4 new details just revealed for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic at Epic Universe
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic at Epic Universe will feature new drinks and unique background music, among other new details just revealed.
Artists from Universal Creative revealed new details about The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic — one of the five worlds opening with the new Epic Universe theme park at Universal Orlando — during an interview on the “Discover Universal” podcast (an official Universal show) on Nov. 1, 2024.
The podcast conversation spotlighted remarks from Universal Creative’s Scott Verble (executive producer) and Cara Pfost Brown (associate producer). (Throughout this story, the info is new, but the images were previously released).
Background music at Epic Universe’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter: part film score, part jazz
Sound design makes a difference in engaging theme park guests with any given area’s tone or story, from the whimsical melodies of Port of Entry at Universal Islands of Adventure to the music-less (but nonetheless audible) community of Batuu in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
As previously announced, the outdoor areas of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic will depict Place Cachée in 1920s France from “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.” Like Universal Orlando’s previous Wizarding Worlds (Hosgmeade at Islands of Adventure and Diagon Alley at Universal Studios Florida), the new Ministry of Magic area will swell with the familiar orchestral soundtrack of the “Harry Potter” films — but this time with a twist.
“When the guests arrive, there [are] sounds of period automobiles and conversation. It’s really more of a soundscape, cementing you in the place,” Verble said on the podcast, “but once you get into The Wizarding World, that’s when you start to hear some of the iconic ‘Harry Potter’ scores [and] period jazz music.”
Later in the discussion, Pfost added, “We’re really going to be [in] a multi-sensory experience. You’re gonna feel the cobblestones under your feet. You’re gonna smell a candy store. You’re gonna hear French language being spoken and be engulfed in jazz and scores from the film.”
Given that Epic Universe’s Wizarding World spans both the “Harry Potter” and “Fantastic Beasts” series, it stands to reason that track selections from all 11 of those collective films may be on the table for the area’s background music. The various “Harry Potter” film soundtracks were composed by John Williams, Patrick Doyle, Nicholas Hooper, and Alexandre Desplat, while the “Fantastic Beasts” scores were composed by James Newton Howard.
The wand-maker at Epic Universe has a different worldview than Ollivander
Universal Orlando’s other Wizarding World areas are home to Ollivanders, a wand shop named after famed wand-maker from the “Harry Potter” books and movies. Remember, though, Ollivander is British. Here are Epic Universe, we’re in wizarding France, where the local wand-maker sees the world a bit differently.
“We all know and love Ollivanders, right?” Pfost Brown discussed. “Okay, so Paris has to do its own thing. Paris, the house of couture, the home of couture, has its very own premier wand-maker, Cosme Acajor.”
Cosme Acajor is a new character created just for Epic Universe; she does not appear in any “Harry Potter” films or books. Pfost Brown contrasted the philosophy of Ollivander (“the wand chooses the wizard”) with that of Cosme Acajor (“the wizard influences the wand”). How this different stance plays out in the interactive wand activities — if they influence anything different at all — remains to be seen.
Cosme Acajor operates the wand shop known as Baguettes Magique, which sells its own line of wands unique to Epic Universe and not previously sold at other Universal parks.
“They truly live up to a Parisian sensibility and style,” Pfost Brown said of the new wands.
New French drinks at Epic Universe + familiar ‘Harry Potter’ favorites from other parks
Food and beverage options will abound throughout Place Cachée, from a Parisian sandwich shop to a Quidditch bar to a hangout for evil wizards. At these locations, guests can expect to sip on wizarding drinks old and new.
“We have a lot of the beverages that guests know and love, like Butterbeer,” Verble said. Additionally, though, the area will serve “cocktails that are more period to that time in France, but with a wizarding twist, and new non-alcoholic offerings, as well. There’s gonna be something new for everyone.”
Buildings will be up to 70 feet tall in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic
Throughout various promotional interviews this year, Universal artists have remarked about the larger scale of Place Cachée’s buildings in comparison to those within Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. Now we know the numbers to back up this stat.
Pfost Brown noted the façades of Diagon Alley are “around 35-40 feet” at their tallest point. The façades of Epic Universe will begin at this height. Pfost Brown said, “Our shortest façades are 35-40 feet, going up to 65-70 feet. It is massive.”
Photo by bioreconstruct
For more about Epic Universe’s new Wizarding World of Harry Potter, check out this behind-the-scenes video from Universal from earlier this year:
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