Lost Continent... Days (i.e. YEARS) Numbered?

[DizneyFreak2002]

Ever since Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened, fans have been speculating the future of Lost Continent... Potter took over a section of Lost Continent called Merlinwood or something of that nature... Sinbad, Poseidon, and Mythos, along with the bazaar area are all that remains... So, what does the future of Lost Continent look like?

Well, LC may not be long for this world.. By that I mean a few years down the line, so it will be around for the foreseeable future, but once KidZone is completed, it may not last... So, what will replace LC? Some speculation has started as a recent pitch to Comcast/Universal management has leaked...

When you think about what Universal is currently doing, they are focusing on IPs which can deliver food, beverage, and merchandising options... Potter was the start... Potter merchandise, Three Broomsticks, Butterbeer, Pumpkin juice... Next came Transformers with a specialty drink, Energon (though I am not sure Energon has made its way into Orlando yet)... And following that, The Simpsons with Moe's Tavern and the specialty drink FLAMING MOE, Bumblebee Man's Tacos, changing the International Food Court into Simpsons theme food options along with special themed food, Duff Gardens which serves Duff Beer (the beer from The Simpsons) and also Lard Lads Donuts... All themed food and beverage options, along with some new Simpsons merchandise options..

Thinking along this line, what other IPs offer this? There is one which I didn't think of, and it is pretty obvious... When I heard it I thought, "YEA DUH MAKES SENSE"... What is the IP you ask?

Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, or more precisely, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory... Yes a land based off a classic book series written by Roald Dahl, which follows IOA's theme of lands being based off of literature... Ready to hear what was pitched? The pitch contained a multi-attraction pavilion, HUGE as it was described... OK, where it goes:

Obviously we'll visit Willie Wonka's Chocolate Factory... In the factory, we'll take a boat ride down the river of chocolate (Chocolate River Ferry), Fizzy Lifting Drink Lab, and the Glass Elevator... The factory will be surrounded by a small British village, no doubt containing shops, food options, a candy store, and I would imagine we will also be able to walk through Charlie's house... But I don't know if that was part of the pitch or not...

The Fizzy Drinking Lab would be a kid friendly ride, and would be similar to Tokyo DisneySea's Jumpin Jellyfish attraction... Google or YouTube it to get an idea what that kiddie ride is like...

The Glass Elevator, I would imagine it could be similar to Tower of Terror.. Ride an elevator through different sections of the factory, and possible breaking through the glass ceiling and flying over the British village (in video of course)... This will be the E-ticket...

And well the Chocolate River Ferry, do I even need to describe what they could do with this family friendly ride? And would be a second E-ticket, but a family friendly E-ticket (Universal is going to be focusing on these style rides) kind of like Pirates of the Caribbean...

Wonka fits the bill... Food, beverage, and merchandise options for an IP which is a classic, is family friendly, and can be a money maker... Makes sense, right?

Remember, this was just a pitch to management... No word on if management loved the idea, if management told Universal Creative to continue to develop the land and rides, or if management shot this idea down... KidZone's remake will happen first, and those IPs are what management/Universal Creative want to nail down before moving onto Lost Continent... So, there is no guarantee Wonka will be the LC replacement... By time LC gets the remake treatment, another IP may take center stage... I think Willie Wonka would be a great addition to IOA...

Your thoughts?

[Mfarquar]

VERY interesting!

I never really thought about it but the literature theme is well alive!

Marvel Island - Comic books
Toon Lagoon - Newspaper comic strips
Harry Potter - Book series
Seuss Landing - Prolific works of children's lit
Jurassic Park - Book series
Lost Continent - I suppose you could reference Greek mythology which has a rich written history.

However, it seems as though Lost Continent is the weakest link here with regard to fitting in with the others...

Willy Wonka would also extinguish some guests' concerns about there not being enough to do in this park for young children. I believe this property would be very attractive on this level as well.

I did always want to go swimming in the chocolate river - WITHOUT getting sucked up the tubes like Augustus Gloop!

[DizneyFreak2002]

And if you think even more about it, Wonka fits perfectly in that area... It is a great transition from Seuss to Potter... Wonka is British, as is Potter... Wonka is cartoonish, as is Seuss... The themes fit perfectly...

Toon Lagoon may not be long for this theme park world either... Possibly Lord of the Rings providing Universal does get the theme park rights, and LOTR is not used as the anchor for a third gate...

[NJGIRL]

Willie Wonka has been my favorite movie since I saw it at the movie theater when I was in first grade. I even own it on VHS. lol......I refused to watch the Depp remake.

As much as I love the movie and think it would be cool, I don't see them sinking millions of $$$$ on a theme that had just one movie/book years ago.

Mythos gets great reviews (getting voted the best theme park restaurant over and over again) and I would be surprised it they closed that restaurant down. I really like Poseidon....SinBAD is just that... bad. That is a weak link. That Percy Jackson movie is a series of books that looks interesting. Maybe they don't have to re-theme, but just update.

[DizneyFreak2002]

Willie Wonka has been my favorite movie since I saw it at the movie theater when I was in first grade. I even own it on VHS. lol......I refused to watch the Depp remake.

As much as I love the movie and think it would be cool, I don't see them sinking millions of $$$$ on a theme that had just one movie/book years ago.

Mythos gets great reviews (getting voted the best theme park restaurant over and over again) and I would be surprised it they closed that restaurant down. I really like Poseidon....SinBAD is just that... bad. That is a weak link. That Percy Jackson movie is a series of books that looks interesting. Maybe they don't have to re-theme, but just update.

The second Percy Jackson movie just bombed worse than John Carter and Lone Ranger... I don't see Percy Jackson becoming anything in any theme park...

If Wonka was a direction they took, I wonder what version they would go with... Base it off the book, then scenes from Depp's version would have to be used since that version was closer to the book... But Wilder's version is what everyone knows, loves, and remembers... And the songs would be perfect for a theme park land...

[Crow]

Wonka would be interesting...some new candy is coming out

[Mfarquar]

I believe Wonka is also doing exceedingly well for Toys R Us. The Wonka candy display has COMPLETELY taken over 1/2 of the 1st floor of FAO Schwartz (owned by Toys R Us) in Manhattan and it's PACKED on the weekends. Wonka also has a sizable display at the Toys R Us in Times Square - just as much as the DC and Marvel superheros. I would imagine this is because people on vacation feel like indulging in a treat and perceive candy as a reasonably priced souvenir (haha, wait till they WEIGH the candy bag at checkout).

This execution could be expanded even more - this is where the REAL "factory" is. This is where you can get limited addition candy right from the novel that you can't get anywhere else.

I do not know how this sort of partnership would work with the company that is currently producing candy for the Wonka brand. I am sure this will raise issues concerning their profit and rights in this. I would imagine one of the benefits of all the HP candy in the park is that they received the rights from Rowling, but then could produce the candy on their own through a 3rd party. Wonka will probably require dealings not only with the Dahl estate, but also a 3rd party with the rights to produce the current candy line.

I will be sad for Poseiden. I was impressed many years ago during our first visit (I believe the "tour" was more substantial back then). Although I do LOVE the theming of this area, I think the attraction lacks re-ridability.

I will be absolutely heartbroken if they remove Cartoon Lagoon. I think it's PERFECT to cool off and adds a bit of whimsy and fun to the park. Popeye is seriously one of our most favorite attractions. It's hysterical to watch your fellow riders - I have some ridiculous, barely believable stories from over the years. It's so simple, but for us, the fun factor is high.

My husband used to work for a company that had the rights for LOTR and was wooing JK Rowling at the time to expand a relationship. My impression was the LOTR family's concerns/requirements were more flexible than the HP franchise, so I do tend to wonder if something will come of this. Regardless, I think they'll need to keep water attractions as an element of the park because the shade is sometimes very lacking at IoA and the Cartoon Lagoon rides cool people off and keep them in the park longer so they can spend money.

[DizneyFreak2002]

Little fun facts about the Percy Jackson book series... The books were written by a man named Rick Riordan... Guess who published the books? Disney... On Amazon, the published is listed as Disney-Hyperion... Disney, however, does not seem to have anything to do with the two movies though... Fox 2000 Pictures among others, are listed at the production companies for the lastest film (which bombed horribly)... Just thought that was interesting since Rita mentioned it as an idea to replace Lost Continent...

[NJGIRL]

Little fun facts about the Percy Jackson book series... The books were written by a man named Rick Riordan... Guess who published the books? Disney... On Amazon, the published is listed as Disney-Hyperion... Disney, however, does not seem to have anything to do with the two movies though... Fox 2000 Pictures among others, are listed at the production companies for the lastest film (which bombed horribly)... Just thought that was interesting since Rita mentioned it as an idea to replace Lost Continent...

Very interesting. I don't know anything about the books or movies, but saw the ad while waiting for another movie at the theater and thought it looked good. It makes you wonder how a movie with a similar theme (Potter) does so well while others don't.