Middle Earth Theme Parks?

[axordil]

Any Middle Earth Theme Park should be in Middle Earth. You know, New Zealand.

Would that not hurt possible attendance?

You're assuming I want OTHER people to go there.

[sauronsfinger]

Any Middle Earth Theme Park should be in Middle Earth. You know, New Zealand.

Would that not hurt possible attendance?

You're assuming I want OTHER people to go there.

That will keep it open for how long?

[axordil]

Would that not hurt possible attendance?

You're assuming I want OTHER people to go there.

That will keep it open for how long?

My visit. Apres moi, les deluge.

Seriously, though, I would like to see a ME theme park idea with a more holistic approach: less thrill rides for their own sake, more simulation of presence in important places and moments, to convey a sense of scale and depth.

And staff with pointy ears.

[Primula Baggins]

I think a ride like "Soaring over California" in Disney's Anaheim theme park would be compatible with what you're talking about, Ax. I rode it years ago, but I still remember how serene and lovely it was, and what a feel it gave for landscape.

And of course they would have to use scenes from New Zealand. Imagine feeling like an Eagle soaring over desolate snowy peaks into the sunrise.

[Elentári]

Nothing to get excited over, but I just found this visualization of a Middle-earth theme park...it's nice to dream!

http://www.deviantart.com/art/Middle-Eä ... -498209880

[sauronsfinger]

With the movies now completed I wonder what will be the next area for the rights holders to venture into to make even more money? The two obvious would be a theme park and a TV cable show like GAME OF THRONES.

I would very much like to see a Middle-earth theme park and wonder if New Zealand would be willing to help fund it and make it happen as a full blown tourist attraction?

[Elentári]

PJ has mentioned in recent interviews that he's kept a lot of the sets and would like to make a museum one day, so I guess the closest thing we would get to a theme park would be something like the Harry Potter Studios near London...perhaps combined with the Weta Cave, which would be very cool!

Other than that, I wish more of the location sets could have been left in situ, such as Edoras on Mount Sunday, and Beorn's house at Paradise, Glenorchy...or even the Rivendell location set in Kaitoke Regional Park. Obviously they were built on protected or National Park land so it wasn't possible, or viable to have thousands of tourist traipsing around, but visually I thought the sets blended in beautifully with the landscapes, and wouldn't have been an eyesore, if they could have been permanent. At least we have Hobbiton for posterity...

[sauronsfinger]

Elen - were those sets - like Beorns house - saved so that they can be reassembled if necessary later? My uneducated guess would be that they were.

If they put together a place in NZ like you speculate on - I would go there to see it all -maybe if four years for a graduation present for my oldest grandson and fellow Middle-earth fanatic.

Who knows - maybe a theme park/museum/special effects studio might be the ticket? Kind of a bit like the Disney Orlando MGM studio park was but better.

I have lots of terrific memories from the three previous exhibits of film stuff in Toronto and Boston when LOTR was out. To see even more would be amazing....... now with some of the HOBBIT stuff included.

[Sunsilver]

Yes, those exhibits were AWESOME! I couldn't believe the attention to detail that went into creating the props and costumes!

[Elentári]

Me, too, Sunny....saw the LotR exhibit at the Science Museum in London with my two eldest boys and we were absolutely blown away by it all, particularly the costumes, weapons and bigatures!

sf, this is the interview I was thinking of (it's the one I posted in the general thread about how much of GDT there is left in the script): http://news.moviefone.com/2014/12/19/pe ... interview/

There has been talk about Universal doing a "Harry Potter"-like land for "Lord of the Rings"/"The Hobbit." Can you talk about where that is?

PJ: I'm not a lawyer for Warner Bros but as far as I know, the Tolkien estate would dispute that. If Universal said they wanted to do a theme park, I think they'd be fighting a big Tolkien estate lawsuit for a while. Now who would win, I don't know, but the Tolkien estate would claim that they have the rights to that.

PB: Just come to New Zealand!

Here they have the "Harry Potter" soundstage. Would you be interested in doing something more along those lines?

PJ: Certainly. We have all the costumes and props in New Zealand. I couldn't bear to have that stuff auctioned off. So they're sitting in a warehouse right now. Theme park? I wouldn't want to have a lawsuit on my hands.

I would guess PJ does have the Beorn set - after all, he kept the Rivendell studio set in storage for over 10 years - and we know he had Bag End installed on one of his properties near Wellington.

One day I hope to make it to NZ - though I reckon it's one of those places you really want a one-way ticket! I know I wouldn't want to leave once I'm there...