Castle bling - an improvement?

[fizzog]

Re: Castle bling - an improvement?

Thank you for agreeing with me about the obsoleteness (word?) StrongStyle

[fizzog]

Re: Castle bling - an improvement?

I read that they were already pushing it with the $2 billion. I'm surprised that they actually went through with the idea too, since it was a very risky move at that time. By the $1.3 billion, are you referring to the Harry Potter land? I don't think it will cause that much. Sources say that it will cost around $500 million, which is still a heck of a lot of money for an elaborate re-theming of the Lost Continent.

Sorry, I was referring to DCA which for some reason I tohught cost $2b. Just ignore that post, was rather misinformed. Apologies for my stupidity

[TDR_Fan]

Re: Castle bling - an improvement?

Sorry, I was referring to DCA which for some reason I tohught cost $2b. Just ignore that post, was rather misinformed. Apologies for my stupidity

I think if California Adventure actually did cost $2 billion, I would be even more disappointed. Spending so much money and for what; cheap carnival attractions and bare theming? It really would have made me lose hope in Walt Disney Imagineering if that were the case.

[Sir_Cliff]

Re: Castle bling - an improvement?

The problem with the Potter area is not so much that Potter mania is going to fizzle away into nothing within a few years, it's that they're dedicating a whole land to a property that will definitely begin decreasing in popularity almost as soon as it opens. In fact, that process has probably already begun. That's no reason not to build any Potter attractions as I'm sure it will stay popular enough for years to support a major ride or two, but giving a big chunk of your theme park to one book/movie series is seriously putting all your eggs in the one basket.

[fizzog]

Re: Castle bling - an improvement?

Exactly, especially when it's billed as a 'theme park within a theme park' not just another island

[TDR_Fan]

Re: Castle bling - an improvement?

Exactly, especially when it's billed as a 'theme park within a theme park' not just another island

That's a bit of an overstatement considering all they are doing is retheming most of the Lost Continent and adding at least one E-ticket attraction. It's not so much an expansion as it is a renovation.

[kirbilicious]

Re: Castle bling - an improvement?

Newsflash: Potter is already as good as dead

And within a year of the Universal Park opening it will have completely keeled over. Why? Because the books are what actually drove the franchise and as we all know, they are now done with. The movies are only a big deal because the books are such a big deal, none of the movies have ever been up for any kind of awards or critical acclaim, they basically live off the book's popularity.

Sure, a couple of weeks ago there was Potter EVERYWHERE, people on the trains reading the books, mentions all over the news, posters the lot; and I know 12 people who read the book as soon as they could. I only know two people that went to see the new film. Look at Tescos or Toys R Us, there's double the space dedicated to Transformers movie toys than the Potter movie action figures.

And the fad is already dying out, the displays for the books are coming down; I even heard two people discussing the outcome of the new book on the train this morning without anyone jumping on them for spoiling it. It's over; everyone planning on reading the book had already done so and I've heard several people say they only read the last books because they had read the ones before them (which have been getting gradually worse). Most people only wanted to know how it ends, and they know that now.

Unless they do a spin off TV or cartoon out of Potter there will be nothing to keep promoting it going forwards and the fad will be over. Disney gets around the problem by having its own channels so that it can keep characters fresh in people's minds and has a further network of media and merchandising to allow it to keep Disney characters over with the audience and thus the park attractions keep getting new customers because new kids reaching ages discover Disney characters without even trying to and everything becomes timeless. No new audience it going to bump into Harry Potter unless they are told to read the books or a parent goes out of their way to put them in front of the DVD; Potter doesn't have that diversification of media. So sure, there will be some media buzz for each of the last few movies, but the park isn't supposed to even open until the last movie is released, after that the only media buzz they have to look forward to is when the complete set of movies is released on DVD.

Where are you going to see something Potter on TV? Where are you going to see Potter merchandise in stores unless its film release time? What are you ever going to see in stores after the last movie? Nowhere and nothing. In a few years time Potter will ONLY be 7 books tucked away in the teen section of bookstores, 7 DVDs and a box set tucked away in movie sections and a theme park land in Orlando. Is that enough material to hold onto it's current cult following and increase IoA's attendance significantly? I doubt it.

Back on topic, I thought the castle looked excllent with the bling. It just sparkled and I have my parade pics coming down Main Street with the castle behind and it looks fantastic in the sun.

I'm going to completely disagree with you on this. Potter is here to stay. Perhaps adults who were fans won't care as much about it in a few years, but I think the majority of fans will. For fans such as myself in their late teens to early twenties Harry Potter, was just so entwined with our childhoods that it would be impossible to forget. For the past years, we've been growing up with Harry and the popularity of the series has only continued to rise, as evidenced by the record breaking sales of the final book, which is considered by many to be the best. It's difficult to deny the popularity of the movies either. Just because a series has ended doesn't mean its popularity disappears. Look at Star Wars. Star Tours wasn't built until 6 years after Return of the Jedi and 10 years before the next movie. Indianna Jones at DL was also built 6 years after the last movie and that is also very popular. Aside from the rides, these series are still loved today and have not disappeared into obscurity. The same will be true for Potter years from now. As long as Universal pulls out some top-notch rides, the Potter section will remain popular for years to come.

[StrongStyle]

Re: Castle bling - an improvement?

Disney were very clever in this situation. They knew they weren't going to do anything with Potter themselves, but they never bailed out of the letter of intent they had all wrapped up and legeally binding and allowed anyone else to do it, they just let it lapse after a long time.

If they had ripped that agreement up several years ago when Disney/Potter died then the Potter park at Universal would be openeing now and Universal would be cashing in big time, but now Universal get Potter on the way down rather than at the peak of its popularity. Can you imagine the hoopla Universale could have made of the release of the last book if the park had already been open? 1-0 to Disney.

I agree Potter as a single Ride (like Star Tours) has potential and longevity; as a land its overkill. It would be like Disney just now deciding to turn half of MGM into Lord of the Rings (and they better not or Narnia for that matter); far too late.

[fizzog]

Re: Castle bling - an improvement?

The difference is, Indy and Star Wars were regarded as great movies of our time. Harry Potter is regarded as being great books of our time not great films. Additionally, as StrongStyle said, a ride is fine and would work but a whole land? If HP does indeed go obsolete, they'll have alot more than just an attraction to deal with, we're talking huge

[StrongStyle]

Re: Castle bling - an improvement?

I'm going to completely disagree with you on this. Potter is here to stay. Perhaps adults who were fans won't care as much about it in a few years, but I think the majority of fans will. For fans such as myself in their late teens to early twenties Harry Potter, was just so entwined with our childhoods that it would be impossible to forget. For the past years, we've been growing up with Harry and the popularity of the series has only continued to rise, as evidenced by the record breaking sales of the final book, which is considered by many to be the best. It's difficult to deny the popularity of the movies either. Just because a series has ended doesn't mean its popularity disappears. Look at Star Wars. Star Tours wasn't built until 6 years after Return of the Jedi and 10 years before the next movie. Indianna Jones at DL was also built 6 years after the last movie and that is also very popular. Aside from the rides, these series are still loved today and have not disappeared into obscurity. The same will be true for Potter years from now. As long as Universal pulls out some top-notch rides, the Potter section will remain popular for years to come.

ok, so that's your generation, and I'll admit, big fans of things remain fans; I'm a 31 year old with a giant 20th Anniversary Optimus Prime on my desk at work (along with a new movie figure and an Optimash Prime potato head).

But where do the future fans come from? what breeds longevity if there is nothing new to bring it back up again? Star Wars is legendary, even if you were born after the first movies you still knew about it because merchandise is still sold and images of Darth Vader could still be found and the movies shown often. And then they made more films, a cartoon series and throughout the gap there were dozens of books, magazines etc. I don't think the newer generations have a clue who Indy is but after the movies there was the TV series, and for the hardcore Indy fans there's been books and this will of course change when the new movie comes out. But in both of these cases we are talking a single ride and not and entire land; and we're not talking "top notch rides" we're talking the same rides that have been there for years and one new ride.

In the case of Star Wars, Star Trek, even lesser cult followings like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, there is new material (or at leasr the potential for new material or a revival) to keep the fans interested; for instance how many non Trek fans are aware that there are over 15 Trek books released each year? (and that's after they cut the release schedule back last year). Surely there's even a limit on what Potter fans can talk about on forums to keep their level of interest up because you need new material to start new conversations. From everything I've read, that's not going to be the case with Potter, this is the end of the books and the films of these books will be the end of the films; thats the lot.

What will Harry Potter Magazine (if there is one?) be writing about 6 months after the last film's release? News: "None", Interviews: "We've talked to everyone already", Coming Next Month: "We've got nothing, here's a few pictures of Emma Watson, she'll be legal in [insert country] soon".

Unless someone is allowed to break away from the books and create spin offs in whatever form or fill in more of the time at Hogwarts with other stories there just isn't a long term future for the franchise and it's going to die.

[fizzog]

Re: Castle bling - an improvement?

I agree with you StrongStyle, it's a different kind of franchise to Star Wars or Indy and thus can't be compared

[lazyboy97O]

Re: Castle bling - an improvement?

Where are you going to see something Potter on TV?

They've already shown the movies on the Disney Channel...

[StrongStyle]

Re: Castle bling - an improvement?

Exactly, you can only compare Potter to other franchises that have ended, no more movies, tv spin offs, books, comics or any other genre still going; and also that only had a certain amount of developed story to them in the first place. HP fans are obviously going to deny its dying because to them they've just had the most exciting couple of months and still have several movies to look forward to; it will be interesting to measure their enthusiasm a year after the last movie is released and they have nothing to look forward to.

As for the Potter movies still doing well after the last book's release; from my own Generation I would point you to the original Transformers animated Movie. As a HUGE Transformers fan this was the absolute pinnacle, the big screen, the soundtrack, this should have been the brightest hour and it was, it was fantastic, I loved it and still watch it all the time; which Transformer fan back then didn't see it on the big screen? But, who actually watched Series 3 and all 3 episodes of Series 4 religiously when the aired after the movie the same way they did Series 1 and 2? The movie was the end, Prime and Magatron had their final battle; I loved the new guys, I had the Galvatron toy, I thought Hot Rod/Rodimus was great; but the story was over and so my hunger to watch was sated. All HP fans now know how it ends, the story is over, how many of them are going to really care to see it on the big screen in 2 years time (or whenever) when their hunger to know the big outcome is already fullfilled?

[TDLFAN]

Re: Castle bling - an improvement?

And Tokyo DisneySea cost roughly $4 billion, about twice what it cost to build Islands of Adventure.

Don't even go there TDR_Fan.. Most WDW lovers have never experienced THAT level of quality and amazement from Disney... therefore, they could not even begin to imagine it. TDS is a class above the rest in Disney experiences.