Monday Mouse Watch: Will MGM's upcoming name change really allow the Universal Orlando Resort to nudge Disney out of the spotlight?

Halloween » Monday Mouse Watch : Will MGM’s upcoming name change really allow the Universal Orlando Resort to nudge Disney out of the spotlight?

Jim Hill — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 03:05:12 GMT

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re: Monday Mouse Watch : Will MGM's upcoming name change really allow the Universal Orlando Resort to nudge Disney out of the spotlight?

Jim Hill — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 06:27:42 GMT

Am i the only one that thinks this is slightly hysterical? For one, I don't think anyone will care about Harry Potter by the time 2009 comes around. But most importantly, Universal seem to be hoping that they can steal a few people from Disney's third or fourth important park on property (depending on where you rank Animal Kingdon in importance). Wouldn't that be like the Yankees trying to gloat because they beat a team of highschoolers?

Personally I dont think the name change will confuse anyone. What are Universal hoping? that people will be at Disney World and will see signs saying Disney's Hollywood Studios and think "wow, i wish we could go there, but it's on the other coast" or that they will be driving on the access roads and see the sign saying Disney's Hollywood Studios and think "Wow, that road leads all the way to the West Coast?"

How stupid are these people? oh wait, nevermind, these are the same people opening up a Harry Potter section of a park 3 years after the Harry Potter buzz died with the last book; nevermind.

re: Monday Mouse Watch : Will MGM's upcoming name change really allow the Universal Orlando Resort to nudge Disney out of the spotlight?

Jim Hill — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 07:00:16 GMT

It seems like Disney had a hard time deciding what to rename MGM. All the Disney lovers who won't give Universal a chance are sure going to disappoint their kids when they make them go to Disney and pretend Potter at IOA doesn't exist.

re: Monday Mouse Watch : Will MGM's upcoming name change really allow the Universal Orlando Resort to nudge Disney out of the spotlight?

Jim Hill — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 07:40:28 GMT

I have been going to Orlando with my family nearly every year since I was five. Now my wife and I go about every other year, and I've never had an incling to go to Universal, but I will admit that I am interested to see what they do with the Simpsons. It's been one of my favorite TV shows for a while and couple that with what has to be one of the most impressive new attractions in any theme park anywhere (WWOHP), it's going to be hard to keep me away.

re: Monday Mouse Watch : Will MGM's upcoming name change really allow the Universal Orlando Resort to nudge Disney out of the spotlight?

Jim Hill — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 08:22:35 GMT

For what it's worth, I think Hulk and Spider Man at Universal are AMAZING attractions. I just wouldn't bother even visiting the Harry Potter section.

As for the dissapointing of the kids, I really am not sure thats going to happen. I firmly believe that by the time this section of the park opens, most kids will have completely moved on from Harry Potter and be onto the next craze; whatever that may be.

It would be like if they had opened a Transformers park 5 years after the original animated movie when the cartoons and most the fanbase had stopped caring (as they killed everyone off in the movie and G2 never stood a chance). The kids of the day who loved them moved on to the next thing (in most cases a Commdore 64) never looking back and so weren't bothered about Transforms agian for another decade when they became retro nostalgia (hence why i have a 20th anniversary Optimus Prime on my desk).

By the time the park opens, Harry Potter will be "so 4 years ago; we care about ??? now"

re: Monday Mouse Watch : Will MGM's upcoming name change really allow the Universal Orlando Resort to nudge Disney out of the spotlight?

Jim Hill — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 09:49:50 GMT

Universal sucks and always has.....

And on another note..."Holiday at Hogwarts"????? Why can't the word Christmas be used in naming events and celebrations at all of the theme parks???

Are there any other celebrations that are celebrated at the parks besides Christmas....???? I didn't think so?

Holiday just sounds so bland and generic

re: Monday Mouse Watch : Will MGM's upcoming name change really allow the Universal Orlando Resort to nudge Disney out of the spotlight?

Jim Hill — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 10:34:17 GMT

This appears to be another reaction by Universal Studios to do whatever they can to gain more market share. I'll guarantee that GE is still pushing to make more money here, so the corporate suits at Universal Studios have to look for ways to try to bump up attendance. I think that is part of the reason why Spielberg and Geffen are looking to move Dreamworks to NBC Universal. Not only is Spielberg comfortable there, but the theme park potential exists for Transformers and other DW movies (excpet for the animated features, since there at Paramount/Viacom for the next 10 years or so).

re: Monday Mouse Watch: Will MGM's upcoming name change really allow the Universal Orlando Resort to nudge Disney out of the spotlight?

Jim Hill — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 10:57:21 GMT

I'm sorry, but the idea that interest in Harry Potter is going to wane to the point of an island at IOA being unwarranted is just ridiculous. HP is not a passing fad. It isn't the macarena or the Backstreet Boys. It is a series of novels that millions and millions of children AND adults have come to hold dear and followed with unmatched zeal for over a decade now. The movies just add icing to that- introducing the characters to an even BROADER audience who (based on blockbuster after blockbuster after blockbuster ticket grosses and DVD sales) obviously love the series as well. When you're on the fifth movie in a series and you're still gorssing close to $1billion dollars worldwide just on theatrical release (actually up almost $100million from the previous entry) you've stepped out of fad territory and moved on to full blown phenomenon. A phenomenon loved around the world. A phenomenon that continues to grow and WILL continue to grow as new people are constantly introduced to the series through the novels and the films.

The idea that since the book series is over and the movie series only has two installments left means the end of Potter's popularity is really shortsighted. There hasn't been a new Baum OZ book in around 100 years- and the definitive (albeit fast and loose with the source material) adaptation is like 70 years old. Does that make OZ old news? Does that mean that new people don't fall in love with that wonderful world every day TO this day? Of course not. And again, like it or not... Potter is the new OZ.

As for theme park viability. There are two Jurassic Park books. The last of which was published 12 years ago. There were three Jurassic Park movies, the last of which was released several years ago as well. Does that make it any less enduringly popular? Any less worthy of a themed island at a major theme park? I don't think so. And the Potter series has long since outsold and outgrossed the JP novels and films...

re: Monday Mouse Watch: Will MGM's upcoming name change really allow the Universal Orlando Resort to nudge Disney out of the spotlight?

Jim Hill — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 11:20:16 GMT

Universal has been in Orlando for 15 years and no matter what rides they build or shows they add (and some are very good), they've been nothing but a side trip for people. All 4 of Disney's parks beat both of Universal's every year, no exceptions.

People go to Orlando to go to WDW, and Orlando will be a day trip for most people. The name change (while I don't really agree with the choice) won't change anything. People still have their Magic Your Way tickets and will still go (and die hards will still be calling it MGM 20 years from now).

The Simpsons will drag me to Universal Studios Orlando for the day as will Harry Potter to Islands of Adventure, but then I'll wait the 4 or 5 years until I get the itch to go again. Both will cause momentary bumps in attendance, then it will be back to the status quo.

As long as Disney keeps innovating, they'll stay on top.

re: Monday Mouse Watch: Will MGM's upcoming name change really allow the Universal Orlando Resort to nudge Disney out of the spotlight?

Jim Hill — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 11:32:26 GMT

I agree.

Despite my championing of WWofHP, Universal will never beat out WDW. Though I disagree that no one goes to Central Florida just to go to UF/IOA- I've done that very thing 2 times, just this year. It's a different TYPE of vacation altogether. Honestly (and I may be in the minority) when I go down for WDW, I am JUST there for WDW and when I go down for UF/IOA I am JUST there for that- I never mix the two in the same trip. I like my trips to be as immersive as possible, so I tend to stick to one or the other- not both. Again, I am probably in teh minority... but there you go.

That said, Universal will never have the room or the resources to full compete with Disney. They may stay on the cutting edge of ride tech and do a nearly (after Disney) unmatched job with their theming... but they'll still always be in Disney's shadow as a family destination.

re: Monday Mouse Watch: Will MGM's upcoming name change really allow the Universal Orlando Resort to nudge Disney out of the spotlight?

Jim Hill — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 12:22:20 GMT

I think evilash43 is dead on, but he forgot to mention something that I consider an important element: even if Harry Potter does lose popularity (something I really don't see happening in the near future), it's still going to be a darn cool section of the park. Wizards and magic have been around in culture for centuries, and this is just a more specific application of that. The same goes for Jurassic Park - even if the kids in the park have never seen the movie or read the books, they know what dinosaurs are.

I don't think Universal's going to pull ahead, but I'm interested to see how the new attractions shake out.

re: Monday Mouse Watch: Will MGM's upcoming name change really allow the Universal Orlando Resort to nudge Disney out of the spotlight?

Jim Hill — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 12:23:57 GMT

Competiton is such a great thing. It keeps everyone on their toes and constantly pushing the envelope.

Universal used to be a side trip, but after my kids had such a great time on one of our prior visits that we actually went back for a 3rd day (during the buy one get two free promotion) we built in a Universal part to our Orlando visits. Now, we start off at Universal (3-4 days) and move on to Disney. The pace and feel of Universal is sooo different its almost like a warm-up for our non-stop, all-out Disney trip. We go every 3-4 years, so hopefully we'll get some Potter stuff in our next visit ('09).

re: Monday Mouse Watch: Will MGM's upcoming name change really allow the Universal Orlando Resort to nudge Disney out of the spotlight?

Jim Hill — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 13:59:03 GMT

I beg to differ about people moving on from Harry Potter.

The park opens up around the same time that the final movie comes out, give or take 6 months. The next movie comes out next Thanksgiving. So it's still going to have the film fan base.

As for readers... People have spent the last decade of their lives reading about the world of Harry Potter, watching the films as well, and just because they released the final book doesn't mean that people are going to get over it. Harry Potter will be here to stay much like LotR or Mickey Mouse. The new area will bring in people.

re: Monday Mouse Watch: Will MGM's upcoming name change really allow the Universal Orlando Resort to nudge Disney out of the spotlight?

Jim Hill — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:24:13 GMT

If I had to guess, I would say that Universal is trying to gain some kind of marketing edge in Disney's renaming of MGM. Perhaps they're planning a new advertisng campaign which will somehow make light of the name change, as well as figure out how best they can market their current and future offerings to be more appealing to Orlando tourists.

re: Monday Mouse Watch: Will MGM's upcoming name change really allow the Universal Orlando Resort to nudge Disney out of the spotlight?

Jim Hill — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:59:40 GMT

Hey, remember that contest Jim posted about last week to win tickets to see the Little Mermaid on Broadway? A good friend of mine is in the competition, you can see her video (that my wife and I helped make) and vote for her here:

http://broadwayworld.com/mermaidvote.cfm?id=102

Thanks!

re: Monday Mouse Watch: Will MGM's upcoming name change really allow the Universal Orlando Resort to nudge Disney out of the spotlight?

Jim Hill — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 15:00:33 GMT

Disney world is sold as the Walt Disney World resort which includes...this this this this. Universal Studios SHOULD have renamed their "resort" to Universal Orlando OR the Universal Studios Resort Orlando to begin with...which includes this this this. Instead they got "creative" and it backfired on em.

As another poster mentioned...competition is great. Please...both sides compete the hell out of each other. It will hopefully mean quality attractions for fans of both resorts.

http://www.raymation.net

re: Monday Mouse Watch: Will MGM's upcoming name change really allow the Universal Orlando Resort to nudge Disney out of the spotlight?

Jim Hill — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 15:05:40 GMT

Right now, there's about the same number of recorded podcast hours on Harry Potter each week as there is on Disney parks. And all of that is free advertising that keeps fan interest going. And even if that's not the case, many a beloved Disney Attraction is drawn from less known films and films that young kids may not know. Some attractions even make a bigger dent in pop culture than the source material. It all depends on the quality of the attraction.

I'm just curious as to how JKR's revelation on Dumbledore fits into this whole theme park issue. I suspect it's one of the factors that brought her to Universal rather than Disney.

re: Monday Mouse Watch: Will MGM's upcoming name change really allow the Universal Orlando Resort to nudge Disney out of the spotlight?

Jim Hill — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 15:20:07 GMT

Why do "people" go to Orlando? An interesting discussion topic. Perhaps this is different for those close to Florida, but for myself living in Canada I travel to Florida once every 5 or 6 years, so I pack in as much as I can in 2 weeks, including WDW, Universal, and some beaches at a minimum.

re: Monday Mouse Watch: Will MGM's upcoming name change really allow the Universal Orlando Resort to nudge Disney out of the spotlight?

Jim Hill — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 15:22:48 GMT

"Harry Potter's" popularity will wane. It's inevitable. In all likelihood, it's already begun to happen. There are no more book release countdowns or discussion of characters' fates.

In my book HP and Star Wars are on equal footing in terms of appeal to respective fan base. I was 13 when Return of the Jedi was released (the last film for nearly 20 years) and I can tell you with absolute certainty that from the late-80s until the late-90s, Star Wars was completely and totally irrelevant. I-R-R-E-L-E-V-A-N-T

The general public just doesn't get fired-up over a franchise that has nothing new to offer. Once you've read all of the books and seen all of the films, there's nothing new to inspire the imagination. There are no "events" to prompt midnight bookstore gatherings, happy meal toys or grocery store promotional tie-ins.

Sure there will always be people discovering the franchise for the first time. The core fanbase will continue to make their Halloween costumes and hold fan conventions or other gatherings.

But the theme park addition will largely succeed or fail on its own merits. Fans may visit it once to satisfy the curiosity factor. Some will return again and again regardless of quality. More will base their chances of a return upon its appeal. Still more will take the "been there, done that" approach.

IMO, Universal is about 4 years too late in making this happen. If they had a couple of book releases left and even more films, they would be in a prime position to cash-in. The Harry Potter "land" could have been positioned as the focal point of such events over a number of years. Now it appears they have perhaps one film opening to tie-in with the theme park (hopefully a good film since reviews have been steadily declining as the series has progressed.)

Harry Potter definitely has a place among the most cherished properties of all time. I think it's just as worthy of the theme park presence as something like Star Wars, cartoon super heroes or LOTR. But unless Rowling has something else planned for the franchise (writing additional novels herself, opening up the franchise to others, TV or film projects), its popularity has already peaked.

By comparison, Disney appears to be be making a wise move by courting George Lucas. Lucas has both an animated series and live action Star Wars project in various stages of production. Those moves will keep Star Wars relevant for years to come. There will be major "event" premiers, new happy meal toys, new action figures, new grocery store campaigns, and so on. Star Wars will put hundreds of hours of new content on TV screens over the next 6-10 years. That interest will help drive guests to the theme parks to experience Star Tours 2.0 and whatever else is in the pipeline.

Harry Potter has 4-5 hours' worth of story yet to tell, and none of it will truly be new to fans who have already read the novels.

re: Monday Mouse Watch: Will MGM's upcoming name change really allow the Universal Orlando Resort to nudge Disney out of the spotlight?

Jim Hill — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 16:44:02 GMT

Star Wars did not have the added thrust of a hugely popular series of novels as its inspiration. While the general public did not read the SW novelizations, extended universe novels, comic books etc... they were there. However, a MUCH larger portion of the general public has read and has vested interest not only as a film series, but as a bookshelf filling series that these people have invested untold hours in immersing themselves in. Plus, the novels will continue to gain new readers as time goes on (just as Star Wars, despite not being national news every year, continued to find new fans on video and cable in its "downtime"). In fact, I would venture to say probably moreso as the HP series has something that Star Wars did not... child/preteen/teen protaganists. Young readers love to be able to project themselves on characters they can relate with on an emotional level.

Star Wars was not a themepark presence until about 6 years after Jedi was released... yet the Star Tours attraction was a HUUUUGE hit on both coasts because it incorporated recognizable characters and cutting edge (at the time) ride technology with impeccable theming. There will be no difference with HP (even if HP never has another major adaptive licensing i.e.animated series, comic books, extended universe series not written by JK etc- which seems unlikely). The HP island is getting the Kuka ride technology that is likely to be unmatched by ANYONE for many many years.

I never said that there would be no wane in popularity... but that HP is not a fad and that it WILL remain popular enough that 1/6 of an existing themepark's space is totally warranted for its presence.

HP may not be daily news in 5 years, but everyone will still know what it is and it will still have a huge worldwide fanbase regardless. Hell, name any other film or novel series recently that has ingrained itself in the pop culture lexicon the way Star Wars AND Harry Potter have.

As for the HP movies waning appeal with critics? Don't see it.

The most recent installment and the first are basically neck and neck in critical numbers. Rottentomatoes.com shows them in the high 70 percentile (meaning that of the dozens and sometimes hundreds of major online and print reviews compiled that 76% and 79%, respectively, are positive reviews). And the two former installments (Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire) both punch in at 89% positive… with Chamber of Secrets (the second movie) racking 82%. For a series like this, that is not only surprisingly positive all around, but also surprisingly consistent. (and also right in line with the average positive rating of the 6 combined SW movies of 79%).

re: Monday Mouse Watch: Will MGM's upcoming name change really allow the Universal Orlando Resort to nudge Disney out of the spotlight?

Jim Hill — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 19:59:20 GMT

Man, is there any way to fix the formatting here so the comments don't end up behind the banner ads on the right side of the screen? Is anyone else getting this?

This seems to happen a lot around here, especially to articles that might yield interesting feedback. Hmmm, coincidence?

re: Monday Mouse Watch: Will MGM's upcoming name change really allow the Universal Orlando Resort to nudge Disney out of the spotlight?

Jim Hill — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 20:31:07 GMT

Disney Studios will always be a second- or third-day attraction for those visiting WDW, not a primary destination for most, no matter what they decide to name it. There's little Universal can do to alter that, particularly with WDW roping guests into multi-day passes.

Where Universal may score is attracting more of the preteen family crowd with Harry Potter; they've been a little deficient in that area; most rides seem aimed at teens and older, Seuss notwithstanding.

Odd, but I've encountered clueless first-time visitors who often don't understand why they can't buy a combined WDW-Universal multiday pass, or why the Disney transportation system won't take them to Universal.

re: Monday Mouse Watch: Will MGM's upcoming name change really allow the Universal Orlando Resort to nudge Disney out of the spotlight?

Jim Hill — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:38:27 GMT

Universal opens its park in Orlando, or opens a new ride with hefty licensing fees - it's a minor blip on Disney's financial radar. That's why the competition theories we learned in Econ 101 never led to Disney Co actually improving anything. Disney Co has learned over time it can "get away with" the staus quo in Orlando and stay wildly profitable. New rides are added, but once Mom and Dad see that the best rides are the ones that are 30-40 years old, it gets harder each time talking them into a return trip.

Universal is the kid brother with a shiny new sports car. Disney Co is the patient older brother with a house, three cars, a speedboat, summer home, and time-shares on a private plane. Everyone tells the younger brother his car is nice, but still goes back to chill at the older brother's pool party.

Universal will start with the Weasley twins teaching various spells ala Jedi Training Academy, a Ron/Hermione/Harry meet/greet/photo sales "attraction", the Kuka/not-a-Delorean flying car, and some gifts shops populating Diagon Alley. Intense marketing and publicity, followed by intense spreadsheet scrutiny. That's where it will end, as it always does, at the beancounter's desk. JK will probably wave the quality flag for a little while, but that's directly dependant upon how many times Florida is included in her itinerary. If George Lucas can't get a new ride film into an upgraded Star Tours, I don't hold much hopes for any other celebrity/licensee.

re: Monday Mouse Watch: Will MGM's upcoming name change really allow the Universal Orlando Resort to nudge Disney out of the spotlight?

Jim Hill — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 02:20:07 GMT

It's Universal. Please. It will always be trying to steal away guests. I wish Universal would be real competition for Disney. But I doubt that will ever happen.

re: Monday Mouse Watch: Will MGM's upcoming name change really allow the Universal Orlando Resort to nudge Disney out of the spotlight?

Jim Hill — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 11:18:06 GMT

First things first...MGM is NEVER a full day trip for me, and I'm a much bigger fan of Universal than most other WDW fanatics I know. That being said, I think Universal is getting excited over nothing. Harry Potter will be HUGE. As someone else pointed out, even if (big if) HP's popularity does decline, the section of the park is still going to be a sight to see. That will give them a huge boost. I don't think the Simpsons ride will be as big a boost as they believe, because it is only one ride based on a 20 year old franchise. (Side note: isn't it funny that Universal replaced an "outdated" ride based on a 1988 franchise to replace it with a brand new, modern ride based on a 1989 franchise?).

That being said, NO way is the name change going to confuse people. Mothers (like my own) who love going to the parks with the kids but don't read up on any of this kind of news will have no idea anything even happened. Sure, they will be calling it "MGM" for the next 20 years probably, but that's not going to stop them from going to the parks. I think the name change is incredibly boring and generic, but I see no way that this is going to change people's vacation decision. There was a time in my life when trips to Orlando were only for Universal, but that was in my late teen/early 20 years when the newly named "Universal Escape" was catering to my demo. I still visit occassionally, but I've gone back to WDW as my main vacation preference. I think Universal would be making a gigantic mistake to try to go after Disney's family clientele because it's only going to alienate the older demo, and they will never catch up to Disney with families.

Oh, and to Buttermaker, I don't think it would make ANY sense to call a holiday retheming at Harry Potter "Christmas." As far as I can tell, there is nothing Christian about the HP world (not that it's anti-Christian, just that there seems to be no religion at all). In all liklihood a holiday in Hogwarts would be more of a traditional peagan celebration, such as the ones that have been going on during the winter solstice before Jesus was ever born.

re: Monday Mouse Watch: Will MGM's upcoming name change really allow the Universal Orlando Resort to nudge Disney out of the spotlight?

Jim Hill — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 14:14:02 GMT

The problem when it comes to Universal is very simple ...

95% of the people who visit Orlando come to visit Walt Disney World. The other 5% are there specifically for Universal.

Of that 95%, some portion will take a day out of their Disney trip and visit Universal. That portion is probably a relatively fixed or declining number as Disney offers more and more difficult-to-turn-down reasons to stay on property.

Check this out ... Say you're going to Disney World for a week. You plan on having 7 full days to do something theme park related. Your original plan is to spend 4 days in Disney World (1 for each park) and then one day at Sea World and one day each at IOA and Universal.

Then you check the costs of a MYW ticket. For a four day one park/one day pass it's gonna cost you $225.78 per person. Then you notice, "Hmmm ... I could actually get a 7 day pass for only $233.24???"

Now what are you gonna do? You can opt to spend probably a minimum of probably $200 per person to go Universal's parks and Sea World or you can spend another EIGHT DOLLARS per person and get 3 more days in Disney World???

How many folks do you think will opt to spend the extra $192+ per person?

re: Monday Mouse Watch: Will MGM's upcoming name change really allow the Universal Orlando Resort to nudge Disney out of the spotlight?

Jim Hill — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 16:37:51 GMT

“So what do you folks think? Will Disney-MGM's name change -- as well as those new "Simpsons" and "Harry Potter" -themed attractions that will be coming on line at the Universal Orlando Resort over the next two years -- really be the opportunity that Universal execs seem to think that it is?” The new attractions at UO may be a help but MGM’s name change is a non-issue.

“Will this momentary bit of confusion really be enough to allow them to reposition their resort, convince Central Florida tourists to give Universal another try?” There will be no momentary bit of confusion. Most people I know have been calling Disney’s movie park “The Studios” for years. And unless Universal’s new attractions themselves are out of this world, they will probably only see a moderate but short-term bump in attendance.

“Or is Disney forever going to be dominant in the Orland tourism market?” Disney will always dominate the Orlando tourism market. They have all the power and global influence of the Disney Corporation behind it and it has a stable of classic characters that no other company can rival. Disney has no worries about its name change having a negative effect on its attendance. It’s their attractions that have me worried. DHS needs a major influx of development $$$ and soon. Failure to do so is what will be DHS’ undoing not its name change.

re: Monday Mouse Watch: Will MGM's upcoming name change really allow the Universal Orlando Resort to nudge Disney out of the spotlight?

Jim Hill — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 19:58:14 GMT

jables> The HP books devote some time to Christmas, although it's more of the social gift-giving sort than anything religious. http://swordofgryffindor.com/2005/12/23/christmas-at-hogwarts/

And most of the theme parks go more with the secular Christmas, anyway- mostly using the holiday traditions and decor that originated before Christianity... I imagine The Holy Land and Precious Moments Chapel go all out with Christian Christmas though.

As for the Studios, I'm sure Disney is well equipped for name confusion. Movie park, Hollywood, Studios, MGM...

Universal's definitely going to get the Potter die-hards, although getting one of the fan cons on property would be a good move.

re: Monday Mouse Watch: Will MGM's upcoming name change really allow the Universal Orlando Resort to nudge Disney out of the spotlight?

Jim Hill — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 21:01:23 GMT

Universal Shmuniversal. I've been there twice and have no desire to ever go back. I can see what I want to see of it on You Tube. For now I can watch it for free, and keep my dollars for going to a REAL resort. There's a magic at WDW that can't be captured or recreated anywhere else - with or without Hogwarts, Harry, or even a gay Albus Dumbledore. I've ready ALL of the HP books repeatedly. They are wonderful stories. But I have NO desire to visit any recreation -- and I'm sooooooo glad that Rowling took her snarky park idea to some other location. Let those who want to visit Universal's competitive Halloween and Christmas stuff as goths or old gay wizards and be grossed out of their gourds and scared out of their skins. I'll take a Disney holiday/Christmas/Easter/whatever over anything Universal can spin. (I can just see the Gay Days at Hogwarts Universal posters now - Albus Dumbledore in a thong? Oh that's just soooooooo wrong...)

re: Monday Mouse Watch: Will MGM's upcoming name change really allow the Universal Orlando Resort to nudge Disney out of the spotlight?

Jim Hill — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 21:04:26 GMT

Anyone who dismisses or discounts the impact the Potter franchise will have is demonstrating ignorance. The films have earned BILLIONS. The books have sold in historic numbers. As a visual franchise it begs for a theme park presence. I have no doubt that the team at Universal Creative will create an extraordinary themed area and attraction. To predict otherwise is ridiculous.

As for the impact Disney Hollywood Studios will have, I believe "Bonnet Creek Chief" nailed it when he/she noted that the Diseny Studio is "secondary" attraction. While I don't regard it as "secondary" (It's a terrific park) it's not the largest part of Walt Disney World's drawing power. The article is comparing Universal Orlando (a resort with two parks) to a single park. Not a very scientific analysis.

Side note: The Universal parks are themed for films. The last Potter book has been released, but the final Potter film will not hit theaters until 2010 -- AFTER the park opens its new attraction. Interest will not have waned.

re: Monday Mouse Watch: Will MGM's upcoming name change really allow the Universal Orlando Resort to nudge Disney out of the spotlight?

Jim Hill — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 16:04:48 GMT

jables, there's nothing Christian about Christmas either!

re: Monday Mouse Watch: Will MGM's upcoming name change really allow the Universal Orlando Resort to nudge Disney out of the spotlight?

Jim Hill — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 16:20:13 GMT

My real question is whether the Harry Potter section is gonna be as lame as the rest of Universal's stuff. Sure the Spider-Man ride is terrific but most of the roller coasters are out done in terms of quality by Disney or Busch Gardens. I've been to every park in central Florida and the Universal parks aren't even in my top five in terms of quality or maintaining interest. What is there to do at Universal Studios? Really? Simpsons ride, MIB and Mummy. That's about it. I can and HAVE spent three hours in that one park and was done and severely disappointed. Islands of Adventure isn't that much better. I'm supposed to believe that Harry Potterland is going to be brilliant when it's coming from the same geniuses who brought us Poseidon's Temple?

If Universal really wants to overcome Disney then they better come at them with something stronger then a name change and replacement ride. Until then they're just be the place people go when they have an extra day on their trip.

re: Monday Mouse Watch: Will MGM's upcoming name change really allow the Universal Orlando Resort to nudge Disney out of the spotlight?

Jim Hill — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 19:55:39 GMT

The reason that the C.S. Lewis books, J.R.R. Tolken's stories and the original "Wizard of Oz" tale have stood the test of time is because they have something built into them that the Potter novels do not - moral resonance. The struggle between good and evil is told more vividly in those tales than in any of Rowling's scrivenings, and with a great deal more originality and imagination. I have read all 7 of the Potter books, because I was curious as to what would happen - but I have never been able to reread any of them because they're so creatively bankrupt. Ironically, the Potter films succeed far better, via special effects, in bringing Rowing's stories to life than her own wooden prose does. Because of her deficiencies as a writer, I doubt her books will stand the test of time. In fact, I wonder if her "Dumbledore is gay" statement was just a calculating move to drum up more buzz for a fading franchise. I think the Potter phenom is already timeworn. Now that the series is done, it's done, as they say, like dinner. None of it sticks with you. At least that's the way I see it.

Getting back to the subject, I think that the renaming and retheming of the Disney-MGM park is brilliant. What's MGM got to do with it anymore anyway? Better to make it more of a piece with the rest of the World, which is far more in tune with Walt himself. I think it'd be great to reshape it into a living memoir of Walt's days in early Hollywood. And in keeping with that, I hope that the Muppet theater is indeed replaced with Mickey's Philharmagic, as is rumored. The latter is far superior to the former, and again, is more in keeping with Walt's legacy than is the faded legacy of a womanizing, drug-using left-of-center old hippie. JMHO. :D

re: Monday Mouse Watch: Will MGM's upcoming name change really allow the Universal Orlando Resort to nudge Disney out of the spotlight?

Jim Hill — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 00:13:44 GMT

^Giggleshock I totally disagree with you about the Potter books.

I'm not gonna argue with your opinions because you're entitled to them, but any quick NET search should verify that the Potter fandom is't fading at all.

Anyway, this plan by Universal doesn't seem to make all that much sense to me.

re: Monday Mouse Watch: Will MGM's upcoming name change really allow the Universal Orlando Resort to nudge Disney out of the spotlight?

Jim Hill — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 09:29:03 GMT

I have to disagree with several of the comments here. Universal is not just a side trip, many people plan exclusive vacations to the Universal resort. We've done it several times. It's very frustrating when Disneyholics leave their blinders on and don't see Universal for what it is, two top notch theme parks - not amusement parks. Anyone that walks through Jurassic Park and can say that Universal parks have no theming are obviously blind.

And, if you remember, Disney wanted HP just as much as Universal, and everyone wouldn't be saying it was 4 years too late if Disney did it. You know these parks spend lots of money researching whether or not an idea would be profitable before they go ahead and spend millions of dollars.

I'm a little disapointed that Jim chose to write about Universal's proposed ad campaign. He got that from a survey Universal sent out to email subscribers. And at the beginning of the survey, you agree that you won't post the information includded in the survey on an internet site.

re: Monday Mouse Watch: Will MGM's upcoming name change really allow the Universal Orlando Resort to nudge Disney out of the spotlight?

Jim Hill — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 12:58:54 GMT

What Universal is trying to do here is not a true survey, it's really a Push Poll. They are trying to cause confusion amongst the travelling public, not trying to clear things up. It's unseemly.