Matt N
CF Legend
Hi guys. After an interesting discussion started in the Potter thread, I thought this would make an interesting thread by itself. We theme park enthusiasts often praise things for being “immersive”, and we also tend to pick flaws in attractions over things that supposedly “break the immersion”. But as much as we’re always seemingly trying to push the parks to go further and further with their immersion efforts, my basic question is; can immersion ever go too far? Can attractions, lands or even whole parks become so immersive that it actually ends up taking away from the fun factor, or causes problems with logistics or practicality?
I think many people began asking this question as soon as we entered the age of “mega-immersive lands” so to speak, when The Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened at Universal Orlando Resort in 2010. The land opened to rave reviews, and many (myself included, I should add) continue to be absolutely floored by the raw, endless experience and the meticulous level of detail of the two lands the area now encompasses; you can go between two parks and still remain endlessly immersed into the Potter universe if you factor in the Hogwarts Express, which it must be said is an absolutely remarkable feat of immersion, in my opinion.
However, this level of raw immersion into the Potter universe debatably bought with it numerous problems of its own in terms of guest convenience and practicality, and some might argue level of fun for a universal demographic. For instance, the fact that the lands, especially Diagon Alley, rely a fair bit on delivering “experiences” and rites of passage from the Potter universe (e.g. buying a wand in Ollivander’s, eating at the Three Broomsticks or the Leaky Cauldron, shopping in Honeyduke’s, Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes, Madame Malkin’s, Flourish & Blott’s etc. and many more) as opposed to delivering rides. That’s great for die-hard Harry Potter fans, but some have argued that it alienates those who want rides and aren’t remotely interested in Harry Potter, and I’ve seen the criticism levelled that the Potter areas are simply “very pretty shopping malls” and “more about extracting money from you than giving you a fun experience”. There’s also the fact that JK Rowling reportedly wanted the areas to have a huge degree of accuracy to the books; for instance, Universal are forbidden from selling non-canon food, drink or merchandise within the Potter areas, the streets had to be made narrow and the shops had to be made small. This is great for providing an “immersive” experience, but some have argued that this creates problems for convenience and practicality.
For instance, with regard to not selling non-canon items; if you want a simple lunch you can eat on the go, something like a burger, chips (or fries, as I believe they’re called in America) & a Coke, you can’t buy it within the Potter area, as it only sells Potter-suitable items, such as Butterbeer and hearty British pub food that needs to be eaten sat down, therefore meaning that if you’re on your day out at Islands of Adventure, and your stomach happens to start rumbling in Hogsmeade, you either need to be up for having a proper sit-down meal taking a good hour or two and be up for drinking drinks from within the Wizarding World, or if you only want simple Muggle food, you have to traipse all the way back to Jurassic Park or the Lost Continent. That’s absolutely amazing for Potter fans who want a fully immersive Potter experience, but for someone who isn’t remotely interested in Harry Potter, that might be somewhat inconvenient.
And with regard to making the paths narrow and the shops small; that’s admittedly amazing for getting that quaint village feel of Hogsmeade down to a tee, and makes it feel extremely immersive, but problems were arguably caused by the fact that ultimately, a quaint village in the British countryside and a theme park catering for 10 million guests a year are two very different kettles of fish. The two Potter areas were (and possibly still are; I’m not 100% sure) very overcrowded upon opening, and the areas had numerous pinch points and bottlenecks within them.
These problems were comparatively minor compared to what some of the later “mega-immersive” lands apparently experienced, however.
As budgets got bigger and bigger, and lands grew more and more immersive, the problems also grew. For instance, when Pandora: The World of Avatar opened at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in 2017, the land’s directional signage was apparently all written in Na’vi language, making it hard for those not familiar with the Avatar franchise to understand it. And when Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opened at Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 2019, the same issue existed with the directional signage, but the staff also talked only in Star Wars language, and wouldn’t speak to guests if Stormtroopers were in the area as they were “hiding from the First Order”. The area also had no audio due to the nature of the place being replicated, and many felt that the area lacked soul without any audio being there.
Even on a smaller scale, elements of immersion such as pre-shows on rides are sometimes complained about. For instance, I’ve heard people complain that Wicker Man’s pre-show is simply a needless delay to getting on the ride, and I know plenty of people who find Hex boring because of all its pre-shows.
But do you think immersive can ever become too immersive? Do we need to draw a line somewhere and remember that we are ultimately at a theme park?
I think many people began asking this question as soon as we entered the age of “mega-immersive lands” so to speak, when The Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened at Universal Orlando Resort in 2010. The land opened to rave reviews, and many (myself included, I should add) continue to be absolutely floored by the raw, endless experience and the meticulous level of detail of the two lands the area now encompasses; you can go between two parks and still remain endlessly immersed into the Potter universe if you factor in the Hogwarts Express, which it must be said is an absolutely remarkable feat of immersion, in my opinion.
However, this level of raw immersion into the Potter universe debatably bought with it numerous problems of its own in terms of guest convenience and practicality, and some might argue level of fun for a universal demographic. For instance, the fact that the lands, especially Diagon Alley, rely a fair bit on delivering “experiences” and rites of passage from the Potter universe (e.g. buying a wand in Ollivander’s, eating at the Three Broomsticks or the Leaky Cauldron, shopping in Honeyduke’s, Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes, Madame Malkin’s, Flourish & Blott’s etc. and many more) as opposed to delivering rides. That’s great for die-hard Harry Potter fans, but some have argued that it alienates those who want rides and aren’t remotely interested in Harry Potter, and I’ve seen the criticism levelled that the Potter areas are simply “very pretty shopping malls” and “more about extracting money from you than giving you a fun experience”. There’s also the fact that JK Rowling reportedly wanted the areas to have a huge degree of accuracy to the books; for instance, Universal are forbidden from selling non-canon food, drink or merchandise within the Potter areas, the streets had to be made narrow and the shops had to be made small. This is great for providing an “immersive” experience, but some have argued that this creates problems for convenience and practicality.
For instance, with regard to not selling non-canon items; if you want a simple lunch you can eat on the go, something like a burger, chips (or fries, as I believe they’re called in America) & a Coke, you can’t buy it within the Potter area, as it only sells Potter-suitable items, such as Butterbeer and hearty British pub food that needs to be eaten sat down, therefore meaning that if you’re on your day out at Islands of Adventure, and your stomach happens to start rumbling in Hogsmeade, you either need to be up for having a proper sit-down meal taking a good hour or two and be up for drinking drinks from within the Wizarding World, or if you only want simple Muggle food, you have to traipse all the way back to Jurassic Park or the Lost Continent. That’s absolutely amazing for Potter fans who want a fully immersive Potter experience, but for someone who isn’t remotely interested in Harry Potter, that might be somewhat inconvenient.
And with regard to making the paths narrow and the shops small; that’s admittedly amazing for getting that quaint village feel of Hogsmeade down to a tee, and makes it feel extremely immersive, but problems were arguably caused by the fact that ultimately, a quaint village in the British countryside and a theme park catering for 10 million guests a year are two very different kettles of fish. The two Potter areas were (and possibly still are; I’m not 100% sure) very overcrowded upon opening, and the areas had numerous pinch points and bottlenecks within them.
These problems were comparatively minor compared to what some of the later “mega-immersive” lands apparently experienced, however.
As budgets got bigger and bigger, and lands grew more and more immersive, the problems also grew. For instance, when Pandora: The World of Avatar opened at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in 2017, the land’s directional signage was apparently all written in Na’vi language, making it hard for those not familiar with the Avatar franchise to understand it. And when Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opened at Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 2019, the same issue existed with the directional signage, but the staff also talked only in Star Wars language, and wouldn’t speak to guests if Stormtroopers were in the area as they were “hiding from the First Order”. The area also had no audio due to the nature of the place being replicated, and many felt that the area lacked soul without any audio being there.
Even on a smaller scale, elements of immersion such as pre-shows on rides are sometimes complained about. For instance, I’ve heard people complain that Wicker Man’s pre-show is simply a needless delay to getting on the ride, and I know plenty of people who find Hex boring because of all its pre-shows.
But do you think immersive can ever become too immersive? Do we need to draw a line somewhere and remember that we are ultimately at a theme park?
