Yoda To Battle Harry Potter In Theme Park Wars

[CaliforniaAdventurer]

Perhaps the execution of the movies is sub par to Lord of the Rings and the Potter series, but that's entirely Disney's fault.

The characters they had to work with and the rich landscapes and settings of the Narnia series, could have made Harry Potter's world in England look drab by comparison.

That's the difference between Disney movies and good movies.

[pianoman13]

Originally Posted by Koutesu

That was probably the only room appropriate enough for your sentiments for Jay Rasulo.

Disneyland probably won't have to worry about Potterland since they're on opposite coasts. USH probably doesn't have enough room for a Potterland, unless they want to do forcefit it into the existing infrastructure.

All of the Potter rides sound like thrill rides. Families who go to IOA may find that all they can do is walk around the place if all the ride attractions have height and physical restrictions.

This is what upsets me so much about Universal getting the rights to Harry Potter, Imagineers could do alot better IMHO

[fkurucz]

Originally Posted by ministrychick77

i honestly don't think anything disney could think of could top potterworld. there are so many people in the world that have read all 7 books (or working on them) that would want the chance to walk around a recreation of hogwarts and that area. myself included. i've never been to WDW, and as of now the only way i'm going is when i'm gonna go to see potterworld (as i'm now calling it)

I think that "HP World" could be a letdown for some. After all, we have all been spoiled with the CGI eye candy in the movies. There is no way Universal (or anyone) will be able to come close to replicating the visual experience in a theme park.

[Baloo]

Besides new theming on buildings is the new Potter land that diferent than what is there now?

comparing the artwork to what is there now looks like the buildings will all stay and just be rethemed. Dueling dragons will get a new name and the stunt show will be closed.


Just out of curiosity what is due to replace the stunt show? Will Hogswarth Castle be more than just a large structure for theming?


I am just curious since i know little about this project.

[Baloo]

Since Narnia has been brought up, does anyone know if Disney even owns the rights to do theme park attractions?

Isn't the movie a walden media production released and co produced by Walt Disney?

[Ride Warrior]

Originally Posted by Lynn, Renaissance Woman

Disney may not own the rights to Narnia outside of producing the movies. The rights to the books and characters would be separate. Plus the covert Christian message may not be acceptable in these offend no one times.

Warner Bros. and Universal/GE do not own the book publishing rights to Harry Potter either. That's beside the point. Disney would work out any agreement for creating Narnia related attractions in the same manner that competitor Universal did with Potter - and in the same fasion that Disney itself has worked with Geourge Lucus.

Whereas Narnia does reflect Christian values (perhaps Jewdaism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism as well), it niether quotes holy scriptures, nor refers to biblical names. Since when has Disney been worried about being so PC that it tries to please everyone without offending anyone. I would say that the almost all encompassing Christmas atmosphere at Disney themeparks is proof to this end.

Originally Posted by Melonballer

LOL. Yakface.com has linked to this thread.

SWEET!!! This just goes to show that the yackfacers asppreciate intelligent converational discourse when they hear it. Every MiceChatter here give yourself a pat on the back.

Originally Posted by CrystalJ.Squirrel

I would not worry too much. With the events of the seventh book being sub-par, we have nothing to fear. The worst Star Wars films are great compared to the seventh book.
Besides with a new Star Trek movie out in '08, I expect a ressurgence in Sci-Fi.

We can look foward to a third StarWars trilogy, Episodes 7, 8 abd 9. Things are heating up in the universe, in full Force! I agree with you, Crystal.Squirrel, that a ressurgance inSciFi fanship is inevitable. Disagree, though, that The Final Battle (Narnia book " 7) is sub par. In terms of golf, it's a whole in one - the crowning gem of the C.S Lewis series. Foooooooore!!!

Originally Posted by CaliforniaAdventurer

Perhaps the execution of the movies is sub par to Lord of the Rings and the Potter series, but that's entirely Disney's fault.

The characters they had to work with and the rich landscapes and settings of the Narnia series, could have made Harry Potter's world in England look drab by comparison.

That's the difference between Disney movies and good movies.

Movies - plural? So far, there has only been one Narnia film released - the 2005 Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. It is way premature to compare a single film with film series' such as Rings, Potter or Star Wars. Watch the popularity soar as new films are released every year or two now.

Originally Posted by bfdf55

I totally agree. While Narnia is a nice family oriented film, it in NO WAY compares to the true blockbuster films like Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter or Star Wars. I can’t really conceive of any real sci/fi-fantasy fan accepting the level of quality and intensity (or lack of) that Narnia attempts as coming anywhere near the depth that those other franchises achieve.

Again, try not to rush to judgement when we've merely been introduced to the cenimatic version of the story thru one initial movie.

Originally Posted by twobluestripes

I agree here. Narnia does not translate to the screen as well as some people might've hoped.

Oh my.. All of this early judgement is quite exasperating. Well, twobluestripes - we'll just have to wait and see.

Originally Posted by pianoman13

sub- par?????? THAT BOOK WAS AMAZING!! what are you talking about dude?? Have you read it?? the only bad thing about it was the epilouge(sp)

Well, there it is at last! The viewpoint of an enlightened sci-fi aficionado - and believer in the quality of Narnia in both literary and filmatic form.

Originally Posted by Koutesu

That was probably the only room appropriate enough for your sentiments for Jay Rasulo.

Disneyland probably won't have to worry about Potterland since they're on opposite coasts. USH probably doesn't have enough room for a Potterland, unless they want to do forcefit it into the existing infrastructure.

All of the Potter rides sound like thrill rides. Families who go to IOA may find that all they can do is walk around the place if all the ride attractions have height and physical restrictions.

The bathroom is the most appropriate place to formulate any thoughts relating to Jay Rasulo.

You are correct that the StarWars vs. Harry Potter theme park wars are limited to the Orlando area. Disney may well ecpand SearTours into a StarWars mini land. This has been rumored. As LocalDisneyFan had indicated earlier in this thread, both Disney and Universal will likely benefit from increased attendance due to each of the respective two undertakings.

Sage advise, koutesu, that Universal would be wise not to turn the Wizarding World into a thrill park. Families would avoid it like the plague.

Originally Posted by pianoman13

This is what upsets me so much about Universal getting the rights to Harry Potter, Imagineers could do alot better IMHO

IOA is too extreme thrill orientewd, while Disney does not add enough of a thrill to the vast majority of it's rides. There is a happy mediaum which neither are achieving.

Originally Posted by fkurucz

I think that "HP World" could be a letdown for some. After all, we have all been spoiled with the CGI eye candy in the movies. There is no way Universal (or anyone) will be able to come close to replicating the visual experience in a theme park.

the theme park experience is being created by the same creative talents that created the potter films - including the author herself. Entertainment , it should be an astonishing immersive experience - provided that they don't turn it into an extreme coaster park.

[MasterGracey]

Originally Posted by Lynn, Renaissance Woman

Disney may not own the rights to Narnia outside of producing the movies. The rights to the books and characters would be separate. Plus the covert Christian message may not be acceptable in these offend no one times.

Originally Posted by Baloo

Since Narnia has been brought up, does anyone know if Disney even owns the rights to do theme park attractions?

Isn't the movie a walden media production released and co produced by Walt Disney?

Disney has already featured Narnia in the parks.

The White Witch did meet-and-greets in Fantasyland for some time after the film was released.

At Disney-MGM Studios they have the Journey Into Narnia: Creating The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe walk-through exhibit.

I would imagine Disney has theme park rights to Narnia.

[Ride Warrior]

Originally Posted by Baloo

Just out of curiosity what is due to replace the stunt show? Will Hogswarth Castle be more than just a large structure for theming?


I am just curious since i know little about this project.

This information hasn't been released, and nobody knows at this point.

Originally Posted by Baloo

Since Narnia has been brought up, does anyone know if Disney even owns the rights to do theme park attractions?

Isn't the movie a walden media production released and co produced by Walt Disney?

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe was produced by Walden Media. Disney was the distributor, primary financer and co-producer. The same relationship exists for the second film, Prince caspian. However, Disney owns the film rights to the remaining five Narnia books. The actual book publishing rights are owned by News Corp's Harper-Collins division. Disney has made public it's desire to build a Narnia franchise. As Master Gracey has indicated in the above post, Disney owns the theme park rights to Narnia. It likely owns the merchandising rights as well.

[Ride Warrior]

Originally Posted by MasterGracey

Disney has already featured Narnia in the parks.

The White Witch did meet-and-greets in Fantasyland for some time after the film was released.

At Disney-MGM Studios they have the Journey Into Narnia: Creating The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe walk-through exhibit.

I would imagine Disney has theme park rights to Narnia.

The current Narnia walk thru attraction closed a couple of weeks ago. Disney is updating it in line with The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian film. Disney is definitely serious about creating a mega franchise here. This particular attraction sounds to be a lot of fun.

[Ride Warrior]

Originally Posted by localdisnyfan

I really think that Harry Potter will be a HUGE draw for Universal and it was a major coup in the theme park wars. I don't know if WDW's numbers will fall off, but just watch the attendance at Universal skyrocket for the first couple of years. I'm going to guess that numbers jump about 40 percent for the first year.

It might actually work in REVERSE and some of the folks who come to Universal to go to Hogwarts might actually spend the extra day at WDW.

I doubt that Universal would be shortsighted enough to turn Wizzarding World into an extreme coaster park. It will likely feature a variety of highly themed attractions, incorporatye various innovative ride systems, animatronics and effects. Most of all, Universal will probably make everything as family friendly as possible.

Your reasoning is right on as always, LDF. Both Wizarding World and the StarTours revamp will serve to bring more vacationers to Orlando, plus increase local attendance. It's a win-win scenerio for both theme park companies. Though, I really do believe that Disney will create a StarTours mini land, and that it may create a completely new technological experience out of StarTours - including changing the ride's name.

In addition, I believe that a land based on Narnia is eminant.

Originally Posted by KISSman

To me, Disney should not only plan on launching ST2, but work on expanding the Star Wars presence in that area of the park in Hollywood Studios. IMO, Disney cannot plan on seriously waging a serious battle with Universal when all they are doing is offering up a revamped attraction. I'm not a big Harry Potter fan, but Universal's plans for the HP franchise are far more ambitious and interesting than Disney's for SW.

Wait, isn't this really WDW news?

I think that Disney is already pulling in the direction of your wishes, and ambitiously pursuing the idea of expanding attractions that are based on StarWars.

Originally Posted by mycroft16

Yes there are indeed many people all over the world who have read/are reading Harry Potter. However, there are plenty who have read/are reading the Chronicles of Narnia as well. Narnia has been around since 1954 and exist in 41 languages. That's several generations who are not new acquaintances with the world, but have grown up with it and grown old with it. Harry Potter is still very young. I am not in the least slighting the beauty of that world, just saying that there are other worlds that are just as beautiful and amazing. Worlds that Disney can draw on, full of castles (Cair Paravel) and fantastic creatures as well as magic, bravery, heroism and a wealth of detail rivaled by very few written works.

I don't think that simply revamping the ride is anywhere near enough to even phase Potterworld. But I also don't see why it should have to. They are so different that there is little chance of one undercutting the other.

You have raised some very valid points. Narnia is sure to see it;s own land. I suppose that it would fit in Disney's Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom equally well. However, the Narnia walk thru tells me that the studio park is the most likely location.

[MasterGracey]

Originally Posted by Ride Warrior

The current Narnia walk thru attraction closed a couple of weeks ago. Disney is updating it in line with The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian film. Disney is definitely serious about creating a mega franchise here. This particular attraction sounds to be a lot of fun.

Regardless of what they're doing to it, the point is that Narnia already has a presence in the theme parks. This would leave me to believe that Disney owns theme park rights to these films and its characters. A perfect opportunity for a mega E-Ticket, or even a Narnia-themed land.

[Ride Warrior]

Originally Posted by MasterGracey

Regardless of what they're doing to it, the point is that Narnia already has a presence in the theme parks. This would leave me to believe that Disney owns theme park rights to these films and its characters. A perfect opportunity for a mega E-Ticket, or even a Narnia-themed land.

You are not just in the ballpark, MasterGracey. You are absolutely right. I believe that Disney will "seize the day" with respect to capitalizing big time on that opportunity. It has already affirmed it's desire to develop a major franchise out of Narnia.

[ROBONICS95]

Disney leveraging the Star Wars franchise to compete against Potter is an extremely smart move. This battle between the 2 top movie franchises in history will benefit the paying guests significantly and Disney's position with Lucas. DLH's permanent stage set of the Jedi Training Camp, Star Tours 2.0, and the rumor of adding a surrounding Star Wars "destination" in addition to the back lot's revamp to an expansive 'Pixar Place' (Both the Pixar rendering computer and animation being ILM creations) will be the start of a healthy competitor for Mr. Potter.

Iger's long term approach may work in Disney's favor when Lucas finally chooses which Television Network will host the upcoming animated 'Clone Wars' television series. The extremely strong ties between Lucas, Jobs, Dr. Catmull, Lasseter, and Iger will surely play a role in this determining factor. Once 'Clone Wars' finally debuts on a Disney network and proves to be a huge success, the cross promotion between the Disney Theme Parks and the Star Wars series will be a huge value.

Anaheim, while not immediately affected by any of this, will surely benefit from the re-imagineered Star Tours attraction and the rumored surrounding themed areas. Maybe even a roaming R2-D2 character based on the PUSH technology...

[EricMontreal22]

Ride Warrior, while I agree with most of your points, I think the pretty banal comment about book 7 being subpart and a resurgance of sci fi being likely was about book 7 of Potter--not the Narnia books :P However it doesn't seem Potter mania subsided whether the book was sub par or not (and most seemed to think i was a good ending)--and especially with the movies still coming...

I really liked the idea early on about combining Narnia with a mystical beasts land for Animal Kingdom

[kirbilicious]

Originally Posted by Baloo

Will Hogswarth Castle be more than just a large structure for theming?

I can't imagine Universal would build Hogwarts castle to just be a pretty building. Somr rumors were suggesting it might be a hotel. I don't think any definite plans have been announced yet though.