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Park News - (4/14/09) According to a reader there may be a couple of “special” logs making the rounds over at Ripsaw Falls currently. There are apparently only two of them, but they apparently feature a new prototype lap-bar system that isn’t as bulky, making it easier to get in and out of the logs. Anyone seen these yet or manage to get a photo comparison of the systems?
  (3/24/09) Late last week a stunt performer at the park’s Eighth Voyage of Sinbad stunt show was injured when they slid down a rope and missed their mark during a performance. According to the article the stunt in question is when they swing out from the main stage towards the platform in the audience that looks like a ship. For now I’ve been told that this particular rope-swing stunt has been removed from the show.
  (2/27/09) I’m not sure how true this is, but a reader claims to have heard a rumor indicating that the Water Vortex effect in Poseidon’s Fury could be turned back on this summer once the park hits peak season. Of course back when it was turned off, we had also heard that once it went off, it was likely to be off for good, so it’s hard to know if we may see it really return or not. Anyone know more?
  (2/18/09) We’ve heard from a few readers this week that some original video segments to the Spiderman queue have returned. The returning clip is said to be about 7 minutes long and was removed from the queue after 9/11 due to the fact that the content referred the terrorist style tactics on New York City used by the villains.

2009 - Nothing new this year.

2010 - The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - (7/2/09) A few new Harry Potter construction pictures can be found at Florida Thrills. Meanwhile one of our sources claims to have gotten an up-close look inside one of the Hogwarts building doors and reports that all they could really see installed so far inside the building was ride track on the ground and several large curved projection screens.
  (6/30/09) A new construction update from the Wizarding World can be found at Orlando Rocks today.
  (6/23/09) New construction pictures from the Wizarding World can be found at the relaunched OrlandoUnited.
  (6/17/09) A new construction update shot all around the new Harry Potter area has been posted to Orlando Rocks yesterday.
  (6/16/09) A new construction update from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter can be found over at BrianOrndorf.com this week.
  (6/9/09) A small batch of new pictures of the Wizarding World and Hogwarts castle area have been posted to Orlando Rocks this week. I’ve also heard that some new steel sections for the Wizarding World building structures are arriving and being placed in the empty lot where the Rockit track was placed months ago.
  (6/3/09) A few more new pictures taken from the Nassal site have been posted to the Vinylnation website.
  (6/2/09) The WizardingWorldHarryPotter,com website has posted some great new pictures showing off the themed buildings under construction at the nearby Nassal site where previously themed building facades have been spotted before. In addition to smaller buildings it looks like they’re putting together some of the castle spires and even the outer walls of the castle itself maybe. They are all very detailed and impressive looking at the factory site, so imagine how well they will look once installed into the park.
  (5/26/09) One of our readers managed to save a copy of that picture showing off the Hogwarts castle model and as you can see the towers in the model look exactly like the ones in the up dated concept artwork.
  (5/26/09) One of our readers has noticed that the artwork showing off Hogwarts castle has been slightly recently to show off a different tower style on the right side of the building art. I’ve added a comparison between the original artwork of the castle with the new one currently online. For more photos of the general area check out Orlando United.
  (5/18/09) I’m not sure how true this is, but we’ve heard from a reader that at one point an animatronic Hog’s Head was being designed with the goal of placing it outside the Hog’s Head Inn building in the Wizarding World. They also tell us that we may also encounter a cage containing the “Monster Book of Monsters” book inside of it, which is another animatronic item that can growl and snap at people as they pass by.
  (5/16/09) Building permits current under review for the Wizarding World indicate that we should see the construction of the “rockwork foundation and buttress walls” on the Hogwarts building very soon, as well as the “castle prop steel” to be put into place on top. Other permits in place include building the “new entry archway”, a new retail building, locker area,
  (5/15/09) I’ve got a few interesting links to share today. First off, new construction pictures have been posted to Orlando United, showing off many of the new building structures around the land. In other news, a collection of pictures showing of what appear to be scale models Hogwarts, the Owl Post Office and more have also appeared online here.
  (5/14/09) The official Wizarding World of Harry Potter site has added a new interesting poll this week. As in the past, we believe that the poll is hinting about possible things we may get the experience in the Wizarding World, and in this case, I think they may be hinting about what could be seen in the land’s impressive dark ride.
  The poll asks you which one of the following would scare you the most: The Whomping Willow (living tree), the Hungarian Horntail dragon, Acromantula (giant talking spider), a Dementor or a Basilisk (giant reptile). Too bad they don’t have an “All of the above” option, since I’m hoping we see them all along the way. Rigth now the Dementor is ahead with about 45% of the vote followed by a neck and neck race between the Acromantula and Basilisk.
  (5/6/09) A new construction update of the Wizarding World can be found here.
  (5/2/09) Our West Coast guy Mark took some time to visit O-Town this past week and sent in a couple of quick shots of the progress at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter
  (4/29/09) A few new construction photos from the Wizarding World can be seen this week at Orlando United.
  (4/22/09) A construction update on the Harry Potter site was posted to OrlandoRocks last week. As you can see, the shaped tops of many new buildings are starting to form all over the place. Meanwhile one of our readers took a few new pictures of the main Hogwarts castle building and sent them in as well.
  (4/18/09) I’ve got a possible clue to something we may see in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Follow this link and scroll down to play the bottom video entitled Magic Mirror and you’ll see the creation of an interactive “mirror” that places an animated and talking “hat” upon your head, much like the one seen in the Harry Potter films. So far we have no connection between this and Universal at all, but… it does seem like a fun little feature that people would like to see.
  (4/9/09) According to the Orlando Sentinel, Universal has hired SnowMasters to come in and set up fake snow making machines around sections of the new land.
  (4/8/09) A bunch of new construction updates on the Wizarding World can be found here, showing off many of the new structures going up around the area.
  (4/3/09) New construction pictures of other buildings starting to go up in the Potter-verse can be seen at Orlando United as well as Orlando Rocks this week.
  (3/29/09) Will my long time rumor claiming that guests will be able to buy their own ‘wand’ that will interact with the Wizarding World come true? Could be… because the latest online poll at the preview website asks you what “What kind of wand would you prefer to own?” The choices are: A personalized Ollivanders wand that chooses you, a hero replica wand or a villain replica wand. To date, neither Universal or Creative Kingdoms is talking…
  (3/20/09) Universal has put in for the permit finally to put up the steel structure for the Hogwarts castle structure, which includes a mention confirming that “all work on building roof.”
  (3/10/09) All new construction pictures of the Wizarding World site has been posted to BrianOrnford.com.
  (3/4/09) A few new pictures from the Wizarding World have been added to Orlando Rocks this week, including the addition of a tall crane that is now on site near the main building.
  (2/27/09) A reader has sent in six new construction photos of the Harry Potter construction sites to share.
  (2/26/09) I believe Universal has added a new piece of Harry Potter concept artwork to their preview site, this one showing off the Dervish and Banges shop in Hogsmeade. Just click on Gallery to see it. There is also an interesting poll being taken right now, asking you which dragon is your favorite, the Hungarian Horntail or the Chinese Fireball. Hmmm… could we be looking at the new identities of the Fire and Ice Dragon coasters?
  (2/18/09) A reader has sent in a bunch of great new pictures of the Wizarding World area this week.
  (2/10/09) It may be a bit far away, but we’ve heard an early rumor claiming that Dueling Dragons will close entirely for it’s final transformation to become part of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter sometime between September and December 2009.
  (2/9/09) I’ve got a little bit of new info about the Wizarding World of Harry Potter to share today. Again the rumor that Hogwarts is going to stand around 19 stories tall has come up again, with the goal of making it far more detailed and impressive looking than Disney’s castle down the road. As far as the “world” itself, I’ve been told that they are planning lots of street astmosphere entertainment, such as building in a system of special effects to allow for ‘wizard duels’ to take place in the streets. Universal is also working with their chefs to come up with lots of new and unique foot items inspired from the books, which will apparently include “butterbeer”. According to a report from someone who claims to have actually tasted a test version of it, the final version may taste a little bit like root beer. While I know everyone is dying to know more about the major ride inside Hogwarts (which will include an extensively themed and long indoor queue like Spiderman and Dueling Dragons), I’ve been told that Universal is planning on holding back on that information until late 2009.
  (2/5/09) A couple of new pictures of Hogwarts have been posted to Orlando Rocks this week, showing off some rather large vent ducts that have been hooked up to the back of the building.
  (2/4/09) Some new pictures of Hagrid’s Hut going up have been posted to BrianOrndorf.com along with a great comparison photo of the real hut building seen in the movies. Without a doubt, that sure looks like a match to me.
  (1/30/09) Theme Park Review has posted new Harry Potter pictures this week showing off what looks to be the theming for Hagrid’s home over at the old Flying Unicorn.
  (1/19/09) A new construction update for the Wizarding World has been added this weekend when Theme Park Review focused their efforts on shooting whatever they could through the various “open doors” on the big building, though other than one photo there really isn’t too much you can make out.
  (1/13/09) According to a Screamscape source, the inside of the Harry Potter ride building has been installed with a bus bar ride track system that apparently looks very similar to the one used for the Spiderman ride system, which you can see in this picture.
  (1/12/09) I’ve added four new construction pictures of the Wizarding World and Dueling Dragons areas sent in over the weekend.
  (12/31/08) A few new pictures taken around the Wizarding World construction site have been posted to Theme Park Review.
  (12/29/08) Orlando Rocks has posted a few new pictures from the Harry Potter construction area this week, but really very little has been done lately as far as ‘visible’ construction that we can see from the outside right now.
  (12/20/08) Due to requests from Universal Studios and Kinetic Impulse I’ve removed the quotes that I had posted back on Monday regarding the details of the flying sequence shoot that took place over the summer with some of the actors from the film.
  Over the past week it looks like the big guns were pulled out and other websites who had copied the photos from the site have also had to take them down (which is why I never posted them in the first place). Of course Universal has always been great to me over the years, so I agreed to pull the quotes from the site. Lets just hope they decide to make the big announcement sometime soon already, since this ride is quickly becoming one of the worst kept secrets ever...
  (11/26/08) A new construction update can be found over at Theme Park Review.
  (11/20/08) A few new pictures showing off the Hogwarts building have been posted to Orlando Rocks this week, including a look at the large open maintenance doorway. Of course it’s dark as the void of space in there, so lord only knows what is lurking inside.
  (11/11/08) Orlando Rocks has posted some new pictures from the Wizarding World this week, including a close up look at the texture that has been applied to the outside of the large attraction building where the scaffolding has been moved away.
  (11/5/08) All new construction pictures from the Wizarding World can be seen at Orlando Rocks this week.
  (10/30/08) A great photo update of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter can be seen at Theme Park Review this week.
  (10/23/08) CoastersAndMore.de has posted a few pictures of Islands of Adventure, especially the Wizarding World of Harry Potter area, all taken from the air during a helicopter tour. For perhaps the first time you can finally see the entire structure that will become Hogwarts castle and see just how massive it already has become compared to the rest of the park.
  (10/22/08) I’ve been sent some new information about the Wizarding World this week. Lets start with the Sinbad show… which has been kind of a big mystery for some time leading some to believe that the show theater would become the home for the new ride. However Screamscape sources tell us that the show isn’t going anywhere yet, though it could possibly be evolved into becoming a new Harry Potter themed show. Of course if you want to find out more for yourself, just ask the talking Fountain. One reader apparently decided to ask the Fountain if it was leaving when Harry Potter arrived to which it responded that it wasn’t going anywhere and would continue to stay right where it is.
  As many have suspected, this confirms that the big new ride will be placed inside the massive Hogwarts castle that is currently under construction. From what I’ve heard the ride system is already on site, but locked away in a massive warehouse somewhere protected by guards likely with orders to shoot first and ask questions later. Once the ride portion of the castle is finished and walled in, they will begin to move in the pieces and build it up away from prying eyes until they are ready to make the big announcement. As for Hogwarts itself… if the rumors are true this thing will grow and grow. According to one source the massive castle structure will top out somewhere over the 200 foot mark, making it bigger than the castle at the Magic Kingdom (189 ft).
  (10/20/08) New construction shots taken all over the Wizarding World of Harry Potter area can be seen this week at Orlando Rocks.
  (10/15/08) According to a Screamscape source one of the Hollywood casting sheets has posted a rather interesting casting choice looking for a SAG actor for a “Project Strongarm” shoot for a “Theme Park Attraction”. The shoot will only last 1 day in mid November, but they’re looking to shoot a British professor role (Male 50s – 70s) who will be “A friendly, welcoming professor who greets new students enthusiastically. This character appears as one element of a Harry Potter theme park attraction.”
  (10/10/08) While no one knows 100% for certain, I’ve heard from two different sources who believe that the old Dueling Dragon’s statues have been destroyed, which is really a shame. Harry Potter or not, removing the famous Dragons statue from the park just seems wrong. Not on the level of Disney removing Jim Henson’s name from the Muppets attraction, but somewhere just below that.
  (10/8/08) A new construction photo update from the Wizarding World can be seen here.
  (10/7/08) In a depressing update OrlandoRocks tells us that both of the giant Dueling Dragon’s statues that stood at the main entrance to the ride have been removed from their spots. I can only hope this is temporary and that they were removed for their protection and not to bring in some new Harry Potter friendly theme.
  (9/24/08) A big change for Dueling Dragons fans this week. You now have to access the Dragons from the Jurassic Park side of things where you take a narrow path across the old bridge and up the exit pathway, going up the re-ride stairs to the entrance of the castle itself. The old Dueling Dragons entry plaza is now closed off with a new set of construction walls up just past the entrance to Sinbad. I wonder how long until they close that area off too. As for the Dragons… from what I’ve heard you may be using this new pathway to ride it for the next year! The good news however is that no one is talking about closing down Dueling Dragons anytime soon. I received two pictures this week showing off the look of the Dragon’s entrance (and locker placement) just through the Jurassic Park portal, as well as a close up look at a new on-board video camera they are testing on the 8th row on Fire Dragon. You can also see more pictures of the new pathway posted to OrlandoRocks this week.
  (9/18/08) A reader sent in two photos showing off a new temporary entrance to Dueling Dragons in the process of being setup, along with an official Proclamation from the Ministry of Magic. It’s labeled as “Ministry Decree No. 01” so we can only assume that we are meant to watch this spot for more updates in the future.
  (9/3/08) Some brand new Harry Potter construction photos have been posted to Orlando Rocks showing off the mostly enclosed new building as well as the large strange empty spot where the Enchanted Oak once stood. Meanwhile make the jump over to IOA Central to see some close up pictures of that full scale snow covered Wizarding World building that we spotted several months back over at Nassal who was contracted to do “Exterior and Interior Themeing” for Project Strongarm.
  (8/12/08) Some new signs from the Ministry of Magic have appeared near the walls surrounding the Wizarding World construction site. You can see pictures of this as well as many more photos from all over Universal Orlando at IOA Central.
  (8/1/08) I’m not sure how long it has been listed this way, but the official Wizarding World of Harry Potter pages now list the new land as opening in 2010 and has removed any mention of 2009. They’ve also released a new piece of concept artwork on the site showing off the inside of the Three Broomsticks restaurant, to be located in Hogsmeade in the Gallery section. If you look closely at the photo you will also notice that a few of the kids in the restaurant are holding their very own magic wands, which only serves to reinforce the rumor that a Harry Potter themed version of MagiQuest will be present as well. Meanwhile you can see a bunch of photos showing off the empty Enchanted Oak site posted over at Orlando Rocks.
  (7/31/08) The Enchanted Oak is now no more as demolition crews moved in on the structure this week and smashed it up into tiny bits until there was nothing left. We’ve been sent a few photos showing off the demolition in progress and one final dark shot showing the now empty site, where the only piece of the old tree left is now the ‘roots’ along the outer wall along the lake.
  (7/23/08) It’s been awhile since we’ve heard any good MagiQuest rumors linking them to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter expansion. Today we’ve heard from sources claiming that not only will there be a custom Harry Potter version of the MagiQuest system up at the theme park, but Universal will also make special interactive Harry Potter themed suites available at their hotels, similar in concept to the MagiQuest suites installed at the Great Wolf Lodges where guests can use their wands to activate several installed special effects. And if your not up on just what MagiQuest is, then please do check out my complete review of the main MagiQuest Myrtle Beach facility just added a few days ago.
  Now if all that wasn’t enough to wet your appetite, we’ve been piecing together a few rumors about the new Potter themed ride. While we still don’t know the exact story being told, we have heard that we are likely to encounter the Whomping Willow tree as well as take a trip into the Shrieking Shack. (According to what I’ve been told by Potter experts, the fighting Whomping Willow tree acts as guard to keep people away from a secret passage into the Shrieking Shack, so this makes sense. For more information on the Shack click here.)
  (6/22/08) According to a Screamscape reader, Robbie Coltrane (who plays Hagrid) was going some radio interviews in the UK and mentioned that he has been doing some voice over work for Universal’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter along with many other stars from the movie series. When pressed for more information, he said he wasn’t allowed to say anything more about it due to agreements in his contract.
  (6/20/08) According to a statement from Warner Bros sent to the Leaky Cauldron, there is no filming taking place right now for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter attractions based on writings by J. K. Rowling. Of course that’s all well and good, though they didn’t deny that there could be some footage being shot for the Wizarding World attractions though.
  (6/16/08) All of the stars from the Harry Potter films are said to be currently shooting all new short film from a mini-story written by J.K. Rowling that will be used for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter attractions. This is all taking place just before they begin work on the next feature film. 
  (5/12/08) It seems the Universal legal team was quick to jump on the American Scenic website about removing their Harry Potter graphics. In only a matter of hours their Harry Potter page was pulled entirely. Fortunately, someone managed to save a copy of it and has reposted the artwork once again to Imageshack. I’m not sure how long this link will last, so see it while you still can.
  According to one reader, based on the scenes shown in the artwork, the ride itself may be based on the Chamber of Secrets storyline, which included an encounter with giant spiders, a Wizard Chess scene and culminates with an encounter with the Basilisk, a serpent looking creature.
  I’ve also heard a little more dirt about the ride system itself. For starters, we know about all we really need to know about the Kuka robot arms that will be providing the brute strength for the ride system. Riders will be seated in a long “bench” of seats, rumored to hold six at a time, and mounted to the business end of a KR 1000 Titan model Kuka arm. The Titan arm is rated to toss around payloads of 1,000 kg (2,200 pounds or 1.1 Tons!) with great ease. Then the Kuka arms will be mounted to one of twelve mobile base units that will scoot around a track system that is said to look fairly similar to the track system used on The Adventure’s of Spider-Man. Ironically enough, you can see a great picture of Spider-Man’s track system posted to American Scenic.
  In other Harry Potter news, one of our readers has mentioned a few things that apparently author JK Rowling has mentioned in interviews about the Universal project. In addition to mentioning that there would also be a ride for young children to enjoy in the area, she also mentioned that there would be two state of the art rides in the land, one of which being the new ride system based on the Kuka robot arm. She did give a rough name for one attraction though… something along the lines of Hogwart’s Introduction To Magic that would be some kind of demonstration showing off the effects of various different magic spells.
  (5/9/08) Harry Potter fans will want to take a careful look at a page I came across on the American Scenic website that clearly shows off all new concept artwork for the new Potter dark ride. The artwork in the upper right corner is very interesting since you can pretty much see that the ride vehicle is a simple row of seats that we assume is attached to the Kuka robot arm. Passing through the “red” section it looks like the rides pass by a large Spider in a cave setting before venturing out into the woods. Meanwhile the lower left corner seems to indicate a scene with giant chess pieces and nearby another piece of art showing off some kind of encounter with a serpent-like creature.
  (5/6/08) More permits for Project Strongarm have also appeared online for the Audio system to Technomedia Solutions and Project Video to Electrosonic.
  (5/2/08) Lots of new permits for Harry Potter projects have appeared online. These include various deals for Project Strongarm Show Equipment to Advanced Entertainment Technology and Advanced Animations. Plus others for themed concrete work as well as a larger document that seems to indicate that one of the Project Strongarm buildings is costing them $663,786.
  (4/23/08) The latest rumors from the world of Harry Potter tells us that Setpoint’s involvement in the attraction will be mainly to produce a specific effect for the ride and not on the actual ride system itself. Our source also confirms that the Magic Carpet contract is to provide a conveyor belt based load/unload system for the attraction. Meanwhile the new bridge is now essentially complete, from the structural standpoint at least.
  (3/18/08) We finally have a known amusement company on the list for Project Strongarm today as permits were filed by Universal to use Setpoint for the “Strongarm Show Equipment Package No. 01”. Setpoint has worked with Universal in the past on ride control systems and was the company who came to Universal’s rescue to finish up the Pteradon Flyers when things went sour with the original contractor. Amusement Rides however are not Setpoint’s main bread and butter and their list of skills also includes Robotic System Integration.
  (3/6/08) While this artwork has nothing to do with the rumored Harry Potter ride that would use the Kuka Robocoaster Arm, just take a look at the second of the series of pictures of the bottom of this Robocoaster page. This may be our first look at one possible idea of how the ride system may load riders along with the use of the Magic Carpet conveyor belt system to keep the ride always moving for increased capacity.
  (2/28/08) A reader noticed something interesting while driving past Nassal, a local scenic design company in Orlando who does a lot of work for all of the parks. While we can’t confirm exactly what this is, it does bear a striking resemblance to the snow covered buildings seen in the artwork for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Timeline wise however… I would think that it’s still a bit early to be making full sized scenic props unless first piece is a ‘test’ to get the overall feel and approval for the look of the rest of the sets. From what I’ve been told, this particular piece was big enough to be seen from the nearby I-4 freeway, which is what caught our readers attention in the first place.
  (1/21/08) The more I’ve thought about the Magic Carpet conveyor loading system news over the weekend, the more I’m convinced that Project Strongarm isn’t going to be any kind of “flying car” ride at all. So given that we may be looking at a Ski Lift style loading platform concept and that the Kuka arm ride system would still most likely be used to simulate some kind of flying experience. This has led me to believe that perhaps we’re looking at a ride recreation of Harry Potter’s other mode of flying transportation… a Broom. This matches up with another anonymous rumor we received claiming that some test footage was seen somewhere that appeared to be using some footage of a Quidditch match. (Quidditch is the sport they play in the Potter-verse while riding on Brooms).
  (1/18/08) A new contract for a Project Strongarm Conveyor System has been signed to Magic Carpet, a company who produces conveyor ski lifts (not so interesting) and a special “Loading Conveyor” that caught my eye that times the movement of a conveyor in sync with a moving ski lift chair to allow for increased speed in loading. Kind of makes me wonder if we’ll still be climbing into a Flying Car or something else entirely now. Other Strongarm permits have also been filed this month: Special Effects to Backstage Technologies, Ride Show Supervisor System to ITEC and Site Prep to Johnson Bros. Older permits have also gone to Nassal for Exterior and Interior Themeing, to North Florida Intereriors for a Pre-Fab Building and to Bucon for the Strongarm Building Shell.
  (10/25/07) We may finally see construction begin for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter soon as construction permits were submitted this month to the county for BUCON Inc and North Florida Interiors LLC to begin work on the “Project Strongarm Building Shell” and “Project Strongarm Pre-Fabricated Building”.
  (9/11/07) A Screamscape source was scouring through the Orange County records the other day and found a few new mentions for Project Strongarm… the code name for the Harry Potter ride. It seems the Nassal company has been contracted to do some façade work for the attraction while Electrosonic who does a lot of projection, audio and special effects work for theme parks.
  (7/5/07) Screamscape has heard a rumor claiming that Universal Creative may be working with Creative Kingdoms to create a Harry Potter themed interactive adventure based on their MagiQuest adventure system where players buy and create their own magic wands to take with them on a never ending adventure (video promo). This certainly seems like it would be a perfect fit with the Harry Potter crowd with plenty of retail opportunities and would encourage return visits and would be a perfect fit for an attraction build inside the Hogwarts Castle structure. Currently there is a MagiQuest stand alone facility in Myrtle Beach, SC as well as several installations built within a growing number of the Great Wolf Lodge indoor waterpark resorts.
  (6/7/07) After reading my own detailed report on The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, some of you have asked why I didn’t make any mention of the Forbidden Forest area the press release mentioned. Well first off, I didn’t see it represented visually in any of the concept art and as I also stated, sometimes what you see is as important as what you don’t see. In this case… everything that Universal has decided to keep under wraps so far has been involved with the new dark ride adventure and the area of the park around the Sinbad show theater. Put it all together that we can only assume that the theme of the area around the new dark ride itself will be a trip through the Forbidden Forest, which as I seem to recall from the films, Harry and friends have had quite a few encounters with nasty things like Acromantulas (giant spiders) and the Whomping Willow tree who beat the snot out of Ron’s flying car. So lets see… Dark Ride + Flying Car = Trip through Forbidden Forest and encounters with nasty beasts. Sounds like a good formula for a thrilling Harry Potter ride to me.
  (6/6/07) For the last several days I’ve scoured over the pieces of artwork released for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, talked with a few fans and looked over half a dozen submissions sent in from others showing off the various different ways everyone felt the Lost Continent could be transformed into this new Island. That said, I’m going to pull it all together into what I think is the most likely concept we’ll see take place. (See new images added to sidebar)
  First I want to point out a few things to remember: Universal did mention that the Lost Continent would remain open while the work was done so to pull off a change of this magnitude we’re looking at a multiphase transformation that will allow the main pathway to remain open for normal traffic flow around the park. Also keep in mind that sometimes what you don’t see can be as important as what you do see when looking at the concept art. While Universal was willing to announce this new Island… they were not ready to go into details about the major new Potter themed ride. As such, we have not yet seen any concept artwork showing it off at all.
  The best view of what the area will look like comes from the aerial view image of the owl flying over the area. Going through various aerial image systems, I’ve come up with what appears to be the best match for the point of view used in the artwork and added it to the image gallery. Following the yellow lines from artwork to the photo going left to right you can see Hogwarts going into the empty area on the left next to the Flying Unicorn in the middle and Dueling Dragons on the right. You can even see the bridge to Jurassic Park in the artwork as well. Following downward from there, we might assume that everything from the entry area of Dueling Dragons up until just before the gift shop at the exit of Poseidon’s Fury will be transformed into the Hogsmeade village area. From what I’ve read in a few other newspaper reports, this area will include a Three Broomsticks restaurant, a Hogshead Tavern where you can buy Butterbeer, Honeyduke’s where you can buy chocolate frogs and Ollivander’s where you can buy your own magic wand.
  What we haven’t seen in the artwork at all however is any sign of the Sinbad stunt show building or even that area of the park. Since Universal wasn’t ready to give any details at all about the new Harry Potter ride, this leads me to believe that the attraction will go into the area currently used for the Sinbad show theater and possibly into the employee parking lot and park services area just behind. All the rumors I’ve heard for months now about this unknown ride still seem to be holding true, that you’ll take a ride in a flying car through the world of Harry Potter that will be accomplished via the Kuka robot arm technology attached to a mobile ride platform.
  What we haven’t talked about lately is just what will happen to make existing attractions like Dueling Dragons and the Flying Unicorn fit into the overall potter theme. Looking at the artwork again, you can see a series of tent structures now attached to the front of the Dueling Dragons castle and even covering the drawbridge. Now also remember back to last summer when I heard that there was a guest flow study going on in the Dueling Dragons queue where for a short period of time, a crew member was filling the pre-show room with the stained glass windows and holding the riders there to view the pre-show story before allowing them to move on. It seems this was really a test to see how much of a time window they had to tell the new Potter themed pre-show story they want to tell. If the rumors are true, Dueling Dragons will now be a part of the TriWizard Tournament event as seen in the Goblet of Fire. Guests will enter the chamber and view the Goblet of Fire and possibly even the TriWizard Cup before the stained glass images come to life to tell you the new story. From the sound of things, the already incredibly themed dungeon chambers of the castle may remain fairly unchanged, though some believe that a few of the frozen knights could be removed.
  Next door the small house that serves as the station for the Flying Unicorn may become Hagrid’s house and the ride renamed as the Flying Hippogriff, in reference to Hagrid’s pet / friend Buckbeak as seen in the Prisoner of Azkaban film. The pathway to this area will also likely serve as the entryway into the Hogwarts castle area. Given the size of Hogwarts castle and the fact that this area is already open empty land, I would expect that first phase of construction would begin here. Work in the Sinbad area is also likely to begin sometime after the end of summer if they choose to close down the show at that point in time. While the first press releases mentioned this new island would open in late 2009, I’ve seen a few that extend the window to Summer 2010, which makes me wonder if the Island may open in 2009, then perhaps the new ride may not be ready until 2010. 
  (5/31/07) I’ve got a few more facts about the Wizarding World of Harry Potter confirmed in the Orlando Sentinel article. This will actually be a true 7th Island added to IOA and not a complete replacement for Lost Continent. This new 7th Island will take up 20 acres and while it will reuse sections of Lost Continent it will also use backstage property currently used for “employee parking and park support.” It will feature a few “reconstructed and rethemed attractions” as well as all new ones. Hogwarts Castle, Hogsmeade village and Forbidden Forest will be created as backdrops to the area’s attractions, shops and restaurants. Before we go any further, take a look at an aerial image of the current Lost Content area of the park where I’ve labeled a few of the existing attractions. Fans of the Mythos restaurant can relax because it will remain as part of the smaller Lost Continent island. While no one at Universal was willing to mention what will happen to each specific attraction already in place, it is fairly certain right now that Dueling Dragons and Flying Unicorn will be altered, tweaked and rethemed to fit the new Harry Potter universe. Taking a good long look over the artwork released so far and I’m still dying to know just how they’re going to do it because there isn’t much I recognize from Lost Continent left in the new World of Harry Potter, other than what looks like a bit of Dueling Dragons castle with a new red and white tent looking structure attached to the front. Construction is expected to begin by the end of summer.
  (5/31/07) It’s official... Universal Orlando has announced that the Wizarding World of Harry Potter will come to Islands of Adventure in late 2009. Along with some great looking artwork, I’ll just let the press release speak for itself today.
  Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. and Universal Orlando Resort are partnering to create the world’s first fully immersive Harry Potter themed environment based on the bestselling books by J.K. Rowling and blockbuster feature films from Warner Bros. Envisioned as a “theme park within a theme park” and titled “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter,” the new environment will become part of the experience within Universal’s Islands of Adventure theme park at the Universal Orlando Resort.
  “Over the years we’ve received thousands of letters from fans around the world wishing they could visit Hogwarts and the wonderful locations described in each of J.K. Rowling’s beloved stories,” said Barry Meyer, chairman and CEO, Warner Bros. Entertainment. “Working with Universal Orlando Resort, we are confident that we’ll be able to provide Harry Potter fans with an incredible experience that upholds the richness of J.K. Rowling’s books and delivers on the authentic detail portrayed in our films.”
  “We will rely on our company’s rich movie heritage and expertise in transforming film concepts into theme park entertainment experiences,” said Ron Meyer, president and COO, Universal Studios. “The Harry Potter stories are among the most compelling of our time. The millions of people who have read the books and seen the movies will now be able to experience the world of Harry Potter in person.”
  Inspired by J.K. Rowling’s compelling stories and characters – and faithful to the visual landscapes of the films – “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter” will provide a one-of-a-kind opportunity to experience the magical world of Harry and his friends. The fully immersive, themed land will enable guests to visit some of the most iconic locations found in the books and the films including the village of Hogsmeade, the mysterious Forbidden Forest, and even Hogwarts castle itself. "The plans I've seen look incredibly exciting, and I don't think fans of the books or films will be disappointed," said J.K. Rowling.
  “We have a profound sense of responsibility for the Harry Potter franchise at Warner Bros. Bringing the magic of J.K. Rowling’s written word to the motion picture screen was the first step in expanding this amazing and imaginative world. Working with Universal Orlando Resort to bring it to life in a physical environment that you can walk through, relax in and ride on is the natural next step for fans to experience and enjoy,” said Alan Horn, president and COO, Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
  Expected to open in late 2009, the new environment will feature immersive rides and interactive attractions, as well as experiential shops and restaurants that will enable guests to sample fare from the wizarding world’s best known establishments. Also debuting will be a state-of-the-art attraction that will bring the magic, characters and stories of Harry Potter to life in an exciting way that guests have never before experienced.
  “We are going to devote more time, more money, more expertise and more executive talent from throughout our entire organization and creative team – as well as from Warner Bros., our partners – to ensure that this entire environment is second-to-none,” said Tom Williams, chairman and CEO, Universal Parks and Resorts.
  Brad Globe, president of Warner Bros. Worldwide Consumer Products, added: “In Universal, we found the right partner whose unparalleled commitment will ensure that this is a world class destination. Their track record of success and the consistently high level of entertainment at all of their parks gave us the confidence to know that they will meet—or exceed— the extremely high expectations we all have for this project.”
  The Academy Award-winning production designer Stuart Craig, who has worked to bring the world of Harry Potter to life in all of the feature films to date, leads the creative design for the area to ensure it remains faithful to the look and feel of the films.
  “Our primary goal is to make sure this experience is an authentic extension of Harry Potter’s world as it is portrayed in the books and films,” said Craig. “I am very excited to be working closely with the Universal Orlando team to bring the area to life.”