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Pandora vs. Harry Potter
- Thread starter POLY LOVER
- Start date
jimbojones
Well-Known Member
I say that because I have no interest in theme parks other than Disney and would have preferred one stop shopping for my Potter obsessed children
Pixieish
Well-Known Member
Normally, I would agree, but then you run the risk of trying to be a "one-stop-shop" to please everyone and the "product" can become diluted.
bhg469
Well-Known Member
I believe the plan was a Midway mania type attraction was their Pitch to JK. I am grateful universal won her attention because those plans solidified a future of competition between the resorts.
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ItsJustMeAgain
Member
I always find it strange how differently my family felt about Potter world (and Universal as a whole actually) compared to the hype we heard about it. We went a few years ago, it was our first trip to Universal and we all left saying we wouldn't pay to go in again after about 4-5 hours. I don't know whether it's because we're from the UK but there was little wow factor to Potter world, it all felt too small scale and just like an amalgamation of older British cities(admittedly that's what the aesthetic is based on but it wasn't really fantasy to us). When I heard Potter would be coming to Universal I was excited because my first thought was 'I'm getting into Hogwarts', I would get to explore hidden passages, dungeons, potions classes, and all we got was a mini hogwarts that really didn't have the grandeur it needed and a pretty average ride. In my opinion they materialised the relatively less magical side of the Potter universe and left out the main event. Maybe the additions have really amped it up since we went but from what I've read it's more of the same.I haven't been to Pandora yet but if it's anything like the rest of AK it will win hands down for us, regardless of how good the rides are.
Raineman
Well-Known Member
I'd like to preface this by stating that I have never been to see any of the HP stuff at Uni (I've seen alot of things online, but not in person), but, to me, the biggest difference is that Uni seems to present the HP areas as directly tied in to the events in the movies, whereas Pandora at DAK takes place many years after the events in the film, and is a new story (ACE bringing tourists to Pandora, Valley Of Mo'ara given to humans to use, etc). If the setting of Pandora was the actual movie, then we might see Na'vi walking around and interaction between them and the park guests. As this is not the case, it makes it harder to compare HP & Pandora, IMO-two different types of experiences. As someone already said, a better comparison will be HP vs SW:GE.
WondersOfLife
Blink, blink. Breathe, breathe. Day in, day out.
Harry Potter is definitely better. With no bias coming from me, because I don't care for either of the two franchises.
ItsJustMeAgain
Member
It was just our opinion. We were impressed by the queue but didn't feel the ride measured up. We liked bits of it and would rate it the best ride we went on in universal but ultimately even with a 20 minute wait we didn't want to go back on and haven't talked about it in the way we have other rides.
Maybe I should have phrased it differently, clearly with all the effort and stuff put into it is an above average ride in terms of technicality, but to us that didn't translate into an above average experience in the same way it has for others.
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UpAllNight
Well-Known Member
Both lands hit me with the wow factor as I walked in for the first time, as did both of the E-Tickets. I think that Potter wins, just, as they’ve done more with entertainment, more interactivity, but in pure aesthetics it’s neck and neck. They’re both pretty flawless, other than the showbiilding for FJ.
Raineman
Well-Known Member
Not trying to be one of those people on here, but it would be logistically impossible to have people in 9-10 foot tall blue alien costumes walking around Pandora and have it look realistic, so to compare the two lands based on that requirement isn't really fair, IMO. In all other aspects, I found Pandora to be extremely immersive, even to the point that the only hint of Disney you will see in Pandora are the Magic Band scanners-you won't find any Mickey Mouse Pandora t-shirts or Donald Duck Na'vi plushies or Goofy meet and greets. The first time you go, it can even be hard to spot the queue entrance for FOP & NRJ, as there is not as much obvious signage as there is anywhere else at WDW. I've never been to HP at Uni, so I can't comment there, but, to me, it would be hard to beat Pandora for immersion.
danyoung56
Well-Known Member
I'm not sure how you'd do this. You'd have to put them on some kind of stilt, which would mean their feet would be somewhere midway up the leg. I don't think the illusion would hold up.
Raineman
Well-Known Member
Agreed. Anything less than a convincing alien costume would kind of destroy the immersion, not enhance it. Not to detract from HP, but it's alot easier for them to simply dress someone up in a wizard/witch/Hogwarts costume.
nilo121
New Member
In all fairness, saying "going to be slightly rude" doesn't really make it any less rude. You can still be amicable whilst disagreeing.
From the UK, I have to say I agree slightly with the initial comment. From a natural bias, the harry potter world was not so whimsical as to just parts of the UK itself. I did think the Harry Potter land was very good, and excellently themed. I just can't help but think that if someone else had obtained an ownership of a label such as Harry Potter, it would have been so much huger than it was.
I liked the ride, I really did, but the whole experience seemed a little less than what we potentially thought was capable for a name like Harry Potter. Happily accepting that I have a bias coming from the UK, and also happily accepting that that's just my viewpoint. I really liked Harry Potter world, I can't actually knock it, I just can't help but feel like it still could've been so much more than it was when I saw it. But also appreciating the fact that it may have changed since I last saw it.
COrunner
Well-Known Member
This,
Pandora/Avatar aren't comparable to the HP IP. Star Wars is and I think will improve on all the notes that Uni did with HP.
Incomudro
Well-Known Member
I feel that you have to know Potter (which I don't) in order to get the Potter Lands.
I thought that they were extremely well done, but without knowing what I was looking at - there was nothing to relate to.
I've yet to visit Pandora, but since it is a natural looking land - you don't really need to know what you are looking at in order to appreciate it.
I thought that they were extremely well done, but without knowing what I was looking at - there was nothing to relate to.
I've yet to visit Pandora, but since it is a natural looking land - you don't really need to know what you are looking at in order to appreciate it.
Incomudro
Well-Known Member
Then don't listen to this:
Forbidden Journey left my family flat.
No one had a "Let's ride that again!" feeling.
Too much of it felt like we were watching a movie that was being narrated.
bhg469
Well-Known Member
I have to beg to differ. I have seen maybe 2.5 potter movies and have read no books. I do not identify as any of their "houses" but I am super impressed with the lands