Can we hope for a little friendly competiton

[larworth]

Not a Disney rumor, but it clearly impacts on the business side of things. From a recent interview with the new head of Universal Orlando

Q. You're planning a third new attraction for 2004, but even your top creative experts have zipped lips about it. Do you?
A: We think we'll get a green light within a month for a new blockbuster attraction. It will be on the state-of-the-art level of our Spiderman ride. It'll be a thrill ride based on new technology and a completely different type of experience than Spider-Man. It'll be based on a movie you've seen before. There may be a sequel to that film franchise come out the year we open the ride

With Universal also annoucing they will start work on two new hotels will this put any pressure on Disney to counter-respond? We can hope can't we!

Gaultinterview

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

It's possible, but I think WDW has plenty of hotels now. What they need to do is update some of their attractions.

I'm wondering about this ride at Universal that's mentioned. Not X-Men; that sequel is due out in 2003. A ride based on Harry Potter, maybe?

 

[Planogirl]

Oh my, a ride based on Harry Potter would attract our son like a bee flies to nectar. He'd be pleading to go to Universal instead of just hinting like he's been doing. Wouldn't a Quidditch ride or something like that be fun though?

 

[MineeBaby]

I was thinking it might be the Matrix..there are two sequals scheduled to come out in 2003 and 2004...but i am just guessing...

 

[DisneyKidds]

My first thought was The Matrix as well. That would be REALLY cool. However, I doubt that is it. Both Matrix sequels are scheduled to come out in 2003 (May and November if I recall correctly) so the 2004 timing doesn't fit. Which studio was The Matrix from anyway?

 

[MineeBaby]

oh, that stinks! it sounds like it would be fun. I think warner bros participated in making the matrix, but i dont know for sure about that either.

 

[EUROPA]

I'm going with Harry Potter, would Matrix even fit in IOA? Remember US is already getting two new attractions so it only seems logical that this is going to be at IOA. X-Men would be a second runner up. With Lord of the Rings a distant third.

 

[SnackyStacky]

I'm not up on my corporate mergers, but I know that Harry Potter is owned by Warner Bros. Are they in some way connected with Universal?

If not, it would mean that Six Flags would be the only place you'd see a Harry Potter ride. Imagine that.

 

[YoHo]

Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings are both Time Warner Properties. So Universal will probably NOT get Soarin over Sauron.

 

[EUROPA]

According to a poster on the US/IOA board Universal bought the rights for Harry Potter to use in the parks. According to him it was in the NY times.

Can anybody back this up?

 

[YoHo]

Why would Time Warner Give up Rights to this when they have their own parks to fill?

 

[SnackyStacky]

originally posted by EUROPA:
According to a poster on the US/IOA board Universal bought the rights for Harry Potter to use in the parks. According to him it was in the NY times.

Can anybody back this up?

I didn't see that in the Times. (not saying it wasn't there, just that I didn't see it). I can't imagine that they'd sell the rights yet anyway. They have a sequel being released soon, and at least one, possibly more, to be filmed also.

 

[raidermatt]

I did a search on Yahoo but couldn't find anything linking US to Harry Potter. (doesn't mean it didn't happen, just that I didn't find anything).

I did find something that mentioned an already existing Harry Potter attraction at a Six Flags park (a walk though?), but it had no details.

 

[Douglas Dubh]

"Why would Time Warner Give up Rights to this when they have their own parks to fill?"

Time Warner sold the Six Flags parks a while ago. The WB characters there are part of a licensing agreement. TW could sell the rights to new characters to anybody they want. The exception to this is the WB Movieworld parks in Europe - I'm pretty sure they still own those, so would probably keep the European rights. So Universal might be able to put a Harry Potter ride in Orlando or Hollywood, but maybe not in their park in Spain. Of course, anything's negotiable.

 

[All Throttle]

fast and the furious ride just a thought because it is a universal film and the second one is coming out somtime next year i think

 

[Megatoby]

WB does not own the German park, as the time beeing. I dont know for sure, but I think the park in Spain is owned by them.

As far as the attraction goes...

I could really imagine an Matrix ride, as one is planned for the Universal Park down here in Germany. In the masterplan, I have, it is called something like "Matrix: The Simulator"

 

[Bob O]

A ride based on the matrix with updated spiderman technology would fit in at any park!!!!!
Six Flas does a awful job of theming for most of its rides/shows so i doubt aol/tw would allow them to butcher Harry Potter. And Premiers parks owns the Six Flags chains.
The competition will hopefully inspire wdw to give us something new and exciting and get away from their clones and spinners!!!

 

[larworth]

The recent churn on the rumor mill has been high enough to give us some hope Disney might actually be thinking about pulling the trigger on some decent addition for 2004/05 (most likely for DAK). It also seems just as likely they believe SPACE will carry them for several years and are content to proceed cautiously.

I know they love to say they don't really compete with each another, but does this latest salvo of Universal announcements (especially the potential for a major new attraction in 2004 that might take some of the attention away from SPACE) play into their thinking at all these days?