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Universal Studios Florida
Orlando, FL
NBC Universal / Blackstone Group
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---- THE LATEST BUZZ ----
(5/4/12) A reader visiting Universal Studios Florida this week dropped by guest relations to inquire about if they may be able to catch the new Cinematic show (MORE...)
(5/3/12) The construction walls around Despicable Me are now down, giving us a great look at the new look of the attraction building, complete with (MORE...)
(5/1/12) Back To The Future – The Ride fans may be interested in this item… a small clip of ride film from the old Orlando ride has been (MORE...)
(4/30/12) Orlando Parks News has posted a new photo update this week, checking out the latest progress over at Despicable Me where Gru’s house (MORE...)
Ride Rehabs - The following information is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate.
Jimmy Neutron - CLOSED FOREVER
Jaws - CLOSED FOREVER
 General Park News - (5/1/12) Back To The Future – The Ride fans may be interested in this item… a small clip of ride film from the old Orlando ride has been put up for sale on Ebay. Just four frames… but showing off the iconic Delorian in mid-time travel jump.
(4/23/12) Florida Thrills has posted a construction update showing off the latest progress on Gru’s house at Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem as well as a look at the floating show barges in the lagoon and even the new construction taking place in CitiWalk for those platforms along the hillside overlooking the waterway.
(4/4/12) Universal Orlando has announced that they will officially open the new Super Star Parade and Universal’s Cinematic Spectacular night show on May 8th. However… we still expect to see it soft open very very soon, so stay tuned.
Elsewhere... PartyThroughTheParks has posted an update all about the new snack and drink options at Chex Alcatraz, the bar along the lagoon that is proud to welcome their new icon… Bruce the Shark right next door. They are now offering a bunch of new specialty drinks with fun names like The Alcatraz, The Rock, Shark Attack and even the “BRUCE”, which sounds quite refreshing. Check it out.
(3/14/12) AmusementPics checks in on the progress in the Universal lagoon this week, as well as taking a quick peep at the rubble where Amity once stood.
(3/9/12) Behind the Thrills has posted a construction update from Universal Studios Florida this week. Amity is nothing more than a dustbowl, Gru’s house is slowly filling over at Despicable Me and they take a peek at the new Spongebob shop, Mardi Gras and more.
(2/17/12) As reported, Universal has not been wasting any time demolishing the Jaws attraction area. Some shocking aerial photos of the site have been posted to JawsMovie.com this week. As you can see, most of the lagoon area has been cleared and only a few scattered buildings in the center island remain. Though from the front pathway area, the maintenance shed, queue house and loading station are still intact and even still have boats on the remaining sections of track.
(2/2/12) AmusementPics has snapped up some great pictures of the former Jaws ride area that is looking more and more to be a giant dust bowl and less like the former Amity Island.
(1/30/12) According to a reader that peeked over the construction walls, Jaws is pretty much gone as we knew it. The water is gone, but the boats remain on the tracks. The queue area and nearly every major building around the layout have been gutted, and they’ve cut a channel through the central island, probably the work of the two large excavators sitting in the lagoon. They are really moving quickly it seems.
(1/23/12) Orlando Rocks has posted an interesting series of old photos showing off the Jaws attraction drained of water, dating back to late 2003. Very cool stuff… as it was the birth of the Jaws ride we all got to experience for years.
On another front… the announcement coming this week has been confirmed by Universal has having nothing to do with what they have planned for the Jaws / Amity area, so don’t get your hopes up. They’ll keep things entirely about what’s new for 2012… the rumored parade and evening lagoon show. Though, I have heard another interesting rumor suggesting that Universal may be making a change to the Universal Express system, possibly introducing some new tech from an outside vendor. Could we see something like Lo-Q’s Q-Bot system coming to Universal Orlando?
Make the jump down to our PotterVerse section for another small progress update.
(1/11/12) It’s just a rumor at this point, but we’ve heard at least one story talking about a possible plan to add a few small upgrades or at least improvement tweaks to the Men In Black ride just ahead of the opening of the new MIB3 film on May 25th.
(1/10/12) Jaws fans may be very interested in this one last video showcasing a decent video showing off the 1990 original version of the ride, which included the complicated effect where Jaws would bite down on the boat and spin it around. Afterwards they have come nice footage of the Jaws attraction with the water removed as it was being reinvented to reopen in 1993, followed by a nice HD version of the ride experience we all know and love… now sadly gone forever.
(1/9/12) Jaws has been closed for several days now… but it’s still sad. Many new ‘final’ updates showcasing the attraction and entire Amity area (see WorthingtonPhoto) have been posted on the ‘Net along with a few videos showing off final rides and one that tries to tell the story behind the Jaws Ride, showing off just what is going on elsewhere in Amity while Amity 6 is having it’s famous run-in with the Great White Shark. It’s funny and well made, so check out The Amity Island Nightmare for sure.
Pictures showing off the Post-Closure looking of the area (lots of construction walls) can be found at the Orlando Sentinel, and I’m glad to see that they have adjusted the construction walls from the first day to allow guests to still pose with the giant shark figure out in front of the ride area.
(1/6/12) Park Rumors has uncovered an interesting new development in the form of a work permit filed by Universal Orlando to allow KumbaK into the property to perform some “Ride System Improvements”. KumbaK is not a group most American park guests are familiar with, but was formed several years ago by a group of former Vekoma employees when the company went into a bankruptcy / restructuring. For the most park KumbaK has focused their efforts on working on rides from other companies, including building new replacement wood and steel coaster train systems.
While I have not ridden any KumbaK creations myself, the word I’ve heard from other coaster enthusiasts more well traveled than I was less than positive about KumbaK’s own train products. Since they are known mostly for their coaster work… it would seem to be obvious that they could be called in to try and work some magic on Universal’s own problem child coaster… the Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit, which is still suffering from rough riding trains. Lets see what develops.
(1/3/12) A few short hours ago, JAWS set sail for the final time, and the doors to Captain Jake’s Amity Boat Tours were closed and locked up tight. I’m sad I didn’t get to take one last tour and stroll around Amity, but I’ve been enjoying a large photo collections of the entire Amity area posted over at MouseSteps and Orlando Rocks this week.
While on the subject of JAWS… you may also like to check out an article posted over at Horror Night Frights detailing the history of how the JAWS attraction (and queue) has been used over the years for Halloween Horror Nights.
So with a sad heavy heart, I’ve got to say Goodbye Bruce.
(1/2/12) A few guests visiting Universal Studios Florida on Sunday evening got a little more of a thrill than expected. At about 6pm, strange malfunctions took place within minutes from each other on the park’s Revenge of the Mummy and E.T. Adventure rides, causing both rides to grind to a halt unexpectedly. Riders were evacuated from both attractions, 12 from a Mummy coaster car that was 10 feet off the ground and 12 more from an E.T. ride vehicle, with the assistance of the Orlando Fire Department. No injuries were reported and all the safety systems worked as designed. After being inspected, both rides returned to service by about 8pm.
(12/27/11) JAWS fans, be sure to check out this new video below which features an entire boat-load of former JAWS Skippers taking their last rides on one of Universal Studios Florida’s most memorable attractions. It’s quite the journey as the crew members throw out their own lines during the journey. Remember, Jaws closes down at the end of January 2nd, so you’ve only got a few days left to get your own last ride in to say goodbye to ‘the mistake on the lake’.
(12/8/11) If the rumors are true, the various midway games that will soon have to be removed from Amity may be moved over to a new location around the base of the Simpsons ride building, which currently has fake midway game facades instead.
(12/3/11) Universal Orlando confirmed on Friday morning that their infamous JAWS attraction, and the entire Amity Island themed area, would be closing down for good on Jan. 2nd, 2012 at 9pm. The reason? They claim they have an amazing new attraction in the works… but are not ready to release any details just yet. Given the size of the area involved, we’re either talking about a very large new attraction, or clearing out a space big enough to put in several new attractions over the next few years.
JAWS has been “endangered” several times over the years and threatened with closure for a number of reasons. As with any water attraction at a theme park, there is a lot of technology in the water, which means it needs a healthy budget to keep everything properly maintained. Jaws also features real fire effects as well…which have been eyeballed over the years as a possible budget cut. And finally… JAWS has a large staff required to operate the ride… featuring not only standard ride ops, but an army of Skippers to man the wheel (and grenade launcher) as well as verbally guide you through your adventure. So very sad indeed… another classic Universal ride will be lost.
Of course, if your feeling nostalgic, you can always visit Universal Studios Japan to ride their version of JAWS as well as the only remaining BACK TO THE FUTURE: THE RIDE left on Earth.
Spring 2012 - Universal Superstar Parade - (2/7/12) While he couldn’t snap a picture, Keith, our local Orlando man on the scene did happen to come across what looked like the Spongebob pineapple themed float (see art below) on the back of a flatbed semi trucking down I-4 by the Mall at Millennia on the way to Universal. Amazing the kinds of things you come across on the roads when you live in Orlando.
(1/26/
12) The Universal Superstar Parade is coming Spring 2012 and will feature your favorite characters from Spongebob, Dora/Diego, Despicable Me and Hop. It is more than a parade, as guests can interact with the characters as it makes performance stops along the way.
(9/13/11) In other entertainment related news, there is also a rumored new daytime parade possibly under consideration for the park in 2012, with many of the characters based on Universal’s animated films like Despicable Me, Hop and possibly The Lorax.
Spring 2012 - Universal’s Cinematic Spectacular - (5/4/12) A reader visiting Universal Studios Florida this week dropped by guest relations to inquire about if they may be able to catch the new Cinematic show during their visit this week. While nothing was promised… the guest relations rep “strongly recommends” coming back to the park on either May 3rd or May 5th. Too late for May 3rd (anyone catch it?) it sounds like this Saturday night may be a good time to stay at Universal until closing time.
(4/24/12) Attractions Magazine managed to grab a great HD video preview performance of Universal’s Cinematic Spectacular: 100 years of Movie Memories. I’m told that it was fairly windy that night, so there was some projection screen distortion as expected, but the screens and effects still looked incredible and has some great film clips from many of your favorite films. And Morgan Freeman… you can’t forget him.
I’ve heard there are loose plans in place to put on more public preview performances on Wednesday and Thursday night this week.
(4/20/12) Universal Orlando has posted a special video featuring Steven Spielberg’s thoughts on “the power of film” which includes our first official look at Universal’s Cinematic Spectacular.
(4/3/12) According to some insiders, Universal Orlando management has warned the staff that they could put on a test performance of the new night show some evening this week at 9pm if they feel the show is ready to go. So keep your eyes open if your in the park this week.
Speaking of which, Attractions Magazine has been doing just that, and has taken advantage of the longer park hours this week to shoot some pictures and videos of some of the new show equipment in the lagoon being tested.
(4/2/12) Orlando Rocks has posted a few new pictures from the Universal Studios Florida lagoon, checking out the latest additions to the floating barges. Speaking of the new show… I’ve heard a rumor that we could see the new show open to the public as early as this Saturday. According to my source the Mardi Gras parade will go off at 8pm and the concert at 9:30pm, so look for the Lagoon show to possibly perform somewhere in between the two events if all goes well.
(3/20/12) Orlando Attractions Magazine has posted a video showing off some of the after-dark fireworks testing going on at Universal Studios Florida for the new lagoon show as seen from just off property on Turkey Lake Road.
(3/19/12) According to a local area source, it seems Universal Studios Florida has begun testing of their new nighttime lagoon show effects la
te at night. Music, lights and even fireworks have been spotted in the sky over the park lately.
(2/10/12) A reader sent in a bunch of new progress photos of the equipment floating in the lagoon as well as a look at what appears to be a new show control booth for the whole production.
(1/26/12) Universal’s Cinematic Spectacular: 100 Years of Movie Memories is name of the night show going into the lagoon. The show will help celebrate Universal Studios’s 100th Anniversary this year and feature cutting edge “waterfall screens” surrounded by pyro and brightly lit up fountains that will shoot up to 100 feet in the air. The narrator of the show will be Morgan Freeman. Look for the shows to begin in Spring 2012, performing nightly throughout the summer and then on select days afterwards.
(1/19/12) A few new pictures of the progress shaping up in and around the Lagoon at Universal Studios have been posted to Florida Thrills.
(1/13/12) More construction pictures of the equipment being dropped into the Universal Studios lagoon area can be found at Florida Thrills this week.
(1/11/12) Several new photos showing off the progress of things on the Lagoon have been added to OrlandoUnited this week. (Scroll down to the bottom to find the new pictures.) There is an interesting shot of guys in the water working on something that I believe looks like it could be the fountain-head for a water screen, but I’m no expert, so don’t take my word for that one.
(1/9/12) A few new pictures of the Lagoon at Universal Studios have been posted to Orlando Rocks this week, showing that those new show barges have now been pulled out and placed into position in the lagoon, which really shows off just how huge looking they area.
(1/4/12) According to a few sources, some of the equipment being set up for Universal’s new Lagoon show may feature unique water nozzles allowing for shapes and patterns to be formed in the water dropping from above. Perhaps something similar to the water displays from Aquatique seen in the video embedded below. Looks like they can do just about anything Universal would want to do with water and enough money, so the sky may be the limit as to what we can expect to see.
(12/30/11) Orlando Parks News takes a nice long look around the Lagoon area, checking on those barges, what’s new in the water, a forest of new speakers in the park viewing area and more.
(12/27/11) Orlando United has posted a detailed set of pictures showing off work crews busy installing various items into the Lagoon for the upcoming new show. Even better… if you scroll down to the bottom of the photos, they spotted an overhead layout plan laid out on the deck labeled, “Project 315P – fountain ground plan (11-30-11)”.
From what I can make out, it seems to show off at least two double-sided floating projection screen platforms in lagoon, at least three other projection effects (one of each side and one in the center) and the location of approximately 30 different fountain positions within the lagoon itself, running from one side to the other.
(12/19/11) Florida Thrills has posted a new look at some of those floating barges being set up on the Universal lagoon, now with a little extra hardware installed as well as some interesting items now floating in the water. One piece of equipment appears to possibly be a large fountain unit, which even has the Aquatique logo on some blue tape attached to the left side of the unit.
(12/13/11) I was sent a link to a photo showing off some theatrical truss set up on floating barges. The top piece of the truss is currently lowered to the ground level on each barge, which is typically done to allow for ease of install. However, I do have to wonder if these are for the new Lagoon show at all or not, especially given the latest rumor sent in.
According to one source, these barges may be tested out on New Year’s Eve as a form of floating portable projection screen, where Universal can project the NYE concerts taking place in CitiWalk on the barges. If this works out, they are likely to try this again for the various big Mardi Gras concerts.
(12/9/11) Screamscape sources tell us that barges loaded with stage lighting truss are now being set up at the lagoon and lots of new buoy markers are floating out in the water. On the equipment side, I’ve heard that the French company, Aquatique Show Intl., is working with Universal on the water fountain side of things. You can see a lot of their work in action over at their YouTube page.
(11/23/11) A Screamscape reader has described a few details given to them during a survey from Universal Orlando which seemed to focus partially on details for a proposed new nighttime show for the park. The survey mentioned possible features such as water screens, fog effects, projection screens and the concept of a show plot involving the history of the movie making biz. There were also quite a few questions comparing the concept to “World of Color” as well as if guests would be willing to leave Islands of Adventure and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at night to see it at Universal Studios Florida.
(11/18/11) While it’s too early to say much, there is a new rumor going around claiming that the new lagoon show may include some good old fashioned stunts in it once again, as a throwback to the old Dynamite Nights Stunt Spectacular show that ran at the park for the first decade or so.
Also it is worth pointing out that while the floating barges are indeed the old ones from the Universal 360 show, they have been modified and extended since then, which includes the addition of that new large rectangular hole in the center for “something”.
(9/13/11) This is only a minor rumor at this point, but there is some speculation that a new nighttime lagoon show may be on the way to Universal Studios Florida in 2012. The old sphere screens and effects system from Universal 360 has been removed over the past few weeks. The empty barges are still afloat in the lagoon from what I understand, awaiting to be used in some fashion for the rumored new show.
Summer 2012 - Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem - (5/3/12) The construction walls around Despicable Me are now down, giving us a great look at the new look of the attraction building, complete with Gru’s house out in front. Jump on over to Behind the Thrills for a quick look.
(4/30/12) Orlando Parks News has posted a new photo update this week, checking out the latest progress over at Despicable Me where Gru’s house is looking quite awesome. New banners and decorations have also been added to the soundstage building, so I guess they opted not to go with the painted blue sky & clouds look after all.
(4/10/12) Florida Thrills visited Universal Studios Florida over the weekend and posted back a bunch of new pictures taken all over the park, with a good look at the latest progress at Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem.
(3/29/12) AmusementPics has posted the latest pictures of Gru’s house going up in front of the Despicable Me show building. While on the subject of Despicable Me, I did hear a funny rumor that I don’t know if it is true or not, but it’s worth mentioning. According to one source, there was once a proposal to paint the soundstage behind Gru’s House sky blue with clouds on it, as a in-movie joke as to how Gru’s nemesis, Vector, hid the pyramid he stole behind his own headquarters.
If you keep scrolling down that photo update you’ll also come across Bruce the shark being installed into a new home at the end of a new dock in the San Francisco pier area.
(3/20/12) Thanks to a reader for sending in a new picture (see below) of Gru’s house going up at Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem.
(3/5/12) If you need a preview of what may be in store for you inside Minion Mayhem, just check out the newly released preview for Despicable Me 2.
(2/20/12) New pictures from the former Jaws / Amity area now show that the queue and station buildings near the front of th
e ride are now a big pile of rubble. About the only thing I can see still standing is the old maintence boathouse. Over at Despicable Me, they’ve now put up the metal frame-work for the façade of Gue’s house, which should go a long ways to changing how the outside of this attraction looks. Check them all out at AmusementPics.
(1/26/12) Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem is the official name of the new 3D attraction replacing Jimmy Neutron. The new ride will open in Summer 2012 where guests will become Minions and undergo Minion Training. All the characters in the attraction will be voiced by the original cast from the feature film.
(12/27/11) A few interesting new items have come to light regarding the new Despicable Me attraction at Universal Studios Florida. According to an interesting bit of descriptive text sent my way, the new 3D adventure ride will feature a new HD digital projection system, fog / smoke effects as well as something described as a “drop-away floor”. It’s that last item that has me scratching my head a bit, as I’m not exactly sure just what a drop-away floor would be for, as guests ride in motion-based pods, unless this particular effect is something unique for the pre-show experience perhaps. Anyone know more?
(11/28/11) Orlando Parks News has reported in with a new construction update showing off the progress being made over at the Despicable Me soundstage where a little more external work to the entrance and queue area has been done.
(11/16/11) A Despicable Me construction report has been posted this week over at Orlando Parks News, as well as another peek at the new floating barges coming together for whatever new lagoon show the park has on the way.
(8/31/11) Orlando Parks News drops into Universal Studios Florida to take a peek at the old Jimmy Neutron building which has already been repainted to remove any trace of Jimmy and pals and add an assortment of Despicable Me icons to the construction wall. Oh, and the street that heads down to the Blue Man Group show has now been renamed Minion Way.
(5/20/11) Universal Orlando made two exciting announcements today regarding attractions in 2012 for Universal Studios Florida and for Islands of Adventure. As rumored for the past several months, the Jimmy Neutron attraction will be replaced by a new 3D adventure attraction based on the runaway hit animated film Despicable Me.
The new ride will follow the further adventures of Gru and the girls… and feature more Minions than you can count. In fact… by the end of the ride itself, the guests will also be transformed into Minions to participate in a big dance celebration finale.
The ride will use a new top of the line 4K HD Digital Projection system to ensure that all the details are crisp and the colors are brighter than ever. And did I mention the Minions? They will be everywhere… in fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Minions taking over much of the advertising for Universal Orlando in 2012.
2014 - Potter Phase 2 / London / Project 722 - (4/19/12) A reader sent in a final picture of the former Jaws / Amity area… now nothing more than a flat giant dirt lot. Kind of depressing… but something new will rise here very soon that I hope will make up for it.
(3/5/12) The local news has posted a picture of a new overhead basic plan Universal filed for the Amity area, showing off the layout of several new buildings to go onto the site. With the aid of Photoshop I was able to layer this new image plan over the Jaws site, where it fit in perfectly like a missing puzzle piece. As described previously, there does seem to be only a single entrance into the land, roughly mid-point between the old Jaws unload and load docks. To the left appears to be a medium sized building that has a connecting hallway that goes all the way back to the exact site where I was told to expect to find the loading platform for the Hogwarts Express.
Beyond there are three smaller buildings, various minor
structures and one single massive building that takes up about about 40% of the old Jaws ride lagoon area. This massive building is where we can expect to find the Gringott’s Bank themed indoor coaster ride. The main guest pathway along the outside of “London” will remain the same as it always has. Looks like universal was also careful to leave the berm behind the Jaws ride lagoon in place, though I suppose they could use this site in the future for another new attraction a few years down the line as well. (Remember that rumored Knight Bus simulator ride?)
(2/29/12) Lets talk a bit more about that Hogwarts Express project today. According to Screamscape sources the transportation ride hardware may be provided by Doppelmayr, who recently created the Ocean Express themed funicular transportation system for Ocean Park in Hong Kong that travels through a 1.3 Kilometer long tunnel and through the use of a two train system, it can transport up to 5000 passengers an hour in each direction. Also of interest here is the fact that the inside of these trains were wired up with fake video screens pretending to be glass-ceiling panels for an undersea voyage. Sounds a little familiar?
While the Hogwarts Express wont be a Funicular going up a hill, or even through a tunnel, the company does also make a series of regular cable powered shuttles that transport riders on aerial tramways. You’ll find a few of these in Las Vegas or various airports around the world. Now, the insides of these cable cars will be an entirely different matter, and will appear more like the inside of what I believe is called a “sleeper car”. (Forgive me if I’ve used the wrong term… I’m not train person.) The interior will feature a narrow walkway down one side of the car, with individual doors leading into the separate rooms, each furnished with a pair of face-to-face seating bench seats, with a single large window (ie: video screen) to the outside world on the far wall end. This will be your window into the Wizarding World for the duration of your journey between London and Hogsmeade.
(2/13/12) Screamscape sources came through over the weekend with some new details about the controversial Hogwarts Express train ride that would connect the back of Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure. From what I’ve been able to learn so far, which I was expecting to hear, the Hogwarts Express train ride should not be a true locomotive style train ride. There will be a locomotive and coal car, but purely for appearance’s sake, connected to a trio of passenger cars.
By design, there should be two separate train units which will load and depart their respective stations simultaneously, along a single section of track, that will split into two side by side rails only in the middle of the trip, allowing the two trains to slip past each other. The trackway between the two parks will actually be elevated up in the air the entire way, which will technically place Platform 9 ¾ on the second floor of the King’s Cross station on the London side. I’m not certain, but the raised ground elevation at Islands of Adventure may allow for the depot to appear at ground level. The elevated track system will allow for large trucks to still pass underneath along Universal’s busy back roads. I’ve also attached a graphic depicting where I believe the track and stations will be placed. As for the magic that will transpire inside the train cabins… I’ll address that at a later time.
(1/26/12) Screamscape sources tell us that those new survey markers spotted backstage behind Universal Studios Florida actually do run down towards the backstage area behind the Sinbad stunt show at Islands of Adventure.
(1/23/12) According to once source demolition work in the old Jaws area has been going full steam ahead this week, as Amity will soon be nothing more than a giant muddy crater as the work crews are said to be moving quite fast on this. Elsewhere, sources tell us that a bunch of survey markings can now be found all along the main backstage road leading towards the Jaws / Amity area. No word yet on if they stretch all the way from Amity to the Wizarding World at IOA or not, but this sounds like the start of the Hogwarts Express to me. So far markings have been spotted in the area behind Soundstage 33 and down behind the Revenge of the Mummy attraction building.
(1/2/12) Theme Park Insider posted a great scoop late yesterday, featuring concept artwork showing off the long rumored Gringotts Bank themed dark roller coaster ride cars as well as going over details from the proposed plan that sure seems to fit everything I’ve been hearing for the last few weeks. In addition, they describe your journey into the bank vaults will also feature a brief “elevator” ride experience. The coaster cars appear similar in basic design to those used on Revenge of the Mummy, but with only 3 rows of 4-seats across, but with two cars trains instead of individual cars. (24 seats per train).
The report also described how those motion-base platforms I mentioned previously will be put to use in the ride, as well as taking us scene by scene through the various destinations we’ll zoom through along the way including Thief’s Downfall (protected by a dragon) and Sirius Black’s Vault.
(12/22/11) Some great detective work linking the demolition permit of Jaws to the rumored new Harry Potter expansion project has been posted to HHN Rumors this week. Really worth checking out to see just what kind of people are linked to “Project 722”.
As for the meaning behind the 722 codename... it could just be nonsense... or on a hunch I did pull out a copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows to see what it had to say on Page 722. Sure enough... there is a line about being in King’s Cross where it would be possible to board a train. Of course I may just be reading a bit too much into that, but you never know.
(12/21/11) I’ve got a quick Studio item today, plus another interesting piece of the puzzle over at the Islands of Adventure side of things. Today… we’re going to talk about The Hogwarts Express. Most of the Naysayers out there immediately bring up the fact that any train that runs between the park’s backstage is going to run through some very unattractive behind the scenes areas along the way.
The report I keep getting on this issue is that the riders view of the world from the train will not be of the backstage area, or even the real world at all, but instead be an artificial view of the journey from London to Hogwarts. What is not clear is just how this will be accomplished… either through the use of video screens instead of windows… or the rumored use of the King Kong 360 technology that wraps projection screens around both sides of the Backlot Tour tram ride at the Hollywood park in an enclosed building.
Personally, I’m kind of hoping for the later, as it would allow for some unique thrills and sights to be had along the way during both sides of the journey. In the end, you never know… Universal Creative has some fine clever folks on the payroll like Thierry Coup. As the masterminds behind projection based attractions like Spiderman, Kong 360, Harry Potter and Transformers) who constantly break new ground, anything is possible for the Hogwarts Express.
(12/8/11) While I did speculate that the proposed Potter Phase 2 project could also take over the Fear Factor stadium area, I’ve heard elsewhere that is not planned to happen, and that the show theater will remain. No word on if they will keep it running as Fear Factor returns to the airwaves, or if there is some other kind of plan in the works.
While on the subject of Phase 2 of the PotterVerse (London), as I had suspected, the rumors of the Knight Bus attraction were wrong. This doesn’t mean that we wont see the King Kong 3D 360º technology put to use somewhere… it just wont be themed as the Knight Bus. The ride focus seems to be entirely on the Gringott’s Wizarding Back dark ride / coaster concept, as they apparently have some really grand ideas for this project. What kind of ideas? Remember that uncovered technology patent Universal files a couple of years ago that would have a coaster car ride up onto a detachable piece of track that was hooked up to the top of a simulator style motion base platform able to tilt and rotate in any direction? (Click here to see it) The latest Screamscape rumor claims that we may see this new idea brought to life as part of the Gringott’s coaster ride.
Meanwhile it seems like the Diagon Alley Olivander’s location will be much larger than what we’ve seen built at Islands of Adventure. Rumor has it that the store will feature up to three different “wand shops” instead, but a single queue that will keep them hidden apart from each other, so it looks like you are entering the one and only shop. I’m also hearing something about a possible Wizard’s Duel show… though I’m hoping this isn’t true, as I think the “magic” needs to stay indoors for the most part.
(12/7/11) During the big announcement in Hollywood confirming that a version of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter would be coming to the California park, the company also confirmed that the Orlando Wizarding World would also be expanded, with details about that promised to come sometime in the future.
“This is an incredible moment for Universal Studios and the millions of guests who visit our theme parks,” said Ron Meyer, President & COO, Universal Studios. “The Harry Potter stories are some of the most powerful of our time and we are honored to expand our Orlando experience and bring The Wizarding World of Harry Potter to Hollywood, forever changing family tourism in Los Angeles.”
Keep in mind that they did not confirm if the Phase 2 expansion was coming to replace Jaws, or if it may go into Islands of Adventure instead, but at this point, every source is in agreement as to the location, confirming what I reported previously about the London focused expansion taking the place of Jaws, Amity, and very likely... the seldom used Fear Factor show theater as well.
(12/5/11) In case you missed the late breaking announcement on Friday afternoon, but Universal Orlando announced that the Jaws attraction and the entire Amity themed area around it will be closing down forever after January 2nd to make way for a new attraction. While they were not ready to disclose what is in the works yet… I’ve done a good bit of digging since then and have come up with an amazing proposal that is going to both shock and likely amaze you at the same time.
If my various sources are correct, the Amity / Jaws area will be replaced by the proposed Phase 2 expansion of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Now, before you flip out… lets go over it all, because for starters this really isn’t going to be the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at all. Instead, from what I’ve been able to gather, the new land to be build in Universal Studios Florida will actually represent the “London” side of the PotterVerse… including an entrance to the infamous Diagon Alley.
Diagon Alley, as seen in the movies, is home to infamous locations such as The Leaky Cauldron, Gringott’s Wizarding Bank and the true Ollivanders wand shop location, as seen in the films. The London location is also said to be home to King’s Cross station, where students would board the Hogwarts Express train from Platform 9 ¾.
Many of these locations have been mentioned in the rumored development plans for Phase 2 of the Wizarding World for months now, including an innovative indoor dark coaster ride said to take place inside Gringott’s Wizarding Bank. It’s no secret that the Wizarding World has been popular…so much so that it needed to be expanded to spread out the crowds, and come up with a way to provide new locations for guests to buy Butterbeer, Ollivanders wands and more. But it seems that Universal Creative really decided to try a new idea… and think really outside the box this time. Literally… because this new expansion is going to allow for guests in both parks to get a taste of the PotterVerse… but to get the ENTIRE experience, you’d going to have to have a 2-park ticket.
Speaking of having access to both parks… connecting the dots is said to be a true recreation of the Hogwarts Express, allowing guests with two park passes (and Universal Resort guests) to recreate the true journey from the Muggle world of London and actually board travel to the train station and board the train for a trip over to Hogwarts and the rest of the Wizarding World at Islands of Adventure.
Now if all that wasn’t enough, I’ve heard some rumors about another possible new attraction likely to go into this Phase 2 project, that may attempt to take advantage of the new 3D projection tunnel technology Universal created for King Kong 3D 360 at the Hollywood park earlier this year. I don’t know if this may be put to use during your train ride on the Hogwarts Express, or if this will be an entirely separate ride experience. (One source suggested it could be a trip on the 3-decker Knight Bus, but I’ve heard that this isn’t likely to happen).
Either way this is huge… and apparently it all has a rather aggressive construction timeline as Universal is said to be shooting to have it all up and running by 2014. I’ve also heard that an official announcement or teaser could be released very soon, so stay tuned!
(12/2/11) While the overall theme of every rumor regarding Phase 2 of the Wizarding World is that it’s a sure thing… the one factor up in the air was the ‘when’. When will the construction start? According to new rumors starting to flow through the park staff, construction walls could go up for the first phases as early as February 2012.
With the various news sources all aflutter about the reports of a Hollywood version of the Wizarding World being finalized over the next week or two, it would only make sense to get those same people at Warner Brothers to sign off on Phase 2 of the Orlando attraction at the same time, don’t you think?
(4/8/11) According to a report at the LA Times, Universal has been conducting some guest surveys about a possible expansion of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter that could double the size of the entire land. Apparently the phase, "twice as big with twice as much everything." was used. From the report and rumors I've heard myself, the inclusion of Diagon Alley and a Leaky Cauldron restaurant are a virtual lock in at this point. Unfortunately, no new rumors about the possible Gringott’s dark roller coaster ride, but give it time...
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