Disney Playing catch up with Universal... Potter Disney's biggest mistake in 20 years...

Tom Morrow

Tom Morrow

Well-Known Member
- the Springfield expansion was more or less an enhancement of a formerly dead area. It was never supposed to be on the scale of Diagon or Hogsmeade. It's essentially just a collection of quick service restaurants with fun photo ops, anyway.

- the huge section of switchbacks for Gringotts is a really sour note on the otherwise nearly perfect immersion of Diagon Alley. It unfortunately seems like these switchbacks will be used frequently, too.
 
Pumbas Nakasak

Pumbas Nakasak

Heading for the great escape.
xstech25 said:
I went to Diagon Alley today for the first time and thought that while it was good and looked just like the movie, I wouldn't say its any better themed than what Disney has been doing (Cars Land, to me, was more impressive). Someone texted me back when it first opened saying it was the best themed area of any park he had been to, which is why I found it a little disappointing. Actually a lot of the theming at DAK in the Asia and Africa sections I think are better: especially Everest, the Maharajah Jungle Trek, and the Safari. You can definitely tell "the Disney difference": In Diagon Alley I was really put off by the big unthemed queue blocks for the train (both ends) and Gringotts where you wait in a MASSIVE queue house with nothing to look at but unthemed backstage buildings.

The Simpsons area I thought was quick and half a**ed. Its one of those things I would expect from the Dino-Rama/original DCA time period, not 2014 where we have things like Cars Land/Avatar/Hogsmeade. If it were built in 1995 it probably would have been great. The Lard Lad Donut was really good though. Also the Spiderman upgrades were a huge improvement, the digital projections look great.
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Yes its so obvious that Uni just cant live up to the magic and fabulously immersive attraction like what Disney makes.
 
M

mahnamahna101

Well-Known Member
Tom Morrow said:
- the Springfield expansion was more or less an enhancement of a formerly dead area. It was never supposed to be on the scale of Diagon or Hogsmeade. It's essentially just a collection of quick service restaurants with fun photo ops, anyway.

- the huge section of switchbacks for Gringotts is a really sour note on the otherwise nearly perfect immersion of Diagon Alley. It unfortunately seems like these switchbacks will be used frequently, too.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't just call Springfield an enhancement - it completely transformed a dead area of the park into a place that people actually want to visit. Flat ride, plenty of appealing quick-service restaurant stations, photo ops, and high quality theming in an area that used to be a bland and grey 80s movie studio cafeteria and a couple flags.

The only difference between Springfield and say... Storybook Circus is that Universal didn't really hype up Springfield at all. They more or less just said, "Hey, we're opening up Springfield soon!" Disney has huge press events to announce groundbreakings while Universal just gets to work.

I do agree that the switchbacks are a sore spot, but aside from DisneySea, I can't think of a theme park that doesn't have some sort of exposed backstage areas at some point during your visit. Maybe they'll correct it later on (if Potter gets a phase 3, I'd like to see a Great Hall built as an extension of the Hogwarts show building, and for any backstage areas in FJ, Gringotts and HE to be completely covered... some TLC for Dragon Challenge would be nice as well)
 
M

mahnamahna101

Well-Known Member
xstech25 said:
I went to Diagon Alley today for the first time and thought that while it was good and looked just like the movie, I wouldn't say its any better themed than what Disney has been doing (Cars Land, to me, was more impressive). Someone texted me back when it first opened saying it was the best themed area of any park he had been to, which is why I found it a little disappointing. Actually a lot of the theming at DAK in the Asia and Africa sections I think are better: especially Everest, the Maharajah Jungle Trek, and the Safari. You can definitely tell "the Disney difference": In Diagon Alley I was really put off by the big unthemed queue blocks for the train (both ends) and Gringotts where you wait in a MASSIVE queue house with nothing to look at but unthemed backstage buildings.

The Simpsons area I thought was quick and half a**ed. Its one of those things I would expect from the Dino-Rama/original DCA time period, not 2014 where we have things like Cars Land/Avatar/Hogsmeade. If it were built in 1995 it probably would have been great. The Lard Lad Donut was really good though. Also the Spiderman upgrades were a huge improvement, the digital projections look great.
Click to expand...
Because Springfield was definitely meant to revolutionize the theme park industry ;) it was merely an addition to brighten up a dead spot. It was never meant to be the headliner of 2013 - Transformers was.
 
Mike S

Mike S

Well-Known Member
mahnamahna101 said:
I wouldn't just call Springfield an enhancement - it completely transformed a dead area of the park into a place that people actually want to visit. Flat ride, plenty of appealing quick-service restaurant stations, photo ops, and high quality theming in an area that used to be a bland and grey 80s movie studio cafeteria and a couple flags.

The only difference between Springfield and say... Storybook Circus is that Universal didn't really hype up Springfield at all. They more or less just said, "Hey, we're opening up Springfield soon!" Disney has huge press events to announce groundbreakings while Universal just gets to work.

I do agree that the switchbacks are a sore spot, but aside from DisneySea, I can't think of a theme park that doesn't have some sort of exposed backstage areas at some point during your visit. Maybe they'll correct it later on (if Potter gets a phase 3, I'd like to see a Great Hall built as an extension of the Hogwarts show building, and for any backstage areas in FJ, Gringotts and HE to be completely covered... some TLC for Dragon Challenge would be nice as well)
Click to expand...
Hollywood is apparently getting the Great Hall but it's as a replacement for the Three Broomsticks and Hog's Head which they won't have. There are also other improvements Hollywood is apparently getting as well http://www.orlandoinformer.com/2013...rld-harry-potter-universal-studios-hollywood/. If/when we get a phase 3 of Harry Potter here I would prefer the Ministry of Magic replacing Fear Factor or the Forbidden Forest over Dragon Challenge. Then if we get a phase 4 it could be whatever wasn't done in phase 3, the Ministry or the Forest.
 
TubaGeek

TubaGeek

God bless the "Ignore" button.
emilykawaii123 said:
I was told that Potter was pretty much done at UOR. Is there really still talk of a Phase 3 at Uni?
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There's more than enough source material, but I feel that any expansion on the Potter front would be too much for two parks. Maybe a third gate could include some Fanstastic Beasts material. That would also help circumvent the issue of getting actors from the original series to reprise their roles for more theme park attractions.
 
Mike S

Mike S

Well-Known Member
emilykawaii123 said:
Just in time for Fantastic Beasts
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I think they could have a Fantastic Beasts show replace Twister since the movie apparently takes place in 1920's New York and that is an aging show in the New York section of USF. Also thanks to @marni1971 for this pic you can fit a building the size of ET over the Fear Factor plot and maybe have room for something a little bigger.
image.jpg
 

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