Wizarding World - Diagon Alley Discussion (Opens 2014)

[Teebin]

I don't remember seeing this link being posted. So I'll share it here just in-case.

BTW. Notice what appears to be a square building foundation at the base of the left tower crane, to the right of it. That isn't on the water mngmnt plans.

 

[Andy]

I hope they actually go to lengths to disguise the massive Gringotts show building. The fact that Hogwarts still rests on the corner of a warehouse 3 years later annoys me to no end.

Just FYI you won be able to see the show building from within London/Diagon but you will be able to see it from World Expo on the FFL side.

 

[OrlandoInformer]

I won't be doing another Harry Potter construction update on my site for a bit, so I thought I'd share these photos I shot today with you guys.









And here's a video too:

[video=youtube;0ufwUFbteD4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ufwUFbteD4[/video]

 

[usfgeek]

I won't be doing another Harry Potter construction update on my site for a bit, so I thought I'd share these photos I shot today with you guys.

Thank you very much, you've been awesome with your updates recently. Really appreciate it.

 

[Teebin]

Thanks OrlandoInfo! That north angled wall confused me when I first saw the water plans... now it confuses me more in how substantial its foundation is. What kind of columns would require such a deep base (if they are for columns). What do those four boxes represent? If you know, please don't tell me in pvt. I am enjoying being in the dark this time around.

 

[TylerDurden]

Just FYI you won be able to see the show building from within London/Diagon but you will be able to see it from World Expo on the FFL side.

I think that's so annoying. Everyone saying universal is beating Disney at their own game seem to forget that you can't see the show buildings for Splash Mountain and Expedition Everest from guest areas. I don't know how a Universal executive can be satisfied with WWOHP while seeing a warehouse from Hippogriff, and seeing more warehouse than castle for the Forbidden Journey. New things are nice, but Universal should realize that no amount of park additions will make your park a great one if you don't uphold the theming on what is already there. For instance, I'd much rather see a covered FJ building than a Springfield expansion. Springfield may make Universal more appealing but what good is that when there's so much other things that need work. I hope they address the issue of Hogwarts before anything new comes along, and hopefully they can find it in them to at least put some trees around the Gringotts building.

 

[Teebin]

I think that's so annoying. Everyone saying universal is beating Disney at their own game seem to forget that you can't see the show buildings for Splash Mountain and Expedition Everest from guest areas. I don't know how a Universal executive can be satisfied with WWOHP while seeing a warehouse from Hippogriff, and seeing more warehouse than castle for the Forbidden Journey. New things are nice, but Universal should realize that no amount of park additions will make your park a great one if you don't uphold the theming on what is already there. For instance, I'd much rather see a covered FJ building than a Springfield expansion. Springfield may make Universal more appealing but what good is that when there's so much other things that need work. I hope they address the issue of Hogwarts before anything new comes along, and hopefully they can find it in them to at least put some trees around the Gringotts building.

The big money spending tourists don't see the show buildings, they don't notice them at all. Only theme park nerds on a site like this know they can see them because we look at hundreds of pictures that show them all the time. Some here whine and screech about it when the fact is... the general public never notices the boring flat buildings once they are surrounded by spectacular design... EVER!

Summation: the people with thousands if not tens of thousands to spend on their vacation do no notice these show buildings. Get real.

 

[Nitro_230]

I think that's so annoying. Everyone saying universal is beating Disney at their own game seem to forget that you can't see the show buildings for Splash Mountain and Expedition Everest from guest areas. I don't know how a Universal executive can be satisfied with WWOHP while seeing a warehouse from Hippogriff, and seeing more warehouse than castle for the Forbidden Journey. New things are nice, but Universal should realize that no amount of park additions will make your park a great one if you don't uphold the theming on what is already there. For instance, I'd much rather see a covered FJ building than a Springfield expansion. Springfield may make Universal more appealing but what good is that when there's so much other things that need work. I hope they address the issue of Hogwarts before anything new comes along, and hopefully they can find it in them to at least put some trees around the Gringotts building.

Disney hides them sometimes, sometimes they don't.

The big money spending tourists don't see the show buildings, they don't notice them at all. Only theme park nerds on a site like this know they can see them because we look at hundreds of pictures that show them all the time. Some here whine and screech about it when the fact is... the general public never notices the boring flat buildings once they are surrounded by spectacular design... EVER!

Summation: the people with thousands if not tens of thousands to spend on their vacation do no notice these show buildings. Get real.

Exactly. The average guest doesn't see the show buildings. A huge part of theme park design is designing where the guests will focus their attention and where they won't.

 

[USO92]

I think that's so annoying. Everyone saying universal is beating Disney at their own game seem to forget that you can't see the show buildings for Splash Mountain and Expedition Everest from guest areas. I don't know how a Universal executive can be satisfied with WWOHP while seeing a warehouse from Hippogriff, and seeing more warehouse than castle for the Forbidden Journey. New things are nice, but Universal should realize that no amount of park additions will make your park a great one if you don't uphold the theming on what is already there. For instance, I'd much rather see a covered FJ building than a Springfield expansion. Springfield may make Universal more appealing but what good is that when there's so much other things that need work. I hope they address the issue of Hogwarts before anything new comes along, and hopefully they can find it in them to at least put some trees around the Gringotts building.

Yet you whine about this when the Mummy's showbuilding is in direct sight? And Twister and shrek and despicable me...need i say more? Space mountain is in direct sight but because its slanted and has nice pointy tower things on top its considered decor? And in Epcot you can see multiple showbuildings.

 

[darkridelover]

I think that's so annoying. Everyone saying universal is beating Disney at their own game seem to forget that you can't see the show buildings for Splash Mountain and Expedition Everest from guest areas. I don't know how a Universal executive can be satisfied with WWOHP while seeing a warehouse from Hippogriff, and seeing more warehouse than castle for the Forbidden Journey. New things are nice, but Universal should realize that no amount of park additions will make your park a great one if you don't uphold the theming on what is already there. For instance, I'd much rather see a covered FJ building than a Springfield expansion. Springfield may make Universal more appealing but what good is that when there's so much other things that need work. I hope they address the issue of Hogwarts before anything new comes along, and hopefully they can find it in them to at least put some trees around the Gringotts building.

I think Universal Studios is still modeled after the original Studios backlot in California. If you notice on a movie backlot not all facades are 360 degrees immersive. You see production buildings and sound stages about. Especially around the sides or backs of the sets where the camera doesn't see. The face on shot of the scene is the important thing. So if I can see a little bit of that show building when I'm outside the land I'm ok with it. It fits the overall theme of the studios which is designed so you feel like you're on a working movie set. Think of it as a theme within a theme.

Now the Hogwarts building in IOA is a completely different story. I agree it looks terrible when entering from the Jurassic Park Side. When I'm in the land I don't notice it though.

 

[Nitro_230]

I agree it looks terrible when entering from the Jurassic Park Side. When I'm in the land I don't notice it though.

Which by design is when your supposed to be looking at it. And if you think the average park goer has an issue with it note all the people who stop on the bridge to take pictures.

 

[l-m-f-a-o]

Show buildings never bothered me...

Just the work is amazing, & its not like I DON'T know the ride isn't really in Hogwarts & so forth.
Its just a Theme park... I cant be mad that they built this amazing detailed world and just around the corner i see the Ride Housing. lol

 

[batsmouth]

The big money spending tourists don't see the show buildings, they don't notice them at all. Only theme park nerds on a site like this know they can see them because we look at hundreds of pictures that show them all the time. Some here whine and screech about it when the fact is... the general public never notices the boring flat buildings once they are surrounded by spectacular design... EVER!

Summation: the people with thousands if not tens of thousands to spend on their vacation do no notice these show buildings. Get real.

Couldn't agree more I never really noticed them unless I really look for them and that's because of this site which brings attention to them. I spend several thousand pounds on a holiday to florida and I couldn't careless about a bit of a plain building at a different angle. There is more important things then seeing part of a show building.

 

[Jordan]

Summation: the people with thousands if not tens of thousands to spend on their vacation do no notice these show buildings. Get real.

You'd have to be (literally) blind to not notice FJ's showbuilding looming over JP. That's just the most egregious example of too many.

Yet you whine about this when the Mummy's showbuilding is in direct sight? And Twister and shrek and despicable me...need i say more? Space mountain is in direct sight but because its slanted and has nice pointy tower things on top its considered decor? And in Epcot you can see multiple showbuildings.

Previous mistakes don't excuse new ones. Unfortunately, it seems they haven't learned any lessons from those mistakes. And Space Mountain's building is technically themed through design. It's not at all the same as seeing a boxy, completely unthemed show building.

 

[TylerDurden]

The big money spending tourists don't see the show buildings, they don't notice them at all. Only theme park nerds on a site like this know they can see them because we look at hundreds of pictures that show them all the time. Some here whine and screech about it when the fact is... the general public never notices the boring flat buildings once they are surrounded by spectacular design... EVER!

Summation: the people with thousands if not tens of thousands to spend on their vacation do no notice these show buildings. Get real.

If you look at my join date, it wasn't until 2012. WWOHP opened years before I became a theme park nerd who paid attention to stuff like that. Yet I very blatantly noticed the exposed showbuilding of FJ when I entered WWOHP as an average guest. I think you're underestimating what people pay attention to. Not to mention it is so hard to miss.

 

[Nitro_230]

You'd have to be (literally) blind to not notice FJ's showbuilding looming over JP. That's just the most egregious example of too many.

Thousands of guests do it every day. When your here on a once in a life time vacation and your in JP you know what you look at? JP. The theming levels of all of the parks in Orlando is amazing, and far beyond regional parks that most people are used to.

Theme park enthusiasts notice show buildings like that, park guests don't. And even if they do, they don't care. There's not stacks of negative comments at guest services about it, no one is yelling about how it ruined their day, they just don't care that it's there. They are in the park to enjoy their day.

 

[TylerDurden]

Yet you whine about this when the Mummy's showbuilding is in direct sight? And Twister and shrek and despicable me...need i say more? Space mountain is in direct sight but because its slanted and has nice pointy tower things on top its considered decor? And in Epcot you can see multiple showbuildings.

That's irrelevant...USF is supposed to be a studio backlot, with soundstages around you. Those are ok. However, in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which is distinctly NOT in a movie studio (correct me if I'm wrong, I'm not the biggest HP fan...just kidding, I know that Gringotts Bank is not located in a studio), so an exposed showbuilding is inexcusable. In Production Central and a lot of USF, the theme magic comes from the backlot aspect, so show buildings are part of it. In themed areas like WWOHP and all of IOA, this is not the case, and showbuildings take you out of the perceived immersion they are trying to achieve. So yeah, I'm 'whining' about it. Also, Space Mountain matches its theme as a space station.

And I didn't say Disney was perfect, just that you can't say Universal is beating Disney when they don't even go the full nine yards as far as theming showbuildings.

 

[Andy]

Thousands of guests do it every day. When your here on a once in a life time vacation and your in JP you know what you look at? JP. The theming levels of all of the parks in Orlando is amazing, and far beyond regional parks that most people are used to.

Theme park enthusiasts notice show buildings like that, park guests don't. And even if they do, they don't care. There's not stacks of negative comments at guest services about it, no one is yelling about how it ruined their day, they just don't care that it's there. They are in the park to enjoy their day.

Glad you touched on that, without a doubt one of the most important aspects.

 

[Nitro_230]

just that you can't say Universal is beating Disney when they don't even go the full nine yards as far as theming showbuildings.

How do you define beating?
Per cap spending, and increase in per cap spending.... that goes to Universal
Quantity of rides.... That goes to Disney
Cutting edge rides.... Universal again
Family rides..... Disney
Theming..... it's a tie, they both do an amazing job

 

[TylerDurden]

It doesn't ruin my day, it just showcases the difference between going all the way and cheaping out.

Besides, if it's not a big deal, then why is everyone hoping so hard for Gringotts to be well-hidden? Or complaining about Transformers? That's a little bit of a double-standard don't you think..?

- - - Updated - - -

Theming..... it's a tie, they both do an amazing job

That's where I'll disagree with you. I don't see a showbuilding for RSR in DCA. I see a lot of rockwork. The ride inside might not be the greatest thing ever, but the exterior sure is.