Funworld August 2010

They come from faraway places, many from across an ocean. They stand in full sun in near 100-degree heat, many dressed in long, dark robes. They’re here to see the wizard, and many cheer and clap their hands with joy upon arrival.

On June 18, Universal Orlando Resort officially threw the gates open on The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Islands of Adventure (IOA). The new 20-acre land is one of the most hotly anticipated projects … ever? Certainly of the 21st century, anyway. Since the park announced the deal with author J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. back in 2007, no other story dominated the attractions industry quite like The Boy Who Lived.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is a study in themed immersion, as seemingly every square inch of the land was carefully researched and executed. There are the obvious touchstones, like the imposing Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry castle or the Hogwarts Express locomotive that welcomes visitors with a blast of steam every 30 seconds or so. But the environment holds up to even minute scrutiny—which Potter fans will certainly bring.

Take a stroll by Scrivenshaft’s Quill Shop and look in the front window; though the store is a false front, it nevertheless features a magic quill that scribbles in a book all by itself. Next door in Potage’s Cauldron Shop, a ladle wanders around a bubbling cauldron, no human hand in sight. In the window at Gladrags Wizardwear, guests can see the dress actress Emma Watson wore as Hermione Granger in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. ”No detail is left undone in this fantasy realm.

“The completeness of the vision is what is really breathtaking here,” Rowling said in a promotional video for Universal.

Creating the Wizard’s World
Space for Universal’s newest island was carved out in the back corner of the park, taking a piece of The Lost Continent and a chunk of what used to be backstage area. The land is primarily themed to the village of Hogsmeade, featuring several iconic locations from the wizardly municipality. It also offers three attractions; two of them already existed and were rethemed to fit the land. The third is “Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey,” a dark ride of momentous proportions that is a dazzling concoction of “Soarin’,” “The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man,” and “The Haunted Mansion” housed inside Hogwarts Castle.

This Wizarding World is not Universal’s own interpretation of Rowling’s novels; it is a re-creation of her stories as first translated by Warner Bros. for the blockbuster film franchise that’s grossed $5.4 billion worldwide. Members of the Hollywood production crew were on site in Orlando to help bring the magic about, because “the promise in the beginning was the Wizarding World would look like the movies,” says Stuart Craig in a promotional video for Universal. Craig is, the film series’ production designer and worked on Wizarding World, as well.

“The difference between working on the films and here building The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is creating this real environment—actually creating real architecture and building places that people can come and enjoy,” says Alan Gilmore, art director for both the films and the theme park land, in a separate video for the park.

Hogsmeade is a quaint British town where snow covers the steepled roofs even under the blinding Florida sun. This version already looks appropriately ages old and is just a tad ramshackle, as everything in Rowling’s world of witchcraft and wizardry seems to be: Buildings lean a bit, and don’t count on chimneys going straight up into the air.

Hogwarts, meanwhile, is an awe-inspiring sight that bursts into view as guests round the final bend in Hogsmeade’s thoroughfare. Though visible from multiple angles throughout IOA (be sure to see it from the new wooden bridge between Wizarding World and Jurassic Park), there’s nothing quite like standing right beneath its towering heights.

If Universal’s premise when the original Studios opened in 1990 was to “ride the movies,” then The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is its Sistine Chapel.

Hogwarts and ‘Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey’
The dark ride portion of “Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey” lasts about four and a half minutes, but the overall attraction experience can stretch up to an hour. Universal doesn’t even call the queue a queue—instead, it’s referred to as the “Hogwarts Castle Tour,” because guests are ensconced in the show as soon as they enter the castle.

Touring Hogwarts: A Queue Like No Other
The Hogwarts queue is like an attraction all to itself, and it’s one of the rare times when guests actually want to stop while in line and let others go ahead of them just to take it all in.

It starts with a stroll through the Hogwarts dungeon, past the Potions classroom and kitchens (listen closely for the house elves!), and then back out into the muggy air of the school’s greenhouse. This is where Universal soaks upmost of the “Forbidden Journey” line, as turnstiles weave through a large, mercifully sun-screened garden area. The ride’s omnimover system means trips through the entire greenhouse at max capacity go by relatively quickly since guests are constantly moving—except when they stop to take photos upon reentering the castle.

The show picks up in earnest then, as visitors are greeted at the end of a long hallway by the large gargoyle that guards the entrance to Professor Albus Dumbledore’s office. In the next hallway they get their first exposure to the marvelous magical portraits that are so synonymous with Rowling’s stories. These (presumed) video screens are aged and textured to look like real paintings.

The Portrait Gallery scene features more talking paintings, this time of the four Hogwarts founders: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. “Forbidden Journey ”marks the first time these characters have ever been depicted in any production, and here they carry on multiple conversations about life, love, and the pursuit of Potter-ness. Dumbledore’s office is a veritable treasure trove of eye candy for Potter fans, from the massive headmaster’s desk and library (watch for the floating red book!) to the Sword of Gryffindor and the Penseive. Here the affable professor welcomes his guests to a place where they will find encounters “not common to your own world.” Michael Gambon portrays

Dumbledore, reprising his role from the film series; he is presented via extraordinarily lifelike projection, akin to what Universal accomplished with Christopher Walken in “Disaster!” over at the Studios.

Guests meet Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, where the trio (all played by their corresponding film actors via the same projection technique) pop from behind their Invisibility Cloak and lay out the story of the ride: They’re going to save guests from the boredom of a lecture by whisking them away to a Quidditch match via an enchanted bench.

Guests then pass by the Fat Lady’s magical portrait into the Gryffindor common room, and get some safety instructions from an animatronic Sorting Hat (you must be at least 48 inches to ride—or, taller than a goblin) before finally arriving at their ride vehicles.

“This is the best they’ve done immersing and orchestrating the visitor in the experience long before the ride,” says Bill Coan, president of Orlando-based Itec Entertainment Corporation, who’s worked with Universal since before the park opened two decades ago. “This one really captures you in the space … early. It’s easier for the ride to be successful as an immersive environment when you do that.”

‘The Forbidden Journey’
The Wizarding’s World instantly iconic dark ride recalls elements of previous hit attractions but combines them in a way never accomplished before while breaking new technological ground. It is an omnimover system, where guests sit on benches of four seats similar to Disney’s “Soarin’,” though with over-the-shoulder restraints.

The benches are attached to robotic arms that allow a wide range of articulation; at various points they dip, turn, spin, and flip riders almost completely upside down. The arms move along a track through the show building, so riders experience both vertical and horizontal movement at the same time.

“Forbidden Journey’s” most comparable attraction is just on the other side of the park, as like “The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man” it syncs with Imax screens for some of the action. The big difference here, however, is “Journey’s” screens move with the ride vehicles, so there is never a point where the benches are standing still in front of a screen. “Forbidden Journey” is not a 3-D ride, but the screens are domes turned on their sides, so they encase the vehicles and give the same sensation of being inside the picture; if riders want to step outside the experience, they’ll have to stretch their necks out and look hard to the sides.

The ride moves seamlessly from the filmed sequences to animatronic scenes that recall Disney’s “The Haunted Mansion” or “Dinosaur.” At the end of the first filmed scene, guests fly behind Harry and Ron and dodge a dragon; the benches then spin around and come face-to-face with the dragon in animatronic form, which blasts simulated fire right at them (with heat!). In the next filmed scene, the benches are chased from the Quidditch pitch by ghostly Dementors, which then pop out at riders as animatronics when the benches move away from the screen.

“The way that ride manages the experience and moves in and out of the scenes is probably as good as it gets,” says Coan, whose company developed the show control systems for “Forbidden Journey.” “At some point you forget about the technology and experience the show. A lot of times that’s hard with the amount of technology involved in that presentation.”

More Than Just Retail: A Wizardly Shopping Extravaganza
Technically, there are only three rides listed on the park map for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. In reality, there is much more to experience in the land; because every shop is tied so closely to the stories, they become their own immersive attractions, too—with the queues to prove it.

One consequence of maintaining fealty to the subject matter is capacity. The shops and waterholes in Hogsmeade were not built on the sprawling scale of most industry retail environments. Instead, these alcoves appear as they would in the “real” world. There’s not a whole lot of room in there, but the various locales are nevertheless must-sees for the Potter faithful. “In the books and in the movies, everything is more intimate and smaller,” Thierry Coup, vice president of creative development for Universal Creative, told Scott Fais of News 13 in Orlando. “Hogsmeade Village is over 1,000 years old. As you can imagine, they did not have large shops back then. So this is exactly as authentic as it can be.”

Ollivander’s Wand Shop
Sure, “Forbidden Journey” draws a big crowd, but at any given moment the longest wait in the Wizarding World will most likely be for the five-minute show inside Ollivander’s Wand Shop.

When guests enter the small room (approximately 20 at a time), they are greeted by a Wandkeeper, who selects a child or two out of the crowd and helps them discover which wands are correct for them. The show is straight out of the scene in the first film, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” The Wandkeeper has the guest try out a few different types of wands; using well-hidden special effects, bookshelves nearly fall to the floor and flowers wilt when the wand is waved at them (these wands are for show only and don’t actually interact with their surroundings). Finally, the Wand maker settles on the right type, and a bright light and gust of wind flow over the lucky recipient.

The crowd then moves through a door into the actual shop, where everyone can purchase his or her own wand. Replicas are available for all the major characters including Ron, Hermione, Sirius Black, Professor Dumbledore, Lord Voldemort, and, of course, Harry; there are also “original” wands guests can purchase based on their birthdays.

Due to the popularity of Ollivander’s, Universal set up a wand cart out in the main Hogsmeade thoroughfare. Each wand costs $31, and early favorites among guests were Hermione (what girl visiting Wizarding World doesn’t want her wand?) and Sirius Black.

Owl Post/Owlery
In Rowling’s Potterverse, all wizardly mail is sent via owl. Universal tries to duplicate that experience with this shop attached to Ollivander’s, which sells stationery, postcards, quills, and other similar memorabilia. Guests can send a postcard directly from the Owlery outside to their friends back home, complete with an official Hogsmeade postmark; the postcard doesn’t have to be purchased at the Owl Shop to be mailed, but Universal does sell Potter-themed stamps inside ($12.95 for a sheet of 10).

Dervish and Banges
Connected to the Owl Post is the official clothier of the Wizarding World. At Dervish and Banges, guests can complete their Potter transformation with wizards’ robes ($100) or a flying broomstick ($250). Also available are the tools needed for a successful game of Quidditch (the official sport of wizards— a mixture of hockey, baseball, and soccer played while flying on brooms), including the coveted Golden Snitch ($15). There are T-shirts here, as well, along with pins and ties themed to the four Hogwarts houses. Also in Dervish and Banges: In a cage resides a copy of “The Monster Book of Monsters,” itself a monster that growls and shakes at guests as they wander through the shop (not available for purchase).

Filch’s Emporium of Confiscated Goods
Located at the exit to “Forbidden Journey,” this shop is filled with all the items Hogwarts caretaker Argus Filch has taken from those pesky, unruly wizarding students. Anything emblazoned with Gryffindor (Harry, Ron, and Hermione’s house) flies off the shelves, especially the scarves ($30) and pins ($10). A stuffed Hedwig (Harry’s pet owl) is undeniably adorable ($30), while Potter “07” Quidditch jerseys prove popular. The must-have item in the entire place, however, is the Marauder’s Map, the magical device first seen in “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” ($70).

Honeydukes
At the entrance to Hogsmeade is the Wizarding World’s candy shop, Honeydukes, which offers a wide variety of confections including the two most famous (or infamous?) edible items in the Potterverse: Chocolate Frogs and Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavour Beans. The latter ($9) offers a random selection of 20 different jelly bean flavors, from tasty (pear, watermelon) to … less so (ketchup, pepper, sausage). The frogs, meanwhile ($10), are packaged just as they’re seen in the movies and, accordingly, feature exclusive wizard trading cards.

Zonko’s Joke Shop
Attached to Honeydukes is Wizarding World’s version of a toy store. At Zonko’s guests can purchase a Fanged Flyer (essentially a Frisbee ($25)), an Inflatable Tongue ($7), a Screaming Yo-Yo ($10), and more. The most popular item thus far is the Pygmy Puff stuffed animal, first seen in the most recent film, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.” When these are purchased, the store’s cashier rings a bell on the counter and announces it to the entire store.

Contact Senior Editor Jeremy Schoolfield at jschoolfield@IAAPA.org.

Max Capacity “Forbidden Journey’s” queue is asmuch an operational marvel as a creative one. There are staffers posted at various spots throughout the Castle Tour to help keep the line moving; guests are allowed to pause at any point to take pictures or just enjoy the scenery, but they’re asked to move to one side to not hold up the line. There is an easy-access Child Swap holding room right before the boarding zone, as well as a single-riders line that skips nearly all of the preshow but allows guests who just want to get on the dark ride to shave a potential 90-minute wait down to 10 or less. Finally, Universal built a separate Express Plus pathway through the castle (which includes a re-creation of the Portrait Gallery scene and starts at Dumbledore’s office) but has not opened this feature to the public as of press time.