Now that Universal Studios is having all sorts of success with their brand new “Wizarding World of Harry Potter” theme park, it appears as if the brains down in Florida are trying to decide what awesome attraction they can build next. And, with fantasy worlds being hot in demand, it’s not all too surprising to hear whispers that Universal might want to build a new Lord of the Rings theme park to complement what they’ve got going over there in Potter world.
Chatter online from an anonymous user suggests Universal is in the very early planning stages, feeling out whether folks would even be interested in such a thing. According to one user over at MiceChat, they received several emails from a company asking about a Lord of the Rings theme park and the different rides, characters and attractions they’d be interested in seeing there. Here’s the brief summary they received:
“Imagine if you will a world unlike any you've ever visited before: it's Middle Earth, the ancient and beautiful land forged by J.R.R. Tolkien as the backdrop for his two most well known creations, Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Walk as a human among dwarves, elves, orcs and hobbits -- all faithfully re-created and portrayed in the spirit of the original characters as they appeared in both the books and the movies. In this land you'll experience one-of-a-kind rides and attractions that bring to life some of the most memorable experiences of Tolkien's world including Bilbo's hobbit hole, the fortress at Isengard (before it was destroyed) and even the dark world of Mordor -- including the terrifying volcanic Mount Doom.”
Sounds pretty awesome for Lord of the Rings fans, though I worry whether they could age this down a bit to gear it more toward younger visitors. I imagine their bread and butter lies in families with young children visiting on vacation, and the Lord of the Rings movies, while spectacular, are geared more toward kids 14 and up, especially because of the intense battle sequences.
What do you think? Can Universal pull off a successful Lord of the Rings theme park? Would you visit?
