Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 The biggest non-secret in the theme park world finally got announced ... and it will be very interesting to see how Disney handles this because, make no mistake about it, this is going to be huge for IOA/Uni. This will pull people away from Disney's parks. Maybe only for a day or two, but we all know how much that will affect the bottom line. And WDW MUST respond in a big way. Rebranding Adventureland as Jack Sparrow Land (maybe toss some Black Pearl artifacts on the Treehouse and have piartes take over the Jungle Cruise and Tiki Room) ain't gonna cut it. This is where the new WDI culture gets tested. We know they can design amazing attractions and lands and parks ... stuff that winds up on walls in Burbank, coffee table books and recycled Jim Hill columns, but never gets built. Now, we'll see what the new team can actually BUILD ... and it's going to have to be at the MK because that's the flagship ... that's the park everyone goes to ... and that's the park that is old, falling apart and stale. No, Monsters Laugh Floor crap or even quality mid-level attractions like PhilharMagic are going to cut it. Time for an expanded land or a new land with a MAJOR E-Ticket and a few C-D types as well. Disney's known this has been coming for many months after they couldn't get along (i.e. wouldn't pony up enough cash to Rowling and Warner Bros). Anybody else interested to see what Disney's response is?
Originally Posted By Daannzzz For some reason I don't beleive Disney will respond in an agressive manner. I think it will be more of the same or some technological thrill ride that is impressive in its mechanics but not in it's theme. I would really love to see them do some spectacular new section or attraction that is themed to something from long ago or far into the future or Fantasy oriented. We can hope!!!!
Originally Posted By MPierce I agree, fans of WDW, the MK in particular, will benefit by this. Anytime the competition comes up with something WDW is obligated to respond in a bigger way. They want everybody to know they are still the big dog in town. So yes it will show what the new team is made up of. What it will be, I don't know. I'll let those more knowledgeable than myself speculate on that.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 Moving the actual Black Pearl / or Flying Dutchman to WDW and working around it would be a good response - IMHO. I agree - even if it means a 1 day ticket for IOA - the Potter additions will draw people who normally may not leave the grounds - off for a day.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 No way Disney sits idly by ... that's what Disney basically did when IOA opened and didn't drain guests. But that was in waning years of Eisner's reign. John Lasseter is a very smart man. Talented too. And don't believe a thing about him lacking power and things of that nature ... those are just the rantings of a WDI team who's way of business forever came to an end recently. John (and I believe Iger as well) are too savvy to not understand the power of the Hogwarts wizards and how the kids (and adults who love them) will send 'Disney' guests to Universal ... and like I said, just cut one day from the average WDW vacation by one third of the guests and you're talking a huge sum of money. ANd it could be worse. Because despite all the pablum pushed on sites like this about Uni not investing in the parks and NBC wanting to dumb them etc ... the reality is far different. They are investing in their park business from Hollywood to Orlando to Osaka to new locales coming in Singapore, Dubai and Seoul. Disney either competes or concedes. And the only way to compete is to spend money ... not small amounts, hundreds of millions. I've been feeling good about the direction of TWDC and WDI over the past months, while friends looked at me like I had just grown a tail (hey, I've always had it, I'm just not hiding it anymore!). Jon-Benet Castle boutiques and free fastpasses and make you own plastic jedi swords just won't cut it ... I KNOW John Lasseter realizes this, and I believe Bob Iger is finally wise to it as well. WDW, with the exception of DAK and some great improvements to Epcot and some resorts, has gotten so very stale. You can't keep serving the same bread with a different condiment on it when the competition is building new bakeries. I'm starting to, at long last, see some hope for WDW ...
Originally Posted By brotherdave I hope this really sets the spark off for WDW. The Magic Kingdom DESPERATELY needs a new major attraction. And the area where 20K was is RIPE for that expansion! But, lets hope it doesn't stop there. ALL FOUR WDW parks could benefit from these 'theme park wars' in Orlando that this Harry Potter announcement will hopefully ignite. My hopes: Magic Kingdom - MAJOR E-Ticket (and possibly new land) to be added to the 20,000 Leagues site and beyond. EPCOT - New pavilion to take over Wonders of Life Disney/MGM Studios(or should I say, Disney/PIXAR Studios) - MAJOR new e-ticket attraction, possibly the long rumored replacement for Indiana Jones stunt show with an Indy adventure ride. Animal Kingdom - The debut (FINALLY) of the Beastly Kingdom area of the park, perhaps with a Narnia attraction to outdraw Potter. Personally, I see the Harry Potter addition to IOA as a major PLUS/PLUS for theme park fans. Disney CAN'T and (I sincerely hope) WON'T, sit idlely by. I also see Anheuser-Busch counteracting at both Busch Gardens and Sea World with their own major announcements. (Although I suppose Sea World already has with the development of their new water park). I hope this is the trend for some really imaginative and great attractions for Orlando, and especially WDW!
Originally Posted By trekkeruss What's a bigger property than Harry Potter? Star Wars. Maybe Disney should get back into bed with Lucas. Turn Tomorrowland into Mos Eisley or something.
Originally Posted By Skellington88 Sounds good to me. They need more Star Wars in the parks and less pixar. Pixar is only appealing to kids and film nerds. Star Wars is appealing to everyone...so is Harry Potter.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <What's a bigger property than Harry Potter? Star Wars. Maybe Disney should get back into bed with Lucas. Turn Tomorrowland into Mos Eisley or something.< Anyone who has been to the Studios in the last few years for Star Wars Weekends know how that event transforms what is the poorest park in WDW right now into something with some excitement. I think the Studios would be the place for a Star Wars expansion - leaving MK as Disney....
Originally Posted By brotherdave Agreed vbdad! A whole Star Wars area of the studio might actually be what that park needs! And it needs to go beyond just a new film for Star Tours. It's gotta be BIG!
Originally Posted By Skellington88 Star Wars nerds (including myself) and even casual fans have been screaming for more Star Wars exposure at the disney parks for years...Star Wars weekends is very popular and profitable and even though Star Tours is stale and nowhere near as exciting as it was in '86...people still ride it because they love star wars! So Disney get Lucas on the phone we want the Star Wars/Harry Potter war to begin!...COnfirmed!
Originally Posted By DlandDug I only wish this thread had included some details on what was announced. Uni FL and IOA have been making big BIG B-I-G announcements for years. (IOA! Men in Black! The Mummy's Revenge!) Everybody gets all worked up. (Disney is going down! WDI will up the ante!) The new whatever opens and... everything settles back into the same familiar pattern. IF Universal is willing to make the commitment and IF they get some decent designs that will capture the world of Harry Potter in a theme park, then this will be more than just another season of going over the same old arguments. (Personally, I don't think Uni will pull it off. Not to say I couldn't be wrong...)
Originally Posted By vbdad55 Here's an interesting tidbit - it appears original negotiations may have been with Disney - but they fell thru because Disney wanted too much control ? <a href="http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=3&id=618932007" target="_blank">http://news.scotsman.com/topic s.cfm?tid=3&id=618932007</a> And now for Harry Potter and the wizard theme park... FIONA GRAY FANS OF Harry Potter have been dreaming about riding a Nimbus 2000, catching a golden snitch and winning a game of Quidditch since creator JK Rowling invented the sport 10 years ago. Now aficionados of the boy wizard may not have to wait much longer. Universal Studios is seeking a deal with Rowling to build a $500m Harry Potter mini theme park in Florida. Rowling is believed to have been in negotiations with Universal Studios since 2005 over potential sites and the park's contents. Earlier talks with Disney, which has a Disneyworld in Orlando, are understood to have fallen through because the giant American leisure corporation wanted total control of the project. The new Potter land is likely to be incorporated into Universal's existing Islands of Adventure attraction, which already hosts areas themed on Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park and Marvel comic superheroes. Island of Adventure is close to Universal Studios, the company's main attraction and the third biggest-theme park in America. Peter Alexander, a former vice president of Universal Studios and founder of a theme park design consultancy, said: "People keep screeching that it's an entirely separate park, but according to Steve Spielberg, who we talked to about it, he says it's going to be a 'land' within the confines of the existing Islands of Adventure theme park. If it's a 'land' it will cost at the very least $500m." Alexander estimates that Rowling stands to earn up to £9m a year if the park goes ahead
Originally Posted By vbdad55 Universal Studios is opening a Harry Potter theme park in Florida, complete with the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the Forbidden Forest and Hogsmeade village. "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter," will open in late 2009 in Orlando. "The plans I've seen look incredibly exciting, and I don't think fans of the books or films will be disappointed," said author J.K. Rowling, who has been working with a creative team to make sure the park resembles the books and films. The Potter theme park will allow visitors to experience iconic locations from Rowling's magical world, such as Dumbledore's office in Hogwarts and the shops in Hogsmeade. Stuart Craig, an Academy Award-winning production designer, has worked to bring the world of Harry Potter to life in all of the feature films to date. Craig leads the creative design for the theme park to ensure it remains faithful to the look and feel of the films. "Our primary goal is to make sure this experience is an authentic extension of Harry Potter's world as it is portrayed in the books and films," said Craig. "I am very excited to be working closely with the Universal Orlando team to bring the area to life."
Originally Posted By brotherdave Unless they plan on charging a separate admission fee for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, how can they claim this as a 'theme park'. It's going to be a themed land in a theme park. Sorry, I know that it's marketing, but the constant reference to this as a separate 'theme park' is silly.
Originally Posted By Indigo Disney might want to look at renaming Disney-MGM Studios into Sci-Fi Studios and going all out on Star Wars, Narnia, and the like.
Originally Posted By DlandDug I understand how marketing announcements work. These don't get me all that excited. $500 million doesn't buy much of a theme park these days. As a "land" within IOA, it's a pretty good amount, though. But playing Quiddich? Riding a Nimbus 2000? If these are the iconic attractions fans actually seek, this will be a tough one to pull off. On the other hand, experiencing the "world" of Harry Potter (Dumbledore's office, Hogwarts, the Forbidden Forest) is much more likely, but a bit less exciting in the long run. (Think a whole land that consists of Swiss Family Treehouse type attractions, for example.) Visiting the shops at Hogsmeade? That one seems a given. And maybe, just maybe, those shops will have a totally immersive, interactive element...
Originally Posted By DlandDug OK, I read the official announcement, looked at the art, and read the FAQs. This looks like a very stylish addition to IOA. Reading between the lines and knowing how to look at the art, it's not really that impressive. There will be AN attraction, "specifically designed to bring the magic and adventures of Harry Potter to life in an exciting way that guests have never experienced before." In Uni terms, that means a stage show or film with effects. The rest will incorporate existing attractions, new environments, and shops. Hogwarts looks like a model on top of some cliffs. Doubtless there will be a courtyard, and some corridors that lead to cunningly concealed show buildings with carefully delineated sets that recreate memorable interiors from the film. OK...
Originally Posted By ToonKirby I posted these in the "Other Parks" thread, but there seems to be more traffic over here, so ... This from the Orlando Sentinel: >A Disney spokeswoman even lauded Universal's announcement. "Whenever one of our region's tourism industry players makes an investment in their business, it's good for our industry and our community as a whole," said Disney spokeswoman Kim Prunty. "That's why we continue to invest in our business." Disney's popular "Year of a Million Dreams" promotional campaign that runs through the end of the year and plans for a new ride based on Toy Story to open next year are likely to keep the race for fresh attractions at full speed. "I think Cinderella's Castle now has a new rival: Hogwart's Castle," said Speigel, the theme park consultant. "This is going to be a tough one to one-up right now."< And I think this should be the stage show: <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=kJL" target="_blank">http://youtube.com/watch?v=kJL</a> zDXOFGws
