Yesterworld: Disney’s Cancelled Harry Potter Land in the Magic Kingdom
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ย. 2024
- Disney and Harry Potter’s relationship goes back over two decades - even including an unbuilt Harry Potter Land in the Magic Kingdom. Today, we explore the full theme park history of Harry Potter - the franchise Disney desperately wanted in their parks, but ultimately missed out on to Universal Studios. We discuss Harry Potter from his inception with Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone all the way to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando.
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VIDEOS USED:
TenorEntertainment - • BEST HARRY POTTER DIAG...
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It’s crazy how Disney managed to screw up losing the rights to Harry Potter at every. Single. Step in the franchise’s history.
I agree and it's weird how they seemed to just kind of dismiss the franchise despite its insane popularity and like go the cheap and lazy route for ideas implementing it. They could have easily done something a lot better than what they had pitched and done it in Hollywood Studios where it would actually make sense rather than trying to cram it into some back section of Fantasyland wtf? And then they go all out with the Avatar stuff which isn't nearly as popular or relevant @_@
Let's be happy Disney didn't get their big greedy hands on Harry Potter they would have milked that franchise to death like they're doing with Marvel and Star Wars right now!
@@BabyKrogan I'll have you know that there are over forty planned Avatar sequels to be released over the next two hundred years.
So no, Disney did not pick the worst "sci-fi"-ish franchise in history to spend over half a billion dollars on.
Nope, it's the best investment since Disneyland Paris.
@@PeterGriffin11 Marvel is still good tho
@@PeterGriffin11 Universal milked the hell out of Harry Potter too you know! Milking the hell out an IP works in the long run. More merch sold.
This is beyond fascinating how Disney keeps shooting themselves in the foot when it comes to the Harry Potter rights.
Turns out only Walt Disney himself knew how to make a stickler of a creator budge.
ToucanLDM if I was them I would open a all new park themed to hp, it’s not like they don’t have the land nor money
@@cedarpointenthusiast They probably weren't willing to gamble that much.
To be fair, this isn't presenting all of the story. One of Rowling's demands included using a fully recreated Hogwarts Express to ship people to and from Hogwarts.
Also, she's a TERF and a Tory. Not all there.
@@Werewolf_Korra You might want to read this: quillette.com/2018/10/18/trans-activists-campaign-against-terfs-has-become-an-attack-on-science/ The term, TERF, is at best derogatory and at worst a slur.
Oh no, it's Aragog. The Giant spider. What are we going to do!
Panic like Ron said!
I heard oh no, it's Saragog xD
*we're trapped*
grade school theatre cringe
*Slow moving car approaches*
I love Disney, but I'm glad Potter ended up going to Universal instead. Clearly, they had the better approach of how to handle the franchise, and Wizarding World gives Disney some much needed competition.
Had Universal not built Wizarding World, who knows how Disney would have (if they would have) done Star Wars Land.
Of course Disney would have still made Star Wars Land. It's the next logical step. The real question is whether or not they would have made Pandora.
They would have done star wars, you don't gain full rights to such a property and just not milk it to hell and back. The imagineers would have still had the same concepts. Wether or not the full level of how much of those concepts got approved is a different story. Disney was always slowly but surely getting closer and closer to utilizing more and more of the crazier aspects of their imagineers. Animal kingdom was a testament to that. Biggest issue was Disney had no incentive to really make any new 'land' like they did with Pandora and New Fantasy Land. So they couldn't strut their stuff fully. Took universal undergoing their much needed expansions to make Disney stop taking their theme park King status for granted.
But the magic and full creativity in making areas was there before then, just relegated to singular rides. The attention to detail of custom ordering woodwork from tibet for the entirety of the Everest queue, or the immersion you get going underneath Andy's bed in Midway Mania. Disney just needed the incentive to actually build a big area as opposed to one ride at a time.
Disney likely wouldn't have. Instead, we'd have probably ended up with a much more extensive Pixar Place refurb or something along those lines. But hey, Toy Story Land wouldn't have sucked.
Will also say that we almost certainly wouldn't have Pandora, either, though. And Flight of Passage is definitely a high point.
I don't think we would be getting Galaxy's Edge, or New Fantasyland, or Pandora. All three of these were developed in response to Universal 's Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Disney doesn't like to spend money or innovate, unless they feel they absolutely have to. Why else do you think we were getting abysmal cheap attractions like Superstar Limo and Sounds Dangerous Starring Drew Carey during the tail end of the Eisner years? It was a miracle we got Expedition Everest right as Eisner was leaving, honestly. Potter was a wakeup call to step their game up.
I'm honestly glad that Disney messed up so disastrously on this, because Rowling giving Universal the chance has ended up raising the whole bar for the theme park industry. Pre Wizarding World, Disney were coasting, and things like Galaxy's Edge and Pandora would never have been done to standard they have been if it wasn't for Universal's Potter efforts blowing everyone away.
That's actually not true. Galaxy's Edge would still exist because it's the next logical step. Pandora on the other hand, it's a toss-up.
That's what I said...that bad deal reminded the Disney Imagineers to GO BIG or GO HOME.
@@SirBlackReeds Please. Disney these days are as cheap as f**k. They wouldn't of spent much if they didn't have the competition.
Zveebo While I think Pandora is great, I just visited Galaxy’s Edge and it was meh. Hopefully when the new attraction opens, it will get better.
That moment when Disney's biggest threat was caused because of Disney
Didnt Eisner also have an unwitting hand in the creation of DreamWorks?
Bryce McKenzie hey if it creates competition and gets them to do better, I think I’m good with that.
@@reido387 pretty sure a bunch of a imators from Disney were fired and they went to work for DreamWorks, and created to hit shrek which the movie was obviously poking jabs at Disney's a imations too.
lol like nintendo and playstation
The "Lost Continent" area at Islands of Adventure (part of which later turned into Hogsmeade) was one that got away from Disney too: some of the designers were ex-Disney Imagineers, using concepts from the never-built Beastly Kingdom at Animal Kingdom (the land originally planned for the area where Pandora is now).
After what I've heard, it was definitely for the better that the plans for a Harry Potter themed land went to Universal instead of Disney. Disney's idea sounded so lazy and lackluster.
Plus with Universal having The Wizarding World, it defined the concept of immersive themed lands, which Disney is taking influence to with Pandora and the upcoming Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. So these lands probably wouldn't exist if it wasn't for Universal.
dude disney has had those for DECADES
I think it’ helped step Disney’s game up. I could imagine Eisner’s style of management and not wanting to give a sizable budget to help realize Rowling’s vision.
To start with Disney had to answer to not just Rowling's demands but Warner Bros as well had their own conditions Disney needed to fulfil. I honestly feel like Disney did not care if they lost the chance to do Harry Potter, having to negotiate with two entities on managing it can make the whole ordeal stressful and not worth it for a company that ultimately did not NEED the Harry Potter stuff. Would it have helped them? Sure, but they had so much of their own stuff, and securing Pixar in it's entirety and not just as a contract for set movies, was a far more lucrative move when you consider playing the long game. One big massive IP with tons of stipulations attached, or gaining a company that has already produced non stop hit IPs and is likely to continue to do so that could be potential to add to the park? On top of that you also got the fact getting Pixar meant getting Lasseter to be in charge of Disney animation in general which saved Disney animation from their slow downward descent to another dark age.
And honestly, what Universal did with Harry Potter is nothing new or extremely innovative. They just built on the formula Disney has been developing all these years. What IS noteworthy to me however is this is the first time they SERIOUSLY try to take on Disney in the immersion game like that. It finally gave Disney more incentive to try out the extra innovative immersion ideas that their imagineers had been trying to get out for years. If these theme park companies gave the Disney imagineers all the budget they need to make their concepts come to fruition, Harry Potter and Pandora would have had nothing on them. Shame every idea has to be cut down by budgets.
Raggedy Cat Productions True but The Wizarding World stepped up the game of how a themed land can be.
Disneyland was built with immersive themed lands. Universal copied them.
While I was traveling to Universal Studios, our driver (who has been driving people to and from Universal for years) said that Harry Potter changed that park for the better. He said (and I quote) “I don’t know who Harry Potter is, but I thank god for him every day."
Dumbo Dore?
That sounds like a bad joke in an SNL Sketch, Not a Real idea.
with the names of some of these rides its no wonder jk rowling stormed out of the room LOL
Dumbo Dore? XD
The mere mention of "Dumbo-dore" would have scared me out of the conference room!
if only she had maintained that same integrity when it came to Fantastic Beasts
Man imagine an alternate universe were the Harry Potter movies were made by Disney, it would be hard to tell if they would've been successful or not
@J BG PLEASE don't speak an HP remake into existence im not strong enough
@@rebeccaucich1290 Well, be prepared. Rumours of a Netflixs style reboot have been floating around for the last few years. While Rowling jokingly shot down such rumours, reality is that Warner Bros has the final say with the franchise and can do it anyways without her input. So the possibility of that happening are pretty high. Although, Lord of the Rings is getting a series reboot in that nature for sure.
@@sorcerersapprentice potter needs a miniseries to give it its own justice. one season = one book
@@chocolate11pie Agreed. It would be a lot easier to fit in everything from the books that got scrapped from the movies, especially the fourth and last books.
Somehow, Disney kills it with animated movies. When it comes to lately though, their live action films are just sooo bad, so Harry Potter would likely have suffered.
Disney: *scraps the Harry Potter attraction*
Universal: *ima do what is called a pro gamer move*
We've enjoyed visiting WDW a couple of times in the mid-2005-8's with our two children.
Both of them became Harry Potter "addicts" reading their books each several times and going to the films.
My daughter even did some theme sewing including making Hogwarts scarves.
With much "lobbying" we went to Universal Studios (parental units also enthusiastic) for the first time. We were "blown" away the magnificent recreation of Harry Potter's village. Made Disney's WDW efforts pale in comparison. We all loved it. We went back again the next year (we're from Milwaukee Wisconsin).
It was glorious once more.
My son spent a couple of hours at the wand shop trying to decide which one to buy!
We were finding Universal Studios a much more suitable fit for our teenage family.
Good work! Thanks!
It's kind of amazing how much of an impact The Wizarding World has had on the theme park industry. Almost as amazing as the fact that some people still refuse to believe that Cars Land, Pandora, and Galaxy's Edge are a direct response to that impact.
Im pretty sure most people acknowledge that, even Disney does
@@snastehsketlen5852 You'd be surprised. Rob Alvey from Theme Park Review seems to think that Universal isn't enough of a competitor to have influenced any of Disney's decisions over the past ten years.
And none of them even come close
I can truly say that I don't think the Harry Potter Franchise would be as good if Disney had done it. One of the key elements of Harry Potter is Rowling's vision, which is incompatable with Disney's method. The magic of Harry Potter is a lot different then the magic of Disney, I feel like they would clash. Universal valued Harry Potter much higher then Disney, and I think Disney has done far better with Pixar then they would have ever done with the Wizarding World. Also, Universal's theme park attractions pushed Disney to build Galaxy's Edge, so it may be better with the competition. But bruh, Michael Eisner again...
David Feltheim the Harry Potter universe is so quintessentially British and so lifelike and realistic when presented in film. Especially from Prisoner of Azkaban onwards, you could really imagine that this magical world existed somewhere as everything was so grounded and real. The journey to the school, the muggles, the ministry, hogwarts, the spells, the education, the wizarding jobs and staff etc. It needed the British hand to preserve these elements. If Disney had gotten their hands on it, it would have been taken too far, the magic would be over the top and cringe, the acting would be awful, hogwarts would look like some Cinderella castle, they’d probably burst into song, there’d be no meaningful deaths, the films wouldn’t get progressively darker with each installment they’d be a cringey joke fest.
@@obiwankenobi687 Yeah, they would kiddify it and make it cringy. ANd probably set Hogwards in LA or somewhere.
Yes! Universal did a great job! Disney cold never do HP like Universal Disney's views just don't appear to be very HP like.
@slyther_ro Though Disney can do dark stuff, in recent years they don't and probably would never capture the same feeling as the existing Potter films
Universal actually made a absolute marvel of engineering and theming with Harry Potter, the way you are really 'transported' from the Universal Park to what seems a whole different section is breathtaking and something I have never experienced before.
Universal definitely deserves praise for this. Disney is good at making themed rides and lands but in my opinion quite some parks have already came on-par or surpassed Disney, looking at Universal Studios and Efteling
Disney just ASSUMED everything. They didn't actually think about what could happen if they had actually considered accepting the opportunity. Assumptions are like first impressions. They can be wrong.
Universal changed the game. And woke Disney up. We are all winners in that!
Very true. The new Pandora area probably wouldn't have been so immersive had Disney not learned from this. I mean really, a tea cups ride with sorting hats?
No, it made Bob Iger think that every new new attraction has to be movie themed. He's ruining the parks.
@@zbroadcast3414 Actually, that may have more to do with the fact that a number of the Imagineers who worked on Pandora would have worked on Beastly Kingdom had it been made.
@@Clay3613 You're a hundred percent right! Now I hate Harry Potter even more than I hate Bob Iger for ruining the parks, starting with EPCOT... 😕
The ONLY thing Universal changed in the game was suddenly building one big new land focused on one IP with multiple rides are once. Before this Disney was just adding one ride at a time to keep things fresh. But each ride was extremely well done, and very immersive. Now we get bigger bursts of new addition rather then a steady flow of singular rides being added.
It's the whole "Nintendo inadvertently creating Playstation" scenario.
Both gay but ok...
Funnily enough Nintendo actually made a pitch for the rights to adapt the Harry Potter books, but supposedly the pitches were not British enough for J.K. Rowling.
Dang, this makes me wish that Nintendo made the deal with Disney, instead of stupiversal! For Nintendo land
That doesn't even make sense.
For Nintendo land
Disney's idea for a Harry Potter themed land sounded *almost* as lazy and lackluster as we got with Galaxy's Edge. How embarassing!
I’m so HAPPY Disney stayed out of HP. It is a dark series at times and a “Disney Downed” version would have never been as good.
While I respect Rowling's vision of smaller stores and walkways, that is my number one complaint when I go to that section of the park. It is often VERY over crowded tho that has never stopped me from going
Immersion, man.
She's just giving you the culture. In older parts of the UK and Scotland and Italy, the cobblestone-lined streets are tight. You have to admit it's a cozy experience and the character is mind-blowing.
In Florida? Middle of July? With a monsoon that will leave the weather even hotter and more humid.... fuck that....
@@toptobottom247 Also in France and many colonel villages in the Caribbean! I was at the park May 2014, so the park was a dream at that time!
@@toptobottom247 I agree. I have been to the UK and those tight cobblestone streets do feel like part of Diagon Alley. Ironically, when I first saw Hagrid taking Harry there, I was reminded of my trip to London...
this is the second time I heard Disney struggle with an author's demands and they lost out this time because they did not have Walt Disney to bail them out with his silver tongue like he did for mary poppins.
The full backstory on Mary Poppins is VERY interesting to say the least
After finally going to Universal Ca for the first time, I have to say that the section dedicated to HP is by far their best work, and 80% of the rest of the park is comparatively lackluster. Frankly, I wish they would branch out, buy the surrounding land(if needed) and develop an entire park focused on the HPU.
are you crazy
I heard the relationship failed because JK Rowling could not get the rights to The Lottery starring Bette Midler.
Anson Williams this is some fantastic content.
I laughed way to hard at this 😂
Did you guys hear about The Lottery starring Bette Midler?
Cosmo Kramer watches Yesterworld confirmed.
I thought this was a Defunctland joke? Maybe I'm getting my extinct theme park channels mixed up, or maybe The Lottery starring Bette Midler transcends all.
Disney: *loses rights to huge franchise because of their own doing*
Also Disney in 2019: I’ll f*ckin do it again
Sorry, what did they lose in 2019?
@@jexsheffield nintendo I think
Welp, at least I tried my best
🤣
You tried your best, and you failed miserably. The lesson is never try.
And hey, that's a reference to another iconic franchise that Disney let slip through their fingers.
@@lanceturley7745 They bought it eventually!
@@lanceturley7745 Pretty sure Bob Iger did more than Eisner and failed worse. Since when was Simpsons ever a possibility for Disney, aside from the merger which may not even get the required approval anyway.
@@SirBlackReeds Pretty sure I was replying to his comment with a relevant Simpsons quote. I honestly don't give a damn which exec did what worse, or how many pissing contests they won.
As for the other thing, Matt Groening has claimed that he turned down offers from Disney to license The Simpsons at MGM Studios way back in the 90's.
Nice Video! I would love to see one on the changess of star tours
Hey Old Hattie! I love your name, profile pic, and some of your vids!
@@disneybrandisneyman2713 thank you!
If Disney got the Potter rights, I don’t know if Buena Vista Street or Galaxy’s Edge or Pandora or Cars Land would’ve even gotten the effort that they’ve been getting lately
You're on the right track. Understanding that failure and disappointing J.K. reminded Disney to go big or go home. If Universal adds the new Gotham City park section Disney will have something to worry about. Maybe...
Anti Petrolhead I’m not sure about Gotham city park since they already have Marvel super hero island, putting a DC property would feel redundant, but right now Universal’s very ambitious super Nintendo world could give Disney a run for their money.
So true
Kinda funny that Disney easily could have had a one up on their competition, but their moronic need to control every little detail and not give any control to the creators helped their competition to become more and more popular
Not moronic at all. The fact is that their way has repeatedly worked for them. The fact is that Harry Potter under Disney, with everything satisfying J.K. Rowling's every whim wouldn't have worked. It wouldn't feel like a Disney film/theme park attraction.
Nowadays, people are getting sick of J.K. Rowling's need for control of her own property, no thanks to Crimes of Grindelwald.
Star Tours!
Disney’s need for control over Everything is why I’m legitimately terrified Disney will try to get the theme park rights for Marvel. The superhero section of Universal is so memorable to me I would be devastated if it was picked up and carried off to Disney at any point :(
@@baydiac Disney already has the rights for Marvel universal has them in Florida though
I’m a huge Disney and Harry Potter fan, but I’m glad that Disney didn’t get the rights to HP. I think it was more about the money than giving the fans what they want. I would have been lackluster, I think, if they would have gotten it. And we wouldn’t have New Fantasyland because that’s where Harry Potter would have been. Universal had/has the space and ability to make Harry Potter a priority.
I SORTA disagree with that last statement. Universal saw that after being in Disney's shadow for so many years, they had been given a lifeline and there was no choice. They understood the popularity of Harry Potter's books/movies and probably thought "It's all or nothing." It was just a coincidence that Galaxy's Edge was a failure. This might have caused fed up fans to flock to Universal. From what I saw, a lot of people at the hotel (Cabana Bay Resort, it's a great hotel) went to Disney World and then ran straight to Universal the following day. That makes me conclude that even at best, Disney didn't beat out Universal completely. Also, Universal didn't charge extra to see Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Remember, Galaxy's Edge is a SEPARATE ticket attraction! Getting in counts as a strike on your single-park ticket. At Universal, the only section you don't get access to is Islands of Adventure (Volcano Bay was closed for the the winter). That's a separate ticket so you had to get a hopper pass, which Universal cleverly worked the Hogwarts Express into. They put you on the train and take you to the other side of the park so you get the complete experience. I KNOW Disney's arrogant execs would never have allowed that.
@@largol33t1 you can’t compare the two lands. It’s apples to oranges. Remove your biases for universal and try again
Rowling would later include an article on Pottermore which claimed that Eisner was a magical lizard person, that Walt Disney was one of Grindelwald's top generals in the US, and that he, Disney, and Dumbledore were in a secret love triangle, which was broken when Disney cheated on Grindelwald with Aberforth's goat. Aberforth was quite cross.
Harry Potter at Disney? I'm glad we dodged that bullet.
7:56 - "The walkways were too wide and the stores far too big."
That's a good thing. When I went to the HP attraction in Universal it was far too small and thus created a crowding issue. The shops were so small, it was impossible to freely browse inside. The shops were so small in fact, that the entirety on the inside of the shop was one giant continuous line that took up the entire space. You were pretty much shoved inside a can of sardines then pushed along. This was echoed throughout and made for very bad attractions when you consider that this was installed inside a theme park packed with people.
Probably for the best. Strong competition increases innovation, which monopolies or near-monopolies do not see the need to do.
"At the time Disney was also in negotiations to buy Pixar, which Iger deemed far more important than the theme park rights to the Potter franchise"
And while at the time it may have been a crazy proposition, I think that was ultimately the best choice considering how downhill the Wizarding World franchise has gone, while on the other hand seeing how insanely good Pixar's output has been in the last few years.
You should do an episode on the history of the Transformers Ride.
Yami yes it’s still around but it’s a very popular ride, and he has done videos on rides that are still around. I’m sure people would like to see a video like that.
Something tells me P.L. Travers would of liked how J.K. Rowling handled Disney.
Exactly! History repeats nitself trying to succeed
@@stahppls2293 Thers a big difference though, Walt knew how to control IPs and changed them for the better (Travers' Mary Poppins is really mediocre compared to the Disney version), and PL Travers was crazy (the twins stroy from the orphange at her later life confrims this). Jk Rowling knew how to handle her IP only wanted the best and Eisner didnt and was through his cheap ass era.
If Walt and JK Rowling would have been in the same room, idiotic ideas that disney presented to Rowling wouldnt have even appeared in the table, Walt would have started with a first class expensive idea that Rowling would have probably loved, like a tour through the castle. Walt was a man of control if he thought your original idea was not good enough compared to his, so in that case I think Walt would have more in common with JK Rowling, than her with Travers. Some ideas may have clashed between them, but I think they would have settled with the majority of them.
I dont see "history repeating itself" here, because Mary Poppins worked incredibly well for Disney, was a HUGE success, but much less for her original creator that opposed to the good ideas. Here is Disney company fucking up through and through with terrible ideas and cheapness.
@@SPRidley Walt wouldn't have wanted another castle in his park, I don't think. I agree that Walt worked on a grander scale than Eisner, AND that Walt was a man of control, but it's specifically because Walt needs control that there's no way he'd put up with Rowling's stipulations, even if he did ultimately agree with many of them.
MrStGeorgeIllawarra this comment makes me happy
And something tells me we’re all very lucky Walt knew how to handle Travers. A Mary Poppins movie based on all her demands would never have been the classic it is.
TL;DW Disney did a massive series of oopsies
That one dude who posted stuff stop saying “oopsies” you sound like a fucking idiot.
@@Jayfive276 Freedom of Speech is what he's got, Freedom from Speech is what you want.
Personally, I think Disney not sealing the rights off in the beginning was for the better
Me too. I really dislike Harry Potter. Wouldn’t want Disney associated with this.
We have conflicting ideals but they both came out for what I would think is good.
@@anthony449
I really like Harry Potter and even I am fine with them not getting the rights, the ideas seemed very lackluster to me.
@@anthony449 eh Disney would of ruined it like they ruin all live action movies they get their hands on
I love the fact that I got through the real-life Diagon Alley whenever I want a shortcut to my favourite pub :)
It’s hard for me to think what would have happened to Harry Potter if Disney had owned the franchise. It would definitely have been different
I've always wondered why Disney and HP wasn't affiliated with one another! This all makes since now! Let's not forget Islands of Adventure in Florida!
It's both hilarious and astounding that Disney completely blew it through their own arrogance and insatiable thirst for power.
first they fail to get the publishing rights, which got taken by scholastic, then they fail to get the film rights, which got taken by warner bros., then they fail to get the theme park rights, which got taken by universal. a string of failures.
Disney’s approach has always been “If we don’t own it then it won’t be profitable.” Their arrogance caused them the rights to Harry Potter.
I had read some time ago about another aspect: that Disney was trying to get licensing for a Kuka arm ride vehicle for a Potter-themed attraction (think large robots like those doing welds on an auto assembly line) but that Universal obtained the licensing agreement and thus Potterworld.
Great Vid! I loved the Harry Potter Universal areas and attractions because they are well done and forced Disney to step up their game. Now we are getting Star Wars themed lands and hotels. I don't think Disney would have built these without seeing the success of Potter right at their doorstep.
The DumboDore killed me.
7:07 whoever came up with that should have been fired on the spot
Funny Iger said Universal’s plans for the land were unreal yet he made Galaxy’s Edge based on the immersive idea of the Wizarding World 😂 good riddance clown!
Lmao bet they regret everything now lol
mllyon2002 Plays i don’t think so honestly, Disney would never have done what universal did with potter, especially not having hogwarts upstage Cinderella castle.
Jack Skellington due to the success of the Harry Potter books and even the movies I’m sure they lost some sleep
mllyon2002 Plays Yeah, they only own the MCU, the highest grossing film series of all time
@@rmodcustomskermit I don't think that they regret it now. Before probably. But now, they have their own Star Wars land about to open to combat it. In my opinion, it looks really good.
gissneric thank you for understanding what I was saying in my comment I’m glad you get it :3
As lackluster as Disney’s idea was, the buckbeak encounter sounded amazing and I would have loved that as a kid when visiting magic kingdom
That would have definitely been awesome.
This makes me so happy that this is a literally "eat shit disney" history story. I love it
Um, is your username a rework of Disney? His full legal name was Walter Elias Disney.
@@largol33t1 and my name is Elias, and D the initial to my last name.
7:17 The K in JK has always stood for Karen lol
Wow. Disney blew it in almost every possible way and in the end basically created their biggest competitor.
Disney coke, Universal pepsi
Whenever I hear that classic”dunn” sound at the beginning of a yesterworld episode I know I’m in for a good time!
Dang so glad Rowling knows how large and vast her universe was that not even Disney was going to stop her from making it happen. No wonder HP land is so authentic, didn't realize she was so involved. Disney still has some of the most amazing attractions out there but could've taken a cue here for Star Wars. I haven't been so I can't truly judge, but I hear that it's great, but just doesn't feel like you stepped into Star Wars like you do with Potter.
Honestly I’m glad Universals has those lands (soon Nintendo land as well) because Disney’s imaginaires now just do everything fast and on the cheap in the U.S. parks. I love Disneyland don’t get me wrong but you pay a high price to enter with half of the rides breaking down a number of times during the day.
yeah, about Nintendoland, they cancelled out on Zelda and Pokemon.
Karah Renn for some parks yes but not to all.
I love how Disney arrogantly thought they could just wave a wand (pun intended!) and have Rowling do their bidding.
Then Warner Bros. waves its wand and says "Avada kedavra!" 😂
Disney's Harry Potter Land would've been just one Interactive dark ride, a restaurant and a Photo Op. Well, that is EXACTLY what "Avengers Campus" is. Disney took a dynamic IP with so much potential and just dumbed it down it to a cheap lacklust offering. This is exactly why JK Rowling refused to give her rights to Disney.
It’s good that JK Rowling is so protective of her creation but I think she’s gone a little overboard in places such as forbidding things like seasonal decorations or character actors.
Idk man, character actors are always hit or miss, and Harry potter main characters don't usually have gaudy costumes
It’s a shame because I once saw a ginger bloke working in a Co-op that was literally the spitting image of Rupert Grint.
Tugg Speedman the thing is have you seen what she up to recently say this character gay this character black she going back and rewriting so she can be apart of these crazy left types.
Universal has been decorating their Potter areas for Christmas for the past 2 years.
Anthony Campins - Okay that must be a more recent thing then because I went over Halloween not too long ago and they didn’t have any decorations.
In the end, I'm way happier that Universal got the rights, because their park attractions are amazing
like when Diagon Alley opened in LA, I had this sense of childlike giddiness when I went for the first time, because it was just like stepping into that world (minus the forced perspective in some areas, but still)
"Legend has it that the point of contention with Disney was that JK Rowling said that she needed to have a full-scale locomotive take quests into the park and then reverse down a 100-foot stretch of track to go pick up more guests. And Disney was like, 'This sounds asinine, and pretty bad for crowd control." And Universal Studios was like, "Lady, we will build you whatever trains you want." Jenny Nicholson in her video "An Excruciatingly Deep Dive into the Avatar Theme Park."
And look at people who upload videos of Harry Potter World in the summer: the line to the Hogwarts Express is always 100% totally full!
Although I’m a huge Disney fan, I can’t imagine the movies or theme park any other way. I don’t think the franchise would’ve gotten the same treatment if the rights went to Disney...
I'm glad Disney didn't get the rights. I've been to the park in Osaka and it's honestly mind blowing how good it is!
J.K seems to be an incredibly difficult person to work with though. Having demands and high standards is fine but I've heard from people in the TV industry talking about her being very stingy as well. Also she's been lashing out at fans in twitter a couple of times, I'm honestly not very found of the person she seems to be. Love the world she created though, so all the respect in that regard!
I was gonna argue when I heard "best selling book series in history", but "series" is the keyword there and Lord of the Rings is one book split into three volumes, so you are technically correct. That's the best kind of correct.
As much as I love Disney I am so glad they lost out on this one. The plans were just comical at best.
Disney trying to buy Scholastic just to get Harry Potter sounds like them buying Fox to get the Xmen and Fantastic Four.
I wonder how Iger is feeling right now since Wizarding World is doing very well, compared to Galaxy's Edge...
Hermione Granger: "Sorry Bob, here's a nice warm butterbeer to cheer you up."
It's business at the end of the day, Iger is also stepping down as CEO of Disney, so who knows, maybe in the future Disney and Universal will get in on a joint expansion
Great job as always - I appreciate you filling in the gaps and providing more specific details and even some authentic visuals to the legend. When I was at Disney, I'd heard the bare bones version of this, and something about how some of Rowling's demands, which Universal supposedly agreed to (but never actually built), were completely impossible, like having the wall to Diagon Alley magically open up to park guests - it would be interesting to get more details of what was actually discussed. But I had no idea that Disney was given so many chances to keep the rights. Unbelievably stupid!
I love Disney, but I’m so glad that it ended up in Universal to be completely honest. It just wouldn’t be the same in Disney.
Imagine a animated Harry Potter series with all the details from the books , nothing left out and dark.
Total missed opportunity
I've been a fan of Disney for most of my life, but all-in-all I'm rather happy they didn't get Harry Potter. I don't believe they were EVER going to give it the love it deserved. They had other properties and were only really interested in keeping this property from other parks (and it kinda showed). Universal, meanwhile, were desperate for something that could compete with Disney. They were willing to pull out all of the stops and thus we got the wonderful areas today.
Awesome video man! Love your channel and all of your vids. You are perfect in means of Disney content on TH-cam!
"Microland" clearly someone did not understand the scope and importance of the Potterverse.
I always thought that Rowling must have been too demanding, but after hearing what Disney pitched, I completely understand why she didn't work with them. Those pitches were embarrassing.
I’m so glad Disney didn’t get the rights to Harry Potter. They would’ve messed it all up, just like they did with starwars. I hold that franchise so close to my heart that I’m actually terrified with what the park will look like.
Starwars is like beating a dead horse what did you expect? Anything they would've done people would've been upset regardless. And star tours is pretty great of a ride so the park will probably be great
why me Bitch I don’t know what I expected damn
@@twentysecondcenturywoman angry much?
why me Yeah bc you gave me attitude
@@twentysecondcenturywoman what attitude 😂. You are reading into things waaaaay too hard.
Wow, I love that Rowling has kept so much control over her creation. That's pretty amazing.
Anyone else remember the commercial at 9:20?
I worked at MovieWorld in 2002 - 2003. I was one of the Wizard guides that gave the tours. It was my favorite station to work in the park, even if doing the 15 minute tour over & over would rip my voice / throat apart.
Omg years ago (I’d never heard about this until this vid) I had a weird dream that Disney was the owners of HP and universal didn’t even exist! The Harry Potter ride WAS in Magic Kingdom just like the video said it was going to be, and it was very lackluster and boring! Small closed off land that barely anyone went to because no one liked it! Luckily no spinning sorting hats tho, that would’ve been weirder
It still boggles my mind that there isn't one of these parks in the UK.
@@outcastkatsuki Yeah but there's plenty of land or derelict areas / buildings that could be replaced or renovated into something, stick a Universal Studios logo somewhere on the entrance and be done.
If they built it and tier it in a way that it's not super dependent on the sun being out jobs a gooden. Look at Las Vegas or Dubai as extreme examples, the majority of stuff to do out there is all indoors because it's hellish hot outside. Why not build a theme park in this country with a bunch of stuff indoors. I'm pretty sure most of the locations in HP you'd want to visit and wander around are indoors, Ollivanders, Gringotts, Hogwarts houses, Ministry of Magic etc.
For example there's plenty of in door ice themed play / activity centre's across this country so why not do something like that for HP. A Diagon Alley with a day night cycle like the casinos or shopping centres in Vegas or imagine a Hogsmeade were it's permanently winter, all the butterbeer at the Hog's Head Inn you can drink to warm you up.
I know I can't be the only one without the patience or budget to travel to a different country to experience a faux British theme park when I live in the country were most of the HP stories take place.
Let me get this straight, Disney had the opportunity to own the theme park, movie AND BOOK rights to Harry Potter and they screwed all 3 up!? Wow if they had those 2day that would own every entertainment ip that really matters 2day. Let's face it DC, Fast and Furious and Jurassic Park aren't Harry Potter big. Disney could own the big 3, Marvel, Star Wars AND Harry Potter and would baiscally be a monopoly more so than they already are. Plus Star Wars and Marvel don't have the book sales that rival or surpass the movie sales like Harry Potter does. Also Disney doesn't even have the Marvel theme park rights on the east coast, Universal has those also, though they can't use the MCU Marvel characters only the 90's to early 00's comic book characters, but Disney can't use any of them in Orlando. But just being able to stop Disney from using MCU at Disney World to compete with their Harey Potter attractions(which I went to last month and are absolutly PHENOMENAL and makes the park, imo, MUCH better than Disney World overall) is worth keeping the rights for even if it's the old characters. Plus it's not like Disney has done much with the MCU in the park they CAN use it in, Disneyland, outside of a Tower of Terror Guardians retheming, though they could have more plans for it, we don't know. And with the astronomical success of Endgame and the Avangers and MCU franchise in general I could see them doing something big with it in the future. Thoufh Disneyland doesn't really have the room to expand anymore so maybe that's why they haven't done much. Hell get rid of toontown where that fight was a couple weeks ago and put the MCU there lol. It's a shell of its former self.
Anyone who has been to the Wizarding World at Universal Orlando knows how incredible it is! The stores, the decor, the architecture, the rides, the magic going on in the windows, the shows, the encounters, everything is absolutely amazing and magical! It doesn't sound like Disney had anything like it in mind and wanted a quick and easy land that could attract some kids for a while until the initial hype died down. So happy J.K. and WB stood their ground and fully carried out their vision together with Universal!
Harry Potter shouldn't be in Universal period because Warner Bros made the movies. If you didn't make the movies, you can't build a theme park attraction on it. Harry Potter belongs in Six Flags along with all WB properties. Also, the Warner Bros. studio tour in London absolutely puts Universal to shame.
@@stanfordite Six Flags has a lot of WB IPs because WB used to own Six Flags, but they sold them. Six Flags pays WB every year to continue to use DC and Looney Tunes characters. Clearly WB wanted to go in a different direction with Harry Potter. Six Flags are also not theme parks, they're amusement parks. Universal Orlando Resorts are theme parks, big difference. Six Flags would've never created anything like what Universal did for Harry Potter, it's not how they operate and would've been a horrible fit.
And regarding the studio tour in London, I've never been, but from what I've seen it looks cool, but a way different experience. Much smaller, and more like a museum and not so much an immersive experience with rides, shops, encounters, etc.
Also... why so salty??
@@TheRealSweedie Fake news, WB still owns Six Flags and always will. Six Flags are theme parks by my standards. I ain't salty, it's the law that if you didn't make the movies, you can't build theme park attractions on them and Universal broke that law. If I ran Universal and I plan to, I will get rid of Harry Potter and put back Jaws, Back to the Future, Kongfrontation, and E.T. to Hollywood, pretty much keeping Universal trapped in the 1990s where it belongs catering only to the kids who grew up in the 1990s.
@@stanfordite WB sold the parks to Premier Parks in 1998... look it up. And lol, you're clearly an idiot or a really bad troll. I do see that you're subbed only to WDW channels, so I guess this is what your saltiness comes from... now kindly fuck off.
@@TheRealSweedie That is fake news, you have been lied to, and YOU are the troll. Six Flags is the ghetto for all Warner Bros properties, and Harry Potter does not belong in Universal. You will admit it and as a veteran, that is an order. When a veteran tells you to do something you are required to obey. I will be the Donald Trump that Universal needs to make it great again and get rid of every single attraction based on an IP that wasn't made by Universal Pictures. Universal's place is in the 1990s and I will take it back there forever. Now you kindly fuck off and stay out of my theme parks.
I wish Star Wars had the same fate and went to universal at this point.
Christian Vidauri honestly, glaxy’s edge is actually really nice. I was there in October and I had a great time. I’m not a big star wars fan though so 🤷🏻♀️
Always wondered why they took out the tree. Makes sense now :)
Actually you missed a part. The reason Rowling got so mad is because I wanted to mix Jules Verne in with the land. Sorry folks.
I know enough Disney parks history to get this joke. I feel proud.
Please explain
I am an idiot...
Im a Gold Coast local and had no idea there had been a Potter attraction at MovieWorld... also it looks like the Aragog animatronic was reused for the ScoobyDoo Spooky Coaster!
Great video. I’ve always wondered how Disney could’ve screwed things up so badly. I’m sure Eisner’s relative cheapness when it came to the amusement parks probably cause problems. Universal wanted to compete and was willing to spend. Disney could’ve monopolized Orlando, but blew it.
We went to Disney in 2010 and set aside a day for Universal just because of the, then new, Harry Potter section. While it was a really neat place, I remember thinking it was smaller than I had imagined and with less to do. Haven't made it back but we do want to check out the new additions sometime
My god, the “DUMBOdore” sounds really stupid and clearly forced. It almost made me giggled from frustration that that’s the best they could come up with. Plus, how does the sorting hat have ANYTHING to do with Dumbledore? It clearly had no thought to it whatsoever. Plus, if Disney really wanted Harry Potter that badly, they would’ve happily accepted and worked with her demands rather than call them far fetched and ridiculous. I’m so glad Universal Studios saw the magic in her ideas and put forth the energy and interest that Disney clearly didn’t have in it.
It's almost as if it isn't actually true... Because it isn't.
Exactly. It's like work with the fact that even though you have as ton of money *disney* and can do it your way, be humble enough to realize where the magic came. When you do that you come from a wider creative space and really more profitable in the end anyway.
Universal did such a good job on the Potter themed area...it blew my mind...the immersiveness of Disney's Star Wars and Avatar sections are a direct result of the unbelievable Potter experience and the realization of the merchandise selling El Dorado it is...
Flew to London but not likely on Southwest :)
Not a massive Harry Potter fan, but the way Universal handled the franchise was a master stroke. When I visited the parks in 2023 it was one of the best bits about them
I always liked universal studios and I loved them even more when they made The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in my state. It really is a magic place and it’s so worth it. Like I’d 100% prefer Universal Studios than Disney these days. That might just be because I’ve gone to Disney World my entire life and I’m not nearly as blown away as I was when I was a kid. Universal really is more adult friendly and I love it. When I was a kid my favorite two attractions at universal was the studio show of Twister and the Hulk Roller Coaster. Now it’s the entirety of Harry Potter World and everything else. It just seems like such a small place but it’s actually so Huge and overly filled with everything to a point it’s like every few feet you are in a different world and I adore it. Disney is great but if I had to choose it wouldn’t be much of a choice
Hearing this story with Harry Potter, it makes me wonder what Disney would do with the popularity that is Kingdom Hearts.
With Universal making Nintendoland (a videogame centric IP), I think Disney should heavily consider Kingdom Hearts as their response to that. KH is already poised to be a multimedia property juggernaut, seeing as it appeals to all ages.
I'm very glad that Rowling fought for the potential of the theme park could and should be.
I’m pretty sure that the animatronic spider is now feature in the Scooby doo spooky Coast during the wild mouse section of the ride as a montionless prop hanging half way down the wall on the same side as the lift.
Im glad Disney didnt get the rights, there needs to be some semblance of competition between the parks.
If any, Disney should have put the Harry Potter land in Hollywood Studios. Not in the Magic kingdom. Harry Potter next to Cinderella, doesn’t make much sense.