Epic Universe - Wizarding World of Harry Potter- What excites you most?

fattyackin, I agree with you that it doesn't make a lot of sense to be in 1920's Paris and then travel through the Floo Network to the Ministry of Magic in 1990's UK. It honestly would've made more sense had Universal gone with its initial intention to build the Ministry next to Diagon Alley at the studios. But maybe that wasn't enough room for them and they wanted to do more!?

It's just crazy to me that the whole land will be built to scale and all the buildings there will be taller than any of the Diagon Alley buildings. Diagon Alley will look amateur in comparison which is just mind-boggling!

Yeah I agree that the scale will be absolutely stunning to behold. Looking forward to the restaurants as well.

Looks incredible and I honestly don't think they'll even mention it about the time travel thing. It's just something you'll have to accept. The vast majority of people won't even notice or care to be honest and Potter people will just be happy about the new land regardless :)

You won't be able to compare Disney's France Pavilion at Epcot to the Ministry of Magic land. This looks far, far, more realistic in comparison.

Oh and I keep forgetting there's a dark wizard alley here too!

I'll be extremely dissapointed if there arent any outdoor portions to some of these dark rides at Epic. I get that weather is a thing but thats what awnings are for.

I think after riding all multifecta that is Transformers, Ratatouille, Stars Resistance, Spiderman, Simpsons, Mickeys Runaway (the best one of the lot), and Avatar I am sick of screens and dont ever need to ride those ever again. I'm not interested in Mario Cart that should have been something like Test Track or the Cars Attraction.

As far as the IP the Beasts are a part of the overall lore at this point. If Disney can theme from some random 80 minute cartoon then 2 fully fleshed out movies with supporting books, videogames, musicals, and existence of other harry potter lands around the world can have some divergence. Heck, if the land does well enough then you have the blue print for other parks around the world. There's nothing wrong with a ride/land being stronger than the movie it is based on (see the love for Zootopia elsewhere in the world)

They honestly need a throw back land in the park. How is disney still operating the great matterhorn or other day 1 attractions? Jaws absolutely needs a permanent fixture in florida because that combination of actors, water ride system (in that heat), and the dichotomy of a night time and and daytime experience is unmatched on any theme park experience ive ever had... except twilight tower.

It’s pretty obvious they planned on making this about the Fantastic Beasts films and then had to backpedal and adjust to include HP film content. The name is just weird. Why name it Ministry of Magic when that isn’t really the location of the land?

I’m looking forward to the food options and the Circus Arcanus. The Beasts that they have at Japan’s Hogsmeade are really cool, so I can’t wait to see how Universal Creative will outdo those!

The British Ministry of Magic was planned for Universal Studios Florida where Fear Factor sits. Nintendo World was going to go where Dreamworks now is, and How to Train Your Dragon was discussed for Lost Continent at one point. Concept art for all three exists.

Dark Universe (Universal Monsters) was part of the original concept for IOA, along with a bunch of DC comics IP. I am glad they didn't try to shoehorn all of this in the existing parks and spent the money on something brand new.

I keep hearing the "screens" argument. The most immersive rides in the world all have them. The idea is to "ride the movies".

What's next? "I'm sick of going to the movies and seeing screens"?

I don't mind the setup they have now but I would have preferred if the land was called "Wizarding World of Harry Potter Place Cachée". Since the main land is set in Paris I think it would have made more sense to name the land after the location of the entrance. Regardless it looks amazing!

As a Potterhead, I am SUPER excited! I know this will be my favorite area at Epic. The Time Turner above the Portal is PERFECT! I love the details throughout. The fact that we travel from the present to the 1920s and then to the 1990s is genius. And the Metro Floo Network...I am totally geeking out! EEEE!!!

Here are my 2 suggestions for rectifying the 1920s/1990s disconnect:

Option A: The Wizarding World is pretty rigorous with tradition. These folks still write with quills and parchment. Perhaps Wizard Paris in the 1990s still has that 1920s aesthetic. Is there anything in Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley that inherently screams 1990s?

Option B: If there are references that specifically date the land to the 1920s, before guests step into the Floo Network they could exit a giant "pensive" where it's revealed they've been in a memory of 1920s Paris as part of an exhibit from the Ministry.

@mischiefmanaged: that’s a very keen observation about the Time Turner. I had initially guessed that that device might play some sort of role in the narrative of this land, but I completely missed that detail on the fly-through video. Nice catch

Absolutely sick of screens.

Including the one im writing on now. I'd much rather convey my thoughts to you in person.

Screens are a poor substitute. sure, the newest rides all have screens but they dont share any lifelong memorable moments.

you couldnt pay me to go on star tours or transformers again. screens are just people eaters.

i wouldnt set foot into a park that took the BEST screen based rides and was excluslively those. it reminds me of a mister potato head design philosphy.

screen rides are the 1990s equivalent of virtual reality kiosks in the mall. sure, ill ride fast and furious at some point on my next universal trip. cant imagine it takes home a medal. ANY other ride vehicle has the pontential to be my favorite. shame.

aquatica incorporated video projection into a water slide. that was neat. i know neet when i see it.

I also didn't notice the time turner..haha // Solves that problem I guess. I still think Place Cachée would have been a better name though! :)

Regarding the 1920s/1990s thing, who really cares? Waders, swimmers and divers people.

And if we can excuse Comcast to go cheap and get away with a dragon that doesn't move sitting atop Gringott's, we can suspend belief about misguided period teeming.

NBD.

Hmm ... "NBD" ... That's gonna come in handy.

(Chuckle)

I do recall when Epic Universe announced folks were doubtful in a Fantastic Beasts theme as the series already rough and getting worse since. So the shift to a modern setting is better even if they need the time travel device.

So does anybody have anycredible info on what kind of ride system to expect for this Ministry attraction?

https://youtu.be/U1Z01tJaV3Q?feature=shared

but who knows

The time turner is the device Umbrige is using on the ride to bring Voldermort back.

The land is Paris now. Paris very 1920’s and well preserved and not very modern. So the time travel switch/jump isn’t needed and it Paris in the Potter book timeframe which isn’t long ago. The only consideration is the circus which is still going strong in wizarding Paris.

Going from what I’ve seen of leaked construction pics is like the old Kongrontation ride system overhead track and scissor mechanism to extend (lower) and retract (rise) the ride vehicle between and during show screens/elements

Personally, while the land does look nice, I'm having a hard time getting too excited for Ministry of Magic. I think the root of that is simply very little in this land sets it apart from what Universal has already done with Wizarding World. Sure, it's a new location and the shops and dining are unique, but none of them have the connection to the franchise that those of Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade do, which to me is much more of the appeal than the food or merchandise. Battle at the Ministry will probably be a top tier dark ride, but it appears to be another motion base attraction of sorts, which is inevitably going to draw comparisons with Forbidden Journey (though this one looks less intense). Continuity-wise, I wasn't a huge fan of setting Diagon Alley's attraction right in the middle of film events (thus bending canon), so at least Battle at the Ministry doesn't have that issue, but it is a bit weird to have the attraction connected to an entirely unrelated area. It would have made much more sense to join Newt and Tina on a chase through the French ministry in an attempt to stop Grindelwald, but I suppose that wouldn't have nearly the drawing power.

I suppose the thing I'm most looking forward to here is Le Cirque Arcanus, which if done well could be a fantastic production. However, unlike rides, I find most theme park shows good for one watch and not worth repeating on a return visit, so if that holds true I unfortunately feel Wizarding World is likely to be the weakest land at Epic Universe. Those more into Potter will probably appreciate it more, but for me I've lost a lot of enthusiasm for the IP over the past decade and will likely be prioritizing other areas of the park.

Now that all five areas have been revealed, I'd say this is my enthusiasm ranking for them: Dark Universe > Isle of Berk = Super Nintendo World > Celestial Park > Ministry of Magic.

AJ Hummel, Dark Universe is the land I'm most excited for hands-down...and one that I think they should bring to Hollywood, even if they have to do it on a much smaller scale there (like Nintendo or Potter in Hollywood).

I look forward to Dark Universe ... at night. But all of the show quality, the environments and attractions are distant, secondary concerns. Ticket pricing, crowd control and technical reliability are going to make or break this park.

I noticed the dragon atop Gringott's doesn't move... but then again, neither does the multi-million dollar disco Yeti.