Harry Potter Expansion - Universal Orlando

[Ollie]

Decided to start an actual topic for it instead of clogging up the topic about Jaws closing.

Anyway plans have been leaked about the new area and rides.
http://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/201112/2824/

Sounds pretty cool as whenever you see the credit in Gringotts you just want to ride it.

 

[Josh73]

Looks awesome. It's just what Universal needs. IOA has Hulk, Dragon Challenge Jurassic Park, Spidermsn, Forbidden Journey, the list goes on. What does Universal have? Nada. They've got HRRR which is crap, then they have Mummy which is pretty good.

This is good for Universal, and it will bring up attendence for sure.

 

[marc]

Well they have the Mummy and this sounds like the Mummy lol.

Still sounds good though and much needed. Just wish they could make the arrow coaster that was never built as that would fit the theme better.

 

[spicy]

I like the sound of it but can't help thinking it belongs in the current Potter land and leave Jaws alone, or replace it with something not Potter. Ah well.

 

[A-Kid]

This **** sucks. Potter is ****. One area was fine, but 2 giant dominating areas? I hate it was a passion. Why remove the original Amity Cove for some **** Potter? Its was one of the best themed area ideas ever to exist :'( I never even got chance to visit it and I was really looking faward to one day. Pissed as.

Sucking out all the Classic's that inspired all of the modern films of today... I thought this park was all about its film history?

I've dedicated 2 pieces of theming in my bedroom as a momorial to this ride site.

Finally got too use the swear things again mind you!

 

[Ollie]

^The area wasn't that amazing. Just some painted wooden buildings and a fake shark. The ride had aged and dated quite badly as well and took up huge amounts of room.
The Harry Potter area in IOA is AMAZING. It looks amazing in pictures but it's even better in person. It's about time Studios got something new as it was lacking quite badly behind the park next door and using this theme as a way to link the two parks is a fantastic idea.

If you're that desperate to go on Jaws then you still have 2 days left before it closes.

 

[michaellll]

^I'm with Ollie.

Though this area represented a great movie that was a huge part of pop culture, it really isn't a gem of the theme park industry. It's as good as you'd hope Universal could do, but I'd honestly prefer to be walking around Mummy. Of course, it could just be that I tend to stay away from carnival game areas...

I like the idea of expansion. There's plenty of story to work with, and I won't complain about another thing worth riding in Universal.

 

[marc]

The jaws area was dated and no longer any good it had to go.

I don't agree with Harry Potter being in 2 parks just so they can charge extra but that's what their doing so have to live with it.

 

[Venom2053]

Does the coaster plan to utilize the centrally moving track that screamscape rumoured

http://www.coaster101.com/2011/09/19/un ... ck-patent/

Or will it run a traditional scene by scene layout?

I think it looks great, I always thought a Gringotts coaster would be a prefect fit for the Harry Potter land. I'm not to pleased with the train idea, or the fact that I have to visit 2 parks to get the whole experience.

 

[nadroJ]

^Which is exactly why it's incredibly clever of them, business wise. It's all about making more money and what better way to do it than this?

I'm still massively peeved that we're not getting something different but I know this is going to be kickass, so can't complain too much.

 

[Gazza]

I'm gonna lol if Hollywood gets spited, and gets this coaster rather than Kuka arms.

 

[Ben]

The area wasn't great Leigh, it's clear you never went. And why would they keep it just because Thorpe ripped it off?

The Gringott's coaster sounds amazing and it'd be perfect for a Potter area. Not sure they NEED two areas, but, whatever, I love Potter so I don't care.

 

[Mysterious Sue]

Yeah but who goes to Universal and only does one park? (ok actually I did do this, but it's not normal and getting the rents to one park was hard enough work)
I'm assuming that by far the vast majority of visitors will do both parks over a number of days

 

[nadroJ]

The area wasn't great Leigh, it's clear you never went. And why would they keep it just because Thorpe ripped it off?

To be fair, the area wasn't bad, but that's because it's an easy theme to do I guess? It was just all midway buildings with Amity style architecture and a big shark in the middle. It worked well for its purpose, but wasn't exactly the most intricate of themes. But I definitely wouldn't go as far as to call it one of the best themed areas ever, that's just ill informed and stupid.

The fact that they're now expanding Potter into the Studios park simply says to me that it needed to be a whole park by itself. The Potter world is so incredibly vast that even just having Diagon Alley and Hogsmead covers merely an inch of what it COULD include. In the long run I think they are realising how ambitious it was to put Potter in one park to begin with, I'm sure they're itching with ideas for expansion, except they won't have the room to do so now without taking over the whole damn parks.

Also, is this 100% confirmed now?

 

[A-Kid]

Its not stupid because it IS one of the best theme ideas from an artistic perspective. Its absolutley true to the film. I have seen the videos, photos, street view, music, individual aspects of theming etc. and studied them for hours on end... I know the area inside and out. The only thing I can't account for is the emotion it creates on people interating with the area. Other than that, It would be no different in real life. It doesn't matter if I've been there or not from an artistic pov. But still, I'm absolutley gutted that I never saw something pratically everyone else did. Yet be the only one who will appreciate its qualitys that not many rides have.

Ben I said our Amity was INSPIRED by this, NOT that they should keep this BECAUSE of Thorpes one. Read.

Maybe I just have a massive hatred for Harry Potter and its rediculous fanbase. Which I can't really deny. As thats true. I can live with the IOA area as that works (despite that MASSIVE really annoying white box on the back of the castle in plain sight). IOA is like a fantasy park from what I can see. But the studios seems to be more for the 'real' sense. Jaws/Amity was probally as realistic as you could get to an american make believe studio and is probally one of the most iconic, memorable films to date, and always will be. Harry potter is just a trend.

 

[furie]

Hmmmm...

Ten years on from Jaws, the IP was trash. Jaws was laughable and a joke. Twenty years on and it was unknown to the next generation. Thirty years on and it's unknown to two generations.

Harry Potter ten years on is as strong an IP as it ever was and still has momentum. It's well lauded and spans at least two generations so far. The biggest gravity for Potter is that the books are popular and books rarely fall out of popularity as parents will read books they enjoy to their kids and so on. Films go out of fashion, but there's a reason Willy Wonka/CATCF are still popular IPs (and films) even today - they're made timeless by a love passed from parents to children. Each generation rediscovers it and Harry Potter will always have this too.

Jaws was no doubt brilliant, but the IP is old, dull and a dinosaur from a different era that no longer holds any relevance today. No matter how great the attraction, the laws of diminishing returns had to finish it off eventually in favour of a much stronger and potentially much longer standing IP.

Though I do disagree with the way the studio tours seem to be being made more a "theme park expansion" than their true remit, but if that's the way the market is pushing and room is an issue...

 

[Robbie]

Ten years on from Jaws, the IP was trash. Jaws was laughable and a joke. Twenty years on and it was unknown to the next generation. Thirty years on and it's unknown to two generations.

It's true. Fins ain't what they used to be.

 

[furie]

It's true. Fins ain't what they used to be.

Shhhh....
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGWqtwhS2KY[/youtube]

 

[Jools]

I can't say I'm disappointed with the removal of Jaws, it wasn't all that people I'd spoken too, made it out to be and I was slightly disappointed, the area wasn't very anaesthetically pleasing for me personally either, I guess it had quite a nice atmosphere though, but then it is Universal.

The fact that the queue to have a picture with the shark was longer than the Jaws ride every time I visited, sums it up I think. Anything that can replace it sounds good.

The only thing that is bothering me, is why are they having two different Harry Potter Lands? Surely that is like having two say.... Space themed areas, just seems a bit strange. I suppose Alton did it with Gloomy Woods and Dark Forest though... but that bugs me too.

 

[nadroJ]

I think it's more to do with nostalgia than people being gutted because it's such a good ride. It was a fun ride, but it's also something that's just always been there, being removed for something that we already, in effect, have. And that sucks. I know parks need to get with the times and keep up to date, especially a park themed to movies, but I think old movies and rides have their place too, and that's why I think many people, including myself, are really gutted to see it go =[.