I’m walking deep inside a gloomy castle when an old man with a
tall cap and long gray beard beckons to me from his book-lined
office.
“There comes a time when each of us must make a choice between
what is right and what is easy,” says Dumbledore, Harry Potter’s
headmaster, as embodied by actor Michael Gambon. “Here’s hoping
you choose correctly.”
At 10 feet away, he looks so real that I’m tempted to try him
with a spitball.
This isn’t just my fantasy – its author J.K. Rowling’s and that
of the millions of fans of her books. I’m inside Harry Potter and
the Forbidden Journey, one of the rides at The Wizarding World of
Harry Potter, for an exclusive first look. Part of the Universal
Orlando Resort in Florida, the 20-acre attraction officially
opens June 18.
Americans love their theme pars, and The Wizarding World –
erected only 13 miles from where Walt Disney World opened 39
years ago – is the latest, greatest iteration. It took five
years and some $265 million to build, and the stakes are as high
as the turrets of Hogwarts – which, by the way, soar 15 stories
into the air.
As a J.R.R. Tolkein freak who grew up near Orlando and as the
father of two Harry Potter fans, I fall squarely into The
Wizarding World’s target market.
Just walking through its arched gate was enough to stop me in my
tracks. I’m standing in the village of Hogsmeade, a place I’ve
seen many times in the movies, and I feel like I’ve stepped into
the real thing (save for the fake snow and fake owls roosting at
the Owl Post).
I stroll past the red Hogwarts Express locomotive while I munch
on fish, sausage, and gravy Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans
(they taste ickily real) from Honeydukes sweets shop.
Two of the park’s three rides are clearly visible: the Dragon
Challenge, a high-speed pair of intertwining roller coasters; and
Flight of the Hippogriff, a family coaster.
But The Wizarding World’s centerpiece is the massive castle that
is Hogwarts, the wizarding and witchcraft school Harry attends,
which also houses the Forbidden Journey ride.
Back in 2005, initial brainstorming sessions for the attraction
focused on coming up with never-before-seen thrills and on
scripting a Potter adventure for fans to travel through. A team
of 25 artists, writers, architects, and engineers at Universal
Creative in Orlando spent a year poring over the thousands of
pages of Rowling’s books and 12-plus hours of films, picking out
the most familiar elements and figuring out, as lead designer
Thierry Coup says, “how to bring them into one experience.”
So they asked themselves the question: What makes a killer
attraction? The answer: great characters, spectacular action, and
magical moments. They assessed all of their Potter fodder through
this lens, so soaring alongside Harry while playing Quidditch,
the game played on broomsticks, was a must. So was a visit to the
scary Forbidden Forest.
After choosing their key scenes, Universal Creative’s team –
which included Steve Kloves, the films’ screenwriter – drew
hundreds of storyboards covering every detail of the Forbidden
Journey.
They next built a “white model,” a mini Styrofoam-like set that
lets creators manipulate a ride as easily as kids playing with
LEGOs. Located in a back-lot studio at Universal Orlando, the
white model is set on waist-high platforms with a path cut in the
base – big enough for designers to poke their heads through and
inch along.
“This gives you the best sense of what it’s like to be in the
ride before it’s made,” says Mark Woodbury, president of
Universal Creative. The ride was then simulated in a computer
program and fine-tuned. Construction began in late 2007 and will
continue right through the opening of The Wizarding World next
month.
Although I was the only Muggle – Potterese for non-magical being
– there, I could imagine the throngs of tourists cramming into
Hogwarts for the ride. And, as any parent knows, standing in line
with antsy kids for an hour or more is a scarier prospect than
facing bad guy Voldemort’s wrath.
So the ride’s creators turned the dreaded wait into part of the
Journey. “It gave us the opportunity to use it as a storytelling
element and immerse people in the fiction,” Woodbury says.
The premise of the ride is that Hogwarts, for the first time
ever, is opening its doors to Muggles, so you go through the
castle on a tour while you make your way to the ride. It’s a
clever idea. I feel anticipation mount with each step knowing I’m
approaching the Journey.
The dank dungeon and ominous statues look eerily familiar – it
turns out that Alan Gilmore, art director on the Potter films,
oversaw every detail of the ride’s design, from the shape of the
wands to the angles of the rafters. “We took what people see in
the films and made it real,” he says.
Following a welcome from Dumbledore, I enter a long room lined
with skulls, armor, and brass instruments. It’s the Defense
Against the Dark Arts classroom, where pupils learn to fight evil
with magic.
Suddenly, on the balcony at the far end, Harry, Hermione and Ron
(portrayed by the actors from the films) appear from behind an
Invisibility Cloak. Like Dumbledore, they seem to be standing
there in the flesh in front of me.
Universal Creative spent seven years developing this special
video-display technology. The effect is wow-worthy -3D glasses
not required. I’ve seen plenty of holographic ghosts in my day,
but nothing like this.
Harry suggests we ditch the tour and play Quidditch with him, and
I walk through a few more rooms before reaching the actual
“ride.” Visitors take a seat in an old-fashioned, wooden-looking,
four-person bench, Hermione dusts us with the Floo powder
necessary to fly, and we’re off.
Thanks to advanced robotics, the benches have an amazing range of
motion, swooping fluidly up and down. Unlike other amusement-park
rides that can propel you only in a single direction, this one
gives you a sense of 360-degree movement.
The ride whisks you over Hogwarts’ grounds until you catch up
with Harry and Ron. Assorted creatures, powered by robotics, pop
up, including a fierce dragon that Ron and Harry must defeat.
The fight, alas, sends them – and you – plummeting into the
Forbidden Forest full of crawling spiders. Without spoiling the
end, the Journey culminates in a game of Quidditch and an
encounter with some familiar – to Potter fans – and terrifying
foes.
As I exit the castle, even though I’m old enough to know I wasn’t
actually soaring over Hogwarts, I feel like I’ve experienced the
very next best thing. (Younger children – they must be at least
four feet tall to be allowed on the ride – may think they really
are there.)
Like the most memorable attractions, The Wizarding World of Harry
Potter takes you to a place you could previously only go in
dreams, and you get to bring home a bag of awesomely gross Every
Flavor Beans as a souvenir.
The verdict from one important Muggle still remains a mystery:
J.K. Rowling. As of early May, she hadn’t yet visited, but she’s
been very hands-on, down to approving the exact flavor of
Butterbeer (a beverage that foams like a Guinness and tastes like
cream soda).
But I imagine that when she does take the Journey, she won’t be
thinking about all the technology and labor that brought her
fantasy to life. She and the other Muggles will simply be
engrossed in the experience and waiting to see what happens next
– just like kids again.
“Technology is a means to an end,” Woodbury says, “and the end is
to take people on a journey that is going to blow their minds.”
tall cap and long gray beard beckons to me from his book-lined
office.
“There comes a time when each of us must make a choice between
what is right and what is easy,” says Dumbledore, Harry Potter’s
headmaster, as embodied by actor Michael Gambon. “Here’s hoping
you choose correctly.”
At 10 feet away, he looks so real that I’m tempted to try him
with a spitball.
This isn’t just my fantasy – its author J.K. Rowling’s and that
of the millions of fans of her books. I’m inside Harry Potter and
the Forbidden Journey, one of the rides at The Wizarding World of
Harry Potter, for an exclusive first look. Part of the Universal
Orlando Resort in Florida, the 20-acre attraction officially
opens June 18.
Americans love their theme pars, and The Wizarding World –
erected only 13 miles from where Walt Disney World opened 39
years ago – is the latest, greatest iteration. It took five
years and some $265 million to build, and the stakes are as high
as the turrets of Hogwarts – which, by the way, soar 15 stories
into the air.
As a J.R.R. Tolkein freak who grew up near Orlando and as the
father of two Harry Potter fans, I fall squarely into The
Wizarding World’s target market.
Just walking through its arched gate was enough to stop me in my
tracks. I’m standing in the village of Hogsmeade, a place I’ve
seen many times in the movies, and I feel like I’ve stepped into
the real thing (save for the fake snow and fake owls roosting at
the Owl Post).
I stroll past the red Hogwarts Express locomotive while I munch
on fish, sausage, and gravy Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans
(they taste ickily real) from Honeydukes sweets shop.
Two of the park’s three rides are clearly visible: the Dragon
Challenge, a high-speed pair of intertwining roller coasters; and
Flight of the Hippogriff, a family coaster.
But The Wizarding World’s centerpiece is the massive castle that
is Hogwarts, the wizarding and witchcraft school Harry attends,
which also houses the Forbidden Journey ride.
Back in 2005, initial brainstorming sessions for the attraction
focused on coming up with never-before-seen thrills and on
scripting a Potter adventure for fans to travel through. A team
of 25 artists, writers, architects, and engineers at Universal
Creative in Orlando spent a year poring over the thousands of
pages of Rowling’s books and 12-plus hours of films, picking out
the most familiar elements and figuring out, as lead designer
Thierry Coup says, “how to bring them into one experience.”
So they asked themselves the question: What makes a killer
attraction? The answer: great characters, spectacular action, and
magical moments. They assessed all of their Potter fodder through
this lens, so soaring alongside Harry while playing Quidditch,
the game played on broomsticks, was a must. So was a visit to the
scary Forbidden Forest.
After choosing their key scenes, Universal Creative’s team –
which included Steve Kloves, the films’ screenwriter – drew
hundreds of storyboards covering every detail of the Forbidden
Journey.
They next built a “white model,” a mini Styrofoam-like set that
lets creators manipulate a ride as easily as kids playing with
LEGOs. Located in a back-lot studio at Universal Orlando, the
white model is set on waist-high platforms with a path cut in the
base – big enough for designers to poke their heads through and
inch along.
“This gives you the best sense of what it’s like to be in the
ride before it’s made,” says Mark Woodbury, president of
Universal Creative. The ride was then simulated in a computer
program and fine-tuned. Construction began in late 2007 and will
continue right through the opening of The Wizarding World next
month.
Although I was the only Muggle – Potterese for non-magical being
– there, I could imagine the throngs of tourists cramming into
Hogwarts for the ride. And, as any parent knows, standing in line
with antsy kids for an hour or more is a scarier prospect than
facing bad guy Voldemort’s wrath.
So the ride’s creators turned the dreaded wait into part of the
Journey. “It gave us the opportunity to use it as a storytelling
element and immerse people in the fiction,” Woodbury says.
The premise of the ride is that Hogwarts, for the first time
ever, is opening its doors to Muggles, so you go through the
castle on a tour while you make your way to the ride. It’s a
clever idea. I feel anticipation mount with each step knowing I’m
approaching the Journey.
The dank dungeon and ominous statues look eerily familiar – it
turns out that Alan Gilmore, art director on the Potter films,
oversaw every detail of the ride’s design, from the shape of the
wands to the angles of the rafters. “We took what people see in
the films and made it real,” he says.
Following a welcome from Dumbledore, I enter a long room lined
with skulls, armor, and brass instruments. It’s the Defense
Against the Dark Arts classroom, where pupils learn to fight evil
with magic.
Suddenly, on the balcony at the far end, Harry, Hermione and Ron
(portrayed by the actors from the films) appear from behind an
Invisibility Cloak. Like Dumbledore, they seem to be standing
there in the flesh in front of me.
Universal Creative spent seven years developing this special
video-display technology. The effect is wow-worthy -3D glasses
not required. I’ve seen plenty of holographic ghosts in my day,
but nothing like this.
Harry suggests we ditch the tour and play Quidditch with him, and
I walk through a few more rooms before reaching the actual
“ride.” Visitors take a seat in an old-fashioned, wooden-looking,
four-person bench, Hermione dusts us with the Floo powder
necessary to fly, and we’re off.
Thanks to advanced robotics, the benches have an amazing range of
motion, swooping fluidly up and down. Unlike other amusement-park
rides that can propel you only in a single direction, this one
gives you a sense of 360-degree movement.
The ride whisks you over Hogwarts’ grounds until you catch up
with Harry and Ron. Assorted creatures, powered by robotics, pop
up, including a fierce dragon that Ron and Harry must defeat.
The fight, alas, sends them – and you – plummeting into the
Forbidden Forest full of crawling spiders. Without spoiling the
end, the Journey culminates in a game of Quidditch and an
encounter with some familiar – to Potter fans – and terrifying
foes.
As I exit the castle, even though I’m old enough to know I wasn’t
actually soaring over Hogwarts, I feel like I’ve experienced the
very next best thing. (Younger children – they must be at least
four feet tall to be allowed on the ride – may think they really
are there.)
Like the most memorable attractions, The Wizarding World of Harry
Potter takes you to a place you could previously only go in
dreams, and you get to bring home a bag of awesomely gross Every
Flavor Beans as a souvenir.
The verdict from one important Muggle still remains a mystery:
J.K. Rowling. As of early May, she hadn’t yet visited, but she’s
been very hands-on, down to approving the exact flavor of
Butterbeer (a beverage that foams like a Guinness and tastes like
cream soda).
But I imagine that when she does take the Journey, she won’t be
thinking about all the technology and labor that brought her
fantasy to life. She and the other Muggles will simply be
engrossed in the experience and waiting to see what happens next
– just like kids again.
“Technology is a means to an end,” Woodbury says, “and the end is
to take people on a journey that is going to blow their minds.”
| Harry Potter: The Theme Park |
Universal Studio's theme park in Orlando, Florida opens their new
attraction, The Magical World of Harry, on June 18, 2010. Here's
a sneak peek as published in Parade Magazine, article by David
Kushner.
attraction, The Magical World of Harry, on June 18, 2010. Here's
a sneak peek as published in Parade Magazine, article by David
Kushner.
|
| Copyright © 2007 | www.booksandwands.com | All Rights Reserved Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling, Bloomsbury, Scholastic and Warner Brothers Entertainment. No copyright infringement intended of any and all source material. |
| The Ultimate Harry Potter Analysis Source |
| Choosing what is Right over what is Easy |
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The first thing you should know about The Wizarding World of
Harry Potter (admission: $79/day for adults, $69 for kids) is
that the Butterbeer tastes magical. It’s frothy, butterscotchy,
and incredibly yummy, and it’s one of many details that make the
theme park – part of Universal’s Island of Adventure in Orlando –
a transportive delight for Potter fans. EW was invited to take
an early tour on May 7. Accio highlights!
Shopping:
Prepare to drop more than a few Galleons on Potterphernalia in
the commercial area of Hogsmeade. There are Sneakoscopes ($15) at
Zonko’s Joke Shop; Peppermint Toads ($7) at Honeydukes’ Sweet
Shop; Quaffles ($20), Bludgers ($22), and Golden Snitches ($15)
at Dervish and Banges’s magic shop. (You can even buy a Firebolt
broomstick – for $300.)
Thanks to close supervision by the Potter films’ design team,
everything looks and feels precisely right, down to the absurdly
high shelves and cramped, English-style layouts. In other words,
expect some tight crowds.
Purists may scoff that Ollivander’s Wand Shop has been apparated
here from Diagon Alley, but who cares when you can buy Sirius
Black’s wand ($25)?
Food:
Shepherd’s pie and chocolate trifle are on the menu at the Three
Broomsticks, and with their floppy pointed hats, the employees do
sort of look like house elves. Elbow up to the Hog’s Head pub
next door for a special, park-only alcoholic brew, but don’t be
shocked if the namesake mounted on the wall starts snarling at
you.
Rides:
There are three. Flight of the Hippogriff and Dragon Challenge
are well-executed, if conventional, roller coasters.
The park’s signature cutting-edge ride, Harry Potter and the
Forbidden Journey, wasn’t running yet during our visit. But that
hardly mattered, since the queue for it takes guests on a
bewitching journey through Hogwarts castle itself.
Somehow, the living portraits do look like talking oil paintings
instead of just framed TV screens.
Enter Dumbledore’s office, and the headmaster (i.e., Michael
Gambon) happily welcomes the first Muggles ever to set foot
inside the school.
And after arriving at the Defense Against the Dark Arts
classroom, Harry, Hermione, and Ron (i.e., Daniel Radcliffe, Emma
Watson, and Rupert Grint) conspire to save everyone from one of
Professor Binns’ dull history lessons – and then Ron accidentally
makes it snow.
Other Stuff:
The greenhouse doesn’t feature any moving plants (a missed
opportunity, we think), but clever touches abound at the park.
Quills write on their own, a book of monsters snaps at
bystanders, and a tape measure plays with the hem of Hermione’s
Yule Ball dress.
Hogwarts Express: It looks real. Too bad you can’t go inside.
Just try not to spill your pumpkin juice – nothing quite breaks
the spell like a Muggle trying to hide a stain on his shirt.
Hear That?
A four-person Hogwarts choir periodically gathers to sing songs
like “Double Trouble” (from Prisoner of Azkaban) and “Do the
Hippogriff” (with bullfrog puppets). Also, you can hear Moaning
Myrtle giggling at you while you’re in the bathroom.
Hagrid’s Hut: Pass it while waiting to board the Flight of the
Hippogriff. Hear Fang bark at you.
Harry Potter (admission: $79/day for adults, $69 for kids) is
that the Butterbeer tastes magical. It’s frothy, butterscotchy,
and incredibly yummy, and it’s one of many details that make the
theme park – part of Universal’s Island of Adventure in Orlando –
a transportive delight for Potter fans. EW was invited to take
an early tour on May 7. Accio highlights!
Shopping:
Prepare to drop more than a few Galleons on Potterphernalia in
the commercial area of Hogsmeade. There are Sneakoscopes ($15) at
Zonko’s Joke Shop; Peppermint Toads ($7) at Honeydukes’ Sweet
Shop; Quaffles ($20), Bludgers ($22), and Golden Snitches ($15)
at Dervish and Banges’s magic shop. (You can even buy a Firebolt
broomstick – for $300.)
Thanks to close supervision by the Potter films’ design team,
everything looks and feels precisely right, down to the absurdly
high shelves and cramped, English-style layouts. In other words,
expect some tight crowds.
Purists may scoff that Ollivander’s Wand Shop has been apparated
here from Diagon Alley, but who cares when you can buy Sirius
Black’s wand ($25)?
Food:
Shepherd’s pie and chocolate trifle are on the menu at the Three
Broomsticks, and with their floppy pointed hats, the employees do
sort of look like house elves. Elbow up to the Hog’s Head pub
next door for a special, park-only alcoholic brew, but don’t be
shocked if the namesake mounted on the wall starts snarling at
you.
Rides:
There are three. Flight of the Hippogriff and Dragon Challenge
are well-executed, if conventional, roller coasters.
The park’s signature cutting-edge ride, Harry Potter and the
Forbidden Journey, wasn’t running yet during our visit. But that
hardly mattered, since the queue for it takes guests on a
bewitching journey through Hogwarts castle itself.
Somehow, the living portraits do look like talking oil paintings
instead of just framed TV screens.
Enter Dumbledore’s office, and the headmaster (i.e., Michael
Gambon) happily welcomes the first Muggles ever to set foot
inside the school.
And after arriving at the Defense Against the Dark Arts
classroom, Harry, Hermione, and Ron (i.e., Daniel Radcliffe, Emma
Watson, and Rupert Grint) conspire to save everyone from one of
Professor Binns’ dull history lessons – and then Ron accidentally
makes it snow.
Other Stuff:
The greenhouse doesn’t feature any moving plants (a missed
opportunity, we think), but clever touches abound at the park.
Quills write on their own, a book of monsters snaps at
bystanders, and a tape measure plays with the hem of Hermione’s
Yule Ball dress.
Hogwarts Express: It looks real. Too bad you can’t go inside.
Just try not to spill your pumpkin juice – nothing quite breaks
the spell like a Muggle trying to hide a stain on his shirt.
Hear That?
A four-person Hogwarts choir periodically gathers to sing songs
like “Double Trouble” (from Prisoner of Azkaban) and “Do the
Hippogriff” (with bullfrog puppets). Also, you can hear Moaning
Myrtle giggling at you while you’re in the bathroom.
Hagrid’s Hut: Pass it while waiting to board the Flight of the
Hippogriff. Hear Fang bark at you.
*Bonus Feature!