An exhibit at the Gaylord Texan features characters from the DC Universe. "Universe of Light" is built with 1,000 lanterns and features 40 superheroes and villains.
Visitors will move through 17 rooms designed with lanterns up to two feet tall. The rooms represent places like the Bat Cave and Gotham City and feature characters like Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman fighting the Joker and Starro.
"We've had so many people come through who are huge DC Universe fans," says the Gaylord Texan's Martha Neibling. "The other day, a couple teenaged boys were going crazy. They were so enthusiastic to see it. They were going through the attraction over and over again. They knew all the DC superheroes and supervillains, so that's been really fun to see."
The lanterns were designed by artists in China. Neibling says this is the first lantern show with a DC superhero theme in the United States.
"They've been doing lantern shows for 1,000 years," Neibling says. "So we took that artistry from them and paired it with really strong [intellectual property] like DC Universe."
Visitors start in Superman's Fortress of Solitude. They pass through the Daily Planet offices and see a phone booth where Clark Kent changes to his alter ego.
Later stops include Wonder Woman fighting Cheetah and Gotham City. Visitors can take pictures inside the Batmobile as Batman talks to Alfred above.
"You're going to be going through Superman's universe, Batman's universe, Wonder Woman's universe," Neibling says. "You'll see the Justice League that's in a battle with the supervillain."
The supervillain is Starro, and visitors will encounter that final duel which includes all the heroes near the end of the visit.
Each wall and prop is a lantern. Neibling says artists shaped 200,000 pounds of steel, covered the lanterns with 30 miles of silk and then painted each one individually. Visitors will pass through twelve scenes during the visit.
"I had someone tell me it was so powerful for her, she just wanted to cry," Neibling says. "It's a very stunning thing, but if you're a DC superfan, this is going to give you an experience like you can't find anywhere else."
Neibling says she walks through the exhibit frequently and continues to find new things.
"As impressive as it is, really individually, these are all works of art," she says. "It's amazing. If you really look closely, you can see the detail. Everything is so beautifully done, so artistic."
Tickets start at $24. Universe of Light runs through September 1. More information is available at https://www.gaylordhotels.com/dcsummer/universeoflight.