Wizarding World of Harry Potter to come to Universal Hollywood

[doconeill]

According to the Wall Street Journal (subscribers can read the whole article), Universal Hollywood is getting its version of the Wizarding World:

Second 'Harry Potter' Park Planned

 

[nytimez]

Thanks. For people -- like me -- too cheap to pay for WSJ, the LA Times has some detail here.

No sooner than 2015... which is not nearly as far off as it sounds anymore...

 

[DizCaptain]

Homogenization and Cloning is becoming all too common with the Amusement industry in my opinion. I understand they're all companies striving for success, but it really takes away from the uniqueness and experience when you clone and homogenize things, especially to this degree. Again, not hating on it, just hating on the business of things.

 

[skiingfast]

Homogenization and Cloning is becoming all too common with the Amusement industry in my opinion.

While it's possible, there is some errors in it being possible as stated by the WSJ orignal article. While I would expect the feature ride to come, not the town or coasters.

USH does not have a lot of room. For the whole land it would have to replace some attractions. USH doesn't exactly have a few attractions that are dead enough to be on thier way out, right next to each other. Land is super tight, there are no parking lots to develop over, it's garage parking. It's actually built next to a functioning studio, which needs to be somewhere. It's developed all around.

One thing that commonly came up in rumors of this, is the Hogworths could actually be up on a hill, as UHS is two tiered. Again while this could add to the dramatic effect a lot, there is not room.

It will be interesting to see what Rowling allows in a less accomodating park.

 

[Figment632]

It begins! The uniqueness of IOA will now die!

 

[nytimez]

Homogenization and Cloning is becoming all too common with the Amusement industry in my opinion. I understand they're all companies striving for success, but it really takes away from the uniqueness and experience when you clone and homogenize things, especially to this degree. Again, not hating on it, just hating on the business of things.

Agreed.

 

[doconeill]

Even if they find the room, I'd expect that other than Forbidden Journey, any other attractions would be different. Perhaps they can absorb a couple current ones much like they did at IOA? It would give it at least a minor level of uniqueness. And I'd expect they'd fix the errors that exist with the current one - like miniscule shops.

 

[skiingfast]

Even if they find the room, I'd expect that other than Forbidden Journey, any other attractions would be different. Perhaps they can absorb a couple current ones much like they did at IOA? It would give it at least a minor level of uniqueness. And I'd expect they'd fix the errors that exist with the current one - like miniscule shops.

While USO was able to handily retheme a couple nearby coasters. USH is a much different park than IOA.

Consider how it would of turned out if it WWoHP was built in HSO?

 

[doconeill]

While USO was able to handily retheme a couple nearby coasters. USH is a much different park than IOA.

Consider how it would of turned out if it WWoHP was built in HSO?

I can't. I've never been there. And thus my question.

 

[Kiwini]

Thanks. For people -- like me -- too cheap to pay for WSJ,

Or you can Google the headline like this, and click on the first link:

https://www.google.com/search?gcx=w&ix=c2&q=Second+'Harry+Potter'+Park+Planned

 

[doconeill]

Or you can Google the headline like this, and click on the first link:

https://www.google.com/search?gcx=w&ix=c2&q=Second+'Harry+Potter'+Park+Planned

Interesting...it appears if the referring page is Google, it lets you get the whole article...

 

[XGrumpy1]

Opening Harry Potter in Universal would make the resort more of a destination for me. I have not been there in a long time because it has seemed the parks in Orlando have so much more.

It will no doubt help bring in more people.

 

[Michael623]

I've been to USH twice and I consider it to be an awesome backlot tour with a bunch of mediocre supporting attractions; calling it a theme park is a bit of a stretch. I'm not a HP fan (apparently I may be the ONLY non-fan) so this wouldn't impact my decision to visit there one bit.

Just so you don't think I'm a US basher, I have no interest in watching Avatar either and don't really care about Avatar land at DAK.

 

[nytimez]

Add the news that they're shutting down Jaws and Amity in Orlando to replace it with something TBA and it seems like Universal is on a major building spree... especially if you consider the inevitable WWoHP expansion at Islands of Adventure.

 

[ChrisFL]

Add the news that they're shutting down Jaws and Amity in Orlando to replace it with something TBA and it seems like Universal is on a major building spree... especially if you consider the inevitable WWoHP expansion at Islands of Adventure.

Unless that WWoHP expansion happens at Universal instead

 

[nytimez]

Unless that WWoHP expansion happens at Universal instead

Anything is possible... but I really have a hard time envisioning that. It would require remaking a huge portion of the backstage area and probably throwing away the two-park ticket structure.

 

[ChrisFL]

Anything is possible... but I really have a hard time envisioning that. It would require remaking a huge portion of the backstage area and probably throwing away the two-park ticket structure.

I agree, and I thought it was a crazy rumor at first also, but I've heard it from a few sources and the fact that Jaws is suddenly closing and the rumor that WWoHP is going to California just a few days ago....just seems interesting now.

WWoHP has given Universal more attendance and income than they could have dreamed of...it wouldn't surprise me as much anymore but yes, it does seem to be quite a major undertaking.

 

[skiingfast]

Widespread reports are out that tomorrow, Tuesday, Universal will make an official press release on this subject.

 

[doconeill]

I'm surprised the thread hasn't been updated, but they did make the announcement today. VERY light on details, only that it would definitely be part of the existing park, and Hogwart's Castle and the Forbidden Journey ride would be included.

And they also announced that the existing one would be expanded, but that was all they said about it.

http://scifistorm.org/2011/12/06/co...coming-to-hollywood-and-expansion-in-orlando/

 

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

The big rumor is that the Harry Potter expansion will go into the space currently occupied by Jaws. Which means it would be located in Universal Studios Florida and connected to the Harry Potter section in Islands of Adventure via the Hogworts Express train.

BobK/Orlando