All about the new Harry Potter attraction at Universal’s Islands of Adventure

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Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure is the latest attraction opened this June 13, 2019 at Islands of Adventure ( Click to WATCH THE OPENING CELEBRATION VIDEO). This “story-coaster” will count with ground-breaking coaster technology and new environments from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

What will you experience?

First, you will join Hagrid in his Care of Magical Creatures class and you will enter the ruins of the Forbidden Forest. Inside the ruins you will see some materials like dragon eggs on the verge of hatching and a makeshift nursery where Hagrid kept his Blast-Ended Skrewts… before they outgrew the chamber.

Of course, you will also enjoy a pre-show featuring digital projection technology and special effects, where you’ll encounter Arthur Weasley, Hagrid, and his loyal dog, Fang.

Then, you will board a motorbike where you will be able to ride the motorcycle just like Hagrid or the adjacent sidecar like Harry Potter. This is where the excitement bursts! Plunging deeper into the Forbidden Forest and closer to some of the wizarding world’s rarest magical creatures, you’ll launch up to 50 miles per hour and you’ll drop vertically nearly 17 feet.

How long is the ride?

Nearly a mile in length! 5,053 feet to be exact. Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure is the longest coaster in Florida.

Who can ride it?

Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure is for the entire family! The minimum height is 48 inches.

What magical creatures will you find?

Blast-Ended Skrewt

A cross between scorpions and elongated crabs. Hagrid created these unique creatures by crossbreeding Fire Crabs and Manticores. You’ll encounter Blast-Ended Skrewts up to 8 feet long with tails up to 10 feet high and topped with a massive stinger.

Centaur

A magical creature with a human head, torso and arms, joined to a horse’s body. You’ll find him in the Forbidden Forest standing at 8 ft. tall.

Devil’s Snare

It isn’t a creature, but this perilous plant often strangles people who touch it with its dexterous vines. Tip for the journey: Devil’s Snare has a strong dislike of light and fire.

Cornish Pixies

Electric blue tricksters who love to create mischief usually at the expense of others.

Challenge: Try to find more than 20 pixies throughout the adventure.

Cornish Pixies Harry Potter Universal Orlando Attraction — Cornish Pixies

Fluffy

A giant three-headed dog that’s known for being the trusted guard dog of the Sorcerer’s Stone.

Tip: Falls asleep to the sound of music.

Fluffy Harry Potter Universal Orlando Attraction — Fluffy

Curious Facts

· Universal Orlando Resort planted more than 1,000 live trees to create the Forbidden Forest.

· Hagrid’s height is exactly proportional to his height in the films: 7 feet 6 inches tall. Nonetheless, in the books Hagrid is mentioned as being twice as tall as the average man and nearly five times as wide. Imagine how it would be to film the scenes with Hagrid being that tall and Harry being a kid, it would require a lot of long shots and high/low angles simply to include Hagrid’s entire head.

· Incredible attention to detail was taken to recreate Hagrid’s likeness from the films, including a meticulously hand-sculpted face, digital scans of Hagrid actor Robbie Coltrane’s teeth, and careful placement of individual hair strands – including eyebrows and lashes.

· Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid) recorded a custom script for this new adventure.

· Universal Creative worked directly with Robbie Coltrane to study his body movements and facial expressions to develop 24 different body actions for this animated figure

· These ruins were imagined and brought to life by Universal Creative in collaboration with the Harry Potter films’ Production Designer, Stuart Craig, and Art Director, Alan Gilmore.

And to get you a little bit more excited... take a look at this video presented by Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy) and Alan Gilmore, Art Director for the Harry Potter films.