ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
Why would anyone other than a local do that, JFK is about 1,500-1,800 for well known airlines down to 491.50 for the iffy code shares
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A Spirited Dirty Dozen ...
- Thread starter WDW1974
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Why would anyone other than a local do that, JFK is about 1,500-1,800 for well known airlines down to 491.50 for the iffy code shares
HauntedMansionFLA
Well-Known Member
Who actually made the call on Disney's part to not go after the HP theme park rights or had a disagreement with Rowling? What do you say to the BOD or investors when you let something like that slip out of your hands.
Anybody watch the new Project Veritas video in which theyre discussing Disney getting upset over the use of the Donald Duck costume by the DNC? For the record, Im not asking for, or trying to start ANY political discussion, just curious if anyone knows or has read more about Disney pressing on the legal issue of Donald Duck being used.
Lets buy Avatar! Lets take 7 years to build it, but in the meantime, may we spend $2 billion on implementing a magic band system that ultimately forces our guests to be on their computer at midnight 60 days out from their trip so they can book a FP for a ride?
the.dreamfinder
Well-Known Member
How about the theme parks in Europe, like Tivoli Gardens of Denmark or Madurodam of The Netherlands, that predated and inspired Disneyland?
http://www.michaelbarrier.com/Essays/EuropeanJournal_Tivoli/europeanjournal_tivoli.htm
jakeman
Well-Known Member
I've been to Tivoli Gardens and it is very nice. Landscaping puts Disney to shame in any era. I'd stop short of calling it a theme park though.
That's not a knock on Tivoli by any means and I'm not saying that a Disney park is better, it's just not what I think of when someone says "theme park".
HauntedMansionFLA
Well-Known Member
Is that the reason Tom Staggs isn't with the company anymore? Or Bruce Vaughn?
I believe Jay Rasulo was the first (big name) executive fall guy or MM+. I thought Vaughn "Stepping down" was more to do with Shanghai.
ETA: @asianway has a thread with more info regarding Vaughn. Perhaps he will chime in and give you the cliff notes version
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/...n-as-head-of-walt-disney-imagineering.908913/
ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
Unknown, I think however that the BoD just 'assumed' that they were going to get the deal as they were the only 'serious' player in town for the HP rights, They did not count on Rowling being unimpressed with being 'allowed' to pitch an idea to the almighty Disney, She at that point had already made more money than she could spend in several lifetimes AND being a creative she had a vision for what she wanted. Disney was unwilling to play on her terms so she went elsewhere.
RSoxNo1
Well-Known Member
Same for Japan...
I did 13 days in Japan, including 4 days at Mira Costa for under $10K all in (food, transportation, flights, hotels, tickets, other activities) for two people.
DinoInstitute
Well-Known Member
Very indisputably true, it is completely ridiculous to claim a trip to WDW is better than one to Europe. Good thing that's not what @LuvtheGoof was doing. The original point, which could have been understood if people read posts instead of just doing what they find more fun in hopping on negative bandwagons, was that comparing a full trip to Europe as one to WDW is not the same thing whatsoever.Now we've got the pixie dusters claiming WDW is better than a trip to Europe?! LOL, what a great read that was over my morning coffee. Guess what? There are tons of places in this Florida swampland that are better than WDW. Just wow
(Not to mention the fact that OP gave a pretty nice misrepresentation of a comparison between the two in the first place, but that's besides the point now).
asianway
Well-Known Member
I think Nick Franklin holds that honor of being the first head to roll.
Disney Analyst
Well-Known Member
Here's something I haven't really pondered before, would Universal have ever built something like that if it wasn't for a true visionary like Rowling dictating how it went? Did she push Universal to build outside their comfort zone, and thus Universal is on hopefully a new path of immersion? I think Kong shows they can build something highly themed without an outside party guiding them, even though I'm not a big fan of the screen use I am able to admit Kong is beautifully themed.
The only thing I will say related to the end of your post, Disney is willing to build immersive environments and actual attractions (Cars Land, Avatar Land, Star Wars, overseas at TDS) ... the question is how much of the latter was a response to Universal. I believe Carsland was in development around the same time as Universal Orlando was opening Potter? Were they coincidental, or did Disney rush an immersive land once they found out what Universal was doing? Are they even related, different coasts and all?
ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
I really think without Rowling's direct involvement the Wizarding world would not have happened too risky for the suits. Without her Uni would have passed, As to the others TDS is NOT a Disney owned park OLC owns that and they still commission WDI to build stuff like it used to be built, Carsland took all of Lasseter's political capital to get built and Avatar/SWL well we'll have to see those first to see what actually gets built. Frankly I'm expecting NFL like results.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
Early art of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter as a very crude overlay of Merlinwood is out there. Universal Creative was guided by not just Rowling but also the Warner Bros. design team.
brb1006
Well-Known Member
What theme parks over there I can visit that compare to WDW?
Off the top of my head:
Efteling in the Netherlands was a place that Walt Disney visited when he was researching places for Disneyland. Today, they have an incredible mix of fun roller coasters and dark rides in a beautiful green space. Their signature rides are Fata Morgana, a boat dark ride through the 1001 Nights on the scale of Disneyland Pirates of the Caribbean, Droomvlucht, a beautiful suspended dark ride and the Baron 1898, a highly themed Dive Coaster with a dark ride portion and insane theming. Coming in 2017 is Symbolica, a 35 million Euros (around 40 millions USD) high tech dark ride.
Here is a video of Fata Morgana:
Next, we have the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Danemark. It has been open for hundreds of years and in addition to rides, it is filled with restaurants and is a popular meeting place.
Here is a picture at night:
Port Aventura as someone else mentioned. It was built by Busch Gardens and Tussaud back in the 1990's. Universal then took over and now, the park has local owners. It has incredible hotels, a neat water park and are opening a third gate next year called Ferrari World.
Over in Germany, might I recommend Phantasialand? Located near Cologne, this park has some strict noise and visual restrictions which forced them to be quite imaginative. Whereas Disney just bought off the shelf spinning coasters, Phantasialand went with custom spinning coasters in a large building with elevators, moving track 12 years before Gringotts and other things. Their latest ride is Taron, an incredible launched coaster through a beautiful environment.
Taron.
Europa Park is currently the second most visited park in Europe, ahead of Walt Disney Studios Paris. Owned by a ride manufacturer, it is used as a showcase for their ideas and their hotels are incredible true 4 stars experiences.
This is a room at the "El Andaluz", an older hotel there.
They opened a pretty dark ride experience a few years called "Arthur- The Ride". They have a ton of dark rides, over a dozen roller coasters and their efficiently at moving lines make today's WDW pale.
I thought the Walt visiting Efteling was an urban legend.
But I really love the attention to detail Efteling does in the park and even the hotel.
Even as you're entering the place feels exciting and relaxing
HauntedMansionFLA
Well-Known Member
Glad to hear George Lucas isn't involved in the making of Indiana Jones 5 after the Crystal Skull Movie. They should go with a different director too.
Bairstow
Well-Known Member
Good question, but from my perspective the success of Potter was due to an appropriate scale and an increased focus on retail and food outlets into the land's storytelling. I would imagine that Rowling's involvement was more about tone and detail than these things. Universal Creative had already proven themselves capable of world-class detail and world-building work on prior projects like MiB, Merlinwood, and the entire Jurassic Park area.
If there was a "magic" ingredient in the success of the land I think it's just that the Harry Potter universe in general is just tailor-made for smooth translation into a physical theme park environment and Universal's timing, at the peak of the books' and films' popularity, was impeccable. Being the first major application of robocoaster technology and effectivity serving as the real national debut of Islands of Adventure (Since Universal botched the park's original debut so horribly in '99) didn't hurt either.
It will be interesting in a decade or so to make a case study of Disney's upcoming Star Wars and Avatar projects. One will have been built under the personal influence of its IP's creator (in this case, Cameron in the "Rowling" role) and the other will not.
Cesar R M
Well-Known Member
Isnt that what happened with the expanded universe and ended with total entangled messes up and ridiculous overpowered characters/artifacts/things?
asianway
Well-Known Member
And really, EU was the biggest IDGAF in fandom. No one could follow all that crap.