I think the conversation has veered to a contest of wits, and what really needs to be understood is that this Harry Potter attraction will be an addition of a Hogwarts Castle constructed near HP themed areas. This new ride will feature a new technology which will be simulator-like, with greater capability, thus giving a different type of ride that not many have experienced before. Great.
Now, let's get one thing straight, Universal has never been successful at creating an AA, ok? The dinos are not AA's; they are simple mechanisms that cause the "robot" to move forward or shake (maybe even turn). The Mummy has a shaking "boy" and a AA-like figure that looks like it's seizing (a problem that Disney imagineers knew would happen, and hence didn't push the limits of their AA's until the 100 series could correct for this problem).
Why do I bring this up? Think about it, a Hogwarts themed ride will either have to be another 4-d experience, which could be seen as a simple extension of Spiderman, or an AA interactive realm (i.e. AAs). But unless the Universal team is able to figure out AAs or find a way to project in a way that is lifelike, I really have a hard time seeing this ride as breakthrough.
Sure, Disney has been a little lazy with regards to coming up with innovative ideas (a 3-d shooting gallery, a touch tv screen, and a coaster with a mountain around it). Does this make them any less enjoyable? I don't believe that to be true; the "popularity" is still relatively high for at least 2 of these, the third being moderate. The same can be said for Universal. Adding Mr. Walken apparently boosts popularity to a ride that's been there for years.
When it comes down to it, the experience will be just that, an experience. Some who love HP will be happy if it's true to the story. Those who love immersive rides will enjoy the story around them. Will this change the distribution of attendance? Most likely it will have an impact for about a year. Overall, this ride will eventually become another part of a whole, no longer standing out, except in IOA. For those of you who want to raise your hand and argue Spiderman, I have this to say: does the presence of the ride cause Disney to lose a significant capacity? Do you this that the ride alone has increased the number of guests staying on Universal sites? Yes, HP fans may be the deciding factor, but I feel that as with the movies, what JK believes to be acceptable will not fly with most fans.
Oh, and the only issue I have with the HP area is the fact that you will most likely see Hogwarts from some other area of the park before entering the Magical Realm (I assume it will be very clear from the entrance across the lake). I don't care that you are supposed to "see the islands" or that it should be the most noticeable because of how great it may turn out to be. When I want magic, I want it to be separated from my DNA science and Cartoons.
That being said, those of you who pop into the board and make a snide comment about how annoying these posts are, you can simply stop reading.:brick: Magical, isn't it?
