Until today, little was known about the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey attraction that is part of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort.
Here’s a video released by Universal Orlando today detailing many aspects of the attraction, with a sneak peek inside:
The photo below has now been released from within Universal’s enormous recreation of Hogwarts Castle, home to the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride. The photo depicts what appear to be hundreds of floating candles and will be featured in the Room of Requirement.
If you look carefully at the photo (click to enlarge), you’ll notice that well-placed mirrors on the left side (and in the distance) create the illusion that the room is much larger than it actually is -- and that there are hundreds more candles than there really are.
This screen shot from the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride shows Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) riding a broom through a Quidditch game.
Seen here is a hall of moving portraits, some of which will interact with guests.
More details from and locations found within Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey attraction:
Dumbledore’s office: Here, you meet the Headmaster as he welcomes you to Hogwarts
Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom: Where you first meet Harry, Ron and Hermione
Gryffindor common room: You meet three additional characters who prepare you for your journey
Room of Requirement: Here, with hundreds of floating candles above, you take your seat on an enchanted bench and begin the Forbidden Journey
Other locations: In addition, guests will pass through the Dungeon passageway and hallways of Hogwarts where they will have the chance to see hundreds of wizard portraits from the films, including several magical talking portraits created exclusively for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, including the four founders of Hogwarts. Guests will even get a glimpse of the Sorting Hat.
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey Quick Facts
Storyline: As you venture through Hogwarts, you meet Harry, Ron and Hermione, who convince you to skip a planned lecture and follow them. Upon taking their advice you travel by Floo powder, and begin your adventure as you soar over Hogwarts, narrowly escape a dragon attack, have a close encounter with the Whomping Willow, get pulled into a Quidditch match and more.
First-ever combination of advanced robotic ride system technology with innovative, immersive filmmaking
Award-winning composer John Williams oversaw the creation of the attraction’s score
The queue includes the following Harry Potter book and film elements: Headmaster Dumbledore’s office, Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, Gryffindor common room, Room of Requirement, and the greenhouse; talking portraits including the Fat Lady and the never-before-seen four founders: Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin, Helga Hufflepuff and Rowena Ravenclaw; the Sorting Hat, the One-Eyed Witch statue and the Mirror of Erised
Duration of ride: The full attraction experience, including the queue, takes about an hour
Number of scenes in the attraction: 12
Characters (featuring Harry Potter film talent): Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Albus Dumbledore, Rubeus Hagrid and Draco Malfoy
You may also catch a glimpse of Fred and George Weasley, Ginny Weasley and Neville Longbottom
And here is a CG fly-through of Hogsmeade Village that is also part of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter:
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter will hold its grand opening at Universal Orlando Resort’s Islands of Adventure theme park on June 18, 2010.
(Photo credit: Kevin Kolczynski, Universal Orlando Resort.)
(Photo: KEVIN KOLCZYNSKI, UNIVERSAL ORLANDO / March 25, 2010)
Now it’s official.
Universal Orlando Resort will announce today that the Wizarding World of Harry Potter addition to their Islands of Adventure theme park will indeed open on June 18.
We were asked to keep quiet on this date after we posted it early yesterday, but now that the Orlando Sentinel has posted it in an embargoed-until-midnight article, I assume the word may officially be spread.
The Sentinel’s fantastic article on their web site revealing new details about the Wizarding World. It includes the above image of Dumbledore’s office, faithfully recreated from the films.
More details surrounding the land’s main attraction, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, have emerged from the Sentinel’s article:
“…guests will enter the Forbidden Journey ride through the dungeon level of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.”
“In the lowest level are items such as a statue of the one-eyed witch and the Mirror of Erised that, in Potter stories, reveals the heart’s desires.”
“Hogwarts is open to muggles for the first time [...] That’s reflected throughout the wait, particularly with talking portraits unaccustomed to having muggles — Rowling’s term for people with no magical ability — in the halls. The portraits, some as tall as 5 feet, address one another and guests, too.”
Dumbledore will appear in his office and speak directly to guests.
“The Dumbledore character is happy to greet guests — but wants them to sit through a lecture. Harry Potter (as played by actor Daniel Radcliffe) and pals Hermione and Ron intervene in the Defense of the Dark Arts classroom.”
Scenes in the ride will include a quidditch match, Dementors, and the Forbidden Forest.
The whole experience, from entrance to exit, is said to take an hour, though the exact ride time is unknown at this point.
“In some of it you’re touring the castle; in some of it you’re flying around the world of Harry Potter”
Be sure to read the whole Orlando Sentinel article here for more details.
As for the grand opening date of June 18… some Wizarding World-related vacation packages currently being offered hint at an earlier soft opening date of May 28.
It is common for major attractions and expansions to open weeks (sometimes months) before the official grand opening to allow time to work out the bugs. When the Islands of Adventure theme park was first ready for the public, it soft opened in March 1999 but did not grand open until May 1999. Not everything within Islands of Adventure was ready for the soft opening, so it’s possible that only the Hogsmeade Village area of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter will be ready in time for a soft opening in May.
