In a webcast on Sept. 15, 2009, Universal Orlando revealed a few more details about the upcoming Wizarding World of Harry Potter expansion of their Islands of Adventure theme park.
The Wizarding World has been announced to be opening in Spring 2010.
The formerly-rumored attraction names were confirmed to be true and the following details and concept art were shown.
Virtual computer-generated fly-through of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and interviews with actors Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson:
At the entrance of Hogsmeade, billowing steam and an iconic whistle signal the arrival of the Hogwarts Express into Hogsmeade station.
Across the way is Zonko’s, a joke shop with a collection of tricks and jokes, including Extendable Ears, Boxing Telescopes and Sneakoscopes.
Honeydukes is next door and full of treats like Chocolate Frogs and Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavour Beans.
The Three Broomsticks and adjacent Hog’s Head pub will feature traditional British fare and drinks including Butterbeer and pumpkin juice.
Across from the Three Broomsticks is The Owlery, where owls roost and await their next delivery.
The Owl Post sends letters with a certified Hogsmeade postmark and sells official stamps from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
Ollivanders wand shop is an interactive experience where the wand chooses the wizard.
Completing Hogsmeade is Dervish and Banges, the magical instruments and equipment shop featuring Quidditch equipment, Triwizard apparel, Spectrespecs and Remembralls.
The first attraction, Dragon Challenge (formerly Dueling Dragons), features a twin high-speed roller coaster with many iconic elements from the Triwizard Tournament.
Next is Flight of the Hippogriff (formerly the Flying Unicorn), a family coaster simulating a Hippogriff training flight over the grounds of Hogwarts castle.
Located in Hogwarts castle, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is a thrilling new state-of-the-art attraction that uses entirely new technology to bring the magic, characters and stories of Harry Potter to life in ways never before experienced.
Before exiting back into Hogsmeade, Filch’s Emporium of Confiscated Goods is full of Ministry of Magic and magical creatures merchandise, Omnioculars, and even remote control Golden Snitches.
The video doesn’t seem to be working.
Nowhere at all is it mentioned that Harry Potter is based on a book? It was “The map from the film” and “an exact replical of Ollivander’s shop from the film”. Rather disconcerting.
Well in all fairness, you don’t really “see” what these things look like in the book. The films give people a preconceived notion of what these objects and places should look like. You’d probably have a lot more people complain that “it doesn’t look like it did in the film” instead of “it doesn’t look like how I imagined it in the book”.
*Drool*
I know I’m a geek about this, but in the concept art of Zonko’s in the upper right corner (by the three circle things) there are some actual retail magic shop products. With the magic shop in the Studios park, it would be a shame not to have a magic shop in the Harry Potter park.
SO KEWL!!! will the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey thing be a rollarcoaster ride? bc everytime they mention it they say ride after it. i kinda hoped we would get to walk through and stuff.
They don’t even mention the word “ride” in the last thirty seconds or so. I think we can count on Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey to be a walk-through of parts of the castle grounds.
We’ve posted a new construction update here:
https://attractionsmagazine.com/blog/2009/12/16/new-photos-and-videos-from-the-wizarding-world-of-harry-potter-construction/