british take on WWOHP

[MaleficentandGoons]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/...e-to-the-Wizarding-World-of-Harry-Potter.html

thought I would share.

 

[derekburgan]

Good link. I liked this paragraph:

"Standing in front of him when I passed was a robed Ryan, 5th year Ravenclaw, and an embodiment of one good reason why this thing works better in the US than the UK. Unlike his no doubt self-conscious, rather cynical British counterpart, Ryan could not be shaken from his cheerful Hogwarts persona. And like the rest of the workers – some of whom have to sit written exams on their Potter knowledge – he knew his pepper imps from his pygmy puffs. All the children wanted to know was where Harry was, all the adults wanted to do was trick him out of his persona, he said. He had even learnt how to say “Potter” the British way. "

 

[MaleficentandGoons]

HAHA YES, that is a good one.

 

[derekburgan]

There was another great line later on where they were talking to some people from the UK who were glad that Orlando got the park because the UK would have just screwed it up. I find the English mentality, in general, to be an awesome thing because they can admit truths that we Americans sometimes have a hard time with. For instance, I almost want to laugh every time I read someone wishing that Disney had done the Harry Potter "land." Have these people been to Disney in the last 20 years? Their idea of themeing would have been to put the Harry Potter XBox game for people to play while they stand in queue for three hours. I love Disney, but let's get real, they would never have come close to amount of detail Universal put into this product. I'm sure we can all agree the gift shops would have been Wal Mart sized, but to anyone who has read the books or seen the movies, that's not what the world JK Rowling created was about. And Olivander's would have been replaced with a Coca Cola Ice Cool station.

Can you imagine what the reaction in the UK is to people here complaining about Forbidden Journey not being big enough for obese people? I can just picture them saying "Are you having a laugh?" and thinking we must be the most insane group of people in the world.

 

[damo]

There was another great line later on where they were talking to some people from the UK who were glad that Orlando got the park because the UK would have just screwed it up. I find the English mentality, in general, to be an awesome thing because they can admit truths that we Americans sometimes have a hard time with. For instance, I almost want to laugh every time I read someone wishing that Disney had done the Harry Potter "land." Have these people been to Disney in the last 20 years? Their idea of themeing would have been to put the Harry Potter XBox game for people to play while they stand in queue for three hours. I love Disney, but let's get real, they would never have come close to amount of detail Universal put into this product. I'm sure we can all agree the gift shops would have been Wal Mart sized, but to anyone who has read the books or seen the movies, that's not what the world JK Rowling created was about. And Olivander's would have been replaced with a Coca Cola Ice Cool station.

Can you imagine what the reaction in the UK is to people here complaining about Forbidden Journey not being big enough for obese people? I can just picture them saying "Are you having a laugh?" and thinking we must be the most insane group of people in the world.

We joke about a Dervish and Bange's Superstore. It just wouldn't work. A bit of interior reorganizing will help but superstores would have been really disappointing.

 

[the Dark Marauder]

And for quidditch, have "The Quidditch Authority" (pun on The Sports Authority). Have walls full of broomsticks, clearance racks on scarfs, buy-1-get-1 beater bats.

 

[phamton]

Good link. I liked this paragraph:

"Standing in front of him when I passed was a robed Ryan, 5th year Ravenclaw, and an embodiment of one good reason why this thing works better in the US than the UK. Unlike his no doubt self-conscious, rather cynical British counterpart, Ryan could not be shaken from his cheerful Hogwarts persona. And like the rest of the workers – some of whom have to sit written exams on their Potter knowledge – he knew his pepper imps from his pygmy puffs. All the children wanted to know was where Harry was, all the adults wanted to do was trick him out of his persona, he said. He had even learnt how to say “Potter” the British way. "

I love Ryan. He used to work at Mummy in the golden years when all of the workers really got into the part. He's always been so great at themeing. He was also seen on clips for the Today show and a few others.