Would this be an answer for UNI's Harry Potter Land?

[Magenta Panther]

Very much agreed on everything you said. I think LOTR would be amazing, if that is, whatever studio got the rights would pay the money, the "big bucks" as you so aptly put it. Anything less and I think there would be some serious serious backlash... and that would definitely make the news. I definitely think WDI has it in them to create the land. The problem is I just don't think management would be willing to pay the money. It would be a really risky investment if they were only willing to pay NFE numbers because while NFE is nice, that would not be enough to satisfy even more casual fans of the series precisely because of the points you said about the movies being so elaborate and even the books being so descriptive. It would be a no brainer investment if they decided yes we are going to go all out though. As much as I hate to say it, I think at least right now at this point in time, LOTR would have a much better chance with Uni in terms of which company would be willing to spend that money. This is all theoretical of course. Sigh... I wish LOTR were coming to a park for real!

I like the Tolkein books, especially the Hobbit, but really, how could they work as a theme park attraction? The books are rather dense and the plot isn't particularly linear. I'm not sure how well the Tolkein dwarfs would work in a park that's got the Seven Dwarfs. Despite the popularity of the films, I really don't think LOTR would work as an attraction or ride. But maybe you have some ideas that could convince me...?

 

[bubbles1812]

I like the Tolkein books, especially the Hobbit, but really, how could they work as a theme park attraction? The books are rather dense and the plot isn't particularly linear. I'm not sure how well the Tolkein dwarfs would work in a park that's got the Seven Dwarfs. Despite the popularity of the films, I really don't think LOTR would work as an attraction or ride. But maybe you have some ideas that could convince me...?

Well... I don't think I'd place LOTR in MK so I think separation from the 7 Dwarves wouldn't be that much of an issue. Probably would best go in DHS if we are talking about putting a land in a specific park...not that it goes super thematically with that either...but hey, that parks a mess theme wise anyways and I doubt they will ever fix that.

It's true the books are rather dense but tons of people have seen the movies, and for the most part, I don't think people had trouble following them. Hobbit especially, is technically a children's book when it comes down to who Tolkien had as the intended audience. Obviously it grew into more, but there ya go.

As to attractions that could fit in the land... I could see them building a part of the Shire to start. Could be a walk through. Or heck, could just be a silly Omnimover thru Bag End. I feel like you could see a lot of merchandise in a place like that. You could steal the concept of "Soarin' over Pandora" except this time it's Soarin' over Middle Earth, with the concept of riding on an eagles back. And then that lucky duck who gets to film some of the footage for that gets a paid trip to New Zealand. Could do the concept of a roller coaster type ride through Moria. Sort of like with the yeti but this time you get to run away from the Balrog and Gandalf saves you at the end. Could do potentially another roller coastery type ride or something like say Spiderman moving through NY except your moving through the Pellenor Fields, and your helping Aragorn defeat Sauron's army, controlling the ghosts, fighting an Oliphant, all that. Maybe you could have a sort of show with Smaug or something. Can you imagine if they did a Splash Mountain type ride through the Lonely Mountain? How cool would it be to see the loads of treasure and encounter an AA of Smaug? You could see Bilbo going invisible and stealing something ect. Or you could have a log ride floating down the river towards Dale. I feel like there's a ton of different areas of each of the books that would make great rides.

Sorry, all that probably made me seem like a dork. But I think there is tons of potential for cool rides in association with LOTR. No, much of what I just blue skyed is for toddlers but I would trust WDI to come up with somethings for kids. And if Disney did get the rights, I think they would know they might be gearing this land to a bit older audience (something they need anyways). And for a end of the night finale... a good ole' showing of Gandalf's fireworks. I guess what I'm trying to say is that to enjoy an LOTR land doesn't mean you have to know every naunce of the story. Not everyone who visits Potter knows everything but they still enjoy it. My mom hasn't read a single HP book and feel asleep during the movies (She likes pretty much only chick flicks..sleeps through LOTR and pretty much every action flick. She's silly.) but she still enjoyed the land tremendously.

 

[Taylor]

Star Wars, Cars, possibly Toy Story would topple the boy wizard

 

[SleepingMonk]

Star Wars is the best option at this point.

LOTR is much too dark for WDW, they don't do edgy very well if at all, and an entire Orc land geared toward toddlers would be a sin against nature.

 

[Taylor]

And avengers but that can't happen

 

[bubbles1812]

And avengers but that can't happen

Avengers/Marvel could be a property that could at least take a bite out of Potter but yeah, I suspect at this point Disney would have to pay the same astronomical sum for those rights as they would for LOTR. No way Universal lets Disney build super hero stuff in the East.

 

[R W B]

An Avengers Land/area was my first thought but I new that legally can't happen.

I don't see how some of you all say Pirates are old but yet everyone wants Star Wars still? I'm 25 and I was able to see the 3 newest Star Wars movies in theaters and while they're cool and all I wouldn't really care for a whole area for it. Also, how many 5-10 yr olds today are into Star Wars? I coach my nephew's little league football and baseball teams and Ive never heard them talk about it, now Cars, Potter, Pirates (in general) thats all the time. I think Star Wars would appeal to more people older then me then to younger kids and that doesn't make sense at WDW.

I still think a Pirates Land would be huge, would it have the draw of Potter? No, but what franchise would? None. As far as placement, it would have to be DHS somewhere unless it could be added on to MK somewhere.

Like I said, I know this is not going to happen but its what I would do.

 

[bubbles1812]

Nope. I've advocated for quite some time that the Pirates franchise should have a stronger presence in the parks, especially in Adventureland. The reason I think it's a no-brainer is not just the success of PotC movies, but pirates in general. They are a timeless, immortal part of human history, literature and art, and are derived from reality, unlike the Hobbits and such. Their stories have all the prerequisites for pleasing audiences of all ages: adventure, romance, comedy, tragedy, magic and treasure. They will NEVER go out of style. And Disney has one of the best Pirate legends ever created, and produced from it a huge film franchise. Why shouldn't it expand on it? Beats paying big bucks for off-studio flash-in-the-pan stuff like Avatar. I'd love to see Adventureland get a pirate-themed restaurant that looks like an inverted pirate ship, with lanterns and talking parrots and live shows and tavern wenches and so on. It could knock the socks of the Three Broomsticks in Universal, easy. Why doesn't Disney even consider an idea like that? Why is it wanting to put junk like Cameron's kitties and Spiderman in the parks instead?

Except they kind of did for a while. At least in terms of prevalence in the media, books, literature. When was the last popular book about pirates published? Everyone could probably list Treasure Island and the buck stops there. Ask people to name a pirate movie outside of the Caribbean franchise and many would not be able to name one. Pirate movies flopped left right and center for years and years. They thought the first Pirates movie was going to be a flop and I think it very well might have except for the fact that Depp gave such a unique performance and created such a memorable character. Without Sparrow as he embodied him, we are left with the way another actor probably would have played him...straight and boring. And the other characters certainly weren't strong enough to carry the film franchise by itself.

It's true many kids play pirates so a land like that might fit but I am not sure something that generic (and yes, pirates just as a general concept is generic) would be the draw you think it is. They just don't have the same popularity as Potter, Lord of the Rings, Narnia, superheroes, ect. Though Potter I guess is as yet unproven in terms of longevity (I think it'll do just fine personally), just those three other franchises I listed have already proved they aren't "flash in the pan." Lord of the Rings was published in 1954. It's now 2012 and people are still reading it, still enjoying it. Spiderman's first appeared in comics in 1962! And he's still one of the most popular superheros in the world today. You don't have to enjoy it but I'd hardly consider it "junk" (and this is coming from a person who doesn't read comics).

Your restaurant idea sounds lovely. It truly does. I'd love love love to see that. But again, just not sure a whole land is what people would want nor do I think it would swot Potter even if your awesome restaurant idea would sock the Three Broomsticks.

BTW, just wondering what you thought of my list of LOTR attractions that could be put in? I'm not an engineer or park designer, far from, and I have no idea if anything I said is even in the realm of feasibility. Just curious to know if you see some of the potential I do in the franchise.

 

[Mrs.Toad]

If Disney "needs" er, extra money, they should unload and sell the Muppets to Universal. Do it for the Muppets and give them some justice. It is very apparent they are not going to do anything with them. They have Muppetvision 3-D that I love but it needs work, and there is a shop, a small courtyard with a fountain, and that is about it for years and years now. And I saw on Neverland files, I think, that the area was supposed to be bigger and other stuff was planned but never happened. Some of the decor around the area reflects other stuff that was supposed to come. (Wasn't Melrose supposed to be a Muppet eatery?)

It is a smaller, unique, and beloved niche, the Muppets, and I think Universal Studios would give them maybe a bit bigger and better area, and would "get it" or really "get them" and what they are about. A funny, zany, tongue in cheek tribute area to the Muppets, because that is their vibe. Because I love the Muppets, and either you grew up watching the Muppet show or they grow on you for the younger generation. They have a small but solid following. But they are certainly not comparable to Potter or other things.

But if that space and restaurant is freed up, what could they put there? I think Melrose would have to be another restaurant, because knowing them, they would utilize the kitchen and restaurant space, equipment that is already there.

 

[Disneyfann]

I'm going to get attacked for this, but in all actuality the WWOHP is not really great in my opinion. It's good, and cool. The scenery is good, but Disney would have done it a thousand times better. The butterbeer is the best part about Harry Potter, and I bet LeFou's brew will rival it. The ride is great, but Disney would do it better.
Honestly, a really good Pixar land expansion could kill Harry Potter IMO.

 

[awoogala]

An Avengers Land/area was my first thought but I new that legally can't happen.

I don't see how some of you all say Pirates are old but yet everyone wants Star Wars still? I'm 25 and I was able to see the 3 newest Star Wars movies in theaters and while they're cool and all I wouldn't really care for a whole area for it. Also, how many 5-10 yr olds today are into Star Wars? I coach my nephew's little league football and baseball teams and Ive never heard them talk about it, now Cars, Potter, Pirates (in general) thats all the time. I think Star Wars would appeal to more people older then me then to younger kids and that doesn't make sense at WDW.

I still think a Pirates Land would be huge, would it have the draw of Potter? No, but what franchise would? None. As far as placement, it would have to be DHS somewhere unless it could be added on to MK somewhere.

Like I said, I know this is not going to happen but its what I would do.

Every boy I know (and plenty of girls) has spent at least one year obsessing about star wars. When my son had his 8th birthday party and each kid got a Lightsaber , I was declared coolest mom ever. It is also generational, something mo parent share t their kids. Star wars weekends are packed. I am beyond assured the franchise will outlast many others.

 

[Goofyernmost]

First, I think we all need to stop thinking in terms of "answering" Harry Potter. HP lent itself to a theme park attraction because of the popularity and the general set up of the books and movies. Much like Star Wars and Indiana Jones. Nothing that I have seen lately really measures up to any of those, so really there is no answer to HP. Just like the unexpected success of PoTC (the movie), Harry Potter had a certain cult following, but even though they obviously thought it would go well. I don't think that they anticipated the kind of popularity it has received.

Disney needs to find it's own way. They need to step up the creativity of what they do produce and continue to do what they do/did best. There has been a lot of talk about how Disney had a chance to get HP, but for some reason I truly doubt that it is true, completely. Something is out there, maybe not publicly yet, that will have the same reaction that HP got. It's just a matter of time before the public will have had enough of the HP property, just like they got tired of Jaws and King Kong. The public is a fickle group. What they love today they turn thumbs down to tomorrow.

Nightmares before anything certainly is not it. It has a loyal but limited appeal. I know I wouldn't cross the street to see anything related to it. I doubt I am the only one. HP has a cross appeal. I have never read a single HP book, but I know enough about the franchise that I don't mind seeing it. I would tell them where to stick those expensive magic wands at the end of the ride though. Just don't care that much about it.

 

[awoogala]

If Disney "needs" er, extra money, they should unload and sell the Muppets to Universal. Do it for the Muppets and give them some justice. It is very apparent they are not going to do anything with them. They have Muppetvision 3-D that I love but it needs work, and there is a shop, a small courtyard with a fountain, and that is about it for years and years now. And I saw on Neverland files, I think, that the area was supposed to be bigger and other stuff was planned but never happened. Some of the decor around the area reflects other stuff that was supposed to come. (Wasn't Melrose supposed to be a Muppet eatery?)

It is a smaller, unique, and beloved niche, the Muppets, and I think Universal Studios would give them maybe a bit bigger and better area, and would "get it" or really "get them" and what they are about. A funny, zany, tongue in cheek tribute area to the Muppets, because that is their vibe. Because I love the Muppets, and either you grew up watching the Muppet show or they grow on you for the younger generation. They have a small but solid following. But they are certainly not comparable to Potter or other things.

But if that space and restaurant is freed up, what could they put there? I think Melrose would have to be another restaurant, because knowing them, they would utilize the kitchen and restaurant space, equipment that is already there.

I agree! Muppets are being ignored! Would have loved a swedish chef restaurant, a meet and greet, character meal! A great gonzo or pigs in space ride? Dark ride through kermit's swamp?

 

[Goofyernmost]

I agree! Muppets are being ignored! Would have loved a swedish chef restaurant, a meet and greet, character meal! A great gonzo or pigs in space ride? Dark ride through kermit's swamp?

Reality Check....The Muppets died with Jim Henson. It could never be what it was without it's soul. Muppets 3D is a tribute to Mr. Henson, but, as a force in entertainment, it has lost it's energy, much like the creativity of Disney after Walt died. Things that we got for the first 10 or 15 years after his death were really extensions of his wishes and directions. After that and the retirement and loss of the creative force that surrounded Walt have left the well very dry.

 

[DisneyDose]

Just throwing this out there as an idea I came up with that I have not seen posted. Just want to be clear I have ZERO knowledge this would EVER happen, personally I don't think so.

Since Avatarland is up in the air and nobody really knows the outcome of that it got me thinking what might come close to a Potter size "splash" in the industry. Well, we all know a Star Wars land and an Indiana Jones Land is not happening and those are the 2 main ones that I see talked about all the time. Personally I wouldnt get hyped over either one of those considering the age of them. So, whats one of the biggest Disney series right now that caters to all ages?....Pirates of the Caribbean. Its a very strong franchise with a huge following thats grown to be pretty die-hard. I think building a land would be awesome and would be a huge success and it would actually be Disney unlike Avatar, Star Wars or Indy. I think WDI could come up with great ideas to theme it and i'm not sure exactly what but I'm sure they could find a way to make a E-ticket attraction too. With that said, with the current PoTC ride they have now and since its a classic I don't ever see this happening though but I think it could be a huge hit.

Am I the only one that thinks this?

It seems that everyone is forgetting that Disney already tried to create a Pirate Land in Disneyland on Tom Sawyer's Island. It hasn't done badly or well.

I do think that it would be wonderful if Disney would create a fully immersive land like Cars Land in Walt Disney World. But, who knows.

 

[Prototype82]

No, but the expansion should make it AAAAAHHHHHHHHH-MAZING

I will admit, it was smaller then I was expecting and as LAME as this is, but I was bummed about the food. I wish it wasn't so "authentic" to this fake world. lol We ate at the HogsHead and I hated my chicken and potatoes....lol

Three Broomsticks has the greatest fish and chips on the face of the earth. You have no idea how amazing they are.

 

[Mrs.Toad]

They still have albeit a very small, solid following. They need a small, but dynamic "home" somewhere.
Be it Disney, Universal, or somewhere else. The Hensons looking into this would be great, if it appllies. I could be too idealistic, but if they start small somewhere, again, it could grow. The pulse is still off currently, and I totally agree with that. Reality check....not necessary. The most recent movie was better than I expected it to be, but it is not there yet, but it can be taken to the next level again. If done correctly.

What I don't know or have not looked into, is exactly what the legal end is with Henson/Disney, the logistics, years....what was worked out exactly at that time and how binding it is.

I have thought countless times about what could work for them. One thing that came up...they are trying to throw themselves out into the market again with too many characters.

 

[matt9112]

See the problem is Disney has nothing even close to Harry Potter in terms of popularity so I don't think there is any "competing" right now. I think new fantasyland will be good, but I've seen HP world and its GREAT not good.

great you say.....i say F**King EPIC like getting to the last level in super mario and grabbing that damsel EPIC. before save buttons exsisted. =)

 

[Mrs.Toad]

I love that. So true and perfectly articulated. Jim Henson was their soul.

Not easy and never will be replaced. Not even close. But I hope there is a future somewhere for the Muppets.

 

[SleepingMonk]

...Disney would have done it a thousand times better.... The ride is great, but Disney would do it better...

What has Disney done lately that would lead you to that conclusion?