|
When Universal Studios opened the
second of its big attractions in Orlando, Fla., the one called
"Islands of Adventure," it hoped that by jamming super-scary roller
coasters, Jurassic Park, Spiderman and Dr. Seuss into one fun park,
it would at last pose formidable competition to Walt Disney World,
which is a few miles away.
It never really did. Though Islands of Adventure enjoys respectable
visitor figures, it has been outdone by the constant expansion of
Disney parks in Orlando -- not only within each Disney area but in
the addition of such new Disney locations as Animal Kingdom. By
creating weeklong passes that sell at an attractive discount, Disney
has been able to give visitors a mighty financial incentive to
confine their visits solely to Disney properties. They play a hard
game out there in Mouseland.
But late this spring, conditions may change with the opening of
Universal's new "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter." Benefiting
from a superbrand that has an irresistible appeal to multitudes of
both young people and adults, Universal has bet tens of millions of
dollars on the proposition that people coming to Orlando will have
to spend at least one full day with Harry, Ron, Hermione and
friends.
It's important to point out that "The Wizarding World of Harry
Potter" is not simply a single structure, but an entire, multi-acre
display of the magical scenery portrayed in this worldwide
best-seller among books and movies. The entire site was recently
photographed from an Air Florida Helicopter flying overhead, and
spread in revealing pictures onto the Web, of buildings and exhibits
under construction.
From those apparently unauthorized helicopter photographs, it's
probable that visitors will see not only Hogwarts -- the castlelike
School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where Harry and his buddies learn
their craft -- but also the invisible section of London where the
wizard population lives (unseen by muggles like us), the train
station from which they board an otherwise-invisible rail track to
Hogwarts, the village close to Hogwarts where Harry and his friends
down tankards of ginger beer, the various classrooms and dorm-like
residences, the stadium where wizarding students play Quidditch (on
flying broomsticks), and of course the magisterial dining hall where
students and faculty gather for meals and grand occasions. I assume
you also will be able to visit the much-depicted office of kindly
but strong-minded headmaster Dumbledore.
All this is heady stuff. Can you imagine yourself visiting Orlando
and NOT paying a visit to Harry and Hogwarts? The prospect of a real
dilution in their visitor numbers has proved so troubling to the
Disney people that, last month, they scheduled a two-day press
conference in Orlando for travel journalists, designed to show off
all the stupendous new Disney features that will keep visitors
confined to those world-famous parks. Although I wasn't there, I've
heard from participants that few of the writers in attendance were
much impressed by Disney's recent additions or future plans.
And so I leave you with a repeat of the earlier question: Can you
imagine going to Orlando and not visiting Harry Potter? It may be
that Universal's game-changer will alter the comparative popularity
of the Orlando theme parks.
(c) 2010 by Arthur Frommer
Distributed by King Features Syndicate
|
