I have mixed feelings about this one. I read a comment in the newspaper that compared Harry Potter to the Wizard of Oz, that they were both classics and would be around for many years. That may be true. However, who would want to go to a Wizard of Oz theme park? Back in the 1930's, when the big movie came out, there would probably have been a market for one, but at this point, you might get one good attraction out of it, not even a whole section of a theme park.
Ten years ago or so there were actually plans to build a "World of Oz" theme park (in, where else? Kansas -- specifically, near DeSoto). The park would have been laid out exactly as the Kingdom of Oz was: with "Munchkinland" in the east (where guests could see a replica of Dorothy's House), to the land of the Winkies in the west (complete with Witch's Castle haunted house), and the Emerald City dead in the center. This is, of course, a different park than "
The Land of Oz" in NC.
That project died on the vine, but I've just read that Niagra, NY may get an Oz theme park instead. The proposed park will be called "
The Magical Lands of Oz" and have a budget somewhere between $750M - $800M.
Lets be honest we all know why Rowling went Universal....the all mighty dollar. Universal offered more for the rights. plain and simple.
According to reports, she went with Universal because Disney dropped out of negotiations. Whether or not this was because of "the all mighty dollar" is hard to say; the thinking is that Disney wanted to commit their resources to acquiring Pixar.
The plain and simple truth is that neither you nor I were at the bargaining table, and neither one of us knows exactly how much Disney and Universal were offering her. The fact remains: she was able to make a deal with Universal, and that's good news for everyone: It's good for Universal, because they'll have an exciting new offering for guests. It's good for Disney, because the influx of guests will amost certainly spend time and money at the WDW Resort. And it's amazingly good news for HP fans around the globe who will soon be able to do what they've only dreamed of doing in the past: walk down the main street at Hogsmeade and visit Honeydukes, while walking up towards Hogwarts Castle. My God, that's Great News!
HARRY POTTER WOULD NOT WORK AT DISNEY! They don't know how to keep their hand off of a product like this. They would eventually have Harry wearing Mouse ears.
I was at MGM for Star Wars Weekends today... and after seeing the "Jedi Mickey" merchandise, I have to agree with you wholeheartedly. Well, one correction: Disney would begin selling merch with Mickey, Donald, and Minnie cast in the roles of Harry, Hermione, and Ron. I'm almost 100% positive that would happen (or maybe not; I'm told Lucas will sell Star Wars merchandising rights to anyone with a checkbook. JKR is, by all reports, much more selective).
Seriously?? But that's so expensive!
Seriously. One reason WDW raises its' rates is because it
knows Universal
must follow suit or
risk being perceived as a "second-rate" destination. If both parks were inexpensive, guests would go to both parks. Obviously, Disney wants to make it as unattractive as possible for guests to leave WDW property while on vacation.
