Tag: Ride


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365 Adventures in 2011: Day 347 – Goodbye Jaws

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Ricky
Category: 365 Adventures, Movies, Personal, Theme Parks

To say goodbye to the classic attraction, I rode Jaws six times in a row at Universal Studios, recording video, audio, and taking pictures all the way through. I’m working on a full tribute to the ride and its surrounding Amity area, which will close Jan. 2, 2012 to make way for something new. Whether it’s Harry Potter, Transformers, Madagascar, or something else, I will always miss Jaws, if only a little. It’s a ride I’ve enjoyed for the past 20 years or so.

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Video + Photos: Inside the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey attraction at Universal Orlando

Posted on March 25, 2010 by Ricky
Category: Movies, Technology, Theme Parks, Travel

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.)

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    Wizarding World of Harry Potter will grand open on June 18, ride details emerge

    Posted on March 24, 2010 by Ricky
    Category: Event, Movies, Theme Parks, Travel

    (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.

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    Wizarding World of Harry Potter opening date is – not to be revealed yet

    Posted on March 24, 2010 by Ricky
    Category: Event, Movies, Music, Theme Parks, Travel, Universal Studios

    UPDATE: Within minutes of posting this message, a rep from Universal Orlando contacted me to ask that I remove all references to the grand opening date of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Apparently the released image and date were accidentally put up on their media site today – one day earlier than they had planned. Their big reveal will be tomorrow, 3/25, at 12pm EST.

    Obviously, anyone who read this post (or my messages on Twitter and Facebook) already has the information, so it’s out there. But for now, I will remove references to the specific opening date until the official announcement is made tomorrow. Here’s the remainder original, but edited, post:

    Today the Universal Orlando Resort [briefly] released an image [captioned as] the boarding area for the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey attraction, which will be part of the new addition to their Islands of Adventure theme park. The [now-removed release] reveals that the “Room of Requirement” from the book and film series will act as the loading area for the ride.

    But more importantly, buried embedded in the image is the following caption:

    [removed caption]

    Universal Orlando had previously announced that the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opening date would be revealed tomorrow, March 25, at 12pm EST, but it looks like the cat’s out of the bag now.

    Here’s a look at the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey’s “Room of Requirement” loading area:

    [photo removed]

    The official announcement will still take place tomorrow at www.UniversalOrlando.com/HarryPotter.

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    Back to the Future 2-Disc Special Edition including BTTF: The Ride is out now!

    Posted on February 10, 2009 by Ricky
    Category: Movies, Theme Parks, Universal Studios

    Here’s a quick reminder to all Back to the Future fans:

    THE NEW BACK TO THE FUTURE 2-DISC SPECIAL EDITION IS OUT NOW ON DVD!

    You already own Back to the Future on DVD? Doesn’t matter. Why?

    THIS VERSION HAS BACK TO THE FUTURE: THE RIDE!

    Yes, as I told you back in November, the extinct Universal Studios theme park attraction (well, at least in the United States) can be enjoyed in the comfort of your own home by simply popping in disc 2 of this new Back to the Future DVD release. In addition to the entire ride film, the DVD also includes the pre-show and the pre-pre-show footage starring Christopher Lloyd as Dr. Emmett “Doc” Brown and Tom Wilson as Biff.

    So quit reading this post and click on the cover below to buy the new DVD.

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