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

[BJCool]

Can you post a pic of what you're talking about?

You can see it from the other side as well, but this pic by the greenhouses really gets the point across.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

The projection of your face when the Dementor sucks out your soul.

Huh, never saw that during my trip in late Jan/early Feb.

 

[1.21Gigawatts]

You're never going to hide the whole show building no matter how much more fake boulders they spend money on. I think the theming is sufficient as is. The main photo op angles are the most important and they are fine IMO. I'm sure if I was a huge Potterhead I would think otherwise but I would rather them spend the money on an awesome phase II and other more needed areas of the park. Theme parks require a level of imagination no matter how awesomely themed they are, WWOHP being one of, if not the best in the world as is, let's not get greedy here.

 

[UNIrd]

Okay, I'm sure I've seen that but like 1.21Gigawatts said, sometimes the parks do require suspension of disbelief. Plus, I'm pretty sure you see that visual mostly from the JP side of things, where it fits in with the show building for JPRA.

 

[violarum]

When the Great Hall is right above a JP food stand, there's a visual obstruction problem. Same thing when you turn your head to the right in front of Hogwarts and you see a show building. This needs to be covered up, but only to us.

 

[Teebin]

Yeah, they trashed an entire quadrant of JP with the buildings presence, but hey, they didn't trash all of JP. On the Potter side, no one even notices the small parts of the show building visible while they are there. Sure, they get home and look at a flat photograph and go "what is that white thing?", but that is about it.

 

[Jymmymack]

Yeah, they trashed an entire quadrant of JP with the buildings presence, but hey, they didn't trash all of JP. On the Potter side, no one even notices the small parts of the show building visible while they are there. Sure, they get home and look at a flat photograph and go "what is that white thing?", but that is about it.

Exactly. Nobody bitching=no problem, in the minds of Execs.

 

[Teebin]

Exactly. Nobody bitching=no problem, in the minds of Execs.

In the mind of me too. :wave:

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Yeah, they trashed an entire quadrant of JP with the buildings presence, but hey, they didn't trash all of JP. On the Potter side, no one even notices the small parts of the show building visible while they are there. Sure, they get home and look at a flat photograph and go "what is that white thing?", but that is about it.

I feel like the backstage areas and unthemed noise wall at Dragons Challenge are bigger thematic problems than the building sticking out (even if I do hate the unthemed side of the building.)

 

[Teebin]

For me, it is not until I see a photograph taken from a vantage point that I have stood at and enjoyed the view. New York from the Central Park waterfront opposite the lagoon I never noticed the mummy building. I just saw the pretty stuff in the NY waterfront foreground. There are tons of instances of this in both Uni parks. Worse than either of these is Epcot with major hotels to the west and the south.

 

[dreamcat]

The rocks cover what needs to be covered for the photo op areas. It is funny to see birds sitting on the windows ruining the illusion

 

[Disneyhead]

I had lunch yesterday with a kind Spirit and we discussed what we have heard. Gringott's should be another dark ride home run for UniCreative. Hogwarts Express will be wildly popular and a state of the art ride creation all on its own. And one walk through attraction. I have heard Borgan and Burke's (or possibly all of Knockturn Alley). And from one source possibly Weasley Wizard Wheezes.

So nothing new, but at least what we are hearing is pretty similar.

 

[Teebin]

I had lunch yesterday with a kind Spirit and we discussed what we have heard.

Thanks for the info! Now my curious questions. Was it offered in detail why Gringott's might be a home run? While I really loved Borgan and Burke's visually in the movies, I am not sure where they could go with it interactively. On the other hand, I would think WWWheezes would be a no-brainer and must happen. There are a gazillion new products that could be sold there, am I not correct?

Are there any other WW details that you are sitting on from that lunch?

 

[Splatter]

WWWheezes would probably be the better choice. A magic/novelty shop kind of interaction with some effects in a main show portion. A larger version of Olivanders where you exit into a shop that contains everything Zonko's has with the new marketable items for sale that they come up with.

 

[Frogki]

I had lunch yesterday with a kind Spirit and we discussed what we have heard. Gringott's should be another dark ride home run for UniCreative. Hogwarts Express will be wildly popular and a state of the art ride creation all on its own. And one walk through attraction. I have heard Borgan and Burke's (or possibly all of Knockturn Alley). And from one source possibly Weasley Wizard Wheezes.

So nothing new, but at least what we are hearing is pretty similar.

Any word on shops? Besides Olivanders and Zonkos, what will this new area offer in terms of shopping? Or will it consist of facades and the rides will be more in focus in this part of the WWoHP

 

[Disneyhead]

We actually talked about Potter very little. We mostly talked about WDW's current state and future travel plans.

 

[UNIrd]

We actually talked about Potter very little. We mostly talked about WDW's current state and future travel plans.

Traitor.

No, just kidding. Honestly, having seen the distribution of attendance (and wealth) between both parks over the weekend lets me know that Universal definitely does need something big. Does it have to be Potter? No, but nothing else I can think of reaches that kind of magnitude.

Oh and Forbidden Journey was rocking a 75 minute wait at 9:30am on Saturday.

 

[MIAboy]

I think this guy confirmed the gringotts bank coaster at 5:55.

[video=youtube;dpuxx52maTw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpuxx52maTw[/video]

 

[Splatter]

Pretty much what we were all thinking when we saw that film in the final film...even since the first in some respects. But especially with the vehicle used in the last one, to see a vehicle that could spin around itself would just be a really cool Kinetic thing to see while riding or actually going through a flip.

 

[Teebin]

^ Can you IMAGINE if Universal pulled off an independent vehicle rotating wheeled coaster. I believe it would be a first in the world. Not really sure it would add anything to a theme park ride. In the film it kinda begs why?