The Wizarding World of Harry Potter!

So literally moments ago my vent fest over having to wait for the next Harry Potter film to come out turned into me remembering that the new Potter addition to Island of Adventure would be opening next year (or so they claim...)!! So just thought I'd see if there's any other HP fans out there who are as pumped about this as I! I've read the books I don't even know how many times, so I'm super keen on actually "entering the world" so to speak

And for anybody who's interested, here's the web site about the new IOA land: http://www.universalorlando.com/harrypotter/

They've got some neat looking conceptual designs! I'd so love to be there opening day! Or whatever day the cast and JK Rowling will be there muahahahaaa. Honestly, I'd probably faint if I met JK Rowling! Well, and Daniel Radcliffe... then I'd tell him to stop smoking : But this whole ride-experience-never-seen-before that's mentioned somewhere on the site has me miiiiiiiighty curious, mighty curious indeed!

 

I'm a hu-uuuuuuge fan and can't wait either! It would be awesome if we were there on the opening day and went to see it, I bet JKR will turn up!

 

i have to say, ive never read the books, but i have enjoyed the films i've seen.

im quite excited to go and see the world, just too see if it inspires me to read the books, the conceptual designs look immense, and i think it was right that universal got it rahter than disney, simply because i think they could spend more time on it...

What do you guys think?

 

I agree, and I think it will give more flexibility to the whole thing in the future. I mean in the later HP books there are some very dark parts which wouldn't really fit in at Disney I don't think, whereas at Universal they have more flexibility to expand into these aspects, or at least have them in nights like the Halloween Horror night (Death Eaters, dementors and Voldie wandering around would be scary lol!)

 

oh gosh, ya know I never even thought about what Universal could do with Halloween Horror Nights! Gee to have Voldie & Co. just wandering around would be quiiiiiite creepy! I haven't been to Halloween Horror Nights before, but from pictures I've seen it looks like they really go to town in the make-up department. I suspect I'd be on edge for the whole time I was there, and probably let out a scream or two (or... twelve hehe).

It would have been nice to have Disney get creative control over their own Harry Potter world as they would have done a fab job (as will Universal, especially with the publicity surrounding it!) - though I agree that they probably wouldn't have made it nearly as dark. For instance Universal is working the Forbidden Forest into the land somewhere... can't quite see Disney going for that! I would have seen them doing more of a sole attraction maybe, rather than a whole land, just because I'm not too sure where it would go! Hollywood Studios has too much of a backlot feel for them to throw it in there, it doesn't fit in with the theme of Animal Kingdom or Epcot, and I highly doubt they'd dedicate a whole land to a non-Disney character/series in the Kingdom!

Ginabelle, you DEFINITELY have to read the books! As amazing as the films are, the books are better by leaps and bounds! Plus it'll help fill in some of the holes that the movies create when trying to cut a story down to 2+ hours (and for that very reason, I'm SO glad they're stretching the last book across two films). JK Rowling has a great writing style, and she really makes that whole world just come alive.

 

i do really want to read them. i just remember the first time i picked up the first book i read the first page and was bored!! my sister has shouted at me on many occasions! and i think once uni is out the way, and i have time to myself in the evenings rather than writing essays i will try reading them! i will let you know how i get on! hehe.

I would love to go to halloween horror nights, i love the effort that universal put into the mardi gras, so i think halloween would be a hundred times more epic. however, im a wuss...and a big one...so i think mickeys not so scary halloween party maybe as far as i go!! hehe.

i so wanna go to florida now....far away from here!! hehe.

 

oooh planned for 2010...i have 6 months and 23 days of florida in 2010! i thought it was going to be a separate park, but it'll still be awesome!
j.k. rowling got me into leisurely reading in my early teens which was probably quite an achievement!

 

I hope that they don't push the date back. I would really like to still be in Florida when it opens. I'd love to go for opening day, imagine how packed it will be!

 

I reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally want to do whatever it takes to try to get there for opening day! I will def get a annual pass to Universal if I would is Dis again so it will be perfect! But I really want to dress up as a witch the day that opens!! I have soooooooooooooo stoked!!

 

JK is apparently opening the park and riding the rides first..thats what she said a couple of years ago on a documentary,.

I wont spoil anything but the next movie has been rated VERY BAD. it focuses on teh relationships rather than issues with the hlaf blood prince..ive also heard they exclude a certain death.....

 

really?! very bad?! I hope not! I mean the movies have NOTHING on the books but still... I hope they do it justice!

 

Yeah, I imagine JK Rowling would be there opening day - she's gotta be the one to cut the red ribbon after all! I'm so just going to pitch a tent! Besides, the location isn't bad... can get refreshments at Margaritaville!! Let's have a Potter Party! haha

As for the death I presume Audrey II is referring to... I don't know if I see them cutting that out! I'd think JK Rowling would put up a bit of a huff about it haha! Granted, I was soooo sad when it happened, but I think it was pretty important for character development in the book that followed. Only time will tell I guess! I sure hope the next film isn't bad though... definitely difficult for them to stay completely true to the books and still keep the movie a reasonable length.

 

What!!! There's no way they can exlude the death! It's so important to the rest of the series!!

 

i'm sooo excited for the world of HP! it's going to be amazing!!! Apparently they are going to put in technology so that you can have a wand and you wave it at different things and stuff happens (kinda of like the kim possible epcot attraction). And being able to go through hogwarts, and drink butterbeer! i hope it's open when im there but most likely not, i have 3 months in 2010.

 

Oh wow that wand thing sounds so neat!! I love it!! "Swish and flick!"

And I would have been so sad if they hadn't opted to include selling butterbeer somewhere!! I can't wait to try it! haha

Here's hoping that the construction doesn't get *too* delayed so that those of you who are there for a short time in 2010 will get to check it out! Maybe they can use some of that HP magic to help speed up the process? hehe I know originally they had said it would be completed late 2009... so it can't be delayed THAT much more... I hope!

Can't wait to see what the big attraction will be... if it consists of flying a broom stick, all the better! Or they might work a flying car in there somehow... ahhh I'm so not a fan of this waiting game!

 

I hope they include Honeydukes!!! ;D

 

what is the kim possible attraction like?
i hope it doesn't take so long, i want to be able to go when it's not absolutely packed! haha

 

I wonder if they'll do something like open it on Harry's birthday (31/7 for all of you who aren't completely obsessed haha!) I hope not cos a lot of you would miss it!

 

now opening it on his birthday would be amazing.

i think there is (if i remember correctly) a hogwarts and hogsmede including the shack, the pub, honeydukes i think there may be diagon alley.

with the death, that is what is rumoured to be happening according to yahoo. i wil be very angry if they have no concentrated on the half blood prince as that is one of the reasons why i love the book, but apparently teenage drama is more important. i hope they revise it all.

 

I am going to cry either way lol, if its not i will cry out of anger and if it is i'll cry cos it was soooooo sad!