New Wizarding World of Harry Potter Open Brainstorming (Uniting Universal Round One)

TheOriginalTiki

TheOriginalTiki

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Welcome to the first of two open brainstorming threads that will kick off this very unconventional 15th season of So, You Want to be an Imagineer. The votes have come through, and a majority of people expressed interest in working on a new Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Let the brainstorming begin!

The only requirement for this land is that it be based off a location other than Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade/Hogwarts Castle. With that in mind I have a couple ideas to kick start things and get the ball rolling.

-The Ministry of Magic would probably be the most obvious place to start. It's wan iconic location that could easily house several different attractions of various thrill levels.

-We could do something in the Fantastic Beasts timeline. Maybe a 1930's Hollywood studio showcasing the divide between the magic users and the nomags.

-By far I think the most interesting direction to take this is to hand-build an Australian Wizarding World complete with a school. I also have the idea of theming the land around the TriWizard Tournament and having three big attractions as the events. If we do it based on Goblet of Fire we'd have a Dragon attraction, an underwater attraction, and a labyrinth attraction.

I'll be back with reference photos and some more ideas later tonight.
 
Jtuck

Jtuck

Active Member
When I was thinking of this prompt Azkaban instantly came to mind, a prison escape ride would be really cool. A land set in the Fantastic Beasts timeline featuring Newt Scamander and his beasts would also be great. The new Australian wizarding school idea is very intriguing though.
 
spacemt354

spacemt354

Chili's
This doesnt seem like an option, but I've always felt that Universal missed an opportunity to have a full Hogwarts Castle.

Have it set on an island similar to Tom Sawyer, and built with multiple areas like The Land Pavilion. How cool would it be if you had a wand and could cast spells throughout Hogwarts. If you were able to walk into Potions Class, or into the Chamber of Secrets, or dine in The Great Hall.

It's a large project but would be completely different than a carbon copy of WWoHP in Orlando. It's hard to do Harry Potter right without its main settings.
 
Jtuck

Jtuck

Active Member
kmbmw777 said:
The Ministry and Azkaban go together so perhaps we could include them both?
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I really like this idea, it'd be kind of hard to make a whole land based on just Azkaban seeing its a building in the middle of the sea :p
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Maybe the attraction could be something like you enter the Ministry of Magic and tag along for a routine inspection of Azkaban.

spacemt354 said:
It's hard to do Harry Potter right without its main settings.
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I personally think the beauty of Harry Potter is that Rowling built a whole immersive world and Universal has only touched on two of the possible great locations (technically 3 with London).
 

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spacemt354

spacemt354

Chili's
Jtuck said:
I really like this idea, it'd be kind of hard to make a whole land based on just Azkaban seeing its a building in the middle of the sea :p
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Maybe the attraction could be something like you enter the Ministry of Magic and tag along for a routine inspection of Azkaban.



I personally think the beauty of Harry Potter is that Rowling built a whole immersive world and Universal has only touched on two of the possible great locations (technically 3 with London).
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I agree that Ministry of Magic and Azkaban would be fun to explore, but to have that be the central Potter land(s)...the casual theme park guest i think would be wondering where Hogwarts is :p

What could be interesting is since there are two parks, you could have the Hogwarts Express that takes you to London where the Ministry of Magic is (rather than Diagon Alley) which you could have an Azkaban attraction there based on Aurors, Dark Wizards, and Dementors. That would be awesome!

Then in either US or IoA, have a centralized Harry Potter land based on things causal fans would enjoy and understand, but 10x more immersive than WWoHP in IoA which is essentially 1 ride and 2 rethemed rides.
 
W

warfelg

Member
I think a really cool MARCUSA based land. I think a split 2 E-ticket ride area on both sides. The main area being a 20's style NYC street. Shops including Kowalski's bake shop, a couple of "hidden" American magic shops, and an "encounter" shop, a generic "Macy's" like store where the 4 escaped creatures from Newts suitcase keep wrecking havoc.

E-ticket #1: A ride in the style of Forbidden Journey where you are riding along with Queenie as she gives you a guided tour around MARCUSA. With this ride there is no conflict. All the ride movement will come from Queenie trying to hide you as she runs into other MARCUSA employees. Scenes would include a tour of the lobby, seeing the President's office, a tour of the lower levels, and a visit with Tina. Overall the ride will be more subdued than Forbidden Journey or Gringotts to be more "junior" friendly as the other e-ticket ride is bound to be for an older group.

E-Ticket #2: A multi-launch coaster based on trying to find an Obscurus. 3 block sections Block section #1: Graves is inspecting a wreck site and trying to figure out what happened, when suddenly the wall in front of you blows open and you chase off through some 'S' turns avoiding elements of a NYC street, Zero-G inversion flipping over a train, corkscrew going down into a dark allyway. Block Section #2: Another screen scene with Newt, Jacob, Tina, and Queenie with Newt warning you to get out as a couple of magical creatures are on the loose and dangerous. The Obscurus again busts out, through the ceiling this time. Launch into a vertical loop, exit with a corkscrew onto the street again. Cobra roll up against a city building. Dive loop into a subway station. Block Section #3: Another screen scene that reflects the ending of the movie with everyone there, looking at the train, realizing that the train (and you the rider) is the obscurus, and you launch off through the subway, with audio of Graves/Grindewald and Newt chasing you as you go through turns, twists, airtime hills. End with the ride going through a firewall and back into the station.

EDIT:

Ok.....so got some more ideas to fill this out:
~A street show by the New Salem Philanthropic Society preaching to find all magic able people and lock them up.
~The Niffler encounter. A bank front where kids can meet, touch, and interact with a Magi-zoo-oligist and their pet niffler.
~A wand shop (just like Ollivanders), but here you have to go through a "wad permitting".
 
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Jtuck

Jtuck

Active Member
spacemt354 said:
What could be interesting is since there are two parks, you could have the Hogwarts Express that takes you to London where the Ministry of Magic is (rather than Diagon Alley) which you could have an Azkaban attraction there based on Aurors, Dark Wizards, and Dementors. That would be awesome!
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Thats actually exactly what I was thinking. For some reason I had it in my head that this 3rd new Wizarding World land would be in addition to an already established Hogsmeade/Hogwarts and/or Diagon Alley in either US or IOA. I think having Hogsmeade and a bigger Hogwarts in the IOA park and having the express take you to London in US park for the Ministry/Azkaban area and ride is a great idea!
 
spacemt354

spacemt354

Chili's
Jtuck said:
Thats actually exactly what I was thinking. For some reason I had it in my head that this 3rd new Wizarding World land would be in addition to an already established Hogsmeade/Hogwarts and/or Diagon Alley in either US or IOA. I think having Hogsmeade and a bigger Hogwarts in the IOA park and having the express take you to London in US park for the Ministry/Azkaban area and ride is a great idea!
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spacemt354

spacemt354

Chili's
Jtuck

Jtuck

Active Member
orlando678- said:
Im not a big harry potter fan, so i dont know a lot of stuff, but always thought a Forbidden Forest area would be pretty amazing.
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While the Forbidden Forest is something thats already been visited in the Forbidden Journey ride I think it having its own area in a park would be great! I imagine it could be similar to Pandora as its all nature based and the sounds and atmosphere add to the overall tension and feeling. A Whomping Willow flatride where you are thrown around on its flailing branches could also be fun.
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TheOriginalTiki

TheOriginalTiki

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Okay, while I admit the forbidden forest twist on an expanded Hogwarts Castle is a loophole from my original intentions with this project...It's a great loophole and fits perfectly with the naturalistic tone we've already set for Seuss Landing. Only thing is, this fits in a lot more with Islands of Adventure, while I imagine the transition to the ministry of magic working better with a proper Studios park.

Why don't we focus on the two IOA projects this round and then move forward and do two projects for the Studios park next round. That way we can link The Forbidden Forest directly with Seuss Landing and can start this season in a really productive way getting a whole chunk of IOA done right off the bat.

One quick thing I'd like to throw in as an idea for ride vehicles in the inevitable Forbidden Forest E Ticket...Flying Ford Angelinas. Pretty pleeeeassse!
 
Jtuck

Jtuck

Active Member
TheOriginalTiki said:
Why don't we focus on the two IOA projects this round and then move forward and do two projects for the Studios park next round. That way we can link The Forbidden Forest directly with Seuss Landing and can start this season in a really productive way getting a whole chunk of IOA done right off the bat.
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This sounds great! and while we're on the topic of a huge expanded Hogwarts castle I think we should take a page out of one of Disney's recent endeavors and design a Harry Potter themed boutique resort similar to the Star Wars one disney is rumored to be considering. The Star Wars hotel is rumored to be a two day story driven experience where every family checks in and checks out at the same time and from the moment they enter the hotel to the moment they leave it is a complete experience with a storyline that the guests can be apart of. I think if we did a Hogwarts one it should be that each family checks-in in the evening and are invited to the great hall for dinner that night where they are sorted into their 'House' which would of course be Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff. They would receive a themed room in that wing of the castle and receive complimentary house robes and wands that they can take home. The hotel would have a direct entrance into the IOA theme park in the Harry Potter section and with a stay there you would get to enjoy extra (literal)magic in the land that regular guests do not always get to see like access to Hogwarts many classrooms and encounters with magical beasts. I imagine the storyline to the resort would be that you are all budding wizards and received an invitation to Hogwarts via owl and are to be sorted and participate in the goings of an average day at Hogwarts. There could be actors playing professors as well as students that give you little side-quests to complete throughout the castle too if that sounds fun. I imagine there would also be an attraction based in Hogwarts so maybe the storyline could play into that too as well as the Forbidden Forest E-ticket.

upload_2017-6-9_18-55-51.png


P.S. Im not suggesting we would build a life sized Hogwarts in a theme park to house guest in, but the expanded castle that would certainly be bigger than the one in Orlando could really sell the illusion that people are living there.

P.S. AGAIN I know this thread is about the land and we had an option to design a resort but I only included this here because I would consider it part of the land too as its highly themed and connected to it.
 
spacemt354

spacemt354

Chili's
Jtuck said:
This sounds great! and while we're on the topic of a huge expanded Hogwarts castle I think we should take a page out of one of Disney's recent endeavors and design a Harry Potter themed boutique resort similar to the Star Wars one disney is rumored to be considering. The Star Wars hotel is rumored to be a two day story driven experience where every family checks in and checks out at the same time and from the moment they enter the hotel to the moment they leave it is a complete experience with a storyline that the guests can be apart of. I think if we did a Hogwarts one it should be that each family checks-in in the evening and are invited to the great hall for dinner that night where they are sorted into their 'House' which would of course be Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff. They would receive a themed room in that wing of the castle and receive complimentary house robes and wands that they can take home. The hotel would have a direct entrance into the IOA theme park in the Harry Potter section and with a stay there you would get to enjoy extra (literal)magic in the land that regular guests do not always get to see like access to Hogwarts many classrooms and encounters with magical beasts. I imagine the storyline to the resort would be that you are all budding wizards and received an invitation to Hogwarts via owl and are to be sorted and participate in the goings of an average day at Hogwarts. There could be actors playing professors as well as students that give you little side-quests to complete throughout the castle too if that sounds fun. I imagine there would also be an attraction based in Hogwarts so maybe the storyline could play into that too as well as the Forbidden Forest E-ticket.

View attachment 209223

P.S. Im not suggesting we would build a life sized Hogwarts in a theme park to house guest in, but the expanded castle that would certainly be bigger than the one in Orlando could really sell the illusion that people are living there.

P.S. AGAIN I know this thread is about the land and we had an option to design a resort but I only included this here because I would consider it part of the land too as its highly themed and connected to it.
Click to expand...
If I'm understanding this right...Hogwarts would be a hotel and entrance into IoA? and the attractions would be on the theme park side of the resort - with Forbidden Forest and maybe the Quidditch Pitch being involved? That. Is. Awesome.

disneyland-hotel.jpg


And not out of the norm. Disneyland Paris has a hotel as their entrance. For WDW1966 - a project I worked on with a few others, we designed a resort similar at the entrance to the park.

With Hogwarts being the entrance...it would allow you to stay in Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, Hufflepuff common rooms, dine in the Great Hall, and function as a hotel with an indoor 'spa' Girl's Bathroom, Room of Requirement as a Rec center, and so much more. I'd definitely be in favor of that.
 
Jtuck

Jtuck

Active Member
spacemt354 said:
If I'm understanding this right...Hogwarts would be a hotel and entrance into IoA? and the attractions would be on the theme park side of the resort - with Forbidden Forest and maybe the Quidditch Pitch being involved?
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Yep thats exactly what I was envisioning! To me this would be considered the ultimate theme park experience especially with an added story element! BTW I hadn't even thought of Quidditch, now I want a roller coaster with vehicles similar to Tron Lightcycles but instead of a motorcycle its a Nimbus or whatever else the brooms are called :p

similar to these maybe
upload_2017-6-9_19-17-26.png

upload_2017-6-9_19-18-40.png
 
spacemt354

spacemt354

Chili's
Jtuck said:
Yep thats exactly what I was envisioning! To me this would be considered the ultimate theme park experience especially with an added story element! BTW I hadn't even thought of Quidditch, now I want a roller coaster with vehicles similar to Tron Lightcycles but instead of a motorcycle its a Nimbus or whatever else the brooms are called :p

similar to these maybe
View attachment 209226
View attachment 209227
Click to expand...

This has overhead flying coaster track but I also like your bike as a broomstick idea!
 

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