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Homage to Jaws?

Jan 18, 2013
1,432
1,347
Orlando Florida
I've been in Diagon Alley three times in the past week and have continuously been blown away by the land, but on my most recent visit I searched all over the land for some type of nod to Jaws...practically every classic ride Universal replaces gets some type of homage in the new ride...Doc and the Institute of Future Technology (as well as the Courthouse square in the ride) in the Simpsons and the Kong statue in Revenge of the Mummy.

So does anybody know if there are any Jaws/Amity nods in Diagon?
 
Somebody posted the picture of the Jaws nod in another thread. Something like a music album of sorts.

Funnily enough, I actually just saw the Kong status for the first time on my latest visit. 10 years and umpteen rides later. :lol:
 
Here's a list from the OrlandoSentinel

Throughout the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter -- Diagon Alley, you can find subtle salutes to Jaws, the Universal Studios ride that was once on the site of the new attractions. Here are four of them — you can look for more when you visit:

+ One of the albums on display in the record-shop window in the London façade is called “Here’s to Swimmin’ With Bow-legged Women,” by the Quint Trio. In the 1975 movie “Jaws,” a character named Quint hunts the shark with two other men — a trio. In the film, Quint (played by Robert Shaw) gives a toast: “Here’s to swimmin’ with bow-legged women.”

+ In the film, the threesome sang “Show Me the Way to Go Home.” (The shark, you'll recall) was unamused.) At Universal, that song is in the repertoire of singing shrunken heads on display in Knockturn Alley. The song was written and recorded by British duo Jimmy Campbell and Reg Connelly in 1925.

+ This one is slightly more obvious: A set of shark jawbones appears behind the herbs and potions at Mr. Mulpepper’s Apothecary, a faux storefront on the main strip of Diagon Alley. (It's around the corner from Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlour.)

+ Universal Studios employees have said that telescopes on display at Wiseacre’s Wizarding Equipment are made with pieces from the boats that carted visitors around the Jaws ride.

If you’re really nostalgic for Jaws, you can can still see the giant, strung-up shark – sometimes referred to as “Bruce” - that fronted the attraction until it closed in January 2013. Universal has placed it nearby, in the San Francisco section of the park. If you get the angle just right, you can capture a picture of the big guy with King’s Cross train station — the tip end of Diagon Alley — in the background.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/trav...ios-jaws-diagon-alley-20140709,0,3386923.post

Me personally, I saw a POV video of Gringotts and Bill Weasley's send off at the end of the ride reminds me of the Skipper's spiel at the very end. I don't necessarily think it was intentional, but it rings a bell to me.
 
There's an album in the London Record shop, some shark teeth and jaw in the background of the Apothecary window next to Florean Fortescues, the shrunken heads in Knockturn Alley sing the song from the movie and the biggest telescope in Wiseacres is made from parts of the old Jaws boats.

Edit: Yeah what he said. ^ :thumbs:
 
Funnily enough, I actually just saw the Kong status for the first time on my latest visit. 10 years and umpteen rides later. :lol:

I have never been able to see the kong statue. I have no idea where to look. after all these years and I never saw it
 
here's a video of the shrunken heads singing show me the way to go home from jaws. Made me too happy
[video=youtube;eFNmq3RiD8g]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFNmq3RiD8g[/video]
 
Huh, pretty cool. I've always wondered if there were homages to previous rides but never bothered to look them up. Gonna have to keep an eye out now. Thanks for posting those, Drew.
 
I love the nods to Jaws that the creative designers came up with for Diagon. I didn't know about the telescopes in Wiseacre's being made out of the boats, i'll have to try and confirm it but if its true, that could be one of the greatest nods to an attraction i've ever seen!
 
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