Universal Creative should just hire me already. No more free ideas from me haha
Universal Creative should just hire me already. No more free ideas from me haha
Your next idea should be no Bose.
From my admittedly limited perspective, putting Diagon Alley on the Upper Lot would be detrimental to the long-term growth of the park. By putting both parts of Wizarding World literally back-to-back, Universal would be concentrating their two biggest headliners not only in one spot, but in one spot at the very front of the park. That's a nightmare for guest flow, disincentivizing guests from going deeper into the Upper Lot, let alone making the hike all the way down the Starway. The eventual addition of Nintendo on the Lower Lot will certainly help balance the scales, but even so, having a 2-to-1 ratio of major themed lands on the Upper Lot vs. Lower Lot seems like a recipe for disaster. You want the emphasis to be on the Lower Lot, forcing people to go deeper into the park, passing the breadth of other attractions along the way. Not only that, but by putting Diagon on the Lower Lot with the Hogwarts express, you improve circulation between the two parts of the park, allowing people to enter and exit at two point instead of just one.
Aside from guest flow, having Diagon and Hogsmeade butting up against each other stinks on a theming level. Harry's journey into the Wizarding World is just that: a journey. He travelled from Surrey to London, and then from London to the Scottish Highlands, all the while getting further and further away both spatially and culturally from the world he knew. Obviously in a theme park setting, you can't travel quite so far - especially not in a park as small as Studios Hollywood - but in order to preserve at least some small part of that notion of journeying, the two lands should have to travel more than just a few yards to get between them. The trek between the Lower and Upper lots would be the ideal way to handle that, especially since there is a physical ascent involved in getting between the two areas. Sure, you could fake it, and have a stationary Hogwarts Express, but you'll always know exactly where you are, and the simulated journey will never have the same impact as the real thing.
The other downside is that by smushing both of these together, you box both of them in and eliminate the possibility for further expansion. If Diagon goes on the lower lot, Waterworld and the space behind Curious George could be used for further Potter expansions (Fantastic Beasts, anyone?). Why blow that right away on Diagon?
More and more I find this proposal feasible. It mitigates the park's limited space and grants more availability for diverse IPs to occupy the lower lot. Not to mention Waterworld will be spared (for now). Migrating the Backlot Tour station also won't be an issue as they can move it back to the lower lot (Where it was held originally) which can also ease traffic flow. I would also think The former Soundstage 28 location can harbor the new station and the track extend outward towards the ridge to grant access for the trams. This can also alleviate the complications that arise with Hogwarts Express. By positioning the station closer to Hogsmeade (than originally proposed) the track would be as easy as pushing forward (to obscure fans view) elevating the train then push forward again into Hogsmeade station.
Theres one glaring problem which I know had been addressed; Hogwarts. The show building is massive and being that it is also on elevated ground makes it worse to grant the illusion of immersion. Putting "trees" on the building is going to be enough.
Regardless, Ill definitely put my hat into this proposal.
No i believe Stage 28 is expected to be a trackless Secret Life of Pets dark ride.
I like to think there is a big picture of which we can only see a small part, and that if we could see the whole thing, putting Diagon Alley on the upper lot would make more sense.
In the mean time, I have a lot of questions. Will Diagon Alley have Olivander's? Do you need two Olivander's shops right next to each other? Can you (story-wise) build Diagon Alley without Olivander's? Yes sir, a lot of questions.
I think no matter what, story or not that Diagon and Hogsmeade will both have Ollivanders in the areas, for one reason. Capacity.
At this point, the entire area surrounding lower lot, even The Mummy attraction, is one giant rumor after another. Nothing is set in stone, so don't dismiss the idea quite yet. Especially if Universal Creative proceeds to commision Diagon Alley to the upper lot.