The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Hogsmeade (Orlando): Part 2

[ScottInNY]

Regarding my private message and email from Universal...

The email came from an "@universalorlando.com" address. I believe it to be sincere, but as there are so many scams regarding email fraud, I am not sure. I have replied to their private message and have not heard back. I don't know if I will.

I don't know all the ins and outs of this forum, but I've checked my profile and I don't see where it offers my personal email address. I wonder if the administrators of this forum felt compelled to offer Universal that information at their request. If so, that concerns me.

I agree with, just some dude. (In fact, I really appreciate your posts a lot. You're a very smart "dude".) Not only did I intend - saw - my posts as benefitting Universal, I just don't see the big deal. The park will be open to softs in a few weeks anyway...

I think those who have read my posts know my intentions were only to keep this forum current and alive. I, like everyone here, am very excited about The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and wish it only good things. I also believe that I have an enormous amount of respect and affection for the hundreds of artists responsible for realizing this project. I think my posts say as much. I was very taken back by the tone Universal legal took with me. If they had actually read my posts - in their entireties and in context - they would have known that I could have been approached with a very simple message asking me to stop. I would have complied.

 

[speckles]

Just curious, why do you all think that Scott is making it up or it's not Universal's legal team.

You all release that Universal's legal team can easily ask a moderator for any of our email adresses. Why do you think the administrators do not want us to post stuff from inside of the construction zone? They do not want any legal trouble with Universal.

How do you think all of these sites have been asked to take down certain pictures lately? Emails by Universal. Who in the world would want to fake email people as if they are apart of Universal's legal team anyhow? It is very much against the law and I doubt anyone is dumb enough to do such a foolish thing. Just thought I'd put in my .02 cents.

Well said, I have no reason not to believe Scott, hope the email has not shook you up to much I have work for corporates all over the world, legal departments don't do nice, for me there is enough evidence to believe that some approach has been made to this site. The policy change, especially on the Dome photo's is quite marked from the past. The photo's have been up in the past on several occasions.

We all admire the creative departments of Universal and Disney for their work, just make no mistake....the end product does not necessarily reflect the culture of the companies they work for.

This site has been recently a beacon for tips on this project and that is why I suspect its getting a little attention from Universal.

 

[ScottInNY]

HI, I've been lurking in the shadows at this thread and the one before it since before the castle walls were in place.

Let me say a few things....

#1. This whole "Universal emailed me" is total BS. This Scott in NY may have some "info" but he's not going to stop posting because Universal contacted him, its because he doesn't have any more info then what he's already given us. Which wasnt much really.

#2. Im super disappointed that they are chaning the DD queue, because i think its the best coaster queue ever...besides Expedition Everest of course..... Im worried that they will make the castle "less dark and scary" and more lit up to show all of the Potter props. Boo to that idea. I prefer to stumble around in the dark.

#3. About ME: I live in S.Florida, and plan to visit Orlando for a work conference on June 22nd-24th...may have to stop in and visit Potter. If not, will probably go sometime In November once the crowds have simmered down. I've been to Disney numerous times, and IOA about 5 or 6 times. Not a fan of the "other" Universal park..but I have not ridden HRRR yet. I thought The Simpsons ride was a waste of time and money. Bring Back Doc Brown!! Never forgave Disney for taking away Mr. Toads Wild Ride. I actually visited Universal Studios way back before IOA was around, and remember seeing a special "sneak preview" of IOA next to the King Kong attraction. It featured models and diagrams of all the lands an potential rides, even before the Marvel License was obtained....boy those days seem so far now.

#4 I think the user Just some Dude is 100% correct on his assumptions on how the ride will work. He seems to know a LOT about this sort of thing...possible he's an insider?

#5. Soft openings for the shops, and non-new rides in late April, and softs for the FJ in mid May is my guess. I think those people that bought those Vacation Packages are screwed. Which in my opinion is their fault. It stated in the fine print, that they would not be responsible for the ride not being open. It was a gamble, and it looks like it may not pay off.

#6 I find it really strange that Universal would have both Ellen and The Apprentice, and those HP fansites there to promote their park, without the signature attraction open. It leads me to believe that the ride has been delayed from its orignal date. Why spend the money to promote something that wasnt completed?

#7. The REAL Grand Opening will not occur on June 18th, but most likely a week or two before in a private tapped ceremony, that will be later shown on Teleivision. Don't expect big stars to be there opening weekend. They may have 1 or 2 b-actors, but none of the A-listers will be there.

#8 Kinda wish Butter beer was alcoholic, but can see why they chose for it not to be. I used to love that bar that had Happy Hour 2 for 1 in IOA. Would go there towards the end of the day and have a few pints before leaving the park. It was actually more affordable then buying soda. I hope the new pub has the same deal.

#9 Im worried the new stores will be much too small, and Im curious how the Owlry will actually work. All of these ideas for specialty shops sound great on paper, but in reality I think the "personal" experience will be totally lost on busy days.

#10. After all the hype, Im hoping the FJ lives up to the other rides in the park. In my opinion IOA has the best overall family thrill rides of any theme park Ive been too. It will take a lot to beat Spiderman.

Ok Im done...carry on.

You are mistaken. I was emailed.

--- Update ---

I just realized, they also have my last name.

 

[rhino4evr]

You are mistaken. I was emailed.

ok, well if that's true then Universal have WAY too much time on their hands.

Get back to work slackers!!!

Stop bugging your fans with useless threats, and get that ride open!

Also if they really did contact you via email, a Mod must have given them the address. I would contact Bri-man and get it cleared up. Thats totally screwed up.

 

[speckles]

Remember this is the legal department not the PR department

 

[ScottInNY]

I find it rather amusing that this thread is even monitored by Universal Employees. I also find it amusing that they would send a threatning letter to people that are doing nothing more then pure speculation. There is nothing illegal about that.

What does Universal have to loose about people talking up their new ride/project. Not to mention its not like anyone outside of our little corner of the web even cares about half of this stuff. If I walked into Burger King and yelled..

HEY FOLKS! THE NEW HARRY POTTER RIDE AT UNIVERSAL IS USING DOMED SCREENS!!

Do you think anyone would really care?

Emailing a message board member because he gave some cryptic "hints" is just way out of line.


any chance it's Bri-Man doing all this to generate more board posts?

I agree with you regarding, "what's the big deal?" If anything, I would think that Universal would be extremely pleased at the enthusiasm we all share here.

I do know that I was sent a warning email. I'm not frightened, I'm just taken back. Sort of saddened that my intentions were so misconstrued. I am passionate about this stuff. Perhaps ridiculously so. I would never want to hurt the work of an artist or a team of them.

 

[Roll N Fear]

Universal is still upset over that piece of **** roller coaster they just built so they are taking their frustration out on their fans.

 

[youhow2]

But Spiderman is 3D whilst FJ projection domes are 2D (albeit immersive), and it was only the case that the buildings in Spiderman were actual pieces, not some of the characters (which will be the case in FJ such as Arogog).

According to my sources in the ride there are certain segments that "go wrong" involving the benches... The benches may crash or "something else goes wrong" landing you in a very hot spot of trouble. The screens will hold their own action sequences, but the big daddy's will be the live sets which are like nothin that will have ever seen before... 5 scenes that are like "kong" but on a grander scale, that will literally put you into the scenes from the moive like we will have never been transported to before. There will be Aragog, The whomping williow, The basilisk and the camber of secrets and two other unconfirmed scenes... I also heard something about the basilisk actually being voldemort... idk... my sources arent extraordinary.

 

[ScottInNY]

I have an idea...

Perhaps, Brawner Greer, V.P. Business and Legal Affairs, Universal Creative would like to speak for his/herself.

With all due respect, M. Greer, please take this opportunity to address the forum and explain Universal's perspective. Please understand that I have nothing but the utmost respect for your organization and I believe most of the people here share that respect. I believe we will listen and appreciate your point-of-view.

 

[Splatter]

ScottyNY if they used your last name than I am cakling BS on them. Not the legal dept. Someone who is angry/bitter over info that is now out.

Either way, Game on.

 

[rhino4evr]

Universal is still upset over that piece of **** roller coaster they just built so they are taking their frustration out on their fans.

\

LOL. Does the HRRR suck that bad? I havent been on it, but I've heard nothing but bad things.

Personally, I think they should be WAY more upset that Bri-Man posted tons of helicopter shots, showing off a majority of the construction. I find it absolutely amazing, and inconsistant, that they would allow the forum to keep those shots online, while shots of the Kuka Arm and Dome Screens would be considered off base.

If anything it's those helii shots that probably got Universal's attention in the first place. Any chance the site has been told no more construction shots allowed, and have been removing the pictures for that reason?

Something seems really fishy here.

 

[Tbad556]

I have an idea...

Perhaps, Brawner Greer, V.P. Business and Legal Affairs, Universal Creative would like to speak for his/herself.

With all due respect, M. Greer, please take this opportunity to address the forum and explain Universal's perspective. Please understand that I have nothing but the utmost respect for your organization and I believe most of the people here share that respect. I believe we will listen and appreciate your point-of-view.

In my opinion, that's a little overboard. All they did was send a warning and ask you to please respect the wishes of Universal and the workers of the project. Asking for a V.P of Universal's Legal team to post on a public forum such as this is not going to happen and if anything how would you know the account would be legit. Sure their tone could have been a little kinder but they haven't done anything wrong or unreasonable at all.

Everyone needs to remember that Universal wants to release details at their own pace, not by workers violating a contract by releasing details to others.

 

[zbob1992]

My guess is Mr. Greer is the one who messaged Scott in the first place it seems fair he get his chance to defend himself.

 

[mebweb]

It's strange that I never once received a communication from Universal legal back when I was running the mebweb.com IOA preview site in the late 90's. Most everything I put up was publicly released info. However, I did start posting construction photos, some of which included shots taken in backstage areas. I heard later on that certain people at Uni didn't like that so much. I also heard from others on the project who were supportive of my efforts. I realize that was more than 10 years ago and maybe it was a different culture with the opening of an entire new park, but it's just odd they would go after some cryptic posts in a forum and not an unofficial website dedicated to the park.

---by the way, just for full disclosure, in case Uni wants to come after me for something that happened 10 years ago :rofl: - I did not take any pictures backstage and to this day do not know who did take the pictures---

 

[ScottInNY]

I'm not sure if M. Greer will respond here or not. Perhaps not. I am not trying to be "overboard", I am trying to be provocative. I do know that Universal is reading and I'm curious if they will be so kind and forthright as to address the forum with their concerns. They accused me by being disrespectful and implied threats of legal action. It was all very subtle, but it was still unnecessary and I believe inappropriate. I am just curious if M. Greer has the integrity to address the forum and explain Universal's perspective. It's more for my own sense of fair. Wondering if M. Greer will step up to the plate and perhaps apologize, and/or set the record straight.

--- Update ---

My guess is Mr. Greer is the one who messaged Scott in the first place it seems fair he get his chance to defend himself.

Thank you. I am also curious to see if Universal responds.

M. Greer?

 

[crazyidea]

is there a way for us to confirm that there is or is not a basilisk? That was my opening line when describing it to my friends so they would understand the scale of the attraction. We're going this summer for graduation and they will be mad if I accidently lied to them haha. I've been a little concerned about it since so many other show elements have been discussed like the spider and whomping willow and dragon, but no basilisk. I understand that no one knows for sure but maybe an insider could ease our minds please?:smiley:

I'd have to say that considering all the other technologies being used for this attraction a snake would be one of the more simple ones Especially compared to the vehicles.

 

[Jmaff]

Wow, you want to start a war Scott? Just kidding lol, but you do have the right to defend yourself.


EDIT: Why would Universal reveal literally every aspect of the FJ ride? I'm pretty sure they want to keep some secrets. But seriously, the chamber is one of the iconic areas of the castle, it HAS to be there.

 

[Claire-Bear]

According to my sources in the ride there are certain segments that "go wrong" involving the benches... The benches may crash or "something else goes wrong" landing you in a very hot spot of trouble. The screens will hold their own action sequences, but the big daddy's will be the live sets which are like nothin that will have ever seen before... 5 scenes that are like "kong" but on a grander scale, that will literally put you into the scenes from the moive like we will have never been transported to before. There will be Aragog, The whomping williow, The basilisk and the camber of secrets and two other unconfirmed scenes... I also heard something about the basilisk actually being voldemort... idk... my sources arent extraordinary.

Some people seem to be a bit confused, I said in my post that I did not doubt the actual transition from screen to actual. What I'd said was that your senses may not fully accept the ride since what you are seeing is one moment just a screen and the next actual scenery (nothing to do with how they change from one to another, just the fact that they do). It's different in Spiderman since the characters don't swap from being 3D to being actual, but in FJ Aragog, Whomping Willow etc wil be actual figuresl. It will move from pure screen to pure actual figures. So I'm wondering how Universal will overcome it

 

[ScottInNY]

No war. Just an honest discussion. Universal is here. They have always been here. That's cool. Just offering them an opportunity to step out from the shadows and have their voice heard. Not be me, or my interpretation of their actions, but with their own voice.

Brawner Greer called me out. S/he didn't have the courage to do so publicly, even though everything I did was upfront and public. I'm just offering him/her the opportunity to take responsibility for their words and actions and be upfront, honest and transparent.

Look, I'm an individual and most certainly don't have the weight of a huge corporate legal department. I have done nothing wrong and won't be bullied. I would like nothing more than for M. Greer to truly read my posts and see them for how they were intended: a tribute to the very people they accuse me of disrespecting. In addition, they have "demanded" that I turn over information to them that a) I don't have and b) they have no legal ground to ask of me.

Universal, everyone here is hoping and believing you have created something truly magical here. Don't ruin it by creating a PR issue. It's not nice or necessary.

I go away with a simple apology.

 

[youhow2]

I'm not sure if M. Greer will respond here or not. Perhaps not. I am not trying to be "overboard", I am trying to be provocative. I do know that Universal is reading and I'm curious if they will be so kind and forthright as to address the forum with their concerns. They accused me by being disrespectful and implied threats of legal action. It was all very subtle, but it was still unnecessary and I believe inappropriate. I am just curious if M. Greer has the integrity to address the forum and explain Universal's perspective. It's more for my own sense of fair. Wondering if M. Greer will step up to the plate and perhaps apologize, and/or set the record straight.

--- Update ---



Thank you. I am also curious to see if Universal responds.

M. Greer?

I too would like to see a public response from this "M. Greer". Are you out there sir?