Reading other posts in this thread recently, made me think of asking a question: What would your ideas be for an expansion of WWoHP?
I know it's been asked before, but I did a search and I can't find anything recent of interest. I have became interested in the future of WWoHP, and let's be honest, Lost Continent has to go ASAP. The place is just a transit stop for people on their way to WWoHP. I actually feel sorry for the TMs working in LC. Talk about the short end of the stick!
Here are my ideas:
Initially, I was not interested in The Forbidden Forest, as this is already incorporated in FJ somewhat. However, reading the suggestions above, it has made me think that a Kilamanjiro Safaris-type ride for the Forbidden Forest would be a perfect addition to IOA and WWoHP.
The loading station or parts of the queue line could be digital projection of Hagrid, who would have taken you at the request of Dumbledore for an experience of his Creatures of Magic classes, which occur in the Forbidden Forest, but he has some "urgent business" to attend to and has to leave immediately (this urgent business could be anything from going to Gringotts, or being summoned to the Ministry of Magic, or attending to Buckbeak who is now getting close to feeding time and a lack of lunch will make him groggy when interacting with the Muggles - i.e. Flight of the Hippogriff
).
So Hagrid can put some spell on some kind of omnimover system (how this fits with HP lexicon I don't know yet) which enables it to explore the Forbidden Forest 'safely' with only Muggles aboard.
Now this safari ride will be totally indoors. It's the only way you can make it dense and foreboding and dark enough. So it's basically like an indoor version of Rhino Rally at BGT, which may be a better example than KS at AK. Part of the ride will incorporate a whomping willow which you see whack some random enchanted bench into the air as you go past...
But the main parts of the ride have to incorporate the residents of the Forbidden Forest, and I did some research on a HP wiki. Giants, trolls, vampires, centaurs, dragons?, and an acromantula colony are among the things that would be involved with this new dakr ride.
If there is a problem in HP lexicon with Muggles being sent to the FF alone at risk of being seen by these dangerous creatures, then let's say that Hagrid has put some invisibility spell on your omnimover vehicle, which means that for the most part, you can see everything, but they cannot see you - until the finale of the ride where obviously something goes wrong with Hagrid's spell and your invisibility wears off! I haven't thought of what kind of finale this would be though yet.
This Forbidden Forest ride would not include the word "Forbidden" in the attraction name due to recognition with FJ, and I would locate it BEHIND Flight of the Hippogriff leaning more towards the Hogwarts castle side. They need to open that bottleneck area up. What exactly is behind those brown gates by the Hippogriff exit anyway?
If there is space in that area I also want a live audience participation show (small throughput, and low numbers alas) inside Hogwarts, entry from the side/back of Hogwarts. This show would be where a Hogwarts teacher (not one from the films) teaches a few lucky kids from the audience how to cast spells - with some special effects involved and some laughs.
In the same area behind Hogwarts I also want a simple waveswinger or One fish two fish-type ride called Madame Hooch's Broomstick Training. I got this idea from another site, but it's simple and cheap to include and if themed right then it would look fantastic.
Other new rides would be an E-Ticket in the vein of FJ, called Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts. It would be a well-themed indoor mine train coaster based on the final 2 films. Think ROTM style dark ride first, with the coaster element (or some kind of launched freefall i.e. ToT at DHS) as the finale.
With the Escape from Gringotts (EFG) ride, I have also developed in my mind some kind of fantasy which is too expensive to probably ever be implemented, yet here it is. What makes EFG so unique is that the front/extra row of the ride train has lifesize/lifelike animatronic models of Harry/Ron/Hermione who have pre-recorded dialogue by the actors which will interact with the guests riding behind them - including turning round and saying things like "right, don't worry I'll get us out of here" and "hold on people, this could get rough". Each train will only have 1 of Harry/Ron/Hermione, and each of the characters have different dialogue from the others. This severely increases re-rideability as there will be 3 different experiences of the same ride. Beside each of the animatronic heroes in the front of the train on EFG will be a Gringotts goblin guide. Well, you didn't think those goblins would let you tour Gringotts alone did you?
I am toying with the idea of these goblins being even more interactive than the heroes, for example [only at some points of the ride] the goblins are voiced by live TMs in a room somewhere who can see everyone in the train, and whereas the heroes dialogue is all pre-recorded (for obvious reasons), the goblins' dialogue can be adlib - such as "I wonder if you are all rich enough to store something away here in Gringotts, hmmm, yeah you in the blue top, you look like you're rich enough!" in their deliberately gnarky tones.
The ride itself involves you meeting the Death Eaters of Lucious Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange, as well as...You Know Who himself. I envisage this to be a 360degree SFX dark ride with a coaster finale. Think ROTM mixed with Kong3603D. When the Death Eaters spot you all hell breaks loose and this is where the coaster elements begin. But before that, the dark ride part comes to a standstill and you secretly watch (i.e. hidden from view) Bellatrix use the cruciatus curse on a Gringotts goblin who was down in the vaults. This is designed to be quite intense and stressful and parental discretion would be advised before riding. When we see Voldermort enter the fray he listens to the goblin beg for mercy "Ok, I will put you out of your misery....Avada Kedavra!!!!!". Then he notices us and intends to do the same with us before Harry/Ron/Hermione and our own goblin guide try to get us out of there!!
Borgin and Burkes
This is a midway attraction, known as a madhouse. There is a shop and a madhouse, hence the name of the attraction. It is basically you touring some old warehouse in Knockturn Alley and upon entering you discover Draco Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle, who then taunt you pathetic Muggles in true madhouse fashion (don't know if there are any famous madhouses in the US, but in Europe there is Feng Ju Palace at Phantasialand, Hex at Alton Towers, and Villa Volta at Efteling). Universal certainly have never had an attraction like it. It is obviously indoors and can be intensely themed and dark.
I foresee this ride ending with Lucious Malfoy entering and reprimanding his son for scaring the Muggles: "Now, now, Draco, play nicely, play nicely! Show the Muggles outside, I have some...business to take care of in Gringotts (EFG)!" "Ok father", Draco replies. Then Lucious walks out. Draco then shouts "Come on Crabbe, come on Goyle, didn't you hear my father? Show these filthy mudbloods outside!" Now, Lucious' business in Gringotts is based on the storyline for EFG, as I described above.
Diagon Alley basically needs to be everything in Lost Continent. Shops where the game stalls are currently, including Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, and Mythos regrettably needs to be refurbished to theme with The Leaky Cauldron. Where Posiedon is, EFG will be built. And the little detour area of LC which takes us to Sinbad, well that is to be Knockturn Alley and the Borgin and Burkes attraction, as well as possibly a photo op like Hogwarts Express, but I don't know what yet. Dumbledore's Grave?
In Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, I think a little ride could be included. At Universal Singapore, in Fairy Godmother's Shoppe, there is something called Magic Potion Spin, which is a mini ferris wheel INSIDE the shop. It would be good if something like that can be incorporated in WWW. I would also like to see Florian Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor where the eatery is currently by the bridge to JP (forget its name, FireEater's Grill?), and a few more of the shops that are listed in HP lexicon in Diagon Alley.
It would also be good if we had a little live entertainment such as the TriWizard Rally/Hogwarts Choir and maybe even something similar to Ollivander's, and I'm thinking something along the lines of The Daily Prophet, where Muggles can learn from Rita Skeeter or one of her colleagues. The Chosen One will get their own digital newspaper with their face on it, or whatever.
I can't see any expansions for at least another 3 years unfortunately, which is a long time to prolong the agony of LC as far as I'm concerned (I HATE that area), but I guess if any expansions are on the horizon then we may get to know about them soon.
I am interested to hear your thoughts on what type of rides/attractions/shows/shops you are wanting to include in WWoHP in the future!
