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As many members of the MuggleNet staff were enjoying MISTI-Con last weekend at the lovely Margate Hotel in Laconia, New Hampshire - surrounded by a beautiful lake and picturesque cottages - we couldn't help but wonder this:
How awesome would a Hogwarts resort be?
The Wizarding World at Universal is cool, but with all this news about the expansion of the park in Orlando and the brand-new park in Hollywood, what's stopping them from building a perfect hotel where one could stay inside Hogwarts, itself. Here's five reasons why this should happen.
1. More Realistic
The theme park is great, but it is kind of hard to get lost in the magical world when you're in Florida in the middle of the summer, surrounded by food vendors and carnival smells. It would be far easier to get an immersive experience at a Hogwarts resort. You'd be living in a castle and you could take a jaunt to the Forbidden Forest or Hagrid's Hut anytime you want. No funnel cake required.
2. Sense of Community
A Hogwarts resort would also be a great way for Harry Potter fans to come together as a community. At the theme park, each person or group visiting is isolated from the others. At a resort, there would be more space for fans to interact with each other and experience Hogwarts together. This would be awesome both because we already know that fans have a great time when they get together (shout out to everyone who turned out for MISTI-Con!) AND friendship is such an important part of the books that it would be fitting for a sense of community to be included in a Harry Potter attraction.
3. Money, Money, Money
A Hogwarts resort could make a ton of money for Universal. People coming to the Wizarding World already have to pay to stay somewhere - why not have it be at a Universal hotel? There could even be a tram system to transport fans from the resort to the park. We can hear the galleons pouring in already!
4. No Lines
By far the worst part of any theme park is waiting in line for rides, and since the Wizarding World is so popular, the lines for the rides there can get even crazier than in the rest of the park. At a resort, the activities for fans are ones that they wouldn't necessarily have to wait in line for: swimming in the lake, sightseeing from the towers, or walks in the Forbidden Forest. Universal could also do a tie-in for those that stay at the resort, offering discounts on HP shops in the park or giving each guest a fast pass so they can avoid lines at the Wizarding World as well.
5. Specialty Suites
The possibility for specialty rooms is endless: each of the common rooms, Dumbledore's Office, Lockhart's Office, the North Tower - the list goes on and on! Replicas of props from the movies would make for impressive luxury suites; the resort could be like the Studio Tour and theme park combined. We're partial to the idea of a Room of Requirement for guests to stay in. Imagine this: unlimited room service, brought by wait staff dressed as house elves, where you're not only allowed to order food, but anything you want.
Have we convinced you yet? What other things would you like to see from a Harry Potter resort?
Posted by Jessica on 05-13-2013 at 5:30 PM
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With every new school year comes new teachers or professors, and for many Harry Potter fans, it has become automatic to match each one with their Hogwarts professor counterpart. Student beans.com has come up with “12 types of lecturer according to Harry Potter”, including such varieties as “The arts professor”, “The PhD student lecturer”, and “The Oxbridge alumni”.
Have you had any experiences with an “Umbridge” or “Snape”? Maybe you’ve been lucky enough to have had a “Lupin” in your classroom. Let us know and share any professor or teacher stories, good or bad.
In keeping with the educational theme, be sure to check out MuggleNet Academia, which has just released their 1-Year Anniversary Spectacular Show! You can also listen to MuggleNet’s other podcasts, MuggleCast, Audiofictions, and Alohamora!
Posted by Laura on 05-01-2013 at 2:10 PM
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A broom used during the filming of Harry Potter will be exhibited at the New Walk Museum and Art Gallery beginning May 4 as a part of the 'Magic Worlds' exhibit. There is no word yet on whether the broom displayed will be Harry's Nimbus 2000 or his Firebolt, but the broom is being touted as the exhibit's main attraction.
'Magic Worlds' will also feature the One Ring from Lord of the Rings, as well as displays based on Snow White, Alice in Wonderland, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Cinderella, among others.
'Magic Worlds' will run from May 2-September 29. You can read more about the exhibition here and check out the New Walk Museum's page about the exhibit here.
Posted by Jessica on 04-28-2013 at 10:15 PM
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The ScreenJunkies YouTube channel is dedicated to highlighting movies and TV shows that are worthy of watching. One of their recent videos (the one above), is a trailer spoof for the Harry Potter films.
The spoof depicts what the Potter trailers would include if they were honest, hence the title 'Honest Trailer.' The trailer jokingly mentions the consistent child endangerment and the question of why Hogwarts hasn't been shut down after all of the madness that seems to occur every year.
You can find a list of other Honest Trailers here. What do you think of their spin on the Potter trailers? Anything you would add? Leave a comment or discuss in the chat below!
Posted by Veronica on 04-20-2013 at 12:10 AM
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The Harry Potter series may have concluded nearly six years ago, but people around the world, of all ages, are still experiencing Harry’s world for the first time today. Two stories, from 20SomethingReads and Under the Gun Review, tell of adults’ reactions to the Potter books and films, respectively.
The contributor to 20SomethingReads discusses not only their reaction to the series, but also how their experience may have differed from someone who read the books when they first came out. It also extends to the impact of the films as well as their regrets of missing various fandom experiences, including: “While the rest of the world donned costumes and attended crowded bookstore parties upon the eve of each release, I missed out, oblivious to the excitement that I should have been a part of.”
The film reviewer from Under the Gun Review has already read each book, but has not seen any of the films. They will be chronicling their journey as they watch and review two Harry Potter films per week. The films will be reviewed as though the watcher has never read the books. The reviews for the first two films are now online.
These are just a couple of the countless stories of people discovering, or rediscovering, the Harry Potter books and films, and further proves that the Potter fandom is certainly alive and well, and growing every day.
Don’t forget, whether you’re a long time fan or newcomer, there are plenty of MuggleNet podcasts to choose from! For the fan who wants to keep updated on the latest news or general Potter discussions, check out MuggleCast, and for the Potter professor in all of us, there is Academia. If you are a fan fiction reader, check out MuggleNet AudioFictions, and “Open the Dumbledore” with Alohamora!
Have you introduced anyone to the Harry Potter series? What was your first reaction to the books or films?
Posted by Laura on 04-13-2013 at 10:55 AM
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David Cross, a real estate agent, has estimated that if Hogwarts were real, its worth would be approximately $204,102,000.
He came up with his calculations based largely on tips from Harry Potter fans. For instance, one fan has made careful calculations and guessed that a likely location for the fictional school is in Scotland's Galloway Hills. Therefore, David used real estate values from Galloway as part of his determination of Hogwarts' value. He also used fan estimations of how many students attend Hogwarts to determine an approximate square footage, and made gusses about how spacious the school might be based on its prestigious reputation.
David developed his estimation for the "Novelty Real Estate" section of Movodo. You can read the original article about David's process here, and you can check out his original post, with details about how he came up with his values, here.
Posted by Jessica on 04-06-2013 at 10:25 AM
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