A Mountain for Potterland

[violarum]

Prepare yourself for some more nice words! I have been an avid fan of your drawings and sketches for quite some time now! I have your blog listed in my Theme Parks links folder on my browser. To be honest, your ingenuity for the flow and structure, both visual and functional, of theme parks has been one of the largest spurts of inspiration towards my own personal theme park art, and I thank you! Also, welcome to the site! I think you'll be an amazing addition here. :wave:

Oh, and to be blunt, I died when you posted the Potter retheming sketch a short while ago. Take that however you please! However, personally, I wouldn't have the queue and vehicle building inside of a sort of castle extension. I would have this main building rethemed to the stadium in which the original Dragon Challenge took place in the Triwizard Tournament. When the ride goes over the Scottish mountain range, however, various castle ruins can definitely help with the theming. Just a small tidbit!

 

[RandySavage]

Thanks for the above comments.

However, personally, I wouldn't have the queue and vehicle building inside of a sort of castle extension. I would have this main building rethemed to the stadium in which the original Dragon Challenge took place in the Triwizard Tournament.

What did the stadium look like? If you can find a pic maybe I can adjust the illustration.

Regarding a Mountain-ed Dragon Challenge being too close to Everest... I think there are plenty of features that make each distinct from the other (the one similarity is weaving around & through a large mountain). Everest has more in common with Big Thunder than it does with this concept.

 

[BJCool]

What did the stadium look like? If you can find a pic maybe I can adjust the illustration.

Here's part of the scene from the film (it was the highest quality I could find):

[video=youtube;bPXJsQjUTm0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPXJsQjUTm0[/video]


And here are more than enough screencaps from HP4 that depict the first task stadium:

 

[RandySavage]

Here's part of the scene from the film (it was the highest quality I could find):

Thanks. Considering the once brilliant DD queue was gutted for Dragon Challenge, it makes sense to replace the castle with the Stadium. Here's a quick go:

bigger version on blog

 

[Felipe]

^ Totally awesome! :rep:

They already have the tent as you enter the indoor queue, so now they'd just need to make the inside look like you're walking inside the stadium, or shape the "castle" to look like a mountain and then it'd be like you're walking inside the mountain as you head to the stadium. Then they could re-theme the sound retention wall to look like the stadium too.

Ah... daydreaming... :smiley:

 

[Rock'nRoller]

^ Or part of the quene is actually walking threw the rock work inside of the arena. Then after that, the guests walk into the mountains and into the dungons where they meet the dragons and battle with them.

 

[Elizabeth.June]

:rep: There are no words to describe how much I love this, especially with the addition of the stadium. I wish Universal would do this :drool5:
I actually haven't ridden the Dragon Challenge because of my slight fear of loops, if they had a little more themeing around the coaster itself, my love for Potter might overcome that fear. Now if it was like THIS I would definitely ride!

 

[BJCool]

My only other idea would be to move the Jurassic Park arch back more towards the Discovery Center. It's always odd to see it and the Hogwarts Castle facade just up above it.

 

[violarum]

Also to retheme the back of Forbidden Journey to something Jurassic Park related. What isn't a facade must become one. But amazing changes! This is exactly how I envisioned my alleged update for DC to be. The dragon-themed vehicles would be changed in appearance to suit some sort of hand-made mock dragon which the dragon trainers have created quickly in order to actually get two escaped dragons back to the stadium. Sort of like a back-story ordeal. And the attraction would then be filled with a whole bunch of slightly-moving animatronics with real fire effects or some scenes with the hologram effect in Forbidden Journey's queue. And the queue could be brought back to its former glory with the addition of a preshow and some intimately scary effects.

 

[RandySavage]

The dragon-themed vehicles would be changed in appearance to suit some sort of hand-made mock dragon which the dragon trainers have created quickly in order to actually get two escaped dragons back to the stadium. Sort of like a back-story ordeal. And the attraction would then be filled with a whole bunch of slightly-moving animatronics with real fire effects or some scenes with the hologram effect in Forbidden Journey's queue. And the queue could be brought back to its former glory with the addition of a preshow and some intimately scary effects.

I like the idea of changing up the coaster vehicles. They never really looked like dragons and why would you be hanging from their undersides... the idea of a wizard contraption designed to lure the actual dragons would seem to sell the illusion/story a lot better.