A Hogwarts-themed scene from Universal Orlando Resort's marketing campaign promo "This Changes Everything." NBCUniversal Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment Universal Destinations and Experiences' 2026 Super Bowl spot aims to transform guests and how they experience the Florida parks. Dubbed "Lil' Bro," the 60-second in-house Super Bowl LX ad will air on Peacock and NBC just before the Feb. 8 NFL Halftime Show, showcasing Universal Orlando Resort as a week-long vacation destination of four parks, 11 hotels, the entertainment complex Universal CityWalk Orlando, and more. "We were inspired by the transformative moments that can happen at the resort," says Alice Norsworthy, President, Global Marketing, Universal Destinations & Experiences, about this year's spot. "People are stepping away from the stress and pressure of the world and immersing themselves in the stories and characters they love. As they do that, they connect in real life with the people they care about. So we put those two things together - the transformation of our destination and the transformative experience you can have in our parks." Related Stories Business Snoop Meets Tucci in Milan: Behind NBCU's Creator Blitz at the Winter Olympics Business Gotta Catch Em All: Universal's Latest Theme Park IP Deal Will Bring Pokémon to Life Developed in partnership with Lucky Generals and directed by Ben Quinn at Superprime, "Lil' Bro" features a sibling rivalry that begins with tossing a football and ends in the parks, with a kind of role reversal that sparks playful connection and emotional growth. "[The younger brother] gets that little patronizing head rub at the beginning, but by the end, this is his moment. He isn't the little man anymore. He's the man," says Lucky Generals founder Danny Brooke-Taylor of the ad, which primarily features experiences inside Epic Universe and Volcano Bay. For UDX's president of global marketing, the story taps into how the Florida resort's parks, entertainment, dining, and hotels can affect guests no matter their age and in ways that aren't just once-in-a-lifetime but for a lifetime. To that end, Norsworthy and Brooke-Taylor tell The Hollywood Reporter they leaned into authenticity when delivering their distinctive promise of immersion, adventure, and memory-making across UDX's destinations and experiences. "This isn't a transactional thing. It isn't airbrushed. It's just honest and real. Be with the people you love, and feel something here at these four parks across a week," Brooke-Taylor adds. That focus on authenticity also means the ad is absent any A-List star power, despite Universal Orlando Resort's connection to a storied film studio. Instead, the commercial centers on two young boys as they tap into universal stories. Says Brooke-Taylor: "These aren't just shots of people on coasters or people enjoying the food or a water park. It's about what happens when you connect and re-engage. You come here and be human again." "Our guests are celebrities, so we wanted to showcase the real, authentic experiences that they can have," adds Norsworthy. "We think the resort is a catalyst for helping you discover the best version of yourself." In a small evolution from UOR's movie and thrill-centric marketing history - in which one early 90s commercial promises the parks will hurl you, rock you, love you, and put you in the middle of the action and adventure you see on the screen - much of the featured studio IP serves as a backdrop in the ad versus its central character. According to the duo, in this campaign, the parks that once promised guests could "ride the movies" have channeled part of their appreciation for cinema into the spots' visual style, while filming on location at UOR's various attractions and hotels. "We were always conscious that if we were going to have the Universal logo appear at the end of this, it needed to live up to the experiences of that brand," says Brooke-Taylor. "So if you freeze frame [the ad] at any point, yes, it is cinematic, but it isn't a borrowed story. These are our stories. I'm a big fan of finding the human truth in an experience and then making that a beautiful thing to watch and engage with. We don't need to shoot that on a phone and make it gritty or action-packed. Let's find the truth that we all recognize and then capture that with the real craft we all know through the movies." "Lil' Bro" marks the second release in UDX's new Orlando Resort campaign, "This Changes Everything." The five-part series of 30- to 60-second commercials will continue to roll out over the next month across owned channels and in collaboration with trade and media partners. That includes February sporting events such as the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics and NBA All-Star Weekend, and, later this year, the