I think Lord of the Rings would make a great addition to a theme park. Since Warner Bros. already has a deal with Universal, I think LOTR would be a nice addition to Islands of Adventure (LOTR was made by New Line which is owned by WB). Sure there could be a bit too much fantasy overload there, but it has it's own unique style and a legion of dedicated fans to boot. With all the varied vistas in LOTR, you could easily dedicate a portion of a park...or as with HP, a whole park.
Imagine walking through a replica of the Shire or going on a harrowing adventure through the Mines of Moria. Imagine a towering Orthanc or Barad-dur or better yet, the city of Minas Tirith. Grabbing lunch or a drink inside the Prancing Pony or the Green Dragon. Taking a harrowing ride on the River Anduin while escaping Orcs and going over the Falls of Rauros!
However I agree with TH Creative that Artemis Fowl should have it's own land. I've just read over a historic thread that TH Creative wrote about in 2003 relating to that franchise and I must say that it was very insightful because AF was released that year.
I was totally involved with the storyline that AF had and I was engrossed on mythical creatures meets technology. The only other book franchises that have done that for me were HP, A Series of Unfortunate Events and the Alex Rider series.
For those of you unfamiliar with the books, Irish author Eoin Colfer has described it as "Die Hard with fairies." It's a fun read.
I am stunned that Disney has not done more with the series. The stories boast very charismatic characters. Smart characters, strong females. A heroic/good guy martial arts/body guard (think Jason Statham ... in fact, EXACTLY like Jason Statham). Interesting moral/ethical situations/dilemmas. High-tech gadgets, countdowns, climactic moments, stuff blowing up a ton of action.
The recent buzz (from a Saoirse Ronan fan site 4/7/11): "She is currently number one in the US box office playing a teenage assassin in 'Hannah.' But could Saoirse Ronan‘s next film role be as a snarky elf with pointy ears? The part in question is Captain Holly Short from Irish teen fantasy novel Artemis Fowl. Back in February Saoirse was having meetings with director Jim Sheridan about a movie. Now we can reveal Jim’s next movie project is a film script of Artemis Fowl, which he has co-written with the book’s author Eoin Colfer. A live action movie, this week author Eoin Colfer has revealed he wants Saoirse to play the role of Captain Holly Short, the first female elf of the highly elite LEPrecon division, kidnapped by Artemis Fowl in the first book of the series."
Disney owns the series. They need an extraordinary (charismatic) young man to play the title role. But it could be VERY successful -- perhaps resulting in sequels and making an attraction a worthwhile proposition.
They have the Fantasyland expansion. An AF addition to Tomorrowland and a revamp of the Jungle Cruise in time for the Magic Kingdom's 50th (2021) would be very exciting.
An interesting note on this is that once again, Disney is in the picture. There has been a shuffling around at Disney after they announced that there would be no more princess movies.....as a result, Disney purchased the rights to Mort by Terry Pratchett and seems to be moving forward on it as an animated feature.
Mort is one of the earlier novels that take place in Discworld, but it is a good place to start as well, since many of the later books use characters that are developed in (or as a result of) this book.
Mort is a story about Death (as in the anthropomorphic personification of Death) training an assistant while secretly trying to get him to fall in love with Death's adopted daughter. Odd, though, there is a princess in the story....
Realistically, there really needs to be a Ratatouille restaurant in the France section of the World Showcase at EPCOT. And don't be surprised if Cars gets its theming on Test Track... And while they do have "themed" rides, its a giant shame that DC cannot get quality theme rides anywhere NEAR Spider-Man or Hulk. But a NEW franchise... a Sherlock Holmes show in the Lost Continent?
Say what? Each of the three films made around a billion dollars worldwide (a higher per-film average, it should be noted, than the Harry Potter franchise) and we've got two more movies over the next few years.
It's also the second best-selling novel ever written, second only to Dickens' Tale of Two Cities.
I think a few more people know about it than you surmise. It may not to your tastes, and that's fine, but that doesn't change the fact that Lord of the Rings is one of the biggest franchises in existence.
Dominick: How is LOTR offensive to Christians? J.R.R. Tolkien was a devout Christian for his whole life and was best friends with C.S. Lewis. He even converted C.S. Lewis from atheism.
I'm not a big fan of LOTR, I've never read the books, but I saw all three films at the cinema. I definitely think LOTR has a big enough fan base and is known by 'the younger generation'. I'd certainly be interested to go there as it's a set of stories very suited to a theme park.
Even though I don't think it would be that successful, I would KILL for a Buffy ride of some kind. Roller coaster, dark ride, anything... Although I think the most likely Joss Whedon project to get a ride will be The Avengers.
Has there ever been a ride based on the Alien films? That would make a great simulator or dark ride. Especially with Prothemus (the not-a-prequel-clouded-in-secrecy film) coming up.
WhedonWorld would be fun. Buffy, Angel, Firefly.
A lot of possibilities. Horror, vampires, scifi.
Aliens is a fairly long segment of The Great Movie Ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios but over the years, the actual use of the alien which jumps out and scares you has been mostly stopped. Pity, it was a great segment years ago when all of it was working.
I have attempted to read the books and watch the movies, and can't get more than 15 pages or 15 minutes.
They do absolutely nothing for me.
In my opinion that is.
*Tron simulated 3D ride that someone bursts into a real ride similar to test track (as in on a light cycle). Would love to see that work out.
*Not sure what, but a Ghostbusters ride (Haunted Mansion style mixed with some Spider-Man style) would be fun
*And of course, my feeling on an entire Star Wars park are well-documented
I'll sit back and await TH's comments.
I Respond: Such as?
Mr. Hillman: "I will grant you that it is EASIER for a high tech franchise like your beloved Artemis Fowl series to be adapted to a theme park ride or land ..."
T Respond: I think you may have meant to use the phrase "better suited." Programming a gate-crasher attraction isn't usually "easy."
Now I haven’t read the LOTR trilogy or The Hobbit in years, but a few scenarios struck me as possible ride ideas while I was reading the books. I’m also going to borrow heavily from other posters on these forums who have come up with a few ideas that I thought were pretty good.
Here’s my take on a possible LOTR land:
E-Ticket: The Mines of Moria: Battle with the Balrog. Essentially a Spiderman-type 3-D ride where you ride in old dwarven ore carts enchanted by Gandalf, and you follow the Fellowship as they battle orcs, trolls, and the Balrog in their escape from Moria.
Rollercoaster: Raiding Mount Erebor. This would be a dark coaster on the order of The Mummy where the train races from scene to scene in the attempt to escape Smaug and eventually culminating in the Battle of the Five Armies.
Drop Ride: Escaping Isengard. You join Gandalf as he goes to Isengard to ask Saruman about Sauron’s activities in Mordor. While seated in an audience chamber (the ride vehicle) you are caught up in the magical battle between Saruman and Gandalf and your vehicle rises and falls to various levels in the tower where you are confronted by Saruman and orcs. Eventually you are rescued by Ents and freed.
Water Ride: The Fellowship of the Ring. Join the Fellowship as they leave Lothlorien on the river Anduin. When confronted by the Ringwraiths (Yes, I know this happened outside Rivendell and not Lothlorien.) a protective flood washes you down a series of rapids as various scenes in the books are staged on the banks.
Show: Riders of the Rohirrim. Basically your typical horse stunt show with a little bit of archery and swordmanship thrown in.
Small Dark Ride: Goblin Town. Help Bilbo and the dwarves escape the Great Goblin as you ride through on an enchanted goblin work cart.
Children’s Play Area: The Shire. Explore Bilbo Baggins' home at Bag End. At the end of the day, watch a fireworks display put on by Gandalf.
Adult Walk Thru/Eatery/Shopping Areas: Rivendell, Hobbiton, and Lothlorien.
I hope that’s enough to make you happy, because I’m sure that LOTR aficionados could come up with far better. After all, I’m just a simple engineer who thinks in straight lines. I’m sure that somebody creative like you could really knock our socks off. Speaking of which, now that I’ve put my cards on the table, where’s all those great ride ideas that you have for the Artemis Fowl land? Such as?
BTW: Climbing the southeast ridge of Mt Everest from Nepal is EASIER than climbing the northeast ridge from Tibet. (from Wikipedia) I think that you and I would agree that neither route is easy. ;)
I cringe anytime I hear about additional franchise theming at EPCOT. I have never thought that particular park was an appropriate place for it. I would love them to focus on the real world practicality that made future world so unique, and the genuine celbration of the world that is the showcase. Look to the repeated attempts to modify "Journey into the Imagination" or Nemo's Living Seas (which sort of dumb down the whole pavilion, IMO).
That said, I agree that Lord of the rings has potential. I also believe that Star Trek would be a huge draw for a land/themed attraction. Disney ought to see what can be done with their wildly popular children's show "Phineas and Ferb."
Now here is where I get a bit pipe-dreamy:
Dickens Land: Just think of the Edwardian theming.
This one isn't a franchise per se, but the steampunk genre would make an awesome immersive experience at a theme park.
The issue, however, is that it's a series of movies which is constantly changing, with a different Bond every so many movies potentially leading it to becoming dated quickly.
I would absolutely love a dark-ride based on The Beatles, though I'm not sure of it's appeal to younger audiences. I'm twenty and love them, but anyone younger may just shrug and head for something different.
