First, there was Dickens World, a Dickensian theme park which opened in Kent, England, in 2006, and features attractions like “Victorian School” and “The Great Expectations Boat Ride.” Now on its heels comes The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the hotly anticipated 20-acre addition to Universal Studios “Islands of Adventure” property in Orlando, opening next spring.
Details of the park have recently been unveiled, and attractions are set to include a high-tech experience inside Hogwarts castle called “Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey”; a family-friendly coaster that simulates a Hippogriff (the half-horse, half-eagle beast from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) and the Dragon Challenge: a twin high-speed coaster featuring elements from the Triwizard Tournament. “We wanted fans to be able to truly live the experience of these movies,” Mark Woodbury, president of Universal Creative, told the New York Times.
Step aside Mickey Mouse: are literary theme parks the wave of the future?
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October 2, 2009 at 10:52 am
Rob V
I’d like to request a Poe theme park next. Can you imagine a “Hall of the Red Death” or a “Pit and the Pendulum” roller coaster? I sure could…
October 4, 2009 at 9:09 am
noveldestinations
Now THAT would be a great idea. I wonder why some investor or corporation hasn’t thought of that yet? It’s brilliant!
February 17, 2010 at 8:26 pm
Zack Gold
I think it is great that new breed of theme parks is on the horizon. It is about time that the rules of the game change, and Disney will have to make them selves better which will benefit everybody.
My perfect theme park would be a Sci Fi one, a hybrid of Star Trek and Star Wars type a thing.
Anyway thanks for this video I have found more videos and photos of harry potter theme park here: http://www.harrypotterworldorlando.com