Universal announce "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley" to open in 2014

[lego606]

Looks so cool!! How are they going to cover all the backstage areas in foliage!!! lol

This Train Ride might the coolest thing anyone has ever done. Talk about innovation.

I think parts of this are going to be enclosed (such as the train part) in order to hide backstage areas.

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I think the train idea is super smart, business-wise. They can now reasonably cut their cheapest ticket without losing that many sales.

 

[Funmeister]

Before or after it's going to be tough to hype the Dwarfs ("but..but...it is 3.5 minutes long, we swear!") when Potter phase 2 opens. Fairytale Hall won't help either.

You are correct. Mine Train and Fairytale Hall with both be lost in the Universal Hype of Transformers, Simpsons and...one other I forgot...oh yeah..Harry Potter. Not to mention that Universal will take away any momentum the new Fantasyland has gained.

 

[RichCruelSugar]

I think parts of this are going to be enclosed (such as the train part) in order to hide backstage areas.

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I think the train idea is super smart, business-wise. They can now reasonably cut their cheapest ticket without losing that many sales.

I was being silly. Yeah I read that the trains will have screens that mimic the real voyage from london to hogwarts. actually they will have several different versions of the "train ride" like snow falling/snow covered to an attack by the dementors (with in cabin effects, might I add). That is so completely amazing. I cannot wait.

The detail in the concept art is really exciting. Oh Disney, D23 will be your moment to up the ante. Will you take it?

 

[djlaosc]

I think the train idea is super smart, business-wise. They can now reasonably cut their cheapest ticket without losing that many sales.

If they get rid of the one park ticket, then would both theme parks effectively become one park?

If so, then "Universal Orlando Resort" would have had 13,718,000 (7,674,000 + 6,044,000) visitors in 2011...

1. Magic Kingdom - 17,142,000
2. Disneyland - 16,140,000
3. Tokyo Disneyland - 13,996,000
4. Universal Orlando Resort - 13,718,000
5. Tokyo DisneySea - 11,930,000
6. Disneyland Park, Paris - 10,990,000
7. Epcot - 10,825,000
8. Disney's Animal Kingdom - 10,825,000
9. Disney's Hollywood Studios - 9,699,000
10. Universal Studios Japan - 8,500,000

...and with the increase in DCA (possibly above Epcot), WDW Parks could end up #1, #8, #9, #10.

Of course, if "TWWOHP-DA" results in the same increase that "TWWOHP" did, then if they counted both parks together, then "Universal Orlando Resort" could be challenging MK/DL for #1 in the world.


People are wary of the "$100 barrier" for a one-day, one-park ticket, but would people be willing to pay "$133" for a one-day one-super-park ticket? In fact, could it be even cheaper, as they would be getting "extra" money from the people who would just be buying a "one-park" ticket, so those who would be buying a "two-park ticket" could get it cheaper than they normally would have to pay.

 

[Sthebest]

They are still 2 seperate parks.

I like the momentum of building something new every year, but I'm not so sure that this will benefit them long term. I am sure they will make a WHOLE lot of money for the next couple of years but I don't know how I feel about a whole land dedicated to one franchise. Cars Land is nice, but what about when it gets old? Do you have to repurpose a whole land? Having Harry Potter in 2 seperate parks? What happens when it gets old and its time to replace. Isn't that even worse?

 

[lego606]

They are still 2 seperate parks.

I like the momentum of building something new every year, but I'm not so sure that this will benefit them long term. I am sure they will make a WHOLE lot of money for the next couple of years but I don't know how I feel about a whole land dedicated to one franchise. Cars Land is nice, but what about when it gets old? Do you have to repurpose a whole land? Having Harry Potter in 2 seperate parks? What happens when it gets old and its time to replace. Isn't that even worse?

For now. It's quite possible they're being obscure about any intentions they have to avoid tipping off TDO.

 

[Sue_Vongello]

They are still 2 seperate parks.

I like the momentum of building something new every year, but I'm not so sure that this will benefit them long term. I am sure they will make a WHOLE lot of money for the next couple of years but I don't know how I feel about a whole land dedicated to one franchise. Cars Land is nice, but what about when it gets old? Do you have to repurpose a whole land? Having Harry Potter in 2 seperate parks? What happens when it gets old and its time to replace. Isn't that even worse?

I think they are doubling down that Potter becomes as timeless as Star Wars or Indiana Jones ... I guess I can't see, given time, how it won't be ...

 

[Funmeister]

I think they are doubling down that Potter becomes as timeless as Star Wars or Indiana Jones ... I guess I can't see, given time, how it won't be ...

I agree. In my opinion I think the door will always be open for more Potter books. I know she said she is done but so did Lucas.

Reading your post kind of makes me sad though. You mention Indiana Jones as being timeless however the company has done nothing and has no foreseeable plans to do anything with him. So, by not using him he in a way is losing his timelessness (is that a word?).

 

[lazyboy97o]

They are still 2 seperate parks.

I like the momentum of building something new every year, but I'm not so sure that this will benefit them long term. I am sure they will make a WHOLE lot of money for the next couple of years but I don't know how I feel about a whole land dedicated to one franchise. Cars Land is nice, but what about when it gets old? Do you have to repurpose a whole land? Having Harry Potter in 2 seperate parks? What happens when it gets old and its time to replace. Isn't that even worse?

I tend to agree, but I think Universal has shown a willingness to replace. Depending on where the lines for a franchise are drawn, Islands of Adventure is anchored by single property lands (Dr. Seuss, Marvel, Jurassic Park, Harry Potter). The newer Universal Studios parks also show a tendency towards this model.

 

[Sketch105]

I, too was kind of wary of the new move towards building enormous, immersive environments based on singular franchises, but there's a lot of research and thought that goes into these projects. It's tough to imagine a point where Harry Potter would have to be replaced since new fans are born every day thanks to the books and movies being passed down.

 

[ParentsOf4]

Opening in 2014!

How long will Avatarland be in development? How long does it take to build a 3-minute kiddie coaster? How much time & money has been spent developing NextGen and how many problems does it still have? How long does it take to build a bathroom?

Why am I thinking GM vs. Toyota/Honda in the 1980s?

 

[TalkingHead]

When the rumor circulated a month ago that HP 2.0 would open in 2014, I thought it sounded crazy. And now it's confirmed. It's still crazy, though.

Jaws closed in Jan 2012, I think. So less than 3 years we'll go from a closed Jaws to an open Gringotts, the Express, the shops...

 

[ThemeParks4Life]

About time! The concept art looks great!

 

[HM GhostHostess]

I'm probably the only person who is not excited about this at all.

I really don't like the Harry Potter books or movies, so I don't have any interest in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter over at Islands of Adventure or this new Diagon Alley. I appreciate the attention to detail, but I just don't get any of the excitement over it.

I guess I'm also still upset about the closure of Amity Island and the Jaws attraction. I'm a huge fan of the Jaws film and I've always enjoyed the attraction. I'm concerned about fact that Universal is throwing away attractions and lands based on their own classic films in favor of buying out works from other studios that are currently popular. Just my opinion, though.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I'm probably the only person who is not excited about this at all.

I really don't like the Harry Potter books or movies, so I don't have any interest in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter over at Islands of Adventure or this new Diagon Alley. I appreciate the attention to detail, but I just don't get any of the excitement over it.

I guess I'm also still upset about the closure of Amity Island and the Jaws attraction. I'm a huge fan of the Jaws film and I've always enjoyed the attraction. I'm concerned about fact that Universal is throwing away attractions and lands based on their own classic films in favor of buying out works from other studios that are currently popular. Just my opinion, though.

Have you visited The Wizarding World of Harry Potter? Lots of us who had not read the books or seen the movies but were wowed by the experience.

 

[bubbles1812]

W

I'm probably the only person who is not excited about this at all.

I really don't like the Harry Potter books or movies, so I don't have any interest in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter over at Islands of Adventure or this new Diagon Alley. I appreciate the attention to detail, but I just don't get any of the excitement over it.

I guess I'm also still upset about the closure of Amity Island and the Jaws attraction. I'm a huge fan of the Jaws film and I've always enjoyed the attraction. I'm concerned about fact that Universal is throwing away attractions and lands based on their own classic films in favor of buying out works from other studios that are currently popular. Just my opinion, though.

Well... No offense, but Jaws is gone. No use crying over spilt milk. At a certain point you are going to have to let go.

And HP seems like it has a pretty good chance of being here to stay. It wasnt just some year long pop culture thing and then poof, it went bye bye. It was a decade long phenomenon that was a huge part of the reading/film going lives of millions upon millions of children and adults worldwide. You don't like HP. And that's fine though you should recognize you are the minority. And no wonder you dont get the impact of WWOHP. Out of curiosity did you actually give the books a try? Or did you dismiss them off the bat because they took out Jaws?

And the property is making Universal so much money, it's opening doors they could never have dreamed of before. Ill take new innovative attractions, detailed lands, unique merchandise, ect over one single Jaws ride any day. I liked Jaws but sometime you have to look forward.

 

[bubbles1812]

Also... That's some great looking concept art. I don't expect a dragon to be on too of Gringotts but that would be friggen awesome especially given how um, how well Disney utilized their dragon...

But I think the best thing about that concept art is knowing that there are already things built, that you can actually see in the parks. That this will be built. Rather than, you know, putting out concept art and then maybe, just maybe, if we are lucky, said content within art gets built years later...

 

[Sue_Vongello]

Have you visited The Wizarding World of Harry Potter? Lots of us who had not read the books or seen the movies but were wowed by the experience.

Count me in that crowd ... I saw the first three movies and then got bored in the middle of the fourth and gave up on the films, I also never read the books but I do LOVE the John Williams score ... anyway ... that all being said I spend COUNTLESS hours in that land when I am there. I eat it all up ... such an amazing place to hang out, visit, and enjoy attractions.

 

[JillC LI]

So I assume you would have to show a two-park ticket to board the Hogwarts Express?

 

[RandomPrincess]

So I assume you would have to show a two-park ticket to board the Hogwarts Express?

Either that or you will have to ride the train round trip.