What hath ‘Potter’ wrought? Success
Disney and Universal have been spending billions of dollars on one specific way to transform the look of their theme parks. But will these investments come back to haunt them?
Ever since Universal shook up the industry with The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in 2010, both Universal and Disney have been trying to replicate that success with new theme park lands devoted to single intellectual properties. Disney California Adventure got its Cars Land in 2012, with Disneyland adding Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in 2019 and Avengers Campus at California Adventure in 2021. Just this year, Universal Studios Hollywood opened Super Nintendo World, while Disney has introduced The World of Frozen in Hong Kong and Zootopia in Shanghai.
In 2025, Universal will make its biggest investment in single intellectual property lands with a new theme park, Universal Epic Universe, in which four of its five lands will be devoted to such concepts, including Nintendo and “Harry Potter.” But a reader recently asked me about the risk that Universal is taking by spending so much money to develop entire lands devoted to each of these franchises.
“What is the plan once the four IPs being used are not as relevant or successful? In current parks, attractions can be torn down or redone as something new. (That’s) hard to do with these huge lands.”
Indeed. Even “Harry Potter” — the franchise that started this wave — has seen fans’ enthusiasm cool over recent years. Granted, “Potter” had been so hot that some fallback was inevitable, but the controversy surrounding franchise author J.K. Rowling and weak performance by the recent “Fantastic Beasts” films have not helped.
Still, “Potter” retains enough fans that Universal is going ahead with another Wizarding World land in its new park. Ultimately, it’s the quality of experience that determines an attraction’s eventual success, even more than its theme. (Waterworld, anyone?) That is something well within a park’s control.
I think enthusiasm among casual fans for Galaxy’s Edge increased substantially after
Rise of the Resistance opened. The promised new E-ticket attraction in Avengers Campus should do the same for that land, whenever it opens.
The real challenge for these lands is not creative. It’s legal. When parks develop successful lands based on intellectual property licensed from other companies, they face a tough decision if and when that license expires: pay up for an extension, or throw away a successful land by having to retheme or develop it.
Disney took care of some of its licensing challenges by buying the studios that licensed Disney the rights to build “Star Wars” and “Avatar” attractions. Many fans are hoping that NBCUniversal might do the same by acquiring Warner Bros., which controls “Potter.” Either way, though, these lands represent huge investments that less-capitalized competitors such as SeaWorld and the new Six Flags simply cannot afford to match.
By immersing fans in beloved environments that no one else can afford to create, single intellectual property lands will continue to be the magic spell that allows Disney and Universal to expand their lead in the theme park business. So expect to see more of them in the decade to come.
Disneyland’s Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge draws on the successful single intellectual property blueprint pioneered by Universal’s “Harry Potter” lands.
Disneyland is getting ready to kick off the Halloween season in 2024 with holiday decor, seasonal fireworks and villain-themed parades, even though the annual event at the Anaheim theme parks still remains months away.
Halloween Time will run Aug. 23Oct. 31 at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.
Seasonal decor will once again fill both parks, with a massive Mickey Mouse jack-o’-lantern on Main Street, U.S.A., a Headless Horseman statue on Buena Vista Street and a Radiator Screams makeover of Cars Land.
Expect to see the return of holiday attraction overlays for the Haunted Mansion in Disneyland, and Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: Breakout!, Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree and Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters in Disney California Adventure.
The Haunted Mansion has gotten a “Nightmare Before Christmas” makeover based on the Tim Burton animated film for more than 20 years now.
Over at California Adventure, Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: Breakout gets a Monsters After Dark overlay while Mater’s Graveyard Jambooree and Luigi’s Honkin’ Haul-OWeen take over the Cars Land attractions.
California Adventure’s Plaza de la Familia event in Paradise Gardens, which celebrates the Mexican traditions of Dia de los Muertos with music from “Coco,” runs a few extra days through Nov. 2.
Disneyland announced the return of Oogie Boogie Bash to California Adventure without providing any dates for the after-hours, separate admission event that falls under the Halloween Time umbrella.
The wildly popular Oogie Boogie Bash sold out in 12 hours for all 25 dates in September and October this year.
Let’s take a closer look at the included-with-admission Halloween Time event before diving into the separate-admission Oogie Boogie Bash late night party.
Halloween Time
“Halloween Screams” typically takes to the skies with fireworks above Disneyland on weekends during Halloween Time, and as a projection mapping and special effects show without pyrotechnics on weekdays.
California Adventure’s Paradise Gardens get transformed for the Day of the Dead with a “Coco” street show and mariachi music on the bandstand.
Visitors looking for spooky selfies at both parks will find Disney characters dressed in Halloween costumes as well as villains that rarely make appearances outside the holiday season.
Downtown Disney usually offers Pluto’s Pumpkin Pursuit treasure hunt while cafes serve festive treats and shops sell seasonal merchandise in the outdoor mall next to Disneyland and California Adventure.
Oogie Boogie Bash
This event — hosted by monster of scare-e-monies Oogie Boogie from “The Nightmare Before Christmas” — typically includes a Halloween parade, a Disney villains walk-thru attraction, Mickey Mouse children’s show and trick-or-treating trails.
The separate-ticket, limited-capacity, after-hours Halloween event at
California Adventure is one of the few times of the year when older kids and adults can wear costumes in the park.
The Frightfully Fun Parade features seldom-seen characters like the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow, Ichabod Crane; Jack Skellington; Dr. Facilier; and the Cheshire Cat.
The Villain’s Grove lighting and sound effects walk-thru transforms the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail with ethereal scenes inspired by “Maleficent,” Scar, Frollo, “Alice in Wonderland’s” Queen of Hearts and “Snow White’s” Wicked Queen.
The “Mickey’s Trick & Treat” show in the Disney Jr. Dance Party theater features a mad scientist who brews up a potion that unleashes bats, spiders and ghosts created with video projections and special effects.
Young and old visitors can trick-ortreat for candy along immersive treat trails dotted with villains like Oogie Boogie and Maleficent sitting on themed thrones.
Most California Adventure attractions stay open during Oogie Boogie Bash with shorter wait times due to the limited capacity of the event.
Halloween Time and Oogie Boogie Bash are strictly G-rated spooky fun, with none of the jump scares and horror imagery of other Southern California theme park haunted events like Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights (R-rated), Knott’s Scary Farm (PG-13), SeaWorld’s Howl-O-Scream (PG-13) and Six Flags’ Fright Fest (PG).