universal Epic Universe is there, but not in your face
2025 was the year of Universal Epic Universe. They easily stole the show in the world of theme parks. They won award after award, debuted incredible new attractions and got fans from around the globe to visit their vision of what a theme park could be. But now? It is 2026. Universal Epic Universe isn’t even a year old at this point, but Universal instead pushes towards what Universal Epic Universe really did, it added yet another huge offering to their resort.
Yes, you can make an entire vacation happen within their borders. Yes, they do provide numerous days worth of world class offerings. So, they dropped the portals and focused on what you as a family could do. You don’t need to be told a ride is new and won awards. You want to have fun at a theme park. There is not one shot of the park’s famous portals in this commercial. No explicit mention of “the new park.” This new park is just part of the vacation.
Now with park-to-park tickets and multi-park vacation packages, you can spend a full vacation inside of the Universal Orlando Resort border. “This changes everything [you knew about us as a vacation destination]”
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