So maybe you heard the news about Universal Studios Florida Building 'Harry Potter Theme Park, which is something I thought would be incredibly fun (both to experience and design) while I was helping with An Evening at 'Haggwarts' last year. But did you know that Disney had tried to get the theme park rights for the franchise? And did you know they might actually be relieved they didn't? Jim Hill provides the details yet again:

WDI hopes that its "Living Character Initiative" will make up for losing "Harry Potter"

... according to the folks that I've spoken with who worked on the Disney version of this project ... J.K. allegedly wanted each & every guest who was experiencing the theme park version of Harry Potter's world to do so by first entering the Leaky Cauldron pub. Where -- by tapping on just the right brick ("Three up and two across ... ") -- they'd then gain access to Diagon Alley, that odd collection of Wizards-only shops & restaurants that's hidden away in the heart of London. From this area ... these folks were then supposed to have made their way to Platform 9 & 3/4 at King's Cross Station. Where -- after magically piercing the barrier that separates the Muggle world from the Wizard world -- guests would have then been able to board a full-sized version of the Hogwarts Express for a trip to Harry's alma mater.