Harry potter Ask The Disney Experts Discuss Harry potter in the Ask The Experts forums; I want to see Harry Potter, it looks cool! THIS IS BRIANDOM: Wizarding World of Harry Potter Construction Update: 2/22/10...

[HauntedGabe]

I want to see Harry Potter, it looks cool!

THIS IS BRIANDOM: Wizarding World of Harry Potter Construction Update: 2/22/10

[Disney's Folly]

We're planning a trip for October, starting off in Tampa/St Pete for a wedding and then heading to the world. Rental car in hand, I'm going to push for a stop at IOA, solely for Harry Potter (though a little bit for Spidey, too!). I dug Universal back in the day but they lost me when they killed all the great old rides. It's mostly thrill coasters now or movie-themed experiences that don't intrigue me. But the Harry Potter World looks really well done and as a big fan, I am pushing to stop there.

That said, Universal can't ever compete in my mind because i could never envision staying there for long. At this point, it'll be a half day pitstop before a week at Disney. So i really don't know how the competition could ever swing out of Disney's favor.

[DHI]

I think Disney realized that most of their fanbase didn't want HP in Disney World... Plus Disney learned that working with Rowling is a pain in the rear end!!!

[mindy0509]

I am huge Disney Fan and a huge HP fan. For the first time ever I am planning on going to Orlando and spending time off of Disney property. I think this is a great thing for Universal and think the competition for Disney will be a good thing. We were just in WDW 2 weeks ago and drove past universal and you could see Hogwarts from the interstate. I am super excited to see this and hope it has been done correctly!

[elvistelth]

I see all upside to Disney not getting harryland. I'm not a fan of Harry or Universal so they can keep it for themselves. Also, I think the competition will spur Disney on to greater heights.

[petals3485]

I'm going in September with my mum and tbh the opening of World of Harry Potter is the reason we're going back to Florida... getting uber excited though cos we're now also going to MNSSHP as well.

[Disney's Folly]

The height restriction for the Forbidden Journey ride (the one that's in Hogwarts castle) is 48 inches. That is just utterly baffling in an attraction and land with such a young target audience. I think we're going to see a lot of angered visitors this summer when they realize their short 12 year old can't go on a ride starring a boy wizard from a children's book series.

[Dizisit]

Originally Posted by elvistelth

I see all upside to Disney not getting harryland. I'm not a fan of Harry or Universal so they can keep it for themselves. Also, I think the competition will spur Disney on to greater heights.

Yep. An inordinate amount of the greatest technological advances come during war. And a theme park war is far more preferable to the other kind.....usually...

[JNota0005DakMC]

Originally Posted by elvistelth

I see all upside to Disney not getting harryland. I'm not a fan of Harry or Universal so they can keep it for themselves. Also, I think the competition will spur Disney on to greater heights.

and the winners are.... the tourists!!! as long as Disney pushes themselves to blow Universal out of the water... it will be no contest...

but they need more than the Fantasyland Expansion...

[supernova]

Universal doesn't update often (enough), which is why many of their rides become stale. But when they DO open something, they do it right. The Jurassic Park flight ride is awesome, The Simpsons ride is alot of fun, and Spiderman is one of the best rides I've been on in any theme park, hands down. Disney's new additions are lacking... the once powerful Yeti that was to be top secret and top-of-the-line is now broken and already needs a major overhaul. And can I really get excited about a Pixieland? Why an expanded meet-and-greet area? This is an amusement park. Put the autograph books away already and give us rides.

As much as I'm not a Harry Potter fan, I'm glad to see it land in Universal. Maybe it'll draw the heavy crowds for a while and thin out Disney for the rest of us to enjoy in peace. Plus, hopefully it'll encourage the Imagineers to dust off their dictionaries and look up the term "A-Game".

[elvistelth]

The managers and money people at Disney need to open the checkbook and let the imagineers do their job. I think the problem is that WDW is run by accountants, not imagineers.

[Disney's Folly]

Originally Posted by supernova

And can I really get excited about a Pixieland? Why an expanded meet-and-greet area? This is an amusement park. Put the autograph books away already and give us rides.

But it's NOT an amusement part. And while yeah, I am not exactly excited about a Pixieland or meet and greet areas, they are catering to a very large audience that DOES care about those things. Disney World isn't just for thrillseekers....it IS for families and for kids. And i think Universal lacks a lot of that appeal.

Also, Universal can be an Amusement park full of thrill rides but the theming just doesn't do anything for me (though Harryland looks great). Fantasyland expansion isn't just going to be about what rides they install, it will be the beauty of the architecture and the innovation of the theming. That's what a lot of us go there for.

[supernova]

But it IS an amusement park. It's no different than, say, Six Flags, only instead of Bugs Bunny, it's Mickey Mouse. It's got better theming, sure, but it's an amusement/theme park. Only the creators were snorting crayon dust.

Don't stick in lots of trees along new winding roads, throw in a second Dumbo ride and call it an expansion. Give me something to do.

[JNota0005DakMC]

i completely agree... give the ppl what they want... actual attractions

[Aww Phooey]

Originally Posted by Disney's Folly

The height restriction for the Forbidden Journey ride (the one that's in Hogwarts castle) is 48 inches. That is just utterly baffling in an attraction and land with such a young target audience. I think we're going to see a lot of angered visitors this summer when they realize their short 12 year old can't go on a ride starring a boy wizard from a children's book series.

I don't think it's that baffling at all. It hit me that HP actually has quite a large fanbase in their early 20s when Deathly Hallows came out. We happened to be on a cruise at the time and surprising/disturbing number people my own age (I was 23) who were reading it poolside in addition to the kiddies.

It makes sense though. The first HP book came out in 1997. The 12 and 13 year olds reading HP at the very beginning of it all are today's 25 and 26 year olds.