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Credit: Universal StudiosIt’s been over a decade since the first Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened up at Universal Orlando Resort — and in a way, we’ve been suffering the consequences ever since.
That’s not to say that the land is anything short of spectacular because, of course, it is. The Wizarding World is as accurate to the world inhabited by Harry, Ron, Hermione and co that there are legendary tales from its opening day suggesting that some fans collapsed to their knees and wept upon seeing what Universal had created.
Related: Universal Set to Close Iconic ‘Harry Potter’ Experience
Between Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey and the Three Broomsticks, what could easily have been a scale-size version of Hogwarts Castle and a lackluster dark ride was a triumph. This triumph went next level when Universal Studio Florida debuted its own Diagon Alley area next door several years later — connected to Islands of Adventure via the Hogwarts Express, for full thematic accuracy — and will surely do so again when guests are welcomed to the Ministry of Magic at Epic Universe in 2025.
Immersive in a way that no other theme park land had been before, the Wizarding World is truly one-in-a-kind. Except now it’s not. Universal set a new precedent for theme parks with the area (or at least the likes of Disney have interpreted it as such). Since its opening in 2010, the idea has been that for a theme park land to be just as popular and profitable, it should do the same thing: take a singular IP, wring it for all its creative value, et voila — the rocket fuel for the next five to ten years of attendance levels.
The most obvious example is Pandora — The World of Avatar. As the first Florida land designed by Walt Disney Imagineering after the Wizarding World’s opening, this is considered Walt Disney World’s official response to its rival’s sudden surge in popularity. You can see their logic. Avatar was (and still is) the highest-grossing film of all time — even bigger than Harry Potter. Theoretically, this should translate to a similar attendance boost.
It didn’t end with Avatar. Next came Toy Story Land and Galaxy’s Edge at Hollywood Studios, with the latter also added to Disneyland Resort. Then the latter got Avengers Campus, as did Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris. World of Frozen was next. Now, there’s talk of potential lands inspired by Coco (2017) and Encanto (2021) at Animal Kingdom.
What all these lands seem to forget is that not every franchise holds the same cultural currency as Harry Potter. Controversial though the franchise (or rather, its creator) has become in recent years, it’s already established a permanence which seems set to survive the generations.
To create an entire land around a singular IP, this is vital. Parkgoers move on, but innovation is forever. If an IP doesn’t have longevity, an entire land can become outdated in the space of a few years. But if an attraction based on IP is added into a land with a grander, more overarching theme, it can survive longer than the cultural memory of its inspiration (for reference, see Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros in EPCOT’s Mexico Pavilion, or Swiss Family Treehouse in Magic Kingdom’s Adventureland).
Related: Is ‘Harry Potter’ Leaving Universal Studios?
That doesn’t seem to be the mindset for theme parks right now, though. The thing is that it’s easier to build a land off ideas that already exist. It’s also much easier to market it — and probably does bring in more guests off hype alone. But inevitably, that hype is limited. Harry Potter is an intergenerational franchise that encompasses any entire world packed with magical locations, stories, characters, creatures, and foods. Even with a third land at Epic Universe, there are still plenty more options for Universal to expand that area in the future. Zootopia, however? Not so much.
Realistically, this trend isn’t going anywhere any time soon. Epic Universe is debuting next year with lands almost exclusively inspired by IP (with the exception of Celestial Park). All rumored additions heading to Disney Parks with its upcoming $60 billion, decade-long investment injection are just as IP-based. We officially don’t live in an era where we can expect Disney to announce the next Frontierland or IP-free EPCOT Pavilion. One day, hopefully, we will come full circle and IP will become the cherry on top, not the entire cake – but we’re not holding our breath.
Do you think theme parks overuse IP right now? Let us know in the comments!