Universal + Harry Potter...It's Official!

[mumzie2three]

I am so excited!!! Now I know when to start planning for our next visit! 2010

 

[Buzz Litebeer]

I was really impressed with the theming at IOA. But the Imagineers are in a completely different league. I would be surprised if this was a bidding situation.

From what I've been told, it was not.... at least, it wasn't about pure dollars.

Many imagineers were fired way back when and those that weren't rarely come up with anything imaginative nowadays. Personally I'm glad that Disney didn't get it. Their forte is light childish fantasy while this should be a bit on the dark side IMO.

Just curious... how many Imagineers do you know?

Sorry; it's just that I have trouble thinking of the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror as "light childish fantasy". Tell you what: go on that ride and tell me with a straight face that Disney can't do dark fantasy.

What happened to Diagon Alley? A MAJOR fantasy for fans.. riding the train to hogwarts... not gonna happen.

Im sure it will look cool... initially anyway, But I think JK rolling made a mistake.

From what I've heard through the grapevine: Disney's plan focused on a Diagon Alley area. The problem was that JKR wanted guests to enter the area through a working restaurant/replica of the Leaky Cauldron, exit the LC to the back porch, then tap the back wall with a wand in the pattern shown in the films to open the doorway into Diagon Alley. Sure, it sounds cool... but flow-though? Forget it -- just imagine the lines! Disney couldn't just tell her to forget it, either, because the proposed contract stated that she'd have "veto power" on everything suggested. She also supposedly wanted a much larger area devoted to the attractions/shops/restaurants than Disney was prepared to give her. (UPDATE: I just read Jim Hill's article, and he pretty much confirmed what I posted. Good to know he and I apparently have some of the same sources.)

None of the press releases I've read have said anything at all about Rowling's thought processes, nor have they confirmed Disney definitely made a push for it. That's speculation.

Disney definitely made a very serious push for it. We would have been insane not to.

Anything new coming to the Orlando parks is great news! Most people like more choices and this new themed land only adds to the plethera of choices Orlando already has to offer.

This is pretty much how a lot of Disney CMs feel. We're delighted that Universal Studios will be bringing in more guests to Central Florida.

 

[damo]

I wonder if they will keep part of the current DD castle structure and expand upon it. Make it Hogwarts but also an area dedicated for the queue. It really doesn't make any sense to have two castles. Unless the coaster will get a new queue all together that wont be castle related.

Hogwarts being an entrance to anything is not in character. I think the DD will be themed to the tri-wizard competition with the dragons and the entrance tents into a walled fortress area will be like the tents that were at that event. I think Hogwarts will be a stand alone attraction without a ride perhaps containing a banquet hall of some sort.

 

[Buzz Litebeer]

I think Hogwarts will be a stand alone attraction without a ride perhaps containing a banquet hall of some sort.

I'll be very surprised if IoA's Hogwarts is a full-sized 1:1 castle. I think it's far more likely that only parts of it will actually be built (with most of it "hidden" behind rocky terrain), and will use architectural tricks like forced perspective to make it appear much larger.

That said, I'd also like to on record as saying I plan to take the opening day of TWWoHP off from Disney to enjoy the park. I'm quite certain Universal will do a fantastic job with it, and as a HP fan I'm terribly excited to live just minutes away from the attraction.

 

[mermaidbride1108]

I am so excited for this!!! I jokingly told my mom I was pushing my Disney wedding back so that I could go when the park first opened!


This will open many doors for different rides/characters:

Hagrid's Hut?
Unicorn = Buckbeak ride
Classes on Wingardiam Leviosa, and many other spells?
Sweet Shops/Butterbeers in Hogsmeade?
A quidditch ride?
A whooping Willow/Ford Angelina ride?
Snape's Potion class?
The Weasley House?
The Ministry of Magic?
Ride Centuars in the forbidden forest?
Fred & George's Wizarding Wares ( I think that's the name)
Gringott's Ride?
The Final Task - the giant maze from Goblet of Fire
Seeing the 2nd Floor bathroom and Moaning Myrtle


What's sad is that once this land is built - the books and movies will be over, so unless Pottermania continues, I dont know how much they will expand it later on?


I do think Disney has a better way of creating 'magic', but in my opinion (please no flames!) Disney wouldn't have give this as much effort as Universal, No one is going to make one huge park dedicated to one franchise alone (There isn't a complete Star Wars Park correct?) So Universal will create an entire land vs. Disney doing just one ride/show/restuarant. What I'm saying is Disney is top dog at theme parks (my opinion and I love Disney, i plan on marrying there) but they KNOW they are top dog at theme parks, so they wouldn't have put the effort into it because they wouldn't have had competition to one up the project. Hopefully I'm making sense...

I do hope that they will do characters because I would love to meet Hagrid, Snape, Dumbledore, Sirius Black! In my Opinion, Universal doesn't really make its charcters real personalities as Disney does (read Ariel looks, speaks, and even signs her name like Ariel in the TLM, I meet Scooby and I felt like he was as dull as a Radio Station Mascot)

The only possiblity (which I saw at a rumor at one point) that Disney would make what was going to be Beastly Kingdomme into Harry Potter Land - but I don't think that would have fit well with the Animal Safari theme of the whole park.

Another rumor, (this is just what I read or heard before) Disney was supposedly offered the Harry potter Movies before Warner Brothers got them, When the first book had huge success, but they turned them down. (I may be wrong, this is what I heard) Ever since then they realized their HUGE mistake and they bought TV rights and I've been searching for the next Harry Potter Franchise (read Narnia, Bridge to Terabithia) So why I'm sure Jo Rowling gave them a fair shot at their idea, they really have always been a step behind at realizing Potter's success.


Just my thoughts on this, but I am seriously thinking about buying whatever annual passes Universal has, just to get into the pre-event if they have one!

I am so thrilled!!!!

 

[Metro West]

I guess I need to read the books and see the movies so I know who these characters are and what you guys are talking about.

 

[La2kw]

I just don't see alot of room for them to add too much more. I wish Disney had the rights to Harry Potter, they would have done it up right.

I disagree. Look at Disney's newest theme park, AK. It's got a whopping 5 rides and a kiddie ride. Two of the rides are just cheap carnival rides in an area themed to a PARKING LOT. That's pathetic, and I'm a Disney fan. What happened to the Excavator? They got too cheap to add Beastly Kingdomme. They cut back the money spent on the Asia raft ride and changed it from a trip through Asian rivers past animal habitats to a common raft ride. Speaking of Kali, compare the themeing of Kali to the themeing of Popeye's rafts at IOA. Compare Spiderman at IOA to Dinosaur at AK. Universal has done an excellent job on their Orlando parks. One of the articles I read today said Disney was only interested the the rights to HP so they could sit on them and do nothing, thereby eliminating the competition by ending any possible competing theme parks based on that theme.

As much as a Disney fan that I am, I am very happy that Universal has the rights and not Disney.

 

[La2kw]

I just think everything feels so crowded at universal and looking at overhead maps it shows that things are crowded there, Disney has nothing but room to expand. Put it this way I don't think this will turn out any better than Disney could have done.

That means nothing. Disneyland has very limited space and has more packed into it than the MK at WDW does. Many of the Disneyland rides are also better than their WDW counterpart.

 

[Buzz Litebeer]

Ride Centuars in the forbidden forest?
Fred & George's Wizarding Wares ( I think that's the name)

Ride centaurs? You think the centaurs would actually letyou?

Fred & George's shop in Diagon Alley was "Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes" (note for Americans: "Wheeze" is brit-speak for a joke, usually one that's old and tired, i.e. "You're not telling that old wheeze again, are you?"). Will it be in Hogsmeade? Well, in the last book, Fred and George were thinking of buying out Zonko's and opening a WWW in Hogsmeade...

Ever since then they realized their HUGE mistake and they bought TV rights and I've been searching for the next Harry Potter Franchise (read Narnia, Bridge to Terabithia) So why I'm sure Jo Rowling gave them a fair shot at their idea, they really have always been a step behind at realizing Potter's success.

Well, Disney has a rich legacy of bringing characters from British children's literature to life (see: The Wind in the Willows, Mary Poppins, Bedknobs & Broomsticks, Winnie-the-Pooh, The Chronicles of Narnia) that goes back to Walt himself. I'm told that Warner just offered more than Disney did for the film rights to HP. As for Disney's short-sightedness: It's also worth mentioning that several publishers rejected the first HP novel... in fact, according to some accounts, almost all of them did.

IMHO, it's unfair to mention "Bridge to Terabithia" in the same breath as HP and TCoN. It's only one book, after all (as opposed to a seven-book saga), and has no real fantasy elements to speak of (and if you think it does, go out and actually watch the movie, or better yet, read the book).

But I will wholeheartedly agree with you: Disney is hoping The Chronicles of Narnia will be a HUGE franchise for them. It's just that having actually read the books, some elements are so religiously charged (the Calormen - Moslem parallels come to mind... and you know how easygoing the moslems are about how their religion is portrayed) that I have a hard time picturing Disney actually bringing them to life.

 

[La2kw]

This is the disboards website isn't it? I didn't accidentally link to uniboards.com now did I?
If it wasn't for Disney, there would be no Universal studios in Orlando anyway.

Look at the geography of the area Universal has to work with, it can't be done properly in that location.

You watch, it's gonna suck.

If there was no Universal Orlando, there would be no MGM.

 

[Buzz Litebeer]

If there was no Universal Orlando, there would be no MGM.

And if there was no WDW Resort, there would be no Universal Orlando.

This is fun!

 

[ADP]

If there was no Universal Orlando, there would be no MGM.

Very true...Disney's version of a movie park was initially going to be a much smaller version; a pavillion hanging off of EPCOT. Once Universal announced there movie theme park Disney decided to make it an entire theme park.

 

[tlinus]

It's like a car wreck - I can't help to look

Universal/ Disney, whatever - Walt got what he invisioned - multiple parks ( Dis and Uni )in Central Florida

 

[ADP]

It's like a car wreck - I can't help to look

Universal/ Disney, whatever - Walt got what he invisioned - multiple parks ( Dis and Uni )in Central Florida

I personally love all the choices the Orlando parks offer. The more the merrier. The new HP themed island is going to just add to the choices we have. I'm greety and can't wait for more!!

 

[lindalinda]

edited

 

[lindalinda]

And if there was no WDW Resort, there would be no Universal Orlando.

This is fun!

Your quoted post was a response to a post that says this. Not as funny as you thought.

 

[DOOM1001]

Does anyone have any idea what new attractions will be in Harry Potter Land? I'm not a HP fan but I am excited to see something going on at IOA,but if there's no new major attraction to go along with this new area it would just seem to me that Universal is using what's supposed to be a popular name to create buzz.I haven't seen any of the movies or read any of the books,but if someone tells me a new Harry Sorcerer Coaster is going up,I'll go rent the movies today!!

 

[tlinus]

I personally love all the choices the Orlando parks offer. The more the merrier. The new HP themed island is going to just add to the choices we have. I'm greety and can't wait for more!!

heck, the central Florida area and its parks is what keeps us North-ish Easterners coming back, right????

 

[tlinus]

Your quoted post was a response to a post that says this. Not as funny as you thought.

linda.....

just ignore that post - another pixie dust

 

[tlinus]

Does anyone have any idea what new attractions will be in Harry Potter Land? I'm not a HP fan but I am excited to see something going on at IOA,but if there's no new major attraction to go along with this new area it would just seem to me that Universal is using what's supposed to be a popular name to create buzz.I haven't seen any of the movies or read any of the books,but if someone tells me a new Harry Sorcerer Coaster is going up,I'll go rent the movies today!!

D -

No one knows a whole lot right now but it looks like a great concept! Give her a whirl in 2.5 years and let us all know what you think. I know I will do the same with the Simpson ride!