Newsletter: In the Loop: Harry Potter fans get an exclusive sneak peek at Universal’s Wizarding World
Welcome to another edition of In the Loop, the Los Angeles Times’ theme park newsletter. I’m Funland theme park blogger Brady MacDonald, and this week we take a sneak peek at Universal’s Wizarding World West, chat with the creative force behind Star Wars Land and watch attendance drop at Hong Kong Disneyland.
Wizarding World
After years of waiting with wands at the ready, Harry Potter fans finally are getting their first look at Wizarding World West. The park is beginning “technical rehearsals,” with the highly anticipated themed land opening without warning for several hours a day during the next few weeks.
Lucky fans could get a chance to try the signature Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey dark ride during test runs.
Star Wars Land
Check out our Q&A with Walt Disney Imagineering’s Scott Trowbridge, who is overseeing the Star Wars Lands planned for Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Scott Trowbridge, portfolio creative executive at Walt Disney Imagineering, says his job is to challenge experts to combine their skills even when he doesn’t understand all of the technology himself.
Universal Studios
Universal Orlando surveys ask visitors how much they would be willing to pay for a Disney-style MagicBand and what types of perks they’d expect to come with the RFID wristband, according to the Motley Fool.
SeaWorld
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals reports $43.5 million in contributions for the year that ended July 31, a 30% increase over donations made in the same period two years earlier, before PETA intensified its campaign against SeaWorld and other animal-performance businesses.
Disney attendance
Disney reports a 10% increase in attendance at the company’s domestic theme parks and a 7% rise in per-capita spending on food, drinks, admission and merchandise.
Hong Kong Disneyland posts a net loss of $19 million in fiscal 2015 (which ended in September) as attendance drops 9% compared with 2014.
Still need more theme park news? Check out the Los Angeles Times Funland theme park blog on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and Instagram. Also feel free to email me with any feedback on the newsletter.
MORE:
32 best new theme park additions of 2016
8 unanswered questions about Disneyland’s Star Wars Land
Disneyland 2055: What the future may hold for the original Disney park
Disneyland 1955: ‘Walt’s Folly’ got off to a nightmare start
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