Now that Epic Universe is open, where should Potterheads go first?
If you want to trace the origins of modern theme park theming, look no further than Harry Potter’s lands in Universal Orlando. There had been a bidding war for the theme park rights to the Harry Potter phenomenon and the smart money – for quite some time – was on Disney.
But Universal’s grander plan won out, and the theme park world changed forever.
Without the Wizarding Worlds of Hogsmeade and then Diagon Alley, you don’t get Pandora in Animal Kingdom, you don’t get Galaxy’s Edge in Hollywood Studios, and you probably don’t get Epic Universe – an entire theme park built of immersive lands that transports guests to another world.
One of those is the World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic – a technical achievement that surpasses other immersive lands. Set in 1920s Paris as part of the Fantastic Beasts franchise – with a ride set back in the regular Harry Potter universe – Ministry of Magic is massive.
When Universal first announced its third Harry Potter Wizarding World was going to be based on the Fantastic Beasts franchise, I was skeptical. The book series doesn’t capture the magic of the original. And while there are parts of the Fantastic Beasts films I quite like, the overall product was left wanting. There was, I thought, enough world building in the originals to stay within the core Harry Potter story.
Then, as details started to emerge, I began to change my mind. Maybe they pulled this thing off, I thought. It looked amazing, enticing even. The scale was grand. The achievement epic. Maybe this will be the best of all Harry Potter worlds.
But now that it’s open, it isn’t.
It is beautiful. It is an achievement in theme park design and planning.
It is – and I feel a little guilty saying it – the lesser of the three lands.
That doesn’t mean it isn’t worthy of your time or your money; it definitely is. But the Fantastic Beasts theming does – at least for me – make it harder to connect on an emotional level. I just don’t care about that place the way I do Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley.
IN THIS ARTICLE
Ranking the Wizarding Worlds of Harry Potter in Orlando
No. 1 Diagon Alley
If you’re a fan of Harry Potter, there’s nothing quite like stepping through the entrance from London – just across from the Knight Bus – into Diagon Alley. It is simply immaculately done. From the shops to the restaurant to the view, it is like stepping into the pages of the book.
Knockturn Alley? Excellently done.
Olivanders Wand Shop? You can’t believe it’s real.
Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes? Couldn’t be done better. The Leaky Cauldron? The best Harry Potter restaurant, though that is at least a little by default.
The only real negative comment I have is the lack of rides.
Only Escape from Gringotts counts for Diagon Alley, and at best, it’s the third or fourth best Harry Potter ride. Why they haven’t added an Avatar Flight of Passage-style ride with quidditch brooms instead of banshees? I will never understand. It’s just leaving money on the table.
Honestly, taken just by the sum of its parts, Ministry of Magic should be the better land. It’s bigger and more developed, with a clear vision and outstanding achievements.
But somehow it’s just not. There’s no way it can match that feeling of stepping into Diagon Alley.
Hogsmeade
With three rides – Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Flight of the Hippogriff, and Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure – Hogsmeade has a significant advantage over the other Harry Potter worlds.
However, the relative lack of immersion hurts the experience at the Islands of Adventure land. There’s never a moment in Hogsmeade that doesn’t feel like… you’re in Florida, looking at plastic snow.
Also, the Hogwarts School is not terribly successfully rendered. They tried to do the Disney forced perspective thing, but you can’t look at the castle without thinking of the “It’s only a model” line from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
If you’re competing with Disney in Orlando, you need to get the castle right.
Still, despite the negatives I singled out above, I love Hogsmeade. While it’s not Diagon Alley, it really is bolstered by the three rides, the shops, and the dining. Also, the Hogsmeade Hogwarts Express station is top notch.
Ministry of Magic
It’s massive – a full story taller than Diagon Alley – and it’s beautiful. As someone who loves Paris – proposed to the wife there – I appreciate the opportunity to see a version of 1920s Paris. Le Cirque Arcanus show is fantastic, and the Battle at the Ministry queue and ride are top tier. But… but.
The decision to use Fantastic Beasts theming lingers over everything except for the queue to the Battle at the Ministry ride. I’m not one to get too hung up on continuity so I don’t mind the mixing of the different times and places, but the thrill of stepping into the “real” world of Harry Potter on the ride highlights the lack of emotional investment elsewhere.
There’s simply not the same level of attachment to the Fantastic Beasts world as there is the regular Potterverse. If the whole land was themed like the ride, it would be the best theme park land in Orlando. As it is, it’s a beautiful achievement that doesn’t quite have the soul of the other lands.
Can it be improved? Maybe.
Original plans had another ride in the works that was scuttled. Space remains for something else to be done. Another ride or two could help add to the attachment to the land, as could a Harry Potter themed hotel.
When plans were first developing, I thought the hotel that would become Helios Grand would be Harry Potter themed. If there’s room, a Harry Potter hotel with access to Epic Universe like Helios could change everything.
