Whats Wrong with Disney?

[DisUniversal]

Ok? I don't think I ever mentioned anyone being deprived of anything. Sorry, but I am just really confused. It may not be required for your children, it is for others. Dd hasn't been required to read everything that perhaps your children have been, I don't think she is deprived either. What is your point?

Can it be on any required reading lists? I would think you'd have nuts objecting over the whole sorcery and witchcraft aspect of the books.

 

[MichiganDVC]

I think a lot of the hate for Comcast comes from the fact that they hold a monopoly in many areas. If I want cable or high speed internet, I have no choice. That's just not the case with Disney and many other companies.

Well, that and the political bribery that allowed them to secure their acquisition of Time Warner.

 

[clsteve]

The whole "required reading" thing seems to be a non-issue to me. I don't think there are any popular theme park attractions based on Old Man and the Sea or Moby Dick.

I'm all for BeowulfLand and can't wait for the Grendel M&G.

Now, those would be MemoryMaker photos for the ages......

 

[luvsJack]

Can it be on any required reading lists? I would think you'd have nuts objecting over the whole sorcery and witchcraft aspect of the books.

It is 6-8 at the school dd attended in those grades (she is an upcoming junior). I haven't heard anyone complain.

 

[surferdave]

I'm all for BeowulfLand and can't wait for the Grendel M&G.

Now, those would be MemoryMaker photos for the ages......

Bah, Beowulf is just a fad, let Universal have it. Let's go for Canterbury Tales Land. Chaucer has staying power.

 

[fairyprincess88]

HP books are childrens literature though, or maybe young adult. There is nothing wrong with adults liking them either, but college level material they are not.

I did make an attempt to read the first book but it didn't hold my interest.

The college courses are not on the books per say. They are on writing literature, creating worlds in fiction, the mythology behind the novels, characters and so on.

If you have never read past the first book than you have no idea whatsoever just how in depth those books go and how far beyond "children's lit" they go. Book 7 is not written for children by any stretch of the imagination. Yes book 1 is written more childlike as it is meant to begin the journey of an 11 year old, but as the characters age and the world gets darker and more adult so do the books. By the end of the series, Harry is an adult and so is the material.

So yes, the books may not be for you, and that is OK, please don't attempt to dumb them down to kid level without actually having any factual idea what they are about or just how detailed and structured they are.

 

[Mad Hattered]

The college courses are not on the books per say. They are on writing literature, creating worlds in fiction, the mythology behind the novels, characters and so on.

If you have never read past the first book than you have no idea whatsoever just how in depth those books go and how far beyond "children's lit" they go. Book 7 is not written for children by any stretch of the imagination. Yes book 1 is written more childlike as it is meant to begin the journey of an 11 year old, but as the characters age and the world gets darker and more adult so do the books. By the end of the series, Harry is an adult and so is the material.

So yes, the books may not be for you, and that is OK, please don't attempt to dumb them down to kid level without actually having any factual idea what they are about or just how detailed and structured they are.

Exactly!

 

[BrianL]

The college courses are not on the books per say. They are on writing literature, creating worlds in fiction, the mythology behind the novels, characters and so on.

That was not how I took the original post. There is certainly nothing wrong with college level courses teaching that kind of writing as a practice.

I was certainly never suggestion that the classics of British Lit would make for good theme park attractions (but they DO make for enlightening college-level discourse).

 

[BrianL]

The college courses are not on the books per say. They are on writing literature, creating worlds in fiction, the mythology behind the novels, characters and so on.

If you have never read past the first book than you have no idea whatsoever just how in depth those books go and how far beyond "children's lit" they go. Book 7 is not written for children by any stretch of the imagination. Yes book 1 is written more childlike as it is meant to begin the journey of an 11 year old, but as the characters age and the world gets darker and more adult so do the books. By the end of the series, Harry is an adult and so is the material.

So yes, the books may not be for you, and that is OK, please don't attempt to dumb them down to kid level without actually having any factual idea what they are about or just how detailed and structured they are.

I am not trying to "dumb them down" as they are what they are, and they are in fact considered to be children's or young adult books. Where would you find them in a book store? That doesn't mean they can't be deep and have emotional resonance. That doesn't mean they're not a fun and rewarding read. I happen to like a lot of YA level lit...it's not meant to be a knock. I was just incredulous at the idea of it being taught in college level classes.

 

[Patrickprincess]

This is a classic example of using WDW as a whole instead of what the real example is, which is the Magic Kingdom. The other 3 parks are more on pace with Universal's attendance than the Magic Kingdom. Saying Universal is almost always empty is just crazy. By comparison to the MK, the crowds are certainly more manageable, but empty? Hardly.

As for Avatar, it's about longevity. Being the highest grossing movie of all time is impressive, but what did that take, maybe 3 months? That doesn't mean it has the longevity to maintain an entire theme park land. Harry Potter was a proven entity. Not sure where you're getting your numbers from, but Islands of Adventure's attendance has remained steady since the opening of Hogsmeade. And with Diagon Alley set to open next door, that park's attendance is going to rise, especially given that all reviews are excellent. Gringott's is already being called the most incredible theme park experience anywhere. Nothing at WDW can lay claim to that. Back to Avatar, it's one thing to have a built in audience based on 7 books of source material. It's another to take a possible one off hit and expand beyond it. It's completely conceivable to say that the Avatar sequels will not be nearly as big as the original. I've said it before - I don't know one person who could possibly care about a sequel, let alone 3 or 4. As for the theme park area, I'd be shocked if people make a special trip to Orlando just to see it, like people do with Harry Potter.

I can not stand Universal. The last time I went to that place it was in Hollywood and I WILL NEVER GO BACK. The place was dirty disgusting and Gross. The trash was spilling out of the cans. There is nothing I care to ride. I used to like it. At wdw I never seen so much as lose paper on the ground at wdw. Universal is so over the top and not so family friendly. Yes there are things at wdw is not family friendly but at WDW I have always been treated as a Princess. Yes Universal has HP and good for them. I like HP but I'm going to spend $$$$ just to see this. As a stockholder I think a shake up is in order and yes DHS is in need of a major over hall. Perhaps Avator will be a good thing.

 

[btk2333]

You COMPLETELY CHANGED THE CHALLENGE.

Your challenge was for the person to find 24 new attractions in the last 8 years. Are not all of these things new in the last 8 years?

Also to completely blow your mind some people have not been going to WDW each year since 1980... I know right??? We went last year for 8 days and we didn't even touch any of the shows or lesser important rides that we decided to pass over for the sake of time, not to mention skipping some of the overly kiddie things since its just me and my wife for now.

Could Disney build faster? Sure they could if they were really motivated but they don't need to.

Universal is doing great with its expansions but we will see if Disney feels the need to respond with something like star wars. I personally believe Disney has Star Wars in the works and is just waiting on the budget/right time to announce.

Also as a note a couple new things for us this trip since last July:
BOG - NEW
Mine Train - NEW
Fantasy Parade - NEW
Not to mention all the things we didn't have time for last year that in our 12 day trip we should be able to hopefully fit in this time, my most anticipated is Chef's Table at Albert's since it was closed for our honeymoon last year.

thank you- you summed up my opinion very well

 

[fairyprincess88]

That was not how I took the original post. There is certainly nothing wrong with college level courses teaching that kind of writing as a practice.

I was certainly never suggestion that the classics of British Lit would make for good theme park attractions (but they DO make for enlightening college-level discourse).

Just a list of courses taught using and/or based on Harry Potter. Notice this list includes universities such as Yale and Georgetown. There are also Potter courses taught at Oxford and Cambridge. While this list is older, many of these are still offered and current classes are being taught at Brown and Princeton as well.

http://www.bestcollegesonline.com/blog/2011/07/18/15-fascinating-college-courses-for-the-ultimate-potter-scholar/

 

[DisUniversal]

I can not stand Universal. The last time I went to that place it was in Hollywood and I WILL NEVER GO BACK. The place was dirty disgusting and Gross. The trash was spilling out of the cans. There is nothing I care to ride. I used to like it. At wdw I never seen so much as lose paper on the ground at wdw. Universal is so over the top and not so family friendly. Yes there are things at wdw is not family friendly but at WDW I have always been treated as a Princess. Yes Universal has HP and good for them. I like HP but I'm going to spend $$$$ just to see this. As a stockholder I think a shake up is in order and yes DHS is in need of a major over hall. Perhaps Avator will be a good thing.

 

[Planogirl]

Ok, so I am 36 years old and female. I have never read a Harry Potter book and nor did most of the people my age that I know. I saw one movie (the first one) and it was ok, but largely unmemorable. I think Harry Potter land would be beautiful, but perhaps confusing to me. I don't care about HP or his friends. I didn't connect with any of the characters or stories and probably would understand the terminology. As a hs teacher, I can tell you that about 3-5 years ago we graduated entire classes of Potter fanatics. That would make them 21-23-ish now. The current high school students don't mention Potter anymore. I'm not sure if they read the books or saw the movies, or if they were too young to be a part of that wave. Maybe they read them in middle school and are now on to The Fault in Our Stars or something.

Avatar: I only saw about 7 minutes on YouTube when I heard WDW was doing a Pandora-thing. I thought it looked beautiful and, since I am an AP/DVC visitor to WDW already, I look forward to its development. Don't really care how long it takes either. I'm only 36.

Star Wars: Loved the first 3 (1977, 1980, 1983.) LOVED. Didn't see the next three. Would definitely go out of my way to see any Star Wars-themed land, but that means a visit to HS won't be an afterthought. I wouldn't trek to Universal for it.

So anyway, I'm not 100% convinced that HP is going to stand the test of time. People who like it right now might pass it down to their kids. But I can tell you that my sister (who is 41) did not read any HP books. Her kids (10, 7, 5) probably won't be encouraged to do so either. I'm not sure that Pandora will require much knowledge of or warm-feelings toward Avatar the movie. A lot of posters have said how closely HP and Diagon Alley resemble the movies and such. If you didn't see the movies, what difference would it make? If HP relies too much on fanboys that soaked up every word and detail of the books and movies, perhaps those types of guests will dwindle over time? I honestly don't know, and

I'm sure several usual suspects here whose mouths are still red with HP Kool-aid will tell me that HP is both completely accessible to non-fans (while simultaneously assuring me that Pandora will NOT be) and a dream come true for Potter fans. Okay.

I just got back from WDW and it was crazy crowded everywhere. HS...Epcot....MK. You name it. Crowded. All I do know for sure is Disney does not need to hurry up and build 10 more attractions and a 5th gate to compete with anyone.

I've never read a single Harry Potter book and I loved the WWoHP. I don't see how any of us can predict anything based on only our own experiences.

 

[Planogirl]

I can not stand Universal. The last time I went to that place it was in Hollywood and I WILL NEVER GO BACK. The place was dirty disgusting and Gross. The trash was spilling out of the cans. There is nothing I care to ride. I used to like it. At wdw I never seen so much as lose paper on the ground at wdw. Universal is so over the top and not so family friendly. Yes there are things at wdw is not family friendly but at WDW I have always been treated as a Princess. Yes Universal has HP and good for them. I like HP but I'm going to spend $$$$ just to see this. As a stockholder I think a shake up is in order and yes DHS is in need of a major over hall. Perhaps Avator will be a good thing.

I can't speak for USH but the Orlando location is not like this. I'll just use that annoying phrase - less people in line in front of me!

 

[Planogirl]

Just a list of courses taught using and/or based on Harry Potter. Notice this list includes universities such as Yale and Georgetown. There are also Potter courses taught at Oxford and Cambridge. While this list is older, many of these are still offered and current classes are being taught at Brown and Princeton as well.

http://www.bestcollegesonline.com/blog/2011/07/18/15-fascinating-college-courses-for-the-ultimate-potter-scholar/

I only wish that these would have been around when I went to college. If I had to read one more book by Hawthorne or Henry James, I would have given up.

 

[surferdave]

I only that these would have been around when I went to college. If I had to read one more book by Hawthorne or Henry James, I would have given up.

I think that everyone at WDW should have to sit through a James Joyce attraction to earn their fastpasses.

 

[Planogirl]

I think that everyone at WDW should have to sit through a James Joyce attraction to earn their fastpasses.

Eck. I'd rather gouge my eyes out (or sit through Stitch maybe).

 

[BuzzinDownToDisney]

Eck. I'd rather gouge my eyes out (or sit through Stitch maybe).

Sounds more like Poe than Joyce

 

[BrianL]

Just a list of courses taught using and/or based on Harry Potter. Notice this list includes universities such as Yale and Georgetown. There are also Potter courses taught at Oxford and Cambridge. While this list is older, many of these are still offered and current classes are being taught at Brown and Princeton as well.

http://www.bestcollegesonline.com/blog/2011/07/18/15-fascinating-college-courses-for-the-ultimate-potter-scholar/

And this is what passes for 4-year liberal arts degree material now? I guess they do it to keep kids interested in college and not dropping out, but it is simply astounding to me that these courses exist.

For the record, I think Hawthorne is fantastic!