Wizarding World is “Pretty Close” to a Set Opening Date; More Details Revealed

During a conference call today with Thierry Coup, vice president of creative development for Universal Creative, representatives from fan sites were told that the Harry Potter theme park is “pretty close” to a set opening date and hopes to announce that date soon. As of now Spring 2010 is the most specific timetable for the opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter Theme Park, but the creative team says the structures are 90 percent complete and are ust putting the final touches on the “layers and layers of detail” present in the park.

You can listen to the full audio of the conference call below:

Additional details from the interview:

• The wand-choosing experience will last from 2-5 minutes per person, and the team is currently working on how to handle what are expected to be long wait times.
• The inside of the castle includes rooms built to full scale from the films – Dumbledore’s office, the Great Hall, the Gryffindor Common room, and more
• The previous reports of wands interacting with the environment of the park have not yet been realized, but there’s “a lot going on” in each area of the amusement
• “Every Harry Potter fan is going to be very critical of this [park]: we want to make sure that it’s going to be absolutely fantastic and perfect.”
• The Ollivander’s shop will include every detail from the books possible, down to the tinkling bell, the single window, and the sign that hearkens the shop back to 382 b.c.
• Ollivander’s in this “Hogsmeade” is, with permission from J.K. Rowling, an annex, a satellite shop of the main Ollivander’s (which is in Diagon Alley in London; Hogsmeade is in Scotland). The wandkeeper will not be Mr. Ollivander. There will be only one in the shop at any given time.
• The wands have all been designed by Stuart Craig and approved by J.K. Rowling.
• The experience of having your wand choose you is free, though the wand costs money to buy. Pricing is to be determined.
• Customers may buy wands without doing the choosing.
• Questions will be asked of the customers, including birthdate and other factual details, to determine the appropriate wandwood based on the Celtic calendar (as frequently is done in the Harry Potter books).
• The wands are made out of 13 different types of wood.
• Children will be able to build their own wand
• When trying out your wands, there may be mishaps in the shop – flowers wilting, thunder and lightning in the store, etc. – when you use the wrong one.
• There are no current plans for “dark” areas of Hogsmeade, a la Nocturne Alley, but Coup said to “stay tuned for that.”
• You can follow Thierry Coup on Twitter for additional revelations (or just follow Leaky’s Harry Potter list to get all HP related Twitterers at once.)

Coup said: “I can tell you one thing: it’s going to be a treat for the eye and for the heart, too.”