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Photo TR: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter


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I take it Robb you never read the books or watch the movies too much.

some of us prefer books and movies suited for our age group

 

 

Butterbeer comes in the standard and frozen varities.

Frozen beer? F you, Universal.

 

 

Um, the books are written for everyone of all ages, not specifically just for kids. As the story progresses the overall tone of the series really becomes very dark and gritty hence why half the movies are rated PG-13.

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^I'm pretty sure they were originally marketed and aimed at children. Therefore most people consider it a children's series. None of my friends read the books when they came out cause we considered them 'kids books'. Then all of the mom's started reading them which made us all hate the books even more!

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^This is true, although it was never JKR Rowling's intention of it being a kid's series. The first book has a evil sorcerer growing out of the back of guy's head (ala Total Recall style). This is hardly kid book material!

 

But I digress, wonderful coverage of the park, Adam! I probably will not get down there anytime soon, but everything is looking great!

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To the actual topic: Very nice TR/review, Adam. I like some fantasy. I read a fair amount of it in high school. Still, I've never liked Harry Potter. It does seem so "young adult". Still, it looks like Universal did a great job with this and I'm a fan of their work in general, especially as far as IOA is concerned. I imagine I'll like WWoHP more than I've liked the films.

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As a person who has read the books, I think the amount of detail is very impressive.

 

But I get what Robb is saying, if you have not read the books or seen the movies, the new land would not make much sense, things such as the owlery, the Hogwart's express, Ollivanders etc.

 

Maybe the land needs a flyer that people who have not read the books or seen the movies can take to "translate" the attractions.

 

My guess Robb is when you go there, there will be enough kids going crazy and saying things like "Hey look, there is Ollivander's.... where everyone got their wand, well we all know that the wand selects the wizard, and remember when ollivander was kidnapped by voldemort, whose wand was made from a feather from the same Phoenix as Harry's and both feathers came from Fawkes, Dumbledore's Phoenix." that you will be quickly brought up to speed just by listening to the crowds. Either that or you will want to strangle them.

 

Great TR by the way, all except for the hideous b*oncos t-shirt. I really hate those guys.

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"Hey look, there is Ollivander's.... where everyone got their wand, well we all know that the wand selects the wizard, and remember when ollivander was kidnapped by voldemort, whose wand was made from a feather from the same Phoenix as Harry's and both feathers came from Fawkes, Dumbledore's Phoenix." that you will be quickly brought up to speed just by listening to the crowds. .

 

If I am ever near a crowd of people speaking like that I will just go home.

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^I would guess that IOA (like most parks) has a rule that does not allow people to wear "costumes" while in the park.

 

"Hey look, there is Ollivander's.... where everyone got their wand, well we all know that the wand selects the wizard, and remember when ollivander was kidnapped by voldemort, whose wand was made from a feather from the same Phoenix as Harry's and both feathers came from Fawkes, Dumbledore's Phoenix." that you will be quickly brought up to speed just by listening to the crowds. .

 

If I am ever near a crowd of people speaking like that I will just go home.

 

Same. Actually, hearing a conversation like this would just make it time for a Jaws ride. Or Moe's!

 

I'm thinking if an attraction at any park has to be "explained" or you have to have other guests explain it to you or you have to hand out some sort of guide to tell you what's going on unless you've memorized the books or whatever is a massive failure. Attractions should be inclusive, not exclusive.

 

dt

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^ I second Moe's!!!

 

I would have to believe that the non-inclusiveness was the product of JK Rowling. I mean, it is probably just an FU to anyone who hasn't read the books. If you haven't read the books and don't understand it, then tough. If that is the case, it just makes the world a lot less inviting to me. I don't really like that.

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This is probably the most in depth report I've seen of the new land yet.

 

Here are my thoughts -

 

 

4. ...I feel like I'm looking at some really cool section of an international park like Europa or Phantasialand where it looks FREAKING AWESOME, but everything is in a different language and I don't understand what's going on. I can appreciate what I see as a great looking themed area on the surface, but I have no idea what everyone is talking about. If I knew (or cared to know) the first thing about Harry Potter, I'd probably be jumping on a flight to Orlando right now, but since I don't know why a Quidditch Picture or Pink Coconut Ice is supposed to be cool, I really cannot fully appreciate what I'm looking at.

 

@ Europa Park the most is also in Egnlish and in french!

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I really like Robb's analogy to a point, but I'm having a hard time trying to figure out why so many people think this land is going to completely alienate anyone who doesn't have a lot of Harry Potter knowledge. Granted, if you are Harry Potter Fan No. 1, it's going to mean a lot more to you... but based on this TR, I believe there is enough context for everyone to understand what's going on.

 

I know... not a lot about Harry Potter. I got dragged to one film (the one where Hermoine has the go-back-in-time thingy--which I think is the technical term) by an ex-girlfriend, and that's about the extent of my experience. But I can look at Ollivander's and say "Gee, there sure are a lot of magic wands in here. This must be... a magic wand shop!" "This Three Broomsticks place has a menu? Hmm... must be a restaurant!" I mean, I don't know a whole lot about pirates or ghosts, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy Pirates of the Caribbean or The Haunted Manson. And back in the day, they didn't even have movies associated with them to tell me what was going on!

 

As far as not having sodas in Harry Potter World... from a profit standpoint, it's actually a pretty brilliant strategy. Removing Coke (or Pepsi--not sure which Universal has) from the equation gives them a monopoly on expensive upcharge drinks. And if you're really, really craving a Sprite during your time on Potter Island... well, I assume they don't have armed guards (or flying monkeys or whatever) at the gate to keep you from buying it at one of the other dozens of beverage carts at the park and bringing it in.

 

In the enthusiast community, the rally cries always seem to be "Bigger! Faster! More theming!" To turn around and send a message now to Universal that "You have too much theming!" seems... conterproductive. Islands of Adventure has never had enough going for it to make me want to spend more money and an extra day in Orlando to get it on my itenerary, even though it was just mere footsteps from Universal. Wizarding World (combined with Marvel Superhero Island, which is the only other area that thus far has intrigued me) likely will give me enough incentive to pony up the dough next time I'm in Florida... and this is coming from someone who really couldn't care less about the books or movie franchise.

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Thanks for the awesome and way in depth TR!

 

Although I am an HP fan (apparently the only one reading the thread ) I wasn't following the progress closesly because I know I won't be able to go anytime soon. Plus, I didn't want to get too excited and then have it fizzle and be lame. Totally Not Lame though!!!

Now I'm jazzed about it but still won't be able to go any time soon. D'oh!

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I'm thinking if an attraction at any park has to be "explained" or you have to have other guests explain it to you or you have to hand out some sort of guide to tell you what's going on unless you've memorized the books or whatever is a massive failure. Attractions should be inclusive, not exclusive.

 

I agree with you, I just had this image in my mind of kids dressed up as as wizards in July running around this new land having conversations like this.

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I don't think it's necessary to know the intricate details of a themed land to enjoy the physical beauty of the area and to enjoy the attractions. The entire concept of a themed attraction / land is to take the consumer to a different place that will entertain them. To present an alternate reality to the everyday. In that, it appears Universal did an amazing job

 

The only downside I see to the land is that some of the stores are very tight for customers, the error about the Dueling Dragons re-theme, and there will likley be crowd control issues for a bit.

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^This is true, although it was never JKR Rowling's intention of it being a kid's series. The first book has a evil sorcerer growing out of the back of guy's head (ala Total Recall style). This is hardly kid book material!

 

You're not familiar with the Brothers Grimm, are you?

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I haven't read the books, and only saw a couple of the movies which I thought were entertaining, but not great or worthy of a second viewing but... this land looks friggin' amazing! I can't believe some are complaining that it is too intricately themed! The worst thing Universal could have done is water it down to make it more appealing to those who haven't read the books. Half the fun is going to be trying to figure out what everything means in this land for the uninitiated. That's part of the adventure. And good for Rowling on demanding such detailed theming and giving Coke the boot. The less outside commercialism the more immersive the experience, plus Universal will make more profit from all the pumpkin juice and Butterbeer sold anyway. To the theme park industry: more of this please!

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I think the only reason we're making a big deal about the non-understanding is that we're used to rides and ideas that we can easily comprehend that are very complex and think we're far superior to the GP. Then, when something comes along too simple that the GP easily get, we get kind of pi$$ed off when we aren't the most knowledgable person about theme parks around in public.

 

I'm not a fan, but read the books and understand most of the potter talk because I unfortunately have a great memory.

 

Just my two cents. Hope somebody gets my point...

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This land looks absolutely fantastic. As a huge Harry Potter nerd, I've been really excited about this ever since it was announced. And although I'm really excited for the Forbidden Journey ride, I'm even more excited about the little details - drinking some pumpkin juice, listening to the portraits talk, looking at shop fronts, seeing the animatronic Buckbeak. And I guess it's a little difficult to put myself in the shoes of a non-fan (because I've read each book at least ten times... yeah), I don't think it's going to be... exclusive. Even if you haven't read a single book, or even seen one of the movies, then you can still appreciate how cool the talking portraits look, or how awesome Ollivander's Wand Shop is. You may not appreciate the moving photos of Gilderoy Lockhart in the shop windows like a Harry Potter fan can, but it's still a cool bit of added theming. You may not be able to appreciate the chocolate frog cards in Honeyduke's like a Harry Potter fan can, but you can still eat the chocolate frogs and think "that is a damn good piece of overpriced chocolate."

...And anyway, if you get confused by something, just ask one of the nerds running around the place. I'm sure there's bound to be plenty there at any given moment. Just make sure your questions aren't too general... we can talk for hours about the series.

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For anyone who has ridden FJ, have you experienced problems with hitting your feet on things during the ride? This picture shows how close you really are to the sets, and I was wondering if it is some sort of major safety issue, or just a rumor.

 

By the way, the picture was taken during an evacuation, so the vehicle is in a mode where it is easiest to get people out.

 

Also, possible spoilers in the picture below!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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^Your feet are inside of the vehicle, which is essentially boxed in (as you can see in the photo you posted). I'm almost positive that parks have to go through many tests to ensure a proper "reach envelope" that prevents the guest from hitting their arms or legs on anything that they shouldn't be hitting.

 

Thanks again to everyone for the comments on the report--I am definitely glad to have shared this, and I will have some more photos to post (hopefully) from Sunday's visit. Anything that I missed that you'd like me to make sure I get this time around (the only thing I won't do is take pictures in the ride itself)?

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