Universal Studios Hollywood to Build "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter"

I mentioned it last post. Remember those rumors late last year of Potter coming to SoCal. Check it out!

After defeating Voldemort and his Death Eaters in seven bestselling books and eight hit movies, Harry Potter is taking on perhaps his greatest challenge yet: boosting the Los Angeles economy.

Universal Studios on Tuesday took the wraps off plans to build a Southern California version of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which drove a 68% increase in attendance at its Orlando theme park during the first three months of the year compared with the same period in 2010.

Ron Meyer, Universal's president, said his company would spend "several hundred million dollars" to create the attraction, which is expected to include a re-creation of Hogwarts Castle along with Potter-themed rides, shops and restaurants.

The plan was unveiled Tuesday morning at an elaborate ceremony at Universal Studios Hollywood attended by Gov. Jerry Brown, Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslovsky, and executives from Universal and Warner Bros., which made the "Potter" films and controls licensing rights to author J.K. Rowling's characters. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa sent a congratulatory video message from Beijing, where by coincidence he was helping announce the opening of a new theme park in China.

Comcast Corp.-owned Universal will create more than 1,000 jobs in the process, with many more expected to be added indirectly at hotels, restaurants and other tourism-related businesses. Executives said the new attraction would be built within the existing Universal Studios park boundaries, which will likely require the demolition or repurposing of existing rides.

The Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. estimated that every 1 million additional visitors who come to Universal Studios Hollywood for the Harry Potter attraction will generate $417 million in spending in the county.

"This is a grand slam for the Los Angeles tourism industry," said Mark Liberman, president of the Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau, known as LA Inc. "It's going to immediately be at the top of any attraction L.A. has ever seen."

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando has drawn more than 10 million visitors since it opened in June 2010. Visitors have bought more than 1 million glasses of butterbeer, a non-alcoholic drink made famous in the Potter books. Mugs of the sweet, frosty beverage were served at Tuesday's event.

As part of Tuesday's announcement, Universal and Warner also said the Orlando Potter attraction would be significantly expanded.

The Los Angeles attraction won't open for a while, however. Universal Parks & Resorts Chairman Tom Williams said in an interview that the 20-acre Wizarding World in Florida took more than four years to build. The Universal Studios Hollywood attraction would likely take at least that long, putting the premiere in 2016 at the earliest.

In addition, Universal can't break ground until a planned $3-billion overhaul of its theme park and film and television studio lot is approved by regulatory authorities.

When it debuts, the legions of Potter fans from around the world who flock to the attraction could help Universal Studios Hollywood gain ground on its larger Southern California rival in Anaheim. Disneyland had 16 million visitors in 2010 and its sibling destination California Adventure drew 6.3 million, according to the Themed Entertainment Assn. Universal Studios Hollywood had 5 million attendees during the same period, the trade group said.

"If we take the authenticity of the experience in Orlando and put it in the world's entertainment capital, you're going to see streams of people coming from countries around the world and affect the whole economic chain of Los Angeles," said Universal Studios Hollywood President Larry Kurzeweil.

Many of the rides currently at Universal Hollywood are based on older films such as "King Kong," "Terminator" and "WaterWorld," though a new "Transformers" attraction will debut next spring.

Warner Bros. Chairman Barry Meyer said his studio spoke to numerous potential candidates about the rights to build a Potter-themed attraction in Southern California before signing a long-term agreement with Universal. A knowledgeable person not authorized to discuss the matter publicly said Walt Disney Co. talked to Warner about adding Harry Potter to Disneyland.

"The millions of fans who have read the books and seen the movies are very demanding, and we're very concerned about not disappointing them," Meyer said. "What Universal built in Orlando met that bar in a dramatic fashion."

Brown, who unlike the business executives in attendance spoke without looking at prepared remarks, said the new Potter attraction was welcome news at a time when many are pessimistic about the state's future.

"Yes, we have had some tough times but the movie industry keeps hope alive and keeps us together," he said. "We are truly a state of imagination, and this great Harry Potter park just pushes us that much further down the road."

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/dec/07/business/la-fi-ct-potter-park-20111207

Here are some confirmed items for the Hollywood PotterVerse:

* There will be Hogwarts
* There will be Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey

That's pretty much it. =/ My thoughts on where it is going up: same as before. Gibson Ampitheatre gets torn out for FJ and Hogsmeade goes up in between that and WaterWorld (torn out for either a show or a Dragon Challenge clone).

To prove my point about Gibson... check it out here:

(12/7/11) Universal Studios Hollywood held a press conference a few hours ago to confirm that the Wizarding World of Harry Potter will indeed be coming to the California park. Unfortunately, they were a little light on details… only mentioning that the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey thrill ride would be built, themed to look like the iconic Hogwarts Castle, but no timeline was given for the attraction to open. I contacted Universal for clarification on this, or to see if they could provide the year when it will open, but they responded that the exact timeline was not yet set at this point in time.
The press release had a few more minor details that confirmed that they were indeed building a themed land and not just the one ride structure. “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood will be as impressive as what has been created in Orlando – and is expected to transform tourism in Los Angeles for decades to come. It will be a fully immersive environment for the entire family that brings the stories of Harry Potter to life and is faithful to the visual landscape of the films, including a majestic Hogwarts castle to serve as the centerpiece of the themed environment. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood will be created with the same commitment to authenticity and the same level of talent and resources as its Orlando counterpart.”
In another report I read elsewhere (sorry, can’t find the link) the reporter asked Ron Meyer about where they would build it because the park was lacklocked, to which he responded that “We’re not lacklocked! We’ve got 400 acres on this lot and 200 of them are still not developed.” So that got me to thinking… could Universal possibly be rethinking some of that once proposed Vision Plan (later revised in 2009 as the Evolution Plan)? Could they now be realizing the value of all that property they hold, and what else they could do with it is they choose to expand the theme park side of the business instead of selling off the land for new housing developments? We can dream…
In the meantime, a LA County Supervision did comment in this other report, confirming the rumors we had been hearing, that the Gibson Amphitheater would be scrapped to make way for the Wizarding World, possibly opening as early as late 2014.
If your not quite sure just what to expect from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride, then be sure to read through Screamscape’s official two part coverage of the grand opening of the Orlando park’s version.

Also construction may begin at the end of the summer:

2015 - Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Confirmed - (12/12/11) Screamscape sources confirmed that we shouldn’t expect to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter open in Hollywood until 2015. The first phases of construction work for the project (or demolition to make room) are expected to begin before the end of Summer 2012 however.

Potter Phase II Rumors

The more I think about it, the more I think JAWS's replacement will be the Harry Potter Phase II expansion.

First off, Universal confirmed that the expansion is happening on December 6th (along with the long-rumored Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Hollywood, that I'll get to later):

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is going to get bigger at Universal Orlando. And it will have a sister world at Universal Studios Hollywood theme park in California, the company revealed Tuesday.

Details about the Florida expansion — such as cost, new attractions, time frame or which of the two Universal Orlando theme parks it would be located in — were not shared. The original Wizarding World of Harry Potter, based on the books created by J.K. Rowling, opened at Universal's Islands of Adventure in June 2010.

"We've not announced a time frame, but it's going to take years for us to create something on the scale and scope we envision," said Tom Schroder, a Universal Orlando spokesman. Details will be announced "over time," said a Universal news release.

Universal Orlando announced last week that it would close the Jaws ride at Universal Studios theme park on Jan. 2. Since then the rumor mill has churned with chatter about what could go in that space. If Potter replaced Jaws, the boy wizard would be in both Universal parks.

"I think it's very interesting that Universal Orlando announced the closure of Jaws a mere few days before the confirmation of an expansion," said Ricky Brigante, owner of InsideTheMagic.Net, a theme-parks website.

He would be surprised if Potter elements spilled over into the Studios, but "anything is possible," he said.

"Looking at a map, I can see a clear route between where Jaws is now and the existing Wizarding World of Harry Potter," Brigante said. "A Hogwarts Express [train] could be built between the two, but that would certainly be a major construction project involving both parks and backstage and reworking of facilities."

Previously, buzz centered on Wizarding World expanding into the adjacent Lost Continent area of Islands of Adventure, he said.

"With all this going on, there are certainly doubts that that would happen," Brigante said.

Other speculation calls for the expansion to be themed on London scenes of the "Harry Potter" movies. The resort's contract with Warner Bros. requires it to have elements from the final Potter films, the last of which opened in theaters this summer.

Most industry analysts considered a Harry Potter expansion in Orlando inevitable given the financial success of Wizarding World. Universal's attendance jumped 20 percent in 2010 — to 11.2 million — even though Wizarding World didn't open until halfway through the year. It soared 52 percent — to nearly 6.4 million — during the first half of 2011.

"Normally, you put a new attraction out and you're delighted if you get a 5 percent bump in attendance. Harry Potter came out and we were seeing 40 percent and 50 percent bumps, just a gigantic sea change in the profitability," NBCUniversal Chief Executive Officer Steve Burke said at a conference with analysts this fall.

The Wizarding World expansion would be part of a flurry of construction projects at Central Florida theme parks. SeaWorld's TurtleTrek attraction is set to open next year, and a major Antarctica-themed area will open there in 2013. The first phase of the Fantasyland expansion at Disney World's Magic Kingdom is scheduled to open in 2012, and Disney's Animal Kingdom plans to add a land based on the "Avatar" films in 2016.

In Hollywood, details about the Potter plan there were thin, although a news release boasted it "will be as impressive as what has been created in Orlando." At the Tuesday news conference, it was confirmed that Hollywood would include a Hogwarts castle and its signature ride, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.

No details about a Hogsmeade village, other rides or restaurants were shared.

"I am sure that the teams at Universal and Warner Bros. will bring their expertise and attention to detail to Hollywood to make this new experience equally as exciting," Rowling said in the release. She was not on stage for the announcement.

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2011-12-06/travel/os-wizarding-world-harry-potter-orlando-expansion-20111206_1_wizarding-world-potter-elements-universal-orlando

Permits have also been filed for "Project 722":

http://hhnrumors.com/index.php?a=148

It looks to have some connections with four people who made a Harry Potter film (Deathly Hallows 1 and 2, Half-Blood Prince, and Order of the Phoenix). One of them even worked on "Project Strongarm" which is the original Wizarding World of Harry Potter at IOA. With these involvements, I am now pretty sure that the boy wizard is coming to the Studios.

Meanwhile, here are some really interesting rumors spreading on Screamscape (that can make one's JAW (haha pun!) drop):

2014 - Jaws Replacement / Potter Phase 2 / Project 722 - (12/22/11) Some great detective work linking the demolition permit of Jaws to the rumored new Harry Potter expansion project has been posted to HHN Rumors this week. Really worth checking out to see just what kind of people are linked to “Project 722”.
As for the meaning behind the 722 codename... it could just be nonsense... or on a hunch I did pull out a copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows to see what it had to say on Page 722. Sure enough... there is a line about being in King’s Cross where it would be possible to board a train. Of course I may just be reading a bit too much into that, but you never know.
(12/21/11) I’ve got a quick Studio item today, plus another interesting piece of the puzzle over at the Islands of Adventure side of things. Today… we’re going to talk about The Hogwarts Express. Most of the Naysayers out there immediately bring up the fact that any train that runs between the park’s backstage is going to run through some very unattractive behind the scenes areas along the way.
The report I keep getting on this issue is that the riders view of the world from the train will not be of the backstage area, or even the real world at all, but instead be an artificial view of the journey from London to Hogwarts. What is not clear is just how this will be accomplished… either through the use of video screens instead of windows… or the rumored use of the King Kong 360 technology that wraps projection screens around both sides of the Backlot Tour tram ride at the Hollywood park in an enclosed building.
Personally, I’m kind of hoping for the later, as it would allow for some unique thrills and sights to be had along the way during both sides of the journey. In the end, you never know… Universal Creative has some fine clever folks on the payroll like Thierry Coup. As the masterminds behind projection based attractions like Spiderman, Kong 360, Harry Potter and Transformers) who constantly break new ground, anything is possible for the Hogwarts Express.
(12/8/11) While I did speculate that the proposed Potter Phase 2 project could also take over the Fear Factor stadium area, I’ve heard elsewhere that is not planned to happen, and that the show theater will remain. No word on if they will keep it running as Fear Factor returns to the airwaves, or if there is some other kind of plan in the works.
While on the subject of Phase 2 of the PotterVerse (London), as I had suspected, the rumors of the Knight Bus attraction were wrong. This doesn’t mean that we wont see the King Kong 3D 360º technology put to use somewhere… it just wont be themed as the Knight Bus. The ride focus seems to be entirely on the Gringott’s Wizarding Back dark ride / coaster concept, as they apparently have some really grand ideas for this project. What kind of ideas? Remember that uncovered technology patent Universal files a couple of years ago that would have a coaster car ride up onto a detachable piece of track that was hooked up to the top of a simulator style motion base platform able to tilt and rotate in any direction? (Click here to see it) The latest Screamscape rumor claims that we may see this new idea brought to life as part of the Gringott’s coaster ride.
Meanwhile it seems like the Diagon Alley Olivander’s location will be much larger than what we’ve seen built at Islands of Adventure. Rumor has it that the store will feature up to three different “wand shops” instead, but a single queue that will keep them hidden apart from each other, so it looks like you are entering the one and only shop. I’m also hearing something about a possible Wizard’s Duel show… though I’m hoping this isn’t true, as I think the “magic” needs to stay indoors for the most part.
(12/7/11) During the big announcement in Hollywood confirming that a version of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter would be coming to the California park, the company also confirmed that the Orlando Wizarding World would also be expanded, with details about that promised to come sometime in the future.
“This is an incredible moment for Universal Studios and the millions of guests who visit our theme parks,” said Ron Meyer, President & COO, Universal Studios. “The Harry Potter stories are some of the most powerful of our time and we are honored to expand our Orlando experience and bring The Wizarding World of Harry Potter to Hollywood, forever changing family tourism in Los Angeles.”
Keep in mind that they did not confirm if the Phase 2 expansion was coming to replace Jaws, or if it may go into Islands of Adventure instead, but at this point, every source is in agreement as to the location, confirming what I reported previously about the London focused expansion taking the place of Jaws, Amity, and very likely... the seldom used Fear Factor show theater as well.
(12/5/11) In case you missed the late breaking announcement on Friday afternoon, but Universal Orlando announced that the Jaws attraction and the entire Amity themed area around it will be closing down forever after January 2nd to make way for a new attraction. While they were not ready to disclose what is in the works yet… I’ve done a good bit of digging since then and have come up with an amazing proposal that is going to both shock and likely amaze you at the same time.
If my various sources are correct, the Amity / Jaws area will be replaced by the proposed Phase 2 expansion of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Now, before you flip out… lets go over it all, because for starters this really isn’t going to be the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at all. Instead, from what I’ve been able to gather, the new land to be build in Universal Studios Florida will actually represent the “London” side of the PotterVerse… including an entrance to the infamous Diagon Alley.
Diagon Alley, as seen in the movies, is home to infamous locations such as The Leaky Cauldron, Gringott’s Wizarding Bank and the true Ollivanders wand shop location, as seen in the films. The London location is also said to be home to King’s Cross station, where students would board the Hogwarts Express train from Platform 9 ¾.
Many of these locations have been mentioned in the rumored development plans for Phase 2 of the Wizarding World for months now, including an innovative indoor dark coaster ride said to take place inside Gringott’s Wizarding Bank. It’s no secret that the Wizarding World has been popular…so much so that it needed to be expanded to spread out the crowds, and come up with a way to provide new locations for guests to buy Butterbeer, Ollivanders wands and more. But it seems that Universal Creative really decided to try a new idea… and think really outside the box this time. Literally… because this new expansion is going to allow for guests in both parks to get a taste of the PotterVerse… but to get the ENTIRE experience, you’d going to have to have a 2-park ticket.
Speaking of having access to both parks… connecting the dots is said to be a true recreation of the Hogwarts Express, allowing guests with two park passes (and Universal Resort guests) to recreate the true journey from the Muggle world of London and actually board travel to the train station and board the train for a trip over to Hogwarts and the rest of the Wizarding World at Islands of Adventure.
Now if all that wasn’t enough, I’ve heard some rumors about another possible new attraction likely to go into this Phase 2 project, that may attempt to take advantage of the new 3D projection tunnel technology Universal created for King Kong 3D 360 at the Hollywood park earlier this year. I don’t know if this may be put to use during your train ride on the Hogwarts Express, or if this will be an entirely separate ride experience. (One source suggested it could be a trip on the 3-decker Knight Bus, but I’ve heard that this isn’t likely to happen).
Either way this is huge… and apparently it all has a rather aggressive construction timeline as Universal is said to be shooting to have it all up and running by 2014. I’ve also heard that an official announcement or teaser could be released very soon, so stay tuned!

This has made JAWS removal become not so sad. This is literally an AMAZING idea (though I hope Fear Factor's theme gets removed from the stadium if it stays. Harry Potter Duel Show >>>> FREAK Factor)!

For those wondering about the system the Gringotts coaster is rumored to use, check it out here:

We all know how much Universal Studios likes their motion based ride systems. Several attractions utilize some form of motion base technology including Men in Black: Alien Attack, The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman, and Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. But it’s expensive for every vehicle in a ride to contain it’s own motion base. The engineering, maintenance, and per seat cost can be enormous. So what do you do if you want to build a roller coaster type ride experience but also have the unpredictability of a simulator type ride system? What options are there for amusement parks who want to create a ground-breaking attraction but are limited by cost or real estate?

The Universal engineers have recently come up with a motion base track segment. The invention consists of a fixed track roller coaster or dark ride with at least one section of track which can be de-coupled from the main track and rotated in almost any direction- even raising or dropping vertically. Rides such as The Mummy do contain turntables but the movement is only in one degree of freedom- a rotational movement. This new motion base track can not only rotate but pitch back and forth and tip side to side.

“An amusement ride has a track defining a ride vehicle path with a section of the track that can be decoupled from the main track and is subsequently movable on or about up to three axes with between one and six independent degrees of freedom.”

How does it work? The motion base track invention is actually very similar to the Amazing Adventures of Spiderman ride at Universal’s Islands of Adventure theme park. The track is mounted to six actuators in an arrangement called a six axis or “Stewart Platform.” Fixed to the top of the platform is a ring and pinion gear which enable the track to rotate 360 degrees, both clock and counterclockwise. This entire assembly could then be mounted on another component allowing the entire track to slide back and forth from side to side.

How does this save on space and cost? Cost is saved by only needing one motion base instead of multiple bases for every vehicle. The footprint of the ride can be reduced by reusing portions of the ride path. This can be accomplished by utilizing theme elements on rotatable turntables- first time you pass through a room you see one thing, the second time the tables have rotated 180 degrees and you think you’re in a totally different room when it’s actually one and the same (see the Carousel of Progress).

Or more likely they could have different projection effects. Imagine being in a cylindrical room with video projections being played 360 degrees around you as your coaster cars pivots and spins all around. Next, the motion base tips at a 45 degree angle and your car is released and plunges down a huge drop backwards, followed by a typical roller coaster experience featuring breathtaking drops, helices, and airtime.

In fact, the patent specifically mentions the motion base track could simulate a collapsing bridge or “…may be used to simulate a flying vehicle evading a pursuer…” Could this be a future Harry Potter attraction? A flying car perhaps? The possibilities are endless. What do you think?

http://www.coaster101.com/2011/09/19/universals-motion-base-track-patent/

(9/21/11) Universal’s been busy coming up with a new ride concept… mixing a motion base with a roller coaster. It’s simply too much weight to build a motion base into the actual coaster car, but Universal has applied for a patent for a section of detachable track that would have a motion base under it. In other words… just imagine the turntable section of track on Revenge of the Mummy… if it detached and went off for it’s own Spiderman style wild ride segment through a dark ride environment, then reattached to another section of track to let you continue your high speed coaster journey. Check out the patent over at Coaster101.com.

This whole concept = WOW! I am very interested to see how the ride will be if it comes to life! I am also pretty interested to see how King Kong 360 3D tech will be used in this expansion.

I am very interested though in how the Hogwarts Express connection will work. My guess is that the existing Hogwarts Express train (at the entrance in IOA's) will be removed to make room for the Hogsmeade Station (with the two bazaar shops by the existing entrance getting the axe). The Hogwarts Express would travel from the station right next to Sinbad and then travel right and turn left on the existing 5th Ave. Then it would go behind the soundstage next to Rockit's treble cleff, behind ROTM, Beetlejuice, and Disaster. After, it would stop at Kings Cross station.

About the Wizard duel show, I'm going to guess it will replace Fear Factor, and the show theater will become the Ministry of Magic (since London will also be included outside of Diagon Alley). Apparently the contract with Warner Bros says that Universal must add some elements from the final film (Gringotts, and possibly the Ministry of Magic duel).

I'm most excited for the Gringotts coaster. It looks so innovative!! =D

Jaws To Close January 2nd, 2012

The big news of the day is shocking and unfortunate. Remember those rumors of JAWS going... well... (from Universal Facebook):

Hey fans, we want you to be the first to know… JAWS! and the Amity area will officially close on January 2 to make room for an exciting, NEW, experience we’re planning for you.

We know you love JAWS! and we do too. It has been an amazing attraction and after terrorizing the waters of Amity here at Universal Orlando for 20 years, it’s a VERY important part of our history. So, we’ve got a couple things planned to ensure we always remember and honor it. We know it’s hard to say goodbye, but we can’t express how EXCITED we are about the new, innovative & amazing experience we’re going to be bringing you.

So they're actually removing JAWS...? ='( That sucks.

However, getting out of the subject about how suckish this removal is... check out the huge chunk JAWS has (and hey, on the bright side, they can finally burn that stupid THING next to it (yes, I mean FREAK Factor)). Combining the JAWS space and the FFL space, and you have something big to work with.

The rumors point to Harry Potter Phase II going up as rumored recently (see last post), but I just can't see it. I'd rather take out the remnants of the Lost Continent (with the lame brain Poseidon's "Fury" XD) than mess with a classic like this. However, if JAWS has to go... then it has to go. This sucks, but I heard this ride was a major headache for Universal to maintain. So, I understand why this is getting removed. It was pretty shocking though... no new rumors of it or anything... =/ I am very excited about what they're thinking though!

Part of me thinks that this may be a better option for Phase II though. If they put up Diagon Alley (supposedly that's what they're aiming for) in the Lost Continent, it would be right next to Hogsmeade (and as an HP fan, I know that Diagon Alley (in London) is very far from Hogsmeade/Hogwarts (in northern Scotland I think)). They can maybe connect the existing WWOHP with the Amity/FFL area (and hopefully they can still build that awesome Gringotts coaster along with a Potter show (possible Fear Factor replacement?)).

Though I'd rather see something new in the JAWS/FFL space... like SciFi City (with possibly Transformers (yes, I know the rumors that it is supposed to go up in the old Hard Rock Cafe space), and maybe Florida's first Wing Coaster (hey, I can dream! =D)). But either way, we'll see...

In the meantime, get your last rides on JAWS!

1990-2012
JAWS
RIP

P.S.: Just something worth noting (from Screamscape this morning):

2014/2015 - Wizarding World Expansion - Development Phase - (12/2/11) While the overall theme of every rumor regarding Phase 2 of the Wizarding World is that it’s a sure thing… the one factor up in the air was the ‘when’. When will the construction start? According to new rumors starting to flow through the park staff, construction walls could go up for the first phases as early as February 2012.
With the various news sources all aflutter about the reports of a Hollywood version of the Wizarding World being finalized over the next week or two, it would only make sense to get those same people at Warner Brothers to sign off on Phase 2 of the Orlando attraction at the same time, don’t you think?

EDIT: I also just remembered. Last blog post, I posted a rumor of two E-ticket-style attractions going up in the Studios side, one of them being Transformers. I kind of think Transformers will go up in the old Hard Rock/tents (or plot of land behind Simpsons and MIB that I've always been blabbing about) site, because unless they do Sci-Fi City, Transformers will take up only 1/4th of JAWS space, or just Fear Factor's space (heheh... I actually wouldn't mind that! Just push into the lagoon, or move Backlot Drive behind it a little, and there... GOODBYE AND GOOD RIDDANCE! >=D). I think the other E-ticket attraction could be our JAWS/Amity/FFL replacement. As for what it could be themed to... I have ABSOLUTELY no idea! =P So we're going to have to wait and see what goes on... maybe we'll hear some interesting rumors later (I know HP Phase II is now rumored to go up there, but I still kind of have a hard time believing it).

EDIT 2: And also, with JAWS gone, FFL probably gone, and possible construction by the tents, maybe the rumors of the return of the 2-park HHN are true after all (for example, instead of FFL, Bill & Ted would be in the Toon Lagoon Theater). Just food for thought.