Attention all Harry Potter fans: you can forget about having to settle for yet another vacation at Disneyland or Coney Island—soon you will be able to get your kicks at the place your young hero calls home (or at least a version of it). Universal Orlando Resort just announced it plans to open a Harry Potter theme park that will allow fans of the boy magician to visit some of the same iconic locations featured in the best selling books and blockbuster movies.
“The Wizarding World of Harry Potter” is scheduled to open at Universal’s Islands of Adventure theme park in late 2009. When it’s complete Potter fans can scamper around the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the Forbidden Forest, and Hogsmeade village.
Apparently, the plans for the new theme park are so detailed they even impressed Potter author J.K. Rowling.
“The plans I’ve seen look incredibly exciting, and I don’t think fans of the books or films will be disappointed,” Rowling told reporters.
She also noted that she has been consulting with a creative team to make sure the park closely resembles the books and films. Rowling says she wants the theme park to be as authentic as possible.
Currently, dozens of artists have invaded the studio where the movies are being filmed to make sure every detail is considered. Which means by the time the park is complete, Potter fans can expect to find famed locations like Dumbledore’s office in Hogwarts and the shops in Hogsmeade. However, park designers say don’t expect to see any character look-alikes wandering the park—they say they’ll leave that to other theme parks. Rather, “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter” will focus more on thrill rides and “other magical adventures.”
And one more bit of good news for you Harry Potter fans… according to top movie executives, “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” the fifth movie based on the best-selling books, will open in U.S. theaters July 11, two days earlier than expected. Meanwhile, the seventh and final book in the series, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” is still scheduled for release July 21.
Related Articles:
Summer Travel: Calling All Thrill Seekers
Summer Travel: Family Friendly Shows
Where Spider-Man Comes To Life