Arthur Levine sends word from About.com that "Universal's creative wizards plan to substantially change one of the park's five islands and re-theme it to the stories and characters of one of the most popular children's franchises. And I mean hugely popular."
A TPI reader wrote "Rumour has it that IOA is going to be rethemeing an area of the park with some major new attractions.......what should this be...Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings......I have heard that Harry Potter is a goer........thoughts or any information?"
Playing process of elimination: There's no way Universal would scuttle the theme for Seuss Landing... or Marvel Island... or Jurassic Park.
That leaves... "Toon Lagoon," which could have a new cartoon-related theme imposed on it relatively easily.
Or... "Lost Continent," which could be morphed into a LotR or Harry Potter Island with little effort. (Save for a stunning new attraction, of course.)
Of the two, Lost Continent has, by far, the weaker overall identity. Plus, the Sindbad show could be swapped for another theme with minimal fuss. And the Poseidon show takes up a large footprint which could be given over to a more impressive ride or show. I would think Dueling Dragons would have to remain, but its backstory could be made to fit any Dragon-friendly narrative. (Like, oh, say, Harry Potter....)
What are you rooting for Universal to do with IoA?
Still, I'd go just to see it. To be honest, I think they ought to focus a little more on Jurassic Park and work on fixing that up with a new ride. It seems.. lacking compared to the other islands, with its only major draw being the River Adventure.
Anyway, doesn't WB own Harry Potter>?
Checking the U.S. Trademark Office, I didn't see any newly registered Universal trademarks that would tip off the I.D. of a new IoA land. But that doesn't mean the deal couldn't be made to license an existing mark.
Also, I always understood Dreamworks as the Animation wing of Universal even though they make more than just animated movies.
Port of entry: Not much point in changing this to be honest.
Marvel Super Hero Island: With one of the parks main roller coaster attractions and a great theming choice, re-theming this land isn't really such a great idea. Oh, and it has Spiderman which is number one for a reason.
Toon Lagoon: Florida is a hot place. The best place to cool down in IOA is by riding the two main water attractions located at this island. However, in my opinion, whilst the theming is good, the other islands are bettter themed. This could make it elligable for a re-theme since there isn't too much stuff to bulldoze.
Jurassic Park: With a ton of trees all over this island, getting rid of them is an invite for global warming (about as wise as stealing Velociraptor eggs). However, with few attractions in this island, it really isn't a bad idea to get more attractions by adding Potter to this island.
Lost Continent: Whilst Dueling dragons is a great coaster addition, the other attractions can't really hold a candle to it, with Poseidens fury and Sindbad getting mixed reviews on this site. Whilst the theming, as mentioned before, is origanal, it can be easly renovated to suit the needs of a Potter island.
Suess landing: This park is a hit with the kids and has great scenary so re-theming this island isn't such a great idea. The only factor that I can think of that makes this park elligable for re-theming is wether kids these days prefer Harry Potter to Suess Landing.
Does Star Trek have any association with a studio??? How easy would it be to add to Lost Continent, go classic, go new. Its a timeless concept.
Or, possible rumours about Battlestar Galatica?? Same thing would work there!
Can't see any other lands being changed and no space to add on. Pointless anyway as plenty of people have mentioned that IOA needs some investment to its existing lands!
Anyway, The whole Harry Potter thing should have been done a few years ago at the height of it's popularity. Now the dude who plays him in the movies has a beard, and the franchise is entering into the "really really getting old now and turning into a pop culture joke" phase. By the time they build it, most of the fans will have moved on to something else, with the rest being eternal nerd fans like the trekkies.
Why isn't Six Flags picking up this theme? Most of their stuff relates to Looney Toons and DC Comics, which I believe that Warner Bros has the licensing to. Superman, Batman, etc etc.
I think someone needs to pick up the phone and give a call over to WB and make a deal for Harry Potter. It's an theme that would provide great ideas for rides and has a built in audience to help with ticket sales and turns those red number black.
Of course if that doesn't work I am sure WB has plenty of other opportunities for themeing. How does Buffy/Angel/Charmed area sound? Or maybe a Dawson's Creek/One Tree Hill? Seventh Heaven/Gilmore Girls? Casablanca?
The above was my original thoughts...since thinking about this...how about they rip down that pteradon flyer ride...which is a pointless ride...and build within there, making ANOTHER land. It could take from both Jurassic, and Lost Cont, which both seem to be the only parts of the park that need SOMETHING! Toon lagoon may have most space for such bull dozing as mentioned, but popeye is a great kid stop, as well as the characters that always seem to be popping up there. True, we need something more here at IOA, but why make a park, without some visable growth available? I bet they will definitely surprise us with something cool.
A few weeks ago, the 7th Harry Potter book went on pre-sale in the United Kingdom without a title and release date. 750,000 copies were sold in the first 8 hours making it number 1 on the top sellers list. Getting really really old? Not exactly. I do believe though that if they were to do a Harry Potter theme, it should have been done several years ago. Even though Harry Potter may be more popular with the younger kids, I think Lord of the Rings would fit in to the park much better as it is more fantasy based than Harry Potter and actually takes place in a non-existent world. Lord of the Rings also seems to be more timeless to me for some reason.
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I love Harry Potter, and agree that something is needed in IOA, but dont disneyabilize your areas. HP world could work on its own, either in UO or in the middle of the lagoon...or something! I just abhor the idea of my favorite area getting something it really doesnt need.