I love Port of Entry. Just the overdone theming and feel of the area is wonderful. Unfortunately, it hasn't seen an attraction, aside from the Island Skipper Tours. These return, ferrying guests to Jurassic Park and Toon Lagoon.
A new attraction is introduced in the Port of Entry, similar to the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure in Epcot. Guests search Port of Entry for clues in the shops in restaurants to activate special effects and finally discover a hidden treasure. Not a headliner attraction, but a fun little thing to draw crowds.
Someday, Disney's ownership of Marvel will drive the property out of Islands of Adventure. And if you can't have one headliner comics company, why not have the other?
The former Marvel Superhero Island becomes Bruce Wayne's very own Gotham City. Considerably dark, and taking a lot of the designs from the recent films as well as the recent Arkham video games. In fact...
The entire right side of the area will become an Arkham Asylum Mini Area.
Replacing the Amazing Adventures of Spiderman is an attraction based on the Arkham Asylum video game. The Joker will be offering tours of the Asylum, seeing the various inmates (Harley, Zsasz, Bane, Scarecrow and Killer Croc)... who aren't very happy to see you. Hopefully Batman can save you before the tour goes too far...
Dr. Doom's Fear Fall is rethemed to Joker's Terror Towers (which is not much of a change, even the same premise remains) but expect a more meniacal queue in addition to a purple and green color scheme.
Captain America Diner is altered to an Arkham Cafeteria.
The various shops in the area will recieve a basic shift from Marvel merch to DC merch.
The middle section will be the city. All that's basically here is shops and the Fantastic Four Cafe. The cafe now becomes Gotham Cafe.
The left side is themed to the grounds of Wayne Manor. Hulk gets a repaint (funny, it just did) and some rethemed cars and queue to become a Batwing Coaster.
Storm Force Accelatron is demolished and in it's place is a recreation of Wayne Manor.
But the manor hides a secret: beneath it lies Batman's hidden lair, the Batcave! Bruce Wayne's butler, Alfred offers guided tours of the manor as well as the Batcave itself.
And that's Gotham. But past the darkness lies a sharp contrast... the colors and brightness of Toon Lagoon.
As you enter Toon Lagoon, one of the first things you see is an abandoned ampitheatre (aside from a spontaneous BMX show.) In my vision, this is demolished. In it's place stands the relocated Woody Woodpecker Coaster and a dark ride featuring none other than two of the greatest cartoon characters of all time:
Aside from these additions, Toon Lagoon remains the same. Albeit the other attractions in the area receive a nice little refurb.
Next up is one of my favorite areas of Islands of Adventure, Jurassic Park.
All the shops and restaurants here remain as is. As does Camp Jurassic and the Pteranadon Flyers.
Jurassic Park River Adventure receives the refurb to end all refurbs. New AA's new queue, new boats, new sets, new... everything! The ride as it currently stands is in disrepair. Expect clearer sound and all the effects working. Maybe even a new scene or two can be added.
Apparently there is a bit of unused space in Jurassic Park. And what better to add here than a simulated helicopter trek over the grounds of Jurassic Park.
Expect an Pteradactyl encounter.
The bottom floor of the Discovery Center is redesigned to what it should have been: the "ride" from the film. The ride ends at the laboratory, where guests can watch the scientist hatch the raptor egg, as is currently seen in the Discovery Center.
Before I get to Wizarding World, I must state that the bridge that streches from the side of the Discovery Center to Mythos should always be open for those who want to bypass the Potter insanity.
Anyway, let's move forward. The Wizarding World as it currently stands remains. However, an expansion is quite inevitable.
The area that stretches from the entrance to Hogsmeade down to the Treasures of Poseidon shop becomes Diagon Alley.
Albeit not as narrow. The foolishness of Hogsmeade is enough to attest to that. Hopefully having two full lines of Potter merchandise won't cause such a bottleneck.
An offshoot of Diagon Alley connects to the theater that currently houses Sindbad. In it's place is a new show, themed to a duel between good wizards and the Death Eaters. Even Voldemort makes an appearance. Tons of lighting and special effects here. Before the show, young wizards possessing wands can go up onto a sidestage and hone their magical skills (expect another wand shop in Diagon Alley, btw.)
The top of Diagon Alley is a crossroads, left to Hogsmeade, and right to Gringotts.
A ride through various magical vaults can be found inside. Expect sudden drops, turns, and special effects. Oh, and Audio-Anamatronic Goblins too.
All of this makes the Wizarding World of Harry Potter the largest area of the park (soon enough, the whole park will become Harry Potter themed.)
Now, my plans don't have Potter consuming all of the Lost Continent. A small sliver remains. The only reason to keep the area open is Mythos. I know that an actual Potter expansion is planned to take over Lost Continent, that is, all but Mythos. So why just keep a restaurant open? This way, we keep a great restaurant, a great redesigned, new storyline-d Poseidon's Fury, and a nice little shop.
And the final area of Islands of Adventure is Seuss Landing.
I really like all the work and theming that was put into Seuss Landing, all the colors and whatnot. But it needs a real headliner. And Cat in The Hat doesn't count, it's a good attraction, but they've done better. It needs this:
A family friendly, Matterhorn Bobsleds style rollercoaster featuring the great Grinch Storyline. Along the way you'll meet up with the not-so frightening Grinch, his dog Max, and a few other suprises. This will tower above Seuss Landing, and will be situated behind One Fish Two Fish. The queue would be just left of Cat in the Hat, where the Oh the Stories You'll Hear Stage currently is.
I like the rest of Seuss Landing, and I'm too lazy to think of any retheming, so the rest of the area remains as is.
As for the park's entertainment, how about a nice little daily parade, The Adventure Begins Parade, which travels through Port of Entry? It'll feature various characters from throughout the park.
And I've always been incredibly disappointed that the central lagoon has never seen much action. So, we'll throw a nighttime spectactular in there. It'll be called: The Adventure Continues Nighttime Spectacular. (See what I did there?)
I'm talking music, lasers, fireworks, water projection screens, live characters, colors, lighting... the works!
The storyline is a creation story... two mythical begins: one responsible for creation, the other for destruction. The creator makes all the islands and inhabitants, which once all lived on one landmass in harmony. The destructor is envious, and splits the landmass apart into isolated islands. He also creates all the evil featured in the areas. The creator and destroyer battle for control. The creator vanquishes the destroyer, but the destroyer's doings still remain. The whole backstory is shown on a water screen and is told by an unseen narrator.
Sure enough, the destroyer returns, much more powerful and determined to overcome the island with darkness. The creator is not strong enough to battle him, and calls upon the island's heroes to assist her. The destroyer does the same, calling upon the villainy of the islands. The islands all go completely dark. Suddenly, a floating mass rises to the surface near Gotham City. Batman and the Joker can be seen duking it out atop the mass. Batman defeats the Joker with a barrage of lasers as light is restored to Gotham. The mass, along with the Joker and Batman, disappears.
The same is done for the remaining islands, Popeye bashes Bluto, A Triceratops takes out a T-Rex, Harry vanquishes Voldemort, Zeus pwns Poseidon, and the Grinch, not actually battling anyone, receives a change (and growth) of heart from Cindy Lu Who. Light is restored to all the islands, and fireworks shoot off in the sky to celebratory music.
But the celebration is too soon, for a volcano surfaces from the center of the lagoon. Inside it is the destroyer, threatening to destroy all that come before him once again. The creator also appears, and uses all the light to defeat the destroyer. The volcano, along with the battlings gods, dissapear with a blast of fireworks and smoke.
Now, it's celebration time. More victorious music, fireworks and lasers. All the masses rise from the lagoon once more to reveal the heroes once again, this time accompanied by their friends.
The show ends with a perimeter fireworks display.
So that's my idea for a revising of Islands of Adventure. Stay tuned to the blog for more theme park-centric redesigns, as well as the completion of my Muppet Studios park.
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