What would Disney's answer be to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter?

I'm one of those people that crack you up apparently... ;)

So - let me pose the question in a different way:

After Rowling stops writing new books, and there are no further movies coming out - what happens to Potter mania?

There is no doubt about 2 things. 1) Harry Potter is well known. 2) Pottermania reaches its peak when a new book or movie, or book&movie come out.

In current pop culture most institutions 'fade' after years. What would you think if Disney announced a brand new dedicated "Star Wars World" today? Crazy? Everyone knows Star Wars and it probably has even more themings and options than Potter-land. But now that it lacks the continual support of movies, dedicating a whole land to it would be questionable. My point is that there are a larger number of "pop-sensations" that seemed like the next best thing - but none of them approach the longevity or multi-generational staying power as the classics (Cinderella, Snow White, Peter Pan) or the Mouse. Thats all I'm saying. Harry Potter and its movies are going to seem "real old" in 15-20 years. Its the opposite of the risk Disney is taking with Pirates. The ride stood alone for years - but now with a movie success behind it - will the ride "age" as well - because the movie won't.

Chris

Well, lets take another Universal "land" then, Jurassic Park...most of its area is derived from the first movie which was successful 7 years Before IOA opened. Yes, there were sequels, but they really weren't much like the original movie. Still, I think its very popular and people like to see it.

Similar things could be said for Jaws, Earthquake or King Kong at the Studios, HOWEVER these were IMO more simple concepts that anyone who hasnt even seen the movie could enjoy
 
Well, lets take another Universal "land" then, Jurassic Park...most of its area is derived from the first movie which was successful 7 years Before IOA opened. Yes, there were sequels, but they really weren't much like the original movie. Still, I think its very popular and people like to see it.

Similar things could be said for Jaws, Earthquake or King Kong at the Studios, HOWEVER these were IMO more simple concepts that anyone who hasnt even seen the movie could enjoy

But in a sense those prove my point except for Jaws.

Its Dinosaurs that make Jurassic Park - the movie already looks dated. While the concepts of "wizards" may make a good "land" (see Beastly Kingdom which should have but never was) - Harry Potter himself I don't think has anywhere near the staying power of Cinderella/Snow White/Peter Pan - and none of them even have a world named after them.

I liken Harry Potter to a Frodo or Aslan. Someone entire generations will forget about until the day someone decides to redo the movies. And then he might last a generation and then be forgotten about again. I hate to say it but my nephews and friends could care less about Star Wars - it meant nothing to them and the movies were too "old" to watch. Disney actually did good with Star Wars in a sense - they themed it "Star Wars" but the ride isn't. If Universal does that (which would be smart) the buildings and lines might be "themed" Harry but the rides won't be Harry. Now if they go and make rides like Fantasy Land where you need to understand the movie to appreciate the rides - well someone needs to help them.

Wizards, Warlocks, Dragons, Magic = Good Land.
Harry Potter = Good Land for 5+ years. Worthless at 10+ years.

Chris
 
Harry Potter himself I don't think has anywhere near the staying power of Cinderella/Snow White/Peter Pan - and none of them even have a world named after them.

Chris

Maybe I'm a little out of it...but are kids today just going nuts for Cinderella/Snow White and Peter Pan? Outside of the adults that grew up with them forcing their little girls to go eat over priced meals dressed up as them? A quick run down of Saturday morning cartoons says no. So lets fastfoward 15 years and now those kids that did grow up with Harry Potter have kids...are they going to pine away for a 35 year old snow white ride at MK or something else?

I think the deal for the HP land is for 10 years right now anyway and that sounds about right as far as updating lands and rides.
 
And Star Wars had plenty of support after Jedi when there was no expectation of new movies And then books started coming out. And don't even get me started on Lord of the Rings or Star Trek.

I think you're painting this stuff into a corner that doesn't exist. The books will still be printed. New children will read them. The movies will be purchased.

Don't sell Harry Potter short.

This land is particularly interesting, because in the World of Harry Potter, inanimate objects have as much personality as the people. Hogwarts is almost a character. That will make this land have significant appeal.
 

Well then call me different - I don't see HP as that instrumental of a force long term. I think you can take it or leave it - but again we'll see. And it'll be interesting to see what a HP world looks like after 10 years. Perhaps it'll be completely rethemed or HP will stand out from the crowd - which I don't personally believe.

So back to what Disney will do - I'm guessing not a whole bunch. I'm actually glad they didn't get this deal. It would have restricted them a little too much and Rowling probably desired a lot more control than Disney was willing to give.

Chris
 
Actually, I expect Harry Potter to have much longer staying power than most movies, from the fact that it's based on books, rather than on the movies. Movies tend to become "dated" much faster than books do (and live-action movies seem to become dated faster than animated ones). Yes, the Harry Potter mania will certainly fall off (especially from right now, when it's probably at its peak). But I expect it will remain as a continuing area of interest for many, many years, if only because the books will continue to be read for many years.

Plus, as you point out, the theme of Harry Potter land will probably center on more "universal" ideas (wizards and magic) than on the specific HP characters themselves. Universal has an incredible opportunity, and if they handle it right, this should be a land of long-term interest. Now, if you want an example of a really bad idea to theme a land around, King's Dominion (and maybe some other Paramount parks) used to have a section themed to Wayne's World...
 
You're telling me a Basement in Aurora Illinois isn't an awesome theme?
It would be like reliving my High School and College years.
 
I also get the impression looking at Universal's history with the Studios in Florida that they're not looking for an attraction to last over 15-20 years like Disney does.

I mean, since 1990, it seems like 1/2 of the attractions have been replaced with something else:

Hanna-Barbera-> Jimmy Neutron
Alfred Hitchcock-> Shrek 4D
Ghostbusters->Twister
Kongfrontation->The Mummy
BTTF->The Simpsons
Murder She Wrote->Herc & Xena->empty building used for HHN
 
Rides based on popular movies probably get dated quicker. Universal doesn't have as much land as Disney so recylcing old attractions works better then building new.

That said Disney has done it's share of "recycling":

If you had Wings---Dreamflight--Buzz Lightyear
Flight to the Moon--Mission to Mars--AE--Stich's Great Escape
Captain EO--HISTA
Mr. Toad's Wild Ride--Winnie the Pooh
Magic Journeys--Lion King Show--Mickey's PhilarMagic
Circlevision--TimeKeeper--Laugh Floor
Tarzan Show---Nemo
part of backlot tour---Millionare---Toy Story Mania
backlot houses tram tour---Lights Motors Action
Millenium Village--convention space
Wonders of Life--convention--meeting
World of Motion--Test Track
Living Seas--Nemo got rid of hydrolators and pre-show.

I won't count Horizons--Mission Space because the entire building was torn down


I think I'm missing some of the intermediate attractions but you get the picture.




I also get the impression looking at Universal's history with the Studios in Florida that they're not looking for an attraction to last over 15-20 years like Disney does.

I mean, since 1990, it seems like 1/2 of the attractions have been replaced with something else:

Hanna-Barbera-> Jimmy Neutron
Alfred Hitchcock-> Shrek 4D
Ghostbusters->Twister
Kongfrontation->The Mummy
BTTF->The Simpsons
Murder She Wrote->Herc & Xena->empty building used for HHN
 
Disney has more then their share of rides based on popular movies. The difference is that Disney Animated films have maintained their popularity, or even increased it over time.
 
Universal doesn't have as much land as Disney so recylcing old attractions works better then building new.

That is not exactly true either....Universal has enough land for an entire new theme park...also they have built in space in IOA for new attractions and the studios has space not being used for TV/Movie use anymore.
 
It's a fact that Disney has a lot more unused land then Universal. Universal already "recycled" their parking lots and built large parking garages. Universal may have enough land left for a waterpark or one last hotel. I don't think they have enough for an entire new theme park.

Weren't the old Nick Studios converted into a theater for Blue Man Group? Both Disney and Universal have "recycled" some of the "dark rides". I'm sure Universal has room for a few new attractions but changing the movies and theming of some of the older attractions is a great way to freshen up the park. Just like Disney replacing Mr. Toad's Wild Ride with Pooh (ducking for cover).





That is not exactly true either....Universal has enough land for an entire new theme park...also they have built in space in IOA for new attractions and the studios has space not being used for TV/Movie use anymore.
 
It's a fact that Disney has a lot more unused land then Universal. Universal already "recycled" their parking lots and built large parking garages. Universal may have enough land left for a waterpark or one last hotel. I don't think they have enough for an entire new theme park.

Weren't the old Nick Studios converted into a theater for Blue Man Group? Both Disney and Universal have "recycled" some of the "dark rides". I'm sure Universal has room for a few new attractions but changing the movies and theming of some of the older attractions is a great way to freshen up the park. Just like Disney replacing Mr. Toad's Wild Ride with Pooh (ducking for cover).

Where did anyone question if Disney had more land than Universal?? Anyone that follows these issues knows that Universal has a fraction of the land compared to Disney...but that is not what we were talking about. I may be wrong here but I thought that I remember Universal buying a huge track of land across from Universal Blvd and between S.Kirkman rd. I don't really understand your point either about "recycled" parking lots vs attractions...why on one hand is it bad on the other good? Universal "recycled" a parking lot to make better use of the land they do own = Bad and running out of land. Disney "recycles" attractions and the Disney Insitue = Good and all the land in the world??
 
Where did anyone question if Disney had more land than Universal?? Anyone that follows these issues knows that Universal has a fraction of the land compared to Disney...but that is not what we were talking about. I may be wrong here but I thought that I remember Universal buying a huge track of land across from Universal Blvd and between S.Kirkman rd. I don't really understand your point either about "recycled" parking lots vs attractions...why on one hand is it bad on the other good? Universal "recycled" a parking lot to make better use of the land they do own = Bad and running out of land. Disney "recycles" attractions and the Disney Insitue = Good and all the land in the world??

Universal had an extra 2,000 acres from Lockheed Martin, but they sold it about 2 years ago.

Still they do have a large area of land next to IOA which could be another theme park if they removed one road...however its pretty certain they are going to use it for hotels
 
Universal had an extra 2,000 acres from Lockheed Martin, but they sold it about 2 years ago.

Still they do have a large area of land next to IOA which could be another theme park if they removed one road...however its pretty certain they are going to use it for hotels

I knew that I remembered something about another huge piece of land...wans't that they land they had to spend big bucks to clean up? I missed where and who they sold it to. I knew about the land next to IOA just not extacly where. Isn't there land behind the Lost Continent and Jurassic Park. (Or is that the same ?)

Also in Universal Studios there seem to be many unused spaces...the old Wild West Stunt Show,(or is that Fear Factor now) The Ghostbusters/NY end of the park as well as the buildings and area behind Jimmy Netron and between IOA??
 
I knew that I remembered something about another huge piece of land...wans't that they land they had to spend big bucks to clean up? I missed where and who they sold it to. I knew about the land next to IOA just not extacly where. Isn't there land behind the Lost Continent and Jurassic Park. (Or is that the same ?)

Also in Universal Studios there seem to be many unused spaces...the old Wild West Stunt Show,(or is that Fear Factor now) The Ghostbusters/NY end of the park as well as the buildings and area behind Jimmy Netron and between IOA??

Here's a google satellite link:

http://www.google.com/maps?q=Orland...81.465597&spn=0.019731,0.034418&t=k&z=15&om=1

the area is just west of IOA (or below it on the map), as you can see the land is already started to be used for their next hotel/residence project.

Yes, Fear Factor is where the stunt show was. The studio buildings are used for HHN, not sure what else. There is some land beside MIB and behind the Simspons/BTTF building...but not much other than that. I've heard the old Herc/Xena building was damaged badly by the hurricanes a couple of years ago and may not be used again.

At IOA there's not much besides some land between JP and Toon Lagoon. The land between JP and Lost Continent is where part of HP is going
 
According to my son, a CM, the "buzz" among his friends is that Disney is going to soon announce a response. He says that they are going to carve out an enormous chunk of Disney/MGM and add an entirely new section. He mentioned the old Villian Mountain idea idea (I told him he was nuts, but he kept going back to it). I mentioned that I had read on Jimhillmeida about "Pixarland". He said that was NOT their impression.

Now of course the CMs often do not have any better information then we do, but I though it was interesting. He said that they were all convinced that Disney was preparing to announce something that will blow our minds.

It should be fun to see what happens.

Ill believe it when I see it, but Villain Mountain would be a great addition to the Studios~!

Also love the idea of transforming Test Track into the "Cars" theme.
 
Also love the idea of transforming Test Track into the "Cars" theme.

Please...NO. What is it about "Cars" that fits into the theme of Future World? Such an attraction would be completely out of place in Epcot. We already have to put up with the abomination known as Mission: Space and other attractions "dumbed down" with cheap makeovers which lack imagination and creativity.

Not everything has to (or should) have a character-connection, Pixar or otherwise. That doesn't mean The Seas with Nemo or Mexico's revamped boat ride aren't interesting, and they might be right at home in the Studios or even Fantasyland - but certainly not Epcot.

The original Epcot Future World attractions were awe-inspiring in their day; Imagine what it would be like to have a park which maintained such a lofty standard. In 1982 Disney was able to create a park of attractions which created a sense of wonder; sedate rides like Journey into Imagination or Horizons were far more "thrilling" than any "thrill ride". Today we mostly get attractions which depend on physical thrills (M:S) or movie characters (Mexico, Seas) to provide amusement. Epcot should be something different - and it used to be.
 
There are two ways that fictional characters work.

The first is where the character is so appealing, so interesting that people become interested in the creation as if they were a real person. King Arthur and Sherlock Holmes are the classic examples. Coming up with characters like that is extremely difficult – most tend to loose their appeal very shortly. I’d put Captain Jack Sparrow is one of these. The appeal of the character was strong enough to carry through two and a half movies, but now the character is fading from popular culture with the rest of the series.

The other kind of character is one that let’s an audience explore a new and interesting world. The characters and the plot serve just to structure the exploration of the world. No one really cares about any of the characters in Jurassic Park, no one cares about the backstory of the park, no one cares about DNA engineering – but everyone wants to be chased by dinosaurs.

A lot (if not most) of the appeal of ‘Harry Potter’ was that the books and films have created a wonderful world that people would like to visit. I’m not much interested in the coming-of-age story of a boy wizard, but I would sure like to wander through a world where magic works, wizards teach school and my mail is delivered by an owl.

That kind of world will remain interesting long after interest in the ‘Harry Potter’ books fade, just as ‘Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride’ remains hugely popular even though almost no one watched Wind in the Willows these days; or that ‘The Matterhorn’ was derived from Third Man on the Mountain.

There are some whispers floating about concerning Universal’s plan. There is nothing supported enough to really write about here – but if they are true, Disney is in serious trouble.
 


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