Lord of the Rings land.

Well Universal are moving pretty heavily away from generic buildings themselves. It sort of made sense with the original park given the Studios theme. But IOA was much less like that and if you look at their recent builds, the new Simpsons stuff is all heavily themed and Diagon Alley isn't just themed on the inside, you've got the London waterfront look on the outside.
but with all those people it is going to be very cramped in those small streets going from shop to shop.
 
but with all those people it is going to be very cramped in those small streets going from shop to shop.
They say that that is a requirement. Universal has no choice due to that and their own space limitations.

The original Studios was meant to be like a backlot just as DHS is. DHS is also full of generic buildings and is actually a bit incoherent. Real studios are apparently much like this or so I'm told.
 
They say that that is a requirement. Universal has no choice due to that and their own space limitations. The original Studios was meant to be like a backlot just as DHS is. DHS is also full of generic buildings and is actually a bit incoherent. Real studios are apparently much like this or so I'm told.
I know they didn't have much room but I was just saying that it is going to be very crowded in there.
 
The tight space is my biggest concern. The existing Wizarding World suffers from that problem and I would have thought the street design of Diagon Alley is potentially even worse.

I don't doubt there will be some really cool things to see and experience, but the trick is going to be keeping those crowds flowing and avoiding log jams.
 


i think it should go to Universal and not Disney but I do like Toon lagoon and would miss it

Id rather see Universal Orlando build a third park with Lord of the Rings in it
:thumbsup2
yes but I myself being a teenager I don't see it being incredibly popular or anything not like Harry potter.

being a teenager you are already the demographic Universal 'has'. A park geared to an older fan base (with deep pockets) & who is familiar with this classic (LOTR) would bring in new source of revenue.

There's been a rumor for years of a Disney villans/adult park but it appears that expansion is slated for Star Wars - yeah! and avatar:rolleyes:. Can you imagine the fall out if the 2nd movie is a bomb? Most people I know appreciated the visuals but it ended there, sure will be interesting to see how the addition to AK eventually plays out.

I just read something on Screamscape...

Has anyone heard of the Lord of the Rings being thrown out the window in favor of King Kong's Skull Island replacing Toon Lagoon?

don't think LOTR was ever a given @ Universal. It's cost-effective for parks to bring over existing attractions, USH still has kong in place on their studio tour and at toon lagoon the existing water attractions could easily be adapted to jungle theme.

I know they didn't have much room but I was just saying that it is going to be very crowded in there.

yes but the layout is true to the author's description of the area, albeit smaller in overall scope.
 
:thumbsup2
don't think LOTR was ever a given @ Universal. It's cost-effective for parks to bring over existing attractions, USH still has kong in place on their studio tour and at toon lagoon the existing water attractions could easily be adapted to jungle theme.

As I think I mentioned somewhere, LOTR remains highly unlikely at any park because the legal rights are a mess.

A lot of the rumor sites have suggested that a new Kong attraction is coming to IOA though next to Jurassic Park, not Toon Lagoon.
 
If I remember correctly, Tolkien wrote into his will and some sort of contract with the publishers that Disney would not be able to use any of his works in any format until the 80 years is up. There's still many years left as he only died in 1973.
 


I love the LOTR's movies but add me to the list of people that can't envision a theme park land based on it.

I don't think Universal has the space to do it justice and I'd rather Disney finish Pandora and get to Star Wars.

I know WoHP is small because JK wanted it that way but if you look at an aerial map they shoehorned it into a tiny space, even if she wanted it big that wasn't an option unless they tore out Jurassic Park or the Dueling Dragons.
 
If I remember correctly, Tolkien wrote into his will and some sort of contract with the publishers that Disney would not be able to use any of his works in any format until the 80 years is up. There's still many years left as he only died in 1973.

Since there was no amusement park licensing of outside material in 1973...that would seem like an odd step for a well that was probably drafted years before
 
I think he was specifically referring to books or animation but Disneyland was open and I can say for certain that people over here in the UK were aware of it, even if we didn't tend to go there.

As for when he wrote his will, he may well have had to rewrite it after the death of his wife in 1971.
 
I know WoHP is small because JK wanted it that way but if you look at an aerial map they shoehorned it into a tiny space, even if she wanted it big that wasn't an option unless they tore out Jurassic Park or the Dueling Dragons.

I don't think she/they had a choice...

If I remember correctly...Doctor Phillips high school sits just beyond the wall behind dueling dragons...so there's nowhere to go.

Universal building in 90's was a completely different animal than wdw. It's been stated a thousand times...but you can't stress how wise "walt's men" were to buy up all that land in the 60's. they knew they had one shot. Even the "holdout" tract... Where bonnet creek resort is now...looks tiny on a map now but is pretty big back there.

If Comcast is true to their words... And wants to be a big player in parks... They'll run out of space sooner than later.

But it's always "by choice"...Harry potter small "by choice"...Chester and Hester thrown together and cheap "by choice"...Lucas new
Star Wars movies cheesy and awful "by choice"...

These conglomerates are never wrong
 
Since there was no amusement park licensing of outside material in 1973...that would seem like an odd step for a well that was probably drafted years before

Well Tolkien hated Disney, but no he didn't put that in his will. He had already sold the movie rights before he died.

But that's the problem. There are multiple entities with competing rights.

Middle-Earth Enterprises (formerly Tolkien Enterprises) has film, stage and merchandising rights for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. But not The Silmarillion or Unfinished Tales or any of the rest.

The Tolkien Estate holds the copyright on all of the authors work and detests the movies. They have already sued Middle-Earth Enterprises claiming that they did not have the right to sell casino or video games and that their rights only extended to "tangible merchandise".

So who then has the rights to make a theme park? It's a legal nightmare.

Neither Disney or Universal are walking into the middle of that.
 
I think he was specifically referring to books or animation but Disneyland was open and I can say for certain that people over here in the UK were aware of it, even if we didn't tend to go there.

As for when he wrote his will, he may well have had to rewrite it after the death of his wife in 1971.

Oh I get you...

But what I'm saying is that amusement parks hadnt entered the period of buying outside work for rides at that juncture... Indeed that was the absolute low point in amusement parks in the US...and many closed and they really didnt become popular again till the late 80's.

Disneyland was the only park to really put characters in parks to support other outlets as that point... And they were only their locked up characters...long before star tours

Perhaps Tolkien was a visionary at that point and recognized...or perhaps he was just a really grumpy old man... As rumored.

Perhaps... Ironically...the p.l. Travers/Mary poppins story recently put on film was taken as a warning to Tolkien... Who was about the same age.
 
I've been trying to find an image I've seen on the internet of Gandalf, as drawn by Tolkien, saying 'you shall not pass!' to Mickey but try as I might I can't find it, despite only seeing it a few weeks ago…. Anyone else know where it is?
 
As I think I mentioned somewhere, LOTR remains highly unlikely at any park because the legal rights are a mess.

A lot of the rumor sites have suggested that a new Kong attraction is coming to IOA though next to Jurassic Park, not Toon Lagoon.

yes, I read the rumors. I'd term toon lagoon close if not next to it. we shall see, but as much as I like popeye might be time to update that section.

apparently, the LOTR heirs don't agree on much of anything. Lawsuits cropped up with several of the licensees over a year ago, haven't heard anything new on that front.
 
I still think it would be neat to ride on those barrels like the way we do at Disneyland Rapid river ride or at Disneyworld Kali rapids in the Animal kingdom.
 

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