Wizarding World = Meh

Who in their right mind stands in a line like that,lol.... WOW!!!

We were there...we were lined up outside Hard Rock. Took a total of 8 hours to enter HP. But like others said, if you were already there...might as well wait. It was great stories for our DD to tell her friends.
 
I would start with John Granger's "How Harry Cast His Spell" - it's a good overview of the whole Harry Potter world, and what it is about the stories that made them so popular. Also includes a book-by-book series of chapters on how each individual book includes the various themes.

If you're really into literature and analysis, "Unlocking Harry Potter" is one that John has referred to as "The English Major's Geek Guide to Harry Potter."

And then if you're a big fan especially of the last book, "The Deathly Hallows Lectures" is all about . . . .. well, you can probably figure that one out.

One thing to be careful of with Granger is that he keeps rewriting his books and giving them new names - so I would steer away from anything older than about 2006, because there's probably a newer version of it.

The best book by Prinzi is probably "Harry Potter and Imagination", which tells us a lot about storytelling - it will teach you about how to enjoy some other stories in the same way you enjoyed the Potter books, by talking about what was so captivating about Harry's tale.

I will also have to admit that I've not read any books by Elizabeth - I just know her through some of her blog postings. (In fact, now that I look at her titles on Amazon, she doesn't have any Potter books at all. Her CS Lewis book is supposed to be very good, I understand.)


Thank you so much, I wrote these titles down. This will be nice.:goodvibes
 
So I guess there were no big announcements made this weekend for the Wizarding World. Such a shame. Was just curious, since I know I am not alone in my Harry Potter obsession, what do other fans do to keep themselves interested and amused after reading the books so many times and watching the movies?? Any advice would be helpful. Thank You.:goodvibes

"Harry Potter: Page to Screen" by Bob McCabe is the size of a textbook and has beautiful concept and production photos as well as an in-depth look at the production of the films. "Harry Potter: Film Wizardry" by Brian Sibley is not as big but includes goodies such as the Marauder's Map, Yule Ball Invitation, Quidditch World Cup Program, and more. I have both and love them!

And you could always do what I did.. get a job at WWoHP! :goodvibes
 
So I guess there were no big announcements made this weekend for the Wizarding World. Such a shame. Was just curious, since I know I am not alone in my Harry Potter obsession, what do other fans do to keep themselves interested and amused after reading the books so many times and watching the movies?? Any advice would be helpful. Thank You.:goodvibes

Have you been to see Harry Potter: The Exhibition? http://harrypotterexhibition.com/

It's in Australia right now, but if it comes to a museum near you, you should check it out. They have a lot of props, costumes, and set pieces from the movies.
 

WWOHP is the best! Not sure if you were feeling ill that day or just a harsh critic, either way you are crazy!! :rotfl:

Yup, it is a small space for the amount of people visiting... but as many prior threads have stated, it was the way JK wanted it. I hope they expand in the future.
 
Thank you for all the great ideas, keep them coming. I would love to get a job at WWOHP, however since I live in PA that won't be happening right now. Keep the ideas rolling.:goodvibes
 
Chernab0g, you really are hard to please.

When I went to US/IOA July 2010, only a few weeks after its grand opening, I was genuinely impressed. The size of the shops peeved me a little but it really added to the atmosphere and commitment to J.K.R.'s vision. And the castle queue for the Forbidden Journey was long but it was fun.

What really impressed me was the attention to detail in the whole area. I could spend days going to WWoHP again just to marvel at the construction. I also loved the Ollivander's shop show, even if it was crowded.

I went there for the HP theme park, but US and the rest of IOA were fun to walk through and experience. I'd go back there in a heartbeat.
 
The one thing I agree with is Olivander's. It's not worth more than a 5 minute wait to me.
 
The problem with Ollivanders is that while it is a cute show, and it's fun, it's only about ten minutes long, if that.
 
We went in October and my girls had a great time. They loved the show at Olivander's and bought wands after the show. We went in Zonko's many times and brought back lots of Bernie Bott's for their friends. I am sorry that you were disappointed, but my kids loved it! I loved all the theming and the butterbeer. I do wish we could have brought back bottled butterbeer to enjoy.
 
Sorry but that is hysterical. I've been a Potter fan since the first book released over 10 years ago and my love for it is still the same now as then. My nieces and nephews are now just starting the books at age 10 and 11 and are diving head first into the fandom. Everyday a new child picks up the book and starts their journey with Harry and that won't end just because there are no new movies. The LOTR is still a huge hit and those books were written how long ago?:confused3 The movies are nothing more than a nice add on to Potter, the heart and soul of the franchise is the books and they will still be as revelant to a child who reads them now or 10 years from now.

Will the Potter phenom still be as strong 10 years from now? No, but will it die like it never existed? No.

Two words- toy story. I remember seeing it in 1995 thinking, eh... But look, 16 yrs later still producing merchandise galore! Harry potter has a lot of life left.
 
Universal did miss an opportunity but that is because this should have been done years ago. Harry Potter is now over. No new books or movies to keep it in the spotlight. I think Universal did it about right in regard to size and cost given that 5 or 6 years from now it is going to be "Harry Potter who?" for more and more people. Any expansion should be in the Marvel Universe area for characters they still have the rights for. Movies about those superheroes will continue to come out over the next 10+ years. The only way to keep HP in the spotlight is to have HP: The Next Generation with more stories about those familiar locations with new characters. Otherwise I do expect a sharp drop in HP attendance in the summer of 2014 compared to previous summers regardless of any expansion to the area.

Totally disagree with this. Harry Potter will be an icon, much like Mickey Mouse who has been going strong for over 50 years.

I loved WWOHP. Yes the area/ stores are small, but Rowling wanted them scaled true to size, so you really feel that you are in the story. They could have made it massive-taken over half the park and built a dozen gift shops-but that would have ruined it. Not everything needs to be Walmartsized.

I can't wait to go again!
 
I didn't say die, I said sharp drop. As in no need to have onsite guests get an extra hour in the morning. Just get there early and no problems with the line. Also saying that your interest has been strong over the last 10 years so by extrapolation it will continue to be as strong is silly. During those 10 years, six more books came out and 8 movies to keep renewing interest. There is nothing new with HP on the horizon. Just look at all the attractions based upon popular characters/movies with long histories that have been replaced already because nothing new had come out to keep it new and fresh.

Some might argue that Disney has kept an entire park alive based upon a few classic princess characters. HP is nothing like the princesses at Disney. Disney has 100% control over those characters and constantly re-release their classic movies and create new movies or books to keep those characters fresh in the minds of today's children and when necessary, create new or updated versions of princesses. Universal has no control over HP and be unable to breath new life into the area, which is unfortunate for both Universal and us as fans. HP mania is at its peak and will fade away down to some level of interest similar to another classic that spans generations and has been doing so for 40+ years, Lord of the Rings, and a lot faster than die-hard fans think unless something is done to keep it alive and new.

How long has it been since the last Star Wars movie? Yet Disney just redid Star Tours to large success. The fandom may simmer down a little but it will not go away. Or maybe that just fits into the whole plan of how small the park is. It will be the perfect size after things die down. And will get small again once an expansion is done bringing everyone back again.

I think this WWOHP is going to be infinitely better than the Avatar expansion in AK. Harry Potter is infinitely better than and has more enduring power than Avatar without a doubt. But we shall see....
 
It was small and did get crowded, but the attention to detail was fantastic. We did Olivander's first and, since we stayed on-site and got in early, we were in the second show of the day. Made it much easier. I went into the store later in the day one day to do owl post and had to leave.

Like other things, I think the trick was to go early.
 


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