IS there ANYTHING Planned to compete with Harry Potter Land?!?!

[Carl Aird]

I know that Universal is a different taret market than Disney but is there ANYTHING NEW on the horizon to compete??
Not really complaning (honestly who would complain about less crowds) but it would be nice to see some new and extreme stuff!!

[Wall-E1]

The Sum of All Thrills at Innovations.

[TheMaxRebo]

Plus the entire reworking and expansion of Fantasy Land:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2282586

and Star Tours 2

[WDSearcher]

Not "day and date", because that would be silly. Why would Disney open something brand new at the exact same time that Universal is opening Harry Potter? Everyone knows that Wizarding World is going to be the place to be next year (or whenever it opens ... ref: Rip Ride Rockit ...). If you're Disney, you let all the folks go visit Harry Potter at US, get it out of their system, and then come back the next year and see the new Fantasyland.

Disney has a major refurbishment and expansion with the new Fantasyland, plus they've announced an updated Star Tours. That will all be coming along just after Harry Potter world has opened.

Not to mention who knows what else that just hasn't been announced yet.

[mickeymousemom]

I fully believe that the awesome refurbishment of Fantasyland is being done partly to compete with US and Harry Potter. It looks as though it will be utterly amazing! Can't wait!

[airamerica]

I don't know about you but I think Harry Potter Land looks completely underwhelming. After all it's being built on a bit of land the size of a post-it note!

The Fantasyland expansion is going to be way bigger and most likely more entertaining.

[Rip]

Originally Posted by airamerica

I don't know about you but I think Harry Potter Land looks completely underwhelming. After all it's being built on a bit of land the size of a post-it note!

The Fantasyland expansion is going to be way bigger and most likely more entertaining.

So, something roughly the size of Fantasyland is the size of a post-it note, but reworking a post-it note at another location to include more princess character signings and adding "dueling dumbos" is way bigger and more entertaining?

K.

[luvthemouse71]

I'm a pretty diehard Disney fan and I think the Harry Potter park looks fantastic. I'll be checking it out in 2010.

[~Kik-Kik~]

Officially the competeing project is the Fantasyland expantion, as it's the only unoriginal Fantasyland out of all of the DIsney parks. It is essentially a mix of what every park has without anything original (except Philhar Magic). It is essentially a cheap mix of the popular rides from around the world. This epantion will give it many diffrent unique ares and experiences that cannot be experienced anywhere else in the world.



Disneyland - Matterhorn, Alice in Wonderland, Stroybook Land Boats (1 of 2), Casey Jr.s Train, Elaborate Small World facade, Village theming.

Paris - Alice's Layberith, Fantasyland Train Station, Small World facade smilar to DL, most elegant, elaborate themed Fantasyland.

Hong Kong - Philhar Magic (1 of 2), Golden Mickey Show, Small World idenical to DL (2 of 2). Has a mordern look to the WDW theme. (keep in mind, this park continues to grow. It just got the Small World this year, and has 3 new lands coming. It is the closest to DIsneyland, but overall it's the most original Disneyland type park, or it will be once 2014 comes along.)

Japan - Pooh's Hunny Hunt (LPS trackless ride, said to be the best Disney ride ever built, and the most popular at the park), Haunted Mantion, Pinochio ride (1 of 2), Has the current fair theme of WDW but with the 8 dumbos

[~Kik-Kik~]

Originally Posted by Rip

So, something roughly the size of Fantasyland is the size of a post-it note, but reworking a post-it note at another location to include more princess character signings and adding "dueling dumbos" is way bigger and more entertaining?

K.

I felt the need to respond.

All Harry Potterland is is a permanent set from the film. It will be incredibily well themed and have tones of details. It will feature 2 reworked rides and 1 new ride that should be incredible.

The fantasyland area will take you to the land of Belle, Cinderella, Aura, and Pooh. It will be incredibly themed and have tons of little details. It will feature 2 reworked rides and an all new e ticket ride that is said to be the next Haunted Manson or Pirates. It will be an instant classic and has been in development since 1992.

At the core, these projects as VERY similar. The audience is also very similar, the family. The only thing that makes the Disney expansion seem girly is the meet and greets and I consider them bonus, not the whole package. The Little Mermaid will be a popular ride for the family of the scale of Mantion or Pirates, and it's actually quite fitting, as it's now Ghosts, Pirates and Mermaids. It will be an amazing addition that will not be anything like the Pooh, Snow White, or Peter Pan rides. It will be an E ticket, not C.

I look forward to both, I will be at IOA the first month within the opening of HPL, but what Disney is doing is essentially the same thing. The big difference is Disney played in safe with a franchise that's been around for years and years and years, while Universal is taking a bit more of a risk by truly testing the longevity of the Harry Potter films with this new land. Disney will get the money back in merch, Universal is simply relying on the power of people leaving Disney to go to Harry Potter, and yes, that is a tad more risky.

[queenie82]

I honestly don't see a need to create direct "competition"
I plan to go to HP land but I'm not making a special trip JUST to do that. I will be going to Disney as well.
My plans work AROUND disney.

I was incredibly excited about HP land as a big fan of the books until more of the details came out about it.
Dueling Dragons is one of the worst coasters I have been on and a rework on that to create a HP attraction???? Yeah....sure......sounds great ???
Another HP attraction is a rework of an existing ride.

Apart from the Castle, sets and shops there is actually very little "new" stuff to do.

I don't see this as a real threat but rather as a draw card for people to come to Orlando...and go to Disney as well.

[Hannathy]

Originally Posted by Rip

So, something roughly the size of Fantasyland is the size of a post-it note, but reworking a post-it note at another location to include more princess character signings and adding "dueling dumbos" is way bigger and more entertaining?

K.

I totally agree! Disney is once again cheaping out...can you say autograph stations! and simply enlarging Dumbo. So what is so new to do in Fantasy land I see 1 new ride. so how is Disney doing so much more? Now if they were creating a whole new "land" like Universal is I would be willing to give them some credit but adding onto a very old carnival ride and getting the gullible public to think getting an "autograph" from a college kid in costume is an E ticket attraction gets no kudos from me -except to say they are good business people for getting said gullible public to pay so much money for those said autographs.

Also Harry Potter also appeals to a lot wider audience than princesses & a lot older one.

[dburg30]

I was kind of excited about HPL, but after checking out some of the things about it, I'm not as excited. I'll just wait for it to open and see how the normal public feels about it. Same with WDW FLand rework / expansion. I'll just see what it actually becomes. Things are usually a lot more excitng being described then what they really are when done .

Now, when WDW gets something cool Phineas and Ferb, I'm soooo there

[Reddog1134]

Originally Posted by Hannathy

I totally agree! Disney is once again cheaping out...can you say autograph stations! and simply enlarging Dumbo. So what is so new to do in Fantasy land I see 1 new ride. so how is Disney doing so much more? Now if they were creating a whole new "land" like Universal is I would be willing to give them some credit but adding onto a very old carnival ride and getting the gullible public to think getting an "autograph" from a college kid in costume is an E ticket attraction gets no kudos from me -except to say they are good business people for getting said gullible public to pay so much money for those said autographs.

Also Harry Potter also appeals to a lot wider audience than princesses & a lot older one.

When you break it down to the basics then, yes it is a bunch of autograph stations manned by college kids. But to children it's so much more. They don't look at Cinderella and think "she's just earning money for college". They BELIEVE!! The new FL will provide a much more emersive experience for the children looking for autographs.

And can you really say US is creating a whole new land when they are taking half and existing land and retheming it? You said you only see 1 new ride at FL. How many new rides are at HP?

[HallGirl]

Originally Posted by Hannathy

I totally agree! Disney is once again cheaping out...can you say autograph stations! and simply enlarging Dumbo. So what is so new to do in Fantasy land I see 1 new ride. so how is Disney doing so much more? Now if they were creating a whole new "land" like Universal is I would be willing to give them some credit but adding onto a very old carnival ride and getting the gullible public to think getting an "autograph" from a college kid in costume is an E ticket attraction gets no kudos from me -except to say they are good business people for getting said gullible public to pay so much money for those said autographs.

Also Harry Potter also appeals to a lot wider audience than princesses & a lot older one.

What college kids? You'll be able to meet the real princesses and interact with them in ways that is so much more than just getting an autograph. And the E-ticket attraction is the Little Mermaid ride, not the meet and greets.