New Thrill Ride Coming to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Hold on to your Sorting Hats Harry Potter fans–it looks like the ride’s getting a whole lot wilder at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter! According to Universal Orlando’s blog site a “new generation of thrill ride” is coming to Hogmeade at the Harry Potter Theme Park.

These are the specifics the park revealed about this latest attraction coming in 2019:

• This all-new thrill ride will take you deeper into J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World, where you will encounter some of your favorite characters and creatures. It’ll be unlike anything we’ve ever done before and it will be fun for the entire family.
• The new attraction will be one of the most highly-themed coaster experiences we’ve created. It will combine a new level of storytelling with an action-packed adventure…and a few surprises along the way.
• Our award-winning Universal Creative team is once again collaborating with Warner Bros. and the production design team from the Harry Potter films to bring this new coaster experience to life.
• This ride is going to redefine the category and transport you to thrilling places, drawing you into even more exciting adventures within the wizarding world. It’s going to be the perfect addition to Hogsmeade.

Based on the description of the new ride, it’s conceivable that the two new patent applications submitted by Universal that surfaced last spring are connected to the project. The first patent had the following description:

“The launch room vehicle may include one or more show elements, such as displays, animatronic characters, speakers, fog machines, strobe lights or the like configured to operate in sync with each other and the movement of the launch room vehicle and/or ride vehicle.”

“In particular, during operation, the show elements may create an impression among the patrons that the ride vehicle is being pushed and/or pulled by an entity presented in the partial room. For example, the animatronic character may represent a monster, wizard or other entity that appears to cast a spell upon the ride vehicle.”

Here’s information from the second application:

“Patrons may get the impression that they are entering one completely integral and unified theater, when in fact each seating section is a separate maneuverable seating area.”

“In some embodiments, certain virtual prizes (e.g., virtual gold, diamonds, trophies) may be presented by a light source hovering in the airspace inside the structure including the puzzle theater and the patrons may operate the maneuverable seating areas to collect the virtual prizes.”

In addition, Leaky reported last month that Universal filed a separate patent involving an augmented reality device that would enhance the visual effects of the Wizarding World themed attractions.

To further confirm the project is a go, Universal also announced that the Dragon Challenge, the intertwined inverted roller coaster that opened in 2010, will close permanently on September 5, 2017 to clear the way for this new immersive experience. Accio Excitement!

For some creative speculation on what this latest attraction might entail see Leaky’s coverage of the patents here and the augmentation here.

Are you thrilled to be immersed in the magic? Send us your ideas on what Universal has in store for 2019!

image credits: Universal Studios Theme Parks