E.T. Adventure General Discussion

[Brian G.]

I don't disagree that Nintendo is a better option than ET, but removing ET in the way that's being discussed here would be a completely unprecedented move on Universal's part and is contrary to what the insiders here are telling us anyway. While other attractions have had to make way for newer ones, that's really not what we're talking about here. The ET building takes up a fraction of the space supposedly allocated for Nintendo, and further there is vacant land on the other side if they really need more space.

To follow up on @testtrack321, I'm not exactly following the thought process here.

Unprecedented how?

 

[Scott W.]

The theme was always muddled from day 1, IMO. Were we on sets for filming movies? Sets that were once used to film movies but now real shark attacks are happening? Just in the movies altogether?

'

'RIDE THE MOVIES'

 

[Brian G.]

''RIDE THE MOVIES'

I'd call it a gimmick, more than a theme.

DISCLOSURE: NOT A KNOCK.

 

[JungleSkip]

I'd call it a gimmick, more than a theme.

DISCLOSURE: NOT A KNOCK.

One that's still around, too. Nearly every single attraction is based off a movie, and even at opening there were attractions based off TV properties (Murder She Wrote, Hannah Barbara, Nickelodeon Studios). So let's not pretend the theme wasn't being bent from day 1.

 

[Imperius]

And the ride the movies "theme" has been gone for awhile. RRR, Simpsons, kid zone, in a way Diagon Alley.

 

[JungleSkip]

And the ride the movies "theme" has been gone for awhile. RRR, Simpsons, kid zone, in a way Diagon Alley.

I don't think Simpsons and Diagon Alley are out of that theme, personally

 

[IzzyB]

OK, I want ET to stay, but I won't go where some of you are going. The lands make so much more sense now than they did before. Kidzone is a jumbled mess and needs to be fixed. And Universal pulls old rides out all the time to replace with new ones, so I have no clue why someone would say it is unprecedented.

 

[Imperius]

I don't think Simpsons and Diagon Alley are out of that theme, personally

Diagon I was iffy on and can say yeah since they use the movie elements.
Simpsons is TV so it would be included also, but still can't say Nintendo is ruining a theme when RRR and Kids Zone are still there.

 

[JungleSkip]

Diagon I was iffy on and can say yeah since they use the movie elements.
Simpsons is TV so it would be included also, but still can't say Nintendo is ruining a theme when RRR and Kids Zone are still there.

Well, Simpsons DID have a movie. But again, TV properties have been represented at the park since Day 1

 

[graspthesun]

So, video games that you play on your TV, shows that you watch on your TV and movies that you can watch on your TV. There. Theming fixed.

 

[JungleSkip]

So, video games that you play on your TV, shows that you watch on your TV and movies that you can watch on your TV. There. Theming fixed.

The way I look at it: Universal Studios is about entertainment. Period. Video Games are easily up there with movies and TV as main stream entertainment. That's all the justification they need.

 

[graspthesun]

The way I look at it: Universal Studios is about entertainment. Period. Video Games are easily up there with movies and TV as main stream entertainment. That's all the justification they need.

Maybe to fine tune it a little. It's about multimedia entertainment.

 

[Cheezbat]

You're getting more.



This is ludicrous. You're saying replacing KidZone, which is the jumbled mess to end all jumbled messes, with a cohesive, highly themed Nintendo area makes the park less cohesive?

Okay. Sure. Whatever.

I've always thought KidZone was a cluster...but at least the rest of the park actually felt like a movie studio where we experienced the movies.

I guess I'm ok with the majority of the park now, aside from the HORRIBLE entry area of the park. The entry sets the tone for me, and compared to Islands it's a joke.
Nowadays we've got a huge ugly rough 167 foot tall eyesore (Rockit)going through Production Central and New York and ruining that first view when you walk in...and the ginormous box known as Transformers, and an absolute jumbled mess going from the cramped front of the park with Hello Kitty shop crammed in front of Shrek which is next to Despicable Me, followed by a Monsters restaurant, a music stage, a ripped apart building that once housed Twister...

What im saying is I just absolutely hate the front of the park. The whole thing should be bulldozed and rebuilt. What they have done with Universal Studios Hollywood makes me very jealous of their entry, and shows me they are capable of making the entryway so much better.

 

[JungleSkip]

I've always thought KidZone was a cluster...but at least the rest of the park actually felt like a movie studio where we experienced the movies.

I guess I'm ok with the majority of the park now, aside from the HORRIBLE entry area of the park. The entry sets the tone for me, and compared to Islands it's a joke.
Nowadays we've got a huge ugly rough 167 foot tall eyesore (Rockit)going through Production Central and New York and ruining that first view when you walk in...and the ginormous box known as Transformers, and an absolute jumbled mess going from the cramped front of the park with Hello Kitty shop crammed in front of Shrek which is next to Despicable Me, followed by a Monsters restaurant, a music stage, a ripped apart building that once housed Twister...

What im saying is I just absolutely hate the front of the park. The whole thing should be bulldozed and rebuilt. What they have done with Universal Studios Hollywood makes me very jealous of their entry, and shows me they are capable of making the entryway so much better.

The front of the park has always been random though. That's not a new phenomenon

 

[Cheezbat]

The front of the park has always been random though. That's not a new phenomenon

No it's not...but it's only gotten worse over the years and as it gets busier with higher crowds, they need to figure out something new to help with flow. As it stands now its just awful.

 

[s8film40]

To follow up on @testtrack321, I'm not exactly following the thought process here.

Unprecedented how?

Universal has never removed a popular attraction just to give a new attraction or land a proportionally small increased amount of space. This is really what we're talking about here, we're not talking about just converting ET into a Nintendo ride similar to how Kong was changed to Mummy or Jaws was turned into DA. A good but certainly not perfect example of this is Dueling Dragons. The argument certainly could have been made to remove the coaster for WWoHP. Harry Potter was certainly a big deal and I'm sure they could have done something really creative with that space, however rather than take out an already popular attraction they essentially decided to leave it in place and make it so that it fits in with the environment. To me this would be similar to re-routing the ET entrance since obviously you can't make ET fit with Nintendo. Then to add to that the fact that there is open land on the other side of the KidZone area would really mean that a decision to close ET really has nothing at all to do with Nintendo but ET itself. If they need the extra space for Nintendo it's there without the need to use ET. If they choose to remove ET over choosing the empty land it's not because they needed the space but rather decided to get rid of an older attraction.

 

[JungleSkip]

No it's not...but it's only gotten worse over the years and as it gets busier with higher crowds, they need to figure out something new to help with flow. As it stands now its just awful.

I don't think it's a flow problem at all, nor do I really see it as any more of a weird thematic mish-mash. It is what it is.

Universal has never removed a popular attraction just to give a new attraction or land a proportionally small increased amount of space. This is really what we're talking about here, we're not talking about just converting ET into a Nintendo ride similar to how Kong was changed to Mummy or Jaws was turned into DA. A good but certainly not perfect example of this is Dueling Dragons. The argument certainly could have been made to remove the coaster for WWoHP. Harry Potter was certainly a big deal and I'm sure they could have done something really creative with that space, however rather than take out an already popular attraction they essentially decided to leave it in place and make it so that it fits in with the environment. To me this would be similar to re-routing the ET entrance since obviously you can't make ET fit with Nintendo. Then to add to that the fact that there is open land on the other side of the KidZone area would really mean that a decision to close ET really has nothing at all to do with Nintendo but ET itself. If they need the extra space for Nintendo it's there without the need to use ET. If they choose to remove ET over choosing the empty land it's not because they needed the space but rather decided to get rid of an older attraction.

If Universal had the money/leadership it has now when Hogsmeade was built you certainly would have seen Dragon Challenge get knocked down and replaced, IMO.

Also, you're continually ignoring what the empty space around KidZone is: Infrastructure. Infrastructure that the park needs. Whether people like it or not, HHN is more important than ET is, and the empty space around KidZone is vital for HHN

 

[Brian G.]

Universal has never removed a popular attraction just to give a new attraction or land a proportionally small increased amount of space. This is really what we're talking about here, we're not talking about just converting ET into a Nintendo ride similar to how Kong was changed to Mummy or Jaws was turned into DA. A good but certainly not perfect example of this is Dueling Dragons. The argument certainly could have been made to remove the coaster for WWoHP. Harry Potter was certainly a big deal and I'm sure they could have done something really creative with that space, however rather than take out an already popular attraction they essentially decided to leave it in place and make it so that it fits in with the environment. To me this would be similar to re-routing the ET entrance since obviously you can't make ET fit with Nintendo. Then to add to that the fact that there is open land on the other side of the KidZone area would really mean that a decision to close ET really has nothing at all to do with Nintendo but ET itself. If they need the extra space for Nintendo it's there without the need to use ET. If they choose to remove ET over choosing the empty land it's not because they needed the space but rather decided to get rid of an older attraction.

Oh, trust me. If they had the resume, money, and ability to, DD would have been gone in 2010.

As far as the ET building, as I stated before - "Do they take over ET for the bigger IP; or utilize the little empty land they have left on the MIB plot, and restrict themselves from future park expansion?" and "Does the cost of a major refurb to ET outweigh the cost of adding Nintendo IP ride?"

 

[s8film40]

If Universal had the money/leadership it has now when Hogsmeade was built you certainly would have seen Dragon Challenge get knocked down and replaced, IMO.

Also, you're continually ignoring what the empty space around KidZone is: Infrastructure. Infrastructure that the park needs. Whether people like it or not, HHN is more important than ET is, and the empty space around KidZone is vital for HHN

Oh, trust me. If they had the resume, money, and ability to, DD would have been gone in 2010.

There's nothing stopping them from taking out Dueling Dragons they could do it anytime and add to Hogsmeade. In fact the HE addition would have been the perfect opportunity they could have built the station a little further back and given us some forest themed area to go through before getting to Hogsmeade. I think the real reason is they didn't want to remove a popular coaster from IOA even now in current times under current management. IOA is a well balanced park and removing a coaster would have upset that a bit much like removing a family ride from a park would.

As for HHN, again it's still not an either or scenarios. A couple Sprung tents could be moved back a little far more easily than tearing down a building.

 

[Brian G.]

There's nothing stopping them from taking out Dueling Dragons they could do it anytime and add to Hogsmeade.

You're right. They could.