Islands of Adventure : Latest Pictures and Videos of Harry Potter Roller Coaster Construction Site

D&M has the latest pictures and videos of the construction site of the new Harry Potter roller coaster at Islands of Adventure - shot this week from Hogsmeade train station and as you'll see there is still plenty of work to do before it will open next year at IOA. I remind you that the coaster is rumored to be a motocoaster with guests boarding Hagrid's motorbike and its sidecar and going through the Forbidden Forest.

Is Universal Studios Singapore Planning to Add a Wizarding World of Harry Potter ?

According to some Screamscape sources a Wizarding World of Harry Potter may be under consideration for Universal Studios Singapore. The problem is that Wizarding World take up a considerable amount of space, and Universal Studios Singapore is a small park which don't have space. And no possibility too to add more land on Sentosa Island as the park is stuck between two roads. And as you'll see on the screen capture below you also can't go on the other side of the road because there is a golf course on the other side.

As Lance said - in his post HERE that i just saw but which was posted last June - where would they put a Harry Potter land? "If they opt to move ahead with it, I'm hearing that the land of Far Far Away ( circled in orange on the picture ) would be removed to make way for Hogwarts Castle. It currently takes up a large section of the park but offers little in the way of major attractions, featuring only a kiddie coaster, the Magic Potion Spin kiddie wheel, a couple of small theater shows (Donkey Live & Shrek 4D). It is interesting that it does also feature the park's newest attraction, Puss in Boots' Giant Journey, but that could be given a Potter themed makeover perhaps, along with converting the Enchanted Airways kiddie coaster into another Flight of the Hippogriff coaster."



That said, the Far Far Away land serves as the "Fantasyland" land of USS and in my opinion there is another area which they could use to build a Harry Potter land which is the one where is the Waterworld show ( circled in blue on the picture ). It's a bit smaller than Far Far Away, not that much actually, but may be there is not enough room. Eventually they could incorporate the Puss in Boots Giant Journey coaster and, as Lance says, rethemed it with a Potter theme. But it also would mean to delete the main big live show of the park which is also very popular...

And of course there is another major problem, which is that USS is now the only Universal Studios park that Comcast don't own. Meaning that Comcast probably would like to do like the did in Japan, i.e to become the full owner of the park before building a Wizarding World of Harry Potter. All this to say that, if it happen, it will take probably many years, and so far take this only as a rumor.

Picture: copyright Google Maps

Universal Studios Hollywood Wizarding World of Harry Potter Nighttime Show on Hogwarts Castle is Gorgeous !

At Universal Studios Hollywood, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter Nighttime Light Show on Hogwarts Castle started recently. The show last only five minutes but it's five gorgeous minutes! Just like the night shows at Disney theme parks the projection effects are done on the castle but here there is a big difference: when at Disney the castle is used as a "screen" here the castle itself is part of the story, and that makes a big difference of meaning!

Go ahead, enjoy the show and of course watch it full screen!




Video: copyright Sana Ali

What the Hell is Universal Waiting For to Build a Universal Studios in Europe ?

Now that Universal owns the Harry Potter license for theme parks and that Comcast - owner of Universal - makes huge amount of money out of it the question is: what the hell are they waiting for to build a Universal Studios in Europe and bring back Harry Potter in its own land? But there IS a Universal Studios project in Moscow, you say. That's right, and it will be an indoor theme park. But i don''t count this one, i'm talking about "Europe, Europe" and i don't include Russia in it. 

What you may or may not know is that in fact Universal had plans in the 1990's to build a Universal Studios in France, near Paris, on a land close to the town of Melun, just a few kilometers from Disneyland Paris Resort. And why they never built it, you ask? Well, Universal executives were in fact waiting to see how Disneyland Paris will work, and as DLP just a few years after its opening started to have financial difficulties Universal execs apparently thought that may be it was a wrong idea to build a Universal Studios in France.
Another problem didn't helped too: lot of US theme park "givens" doesn't seem to hold true in Europe. The Asian and US fascination with buying all kinds of souvenir merchandise is not nearly as profound in Europe. Disneyland Paris hope that this would be made up by a higher demand for finer dining also proved to be not true… Europeans are happy too with hot dogs or hamburgers as apparently, for most of them, when they come to the park it's to have fun, not to spend two hours having lunch! 

That's what i was told by the person, a charming woman, who was at the head of Universal Parks back in 1999 when i did an interview of her during the opening of Islands of Adventure where i was invited. For the little story, while i was doing the interview of her i was also secretly charming her! In a "Warren Beaty" style, if i can say, i.e not by saying anything but only with the type of "energy" which was coming out of me ( which  by the way, is the best way to seduce women, but that's another story ). Anyway, she started to realize what was happening and was destabilized during all the interview as the charm was working (!) It was hilarious... 

Okay, let's come back to more serious things, i.e why Universal don't have a theme park in Europe, whether it's in France, in the U.K or elsewhere. Mind you, they did a try years ago when Universal was ruling Port Aventura in Spain - in which they introduced two E-Ticlet attractions, including the excellent Temple del Fuego show. Then, they sold back their shares and since... nothing. Which by the way has always been the luck of Disneyland Paris as DLP never had to face a competitor "next door" like Walt Disney World in Orlando. But, if we look at this on another angle, it has been also a "bad luck" for DLP as the fate of DLP would have been very different if a strong and even dangerous competitor had existed a few kilometers from the resort. You can be sure that if it had happened the WDC wouldn't have wait so long before starting a "marshall plan" to save DLP.

We're not going to rewrite history, but Universal did a big mistake when they cancelled their project in the mid 90's, thinking that a theme park could not make money in France. Why? because from the start DLP has been the most visited place in Europe with 11M + visitors and, as we know, it was the too many hotels and the financial setting of the company which has been responsible of this never ending financial mess. If Universal would have built a theme park with all their immensely popular E-Ticket of the 90's and only one hotel, it would have worked perfectly. Sure, at the start of DLP the french were a bit dubious with the theme park concept as it was new for them, but after  a few years - and  a famous "cultural" battle - almost everyone loved the concept. If Universal would have open a park at the end of the 90's i'm convinced it would have been successful. And by the way why all these european tourists going to Florida would love Universal at Orlando and not in France? Big mistake, so, and right now they probably have  a new alibi, i.e to wait that the economy crisis in Europe will end, which might take some time, and of course their new investment in China for the new Universal Studios in Beijing, not to mention the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Hollywood and many others new attractions coming both at Universal Hollywood and Universal Orlando. 

So, no need to say that building a Universal Studios in Europe is probably not their priority. But with a such strong and successful license like Harry Potter and knowing that a record of 32.8 million overseas visitors came to the U.K in 2013 may be it's time for the folks at Universal to reconsider the option and to finally decide to bring back Harry Potter in its own country, isn't it? C'mon, they have a Universal Studios in Singapore, they've built a Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Osaka, Japan and soon one in Beijing, China, and it wouldn't work in the U.K? Are you kidding me? By the way, Universal having the Potter license another option could be to partner with Warner Bros and build a Wizarding World with the excellent Harry Potter studio tour outside of London...

One more thing: Talking about Harry Potter in the U.K, one of my reader sent me a message two days ago, saying that he heard a rumor last week from someone who has been working on the Paramount park London project. The rumour is that it will include a Harry Potter hotel, in which guests can stay in the different house dorms of Hogwarts and explore the castle over the course of the evening, including a visit to the chamber of secrets and a dinner in the great hall. Another part of the rumour is that guests will board a real train from the real King's Cross station which has a train link directly to the site of the future Paramount park. Sounds exciting, yes, but there is one little problem in this rumor: it's Universal which owns the theme park rights for Harry Potter, NOT Paramount Parks, and if we except the possibility that Universal has the rights for Harry Potter for a use in a theme park but not for a hotel it's of course a bit hard to believe that a Harry Potter hotel looking like Hogwarts Castle could be include in a Paramount resort, isn't it? That said, i always give the benefit of the doubt to any rumors, and so do i for this one, even if it looks a bit hard to swallow and unlikely to happen!

Picture: copyright galleryhip.com

Harry Potter Wizarding Worlds

As you know a new Wizarding World of Harry Potter will open soon in Japan at Universal Osaka and Hogwarts Castle will enjoy an even better location as you can see on this picture and its reflection in the lake nearby.

Talking about Harry Potter, the walls in front of Diagon Alley at Universal Orlando are down and guests can now walk and enjoy the London facades - but still can move inside Diagon Alley. Inside the Magic has posted the great video below as well as great pictures that you can see in his article HERE.




Video: copyright Inside the Magic

Wizarding World of Harry Potter will open on July 15 at Universal Studios Japan!

A great news for all our friends in Japan as The Wizarding World of Harry Potter will open on July 15 at Universal Studios Japan! You can expect exactly the same than the Harry Potter first part at Islands of Adventure, including the E+ Ticket  ride "Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey" as the text below will confirm you:

"Hogwarts castle is an iconic feature of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Inside Hogwarts castle you'll explore the classrooms and corridors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, including Dumbledore's Office and the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. Moving portraits and the Sorting Hat may speak to you as you journey through the castle. You’ll also enjoy the world’s best attraction, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, featuring cutting-edge 4K imaging technology. Get ready to embark on a magical journey through the skies, flying above the Hogwarts grounds with Harry Potter.
You can also fly through the skies on the ride Flight of the Hippogriff, a family-friendly rollercoaster that swoops and dives past Hagrid’s hut"

More on Universal Studios Japan website HERE.

Picture: copyright Universal Studios

Universal Release Pictures of Hogwarts Express Being Placed on its track at Universal Orlando

Universal Studios released on their Facebook page pictures of the Hogwarts Express being placed on its track at Universal Orlando. The train experience, which will take guests from the new London/Diagon Alley to the original Hogsmeade area in Islands of Adventure, is rumored to give guests the feeling of traveling through the england countryside up to Hogwarts ( or return to London when it'll come back ) with plenty of surprises along the way.

On the pictures above and below you can see the iconic locomotive and train tender being placed onto a track which is currently backstage between Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. Guests of Wizarding World of Harry Potter can see at the entrance of Hogsmeade a locomotive which is still currently there, but we don't know yet if this non working locomotive will remain once the Hogwarts Express will open next year.

Pictures: copyright universal Orlando

The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter Diagon Alley Officially Announced by Universal Studios Orlando

The big news today is the official announcement by Universal Studios Orlando that The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter Diagon Alley is coming to the park and will open ...in 2014! Disney and more has all the renderings and infos for you, including the official press release. No need to say that there is a new big battle coming in 2014 between WDW and Universal Studios Orlando with the opening the same year of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at WDW Magic Kingdom and at Universal this new Diagon Alley with the new Gringotts Bank coaster ride plus the Hogwarts Express ride to Islands of Adventure!


ORLANDO, Fla. (May 8, 2013) – Building on the global phenomenon that is The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Universal Orlando Resort and Warner Bros. Entertainment today announced an expansion of historic proportion with the entirely new themed environment, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley.

 Scheduled to open in 2014, the world’s first centrally themed, multi-park experience expands The Wizarding World of Harry Potter across both Universal Orlando theme parks and allows Universal’s creative team to bring an unparalleled vision to this unique project. 

The new area will bring to life some of the experiences and places found in and around London in the Harry Potter books and films, offering brand-new adventures for fans and theme park guests from around the world. Diagon Alley and ‘London’ will be located within the Universal Studios Florida theme park, which is adjacent to Universal’s Islands of Adventure theme park, where guests now experience Hogwarts and Hogsmeade.

 The new area within Universal Studios will be just as expansive, immersive and authentic as the existing themed environment. And – just like in the books and films – guests will be able to travel between ‘London’ and Hogsmeade aboard the Hogwarts Express.

Below, what should be probably the Hogwarts Express train station entrance.

Work on the new area is already underway. When complete, it will feature shops, a restaurant and an innovative, marquee attraction based on Gringotts bank – all directly inspired by the fiction and films. More details on The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley will be released over time.

 Above, the entrance of the Gringotts bank attraction. And, yes, there will be a giant dragon breathing fire at the top of the building. My guess is that part of it - probably head and neck - will be audio-animatronic. 

Below, the London street with iconic shops, and more.

 To bring Diagon Alley and ‘London’ to life, Universal’s creative team is working closely with Warner Bros. and the production design team from the Harry Potter films – just as it did for Hogwarts and Hogsmeade. "I'm so pleased that The Wizarding World of Harry Potter has proved so popular to date, and I'm sure that the attention to detail in creating the new Diagon Alley area will make this an even better experience," said J.K. Rowling. “We are continuing the journey and adding an entirely new level of adventure,” said Tom Williams, Chairman of Universal Parks & Resorts. “And we are bringing the same drive, commitment, enthusiasm and innovation to this project as we did to the first.” “We are thrilled to offer the legions of fans the opportunity to embark on this new journey and experience Diagon Alley as it was brought to life in the books and films,” said Brad Globe, president, Warner Bros. Consumer Products. “Our vision is to create two amazing theme park experiences that combine into one, complete, magical journey,” said Alice Norsworthy, executive vice president, marketing and sales for Universal Orlando Resort.

Above the London waterfront, located near Universal Orlando lagoon... including the famous double decker bus which was part of Harry Potter adventures and apparently a copy of Picadilly circus famous "Eros" statue.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade opened at Universal’s Islands of Adventure in June 2010 as a fully immersive Harry Potter themed environment - bringing to life the bestselling books by J.K. Rowling and the blockbuster feature films from Warner Bros. Since that time, it has become a global phenomenon, entertaining millions of people from around the world. Visitors to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter are swept into the adventures of Harry Potter. They can tour Hogwarts castle, shop in Hogsmeade and dine at the Three Broomsticks. They can soar above Hogwarts with Harry, be chosen by a wand at Ollivanders, sample Butterbeer and much more".

Pictures: copyright Universal Orlando

Wizarding World of Harry Potter Coming to Universal Studios Japan - Opening in 2014

Just like if Disney didn't had enough problems with the competition created by the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando - and in 2016 in L.A - one day after the Avengers ride announcement by Bob Iger Universal strikes back overseas and announced that the Wizarding World of Harry Potter will come to Universal Studios Japan in Osaka in 2014!

From the L.A Times: "Universal Studios Japan on Thursday will unveil plans to build the first international version of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the blockbuster attraction that has drawn millions of fans to Universal’s Orlando resort and is coming to Los Angeles.

The Osaka destination - expected to begin construction in the next few weeks with a planned opening in late 2014 and an expected cost of about $500 million - brings Hogwarts Castle and rides including Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey to the boy wizard’s biggest market outside of the United States".

At Oriental Land - the company ruling Tokyo Disney Resort - they must be in "red alert mode" by now...That said, all this probably will end with everybody being happy. Universal Studios Japan of course, but also WDI as you can be sure that the smart guys of Oriental Land will understand instantly the danger. Even if Universal Studios Japan are in Osaka at hundred miles from Tokyo they are only at two and a half hours with the Shinkansen, Japan bullet train and TDL will probably plan a counter attack to be ready with major ride(s) for 2014. And all this at the end will make the happiness of TDL and japanese theme park fans! Okay, Oriental Land probably would have preferred to avoid this "counter attack" investment but i'm sure that with the help of WDI Imagineers they will find brilliant rides ideas to avoid the Potter curse.

May be that 2014 will be the perfect year to introduce some Marvel rides at Tokyo Disney Resort... Good news, since yesterday we know that WDI will have at least a major one available for TDL.

Picture: copyright Warner - Universal Studios

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey - First look at Hogwart's founders

Universal Orlando released a new video about the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride. Mark Woodbury, the president of Universal creative give you a tour inside Hogwarts Castle.

You'll see the Portrait Gallery with the first ever look at Hogwart's four founders - Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin, Helga Hufflepuff and Rowena Ravenclaw. Then you'll see Dumbledore's office, then head into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.



Video: copyright Universal Orlando