Universal confirmed their highly anticipated land for 2010, featuring Harry Potter from the popular series, Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling.
Hogsmeade:
As you enter Hogsmeade, you will find the Hogwarts Express blowing steam and it’s whistle to signal the arrival of the Hogwart’s Express. This sounds like the train will not carry passengers, just being there strictly to add detail to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (I will now refer to this as WWOHP from this point on.
*Erik really had a lot to say, so look for his input here and there as well
Zonko’s:
One of the shops that I am most excited about! Zonko’s is known in the book as a shop for the purchase of joke/trick playing merchandise. The shop will contain items such as Extendable Ears, Sneakoscopes, and Boxing Telescopes. I’m very interested in seeing how items such as the Sneakoscope (lights up and makes sounds when someone untrutworthy is nearby or when something deceitful nearby is happening) work. They will probably be toys, but I’m still very interested in stopping in this shop. I wonder if we’ll be seeing items like Dung Bombs and sugar Quills in this shop as well.
*I’d like to see Weezley’s Wizardly Weezes here instead…complete with a Fred and George running around.
Honeydukes:
In the book, Honeydukes was known as the Candy Store! I think every kid will be running for this one! It will contain items like Chocolate Frogs (I doubt they’ll start hopping around) and Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans, which were released a few years back (I think they’re very gross, espicially after trying a Sardine flavored bean). I wonder if we’ll be seeing other items like Acid Pops, Liquiorice Wands, and Ice Imps.
*Great, as if I wasn’t fat enough, here comes Honeydukes. The movies made this place look amazing, but in the end, how can it be more than just a candy shop?
The Three Broomsticks:
Just as in the book, you’ll be able to purchase Butter Beer and other British drinks like Pumpkin Juice. I assume this will be a child’s version of a shop and that it will be butter scotch flavored and non-alcholic. I highly doubt Butter Beer is going to be an alcoholic drink, but we probably won’t know until Spring of 2010. I wonder if they’re going to be serving light foods as well, although I don’t believe food has been served in the book at The Three Broomsticks.
*Mmmmmmm Pumpkin Juice and Butter Beer. My guess is they don’t have alcohol they will come HHN!
Hog’s Head:
Hog’s Head will also be serving items like Butter Beer and Pumpkin Juice, however this is supposed to be a pub. I may be wrong, but I’m under the impression this shop will have a more “adult” atmosphere that will be kid-friendly. Again, I also wonder if this shop will be serving light food items or if they’ll have vendors selling popcorn and such outside.
*Seems like this will be in the same exact location as Enchanted Oak, and the Alchemy Bar….technically two separate places located in the same building…meh. Would like to see everything separate.
The Owlery:
If you guessed their would be Owls waiting to deliver mail here, DING, DING, DING! Owls will wait perched for their next delivery. Will there be real owls? I doubt it. Something animatronic will probably suffice here. Personally, I’m not too excited about this shop. I’ve seen Owls before, and they sleep during the day normally, so nothing really to see here.
*This just SCREAMS animatronics. They need to have not only the sounds of owls, but animatronic owls as well as fake owl poop. Make this authentic!!!
Ollivander’s:
Just like every witch and wizard, their wand chose them. You too will be able to join in on this interactive area where a wand will choose you. This sounds pretty awesome and I’m pretty excited to see how this will work. I’m sure it will be randomly based on which type of core, wood, and length chooses the witch/wizard. If you get something different twice, it’s probably random. Still sounds like a cool experience, even as an adult!
*Sounds like a good place to have a MagiQuest attraction to me…..
Dervish and Banges:
Hogmeade just isn’t complete without Quiddith Supplies, magical equipment, Twiwizard Tournament Apparell, and Spectrespecs, and Remembralls (which light up when you’ve forgotten something – Golly, I need one of these sometimes!). I’m excited to see what the Quidditch equipment is going to look like, espcially the Snitch. I’m really hoping they’ve got a glass display holding a live, fluttering Snitch from one of the movies. If it was autographed by Daniel Radcliff that’d be even awesomer! Will Rembralls and Spectrespecs be availiable for purchase? I’d love to know if they really work, but they will probably be toys and may only be on display for viewing.
Dragon Challenge:
Dueling Dragons will be rethemed to “Dragon Challenge” featuring items from the Twiwizard Tournament. I was pretty much expecting this, or a theme to wizards dueling. The amazing queue line that Dueling Dragons has now will eventually be gone forever. I’ve never really appreciated the queue line in it’s enterity, until now. They’re going to take something great, and turn it into something popular that kids like. I doubt the colors of the coasters will change that much, but it could get a fresh coat of paint to look new. The trains will probably be undergoing some work as well, probably the wheel coverings. I really hope Universal does just as great of a job with the retheme of this queueline. I’m sure lots of Dragon’s fans will be upset if they don’t! (They could just keep the themeing.. But I doubt it’ll happen =[). This will probably be the most adult ride in the area, as the normal B&M Height Requirement is 54″ for an inverted style coaster, so parents if you’re hoping to get your little ones on it, plan on doing a child swap.
*Oh hell no! Granted this is a natural fit for the area, but it just seems like a cheap way out. Why not do something original. This was a unique attraction, one that you really expected to see real dragons instead of a B&M invert. Themeing is everything with this one, let’s not just rip stuff down and redo it…let’s make this believable. Can you say a trip through a dungeon? On second thought, how can you actually improve on this!?!
Flight of the Hippogriff:
Flying Unicorns, which has been closed for who knows how long (I’ve never ridden it yet), will be rethemed into Flight of the Hippogriff. This coaster is supposed to be themed to training a Hippogriff to fly over the grounds of the castle. Okay, so it’s a family coaster in a family area of the park – great! Universal is one of the few parks with a children’s roller coaster and it’s not even open right now! I’ve heard Flying Unicorns was way better than what the concept art for Flight of the Hippogriff looks like. Granted, it will fit into the area well themeing wise, I’m not very happy about this retheme. How do you train a plastic figure stuck on the front of a coaster train? Let me know when you find out. That’d be great.
*Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong! This was my favorite little detail about the park. You had Merlin finding a unicorns horn, and morphing it with a butterfly! The whole place was themed to a horse stable and to Merlins garden. It was amazing! The one saving grace of this ride better be the magical creatures that you get to see, and the rumored “Care for Magical Creatures” Class outside of the ride
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey:
Pretty much, this is NOT going to be a coaster, but rather a Dark Ride. Sorry, Credit Whores, no credit for this one! This is supposed to feature supreme technology to all Dark Rides of it’s king, taking riders on a journey with Harry Potter. It will be on a Kuka Robo Arm, and called a Robo Coaster, but you won’t be able to count it as a credit. New technology will allow Universal to bring new experiences to it’s riders, so it sounds like it’s going to be pretty awesome. I’ve seen some stuff on TV, featuring proto type rides that remain in place, and flip, and turn riders around. It sounds like it’s going to be very similar to this concept, however it will be moving along a track. Honestly, it sounds like they’re going to have a lot of issues (as mostly all new rides do) in the very beginning as they work all the bugs out and perfect operation of the ride.
*Who knows what this ride will be. They are putting a lot of bets on it though. This is the one part of the whole deal I am most hopeful about.The castle is going to look amazing, and it’s going to house one of the most technologically advanced attractions in the world. IOA gets to keep its title of most technologically advanced theme park. Cross your fingers!
Filch’s Emporium of Confiscated Goods:
This is what I’ve been waiting for! Filch’s shop will contain remote control Snitches, Ministry of Magic items, Omnioculars, and magical creature merchandise. Too bad Filch never confiscated the Maurder’s Map, as that would be an cool item to see (even though it would probably just be an LCD screen with constantly moving people). I’m not too excited about this shop, except the remote control Snitches. It’ll be interesting on how they will fly, only using it’s tiny wings on the side for support.
*Nothing too out of the ordinary here. A ride that empties into a gift shop. Again, this whole area is going to be about themeing and they have to get it ride, down to each and every little shop, toy, and bag.
Check out some pictures of concerpt art and all that fun stuff of WWOHP:
[flickr-gallery mode=”photoset” photoset=”72157626563563812″]
Also check out some videos, courtesy of Univesal:
Want more Potter Goodness? Read the official Universal Press Release here!
