And to top it off, the ending is extremely anti-climactic regardless if it's your first time riding or fifteenth. So disappointed in that ride.
I've only ridden Forbidden Journey once (add it as number one to a list of regrets in my life) and IMHO the amount of detail is the great thing about it. It really just overloads the senses. In this day and age what else is capable of doing that? I am a huge fan of the Potter series though, so maybe I'm glorifying the ride.
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is fantastic and that only excites me even more about Transformers. Keep pushing the limits, Universal.
That opens things up for us to say "Well, The Mummy and Incredible Hulk just do that... bad attempt at a story"
Reading in between the lines of his comments about visceral experiences and story working together, I think it is clear that he's more proud of rides like Potter than, oh, say, Rip, Ride, Rockit.
And I did ask about Potter coming to other theme parks, and he declined to answer the question. Universal's PR rep would say only that SEC documents state Universal has in its contract with Warner Bros and Rowling an opportunity to expand its use of Potter. Again, reading between the lines of what Mark said, Universal Creative has thought a lot about doing more with Potter - but UC people blue sky a lot of things, too.
As for a media silo, the best example of a vertical media silo I can think of is the vertical lift on Journey to Atlantis at SeaWorld San Diego. As your boat goes straight up that elevator shaft, images of dolphins are seen on the silo walls around you. That's not exactly what Mark's talking about for Transformers, but it's an example of what you can do with media in a vertical environment.
FWIW, I'm kicking myself for not moving the interview along faster so that I could have asked about Madagascar in Singapore, and what went wrong there to hold up that ride for a year. But I am working on scheduling an interview with Thierry Coup at some point, so I will be talking more with the people at Universal Creative for the site.
Which brings up the question: Who else would like me to interview for Theme Park Insider? I welcome suggestions!
Also, to offer a suggestion for other theme park people to interview, it would be great if you could do an article about the folks who work at Sea World Parks & Entertainment (or whatever the former Busch Creative people call themselves these days). They're on a bit of a creative roll, these days, with the well-received Cheetah Hunt coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa. In the pipeline: A mystery project at Busch Gardens Williamsburg in 2012, rumored to be a highly-themed coaster with a German Autobahn motif. And, further down the road, a highly themed dark ride at Sea World Orlando.
- Brian
Nice job with Mark's interview, by the way!
Maybe the next interview can be with the person who decides on what new coaster gets introduced in a Six Flags Park? Or maybe who decides on the merch available in a park and why they decide on certain things? I'm not sure how much you'd get out of the Disney ones, but it'd be interesting to see how Universal handles souvenirs versus Sea World.
The Mummy is a bit rough, but a really fun ride. I guess having children and sharing the ride with them is different. My youngest daughter loves the Mummy, so I took just her to Unversal while mom and my oldest went back to the hotel for a swim and food at the Beach bar.
We rode it six times in a row (thanks Express Pass) and she still couldn't get enough.... she knows every line by heart. I think some people are never happy or just like to complain about everything. FJ is one of the most advanced rides in the world with the best queue theming I have ever seen.
I thought it was amazing...
My main complaint is that half the ride feels like nothing more that a simulator. All those video segments are lack luster, especially the way Spider-Man videos segments blend in with physical scenery and effects.
The dementors look like balloons covered in fabric. They don't suck anyone's souls anymore.
Did I mention that most of the ride seems like a simulator?
The story in Forbidden Journey or Mummy take a back seat to the experience, which is to their credit. It shows that Universal has their priorities straight.
While I think that the Harry Potter area is fantastic, although it really needed more space, I absolutely hate the ride. It utterly fails to tell a story and that is it's biggest problem. It is chaotic and incomprehensible. Considering how well Universal has done so many other things, I was shocked at how bad that ride is. It makes me sick to my stomach and does not entertain me in the least. I am so disappointed.