We previously told you that Universal Studios Florida were expanding their park to include Diagon Alley and parts of ‘London’ to help complete their Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
Inside the Magic was able to sit down with Theirry Coup, senior vice president of Universal Creative and get more information on the expansion.
Coup explained that their visitors wanted more from the Harry Potter books, including Diagon Alley, London (King’s Cross Station and Platform 9 3/4), Gringotts Bank, and the Hogwarts Express.
He started his journey in London, going to Diagon Alley to get his wand, and going on the Hogwarts Express, going to Gringotts Bank to get the money from his parents – that was such a huge part of the stories and we had to bring it to life. And the way we’re bringing it to life is even cooler.
 |
He said that the level of detail that will be found in this expansion is going to be much higher than the rendering provided earlier in the week.
It’s going to be so much higher in details and we had to take some creative liberty as to where things are positioned exactly because we’re trying to put everything in a rendering and you want to make sure that the overall impression and the feeling is correct, which it is, but […] the real thing is going to be so much more than that.
Of course, one of the exiting new items announced was that visitors would actually get to ride on the Hogwarts Express. Coup gave a bit more information on how that’s going to work.
You will certainly feel exactly like you’re taking a journey from London to Scotland or coming back from Scotland to London, King’s Cross Station, and the outside world will be completely invisible to guests and they will be completely immersed in that journey on the train. Everything you can imagine that happened along the way as it did in some of the films plus some other surprises.
The train is expected to take passengers through the back lot of the studio, but they won’t realize it, as the entire experience will be completely immersive.
The wonderful thing about trains too is there’s no limitations, no age or size limits. So it’s a wonderful thing for the whole family as well. But we learned lots from the previous Harry Potter, operationally. I think our team is really planning all that very carefully to ensure that everyone is able to ride it and it looks like there will be no issues with that.
It’s going to accommodate a lot of people as a large train normally would. We’re going to be very true to the fiction and the film is mostly where the visuals were.
For those of you who have been to Universal Studios Florida, you know that it is actually two parks, and admission is usually only to one park, unless you get tickets for both, which, of course, costs more. This is one of the details they’re working out for this expansion.
He was also asked about what kind of stores and restaurants will be included in the expansion. He didn’t give any details, but he said they will include the places that Harry Potter went to. So, one would think that there would be a Leaky Cauldron at the very least.
And what would be Diagon Alley without the Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes?
Ollivander’s Wand Shop is already part of the Wizarding World, however, for those who have been there, they know it’s one of the more popular spots. Who doesn’t want their wand chosen for them? Coup hinted that they may have another one located within the new expansion.
J.K. Rowling gave us the okay to open an annex to Ollivanders, which was in Hogsmeade Village. But to be true to Diagon Alley certainly we want to make sure we brought all the iconic places that belong in Diagon Alley. So, you’ll have to wait a little bit more, but imagine.
And, as the shown on the renering, the dragon will definitely be located on top of Gringott’s instead of in the dungeon.
Coup said they worked with Harry Potter film designer Stuart Craig to create a ride for Gringott’s that will take passengers into the bowels of Gringott’s, very like the books/films.
We took these incredible visuals, worked with Stuart Craig, and we’re going to take our guests for an incredible journey down in Gringotts Bank.
It’s going to be definitely a family ride, that it brings all the thrills and excitement Harry Potter would bring to this world. I can’t reveal too much, but I will soon – when I’m authorized to. It’s going to be fantastic, I can tell you that much. If you saw the films and you saw how cool these settings were, so it’s that brought to life so the whole family can really enjoy it.
Coup said their hope is to make Diagon Alley very much like the books and films portrayed it… Very intimate.
We don’t want to create stores that don’t really fit with the fiction. So there’s still a sense of intimacy, though Diagon Alley is a larger place than Hogsmeade Village. It’s not a little village in Scotland. But we’re not going to drift away from being faithful to what the stories and the visuals were in the films. So you can expect it to be pretty accurate to what was there, which means it’s going to be probably a bit larger than Hogsmeade, because Hogsmeade Village, again, is a small village.
We don’t want to create stores that don’t really fit with the fiction. So there’s still a sense of intimacy, though Diagon Alley is a larger place than Hogsmeade Village. It’s not a little village in Scotland. But we’re not going to drift away from being faithful to what the stories and the visuals were in the films. So you can expect it to be pretty accurate to what was there, which means it’s going to be probably a bit larger than Hogsmeade, because Hogsmeade Village, again, is a small village.
Of course, JK Rowling is involved with the conceptualization of the expansion to ensure it is true and authentic.
The expansion is set to open sometime in 2014, though Coup wouldn’t give any details on an exact date.
Popularity: 1% [?]
We told you way back in December of 2011 that Universal Studios Hollywood was getting their very own Hogwarts castle. Today, it was 
Warner Bros. has informed us that Universal Studios Japan, in partnership with Warner Bros. and Universal Parks & Resorts has plans to build another Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Japan which will make this a global expansion of the wildly popular themed entertainment experience that started at Universal Orlando Resort nearly two years ago..
Universal Studios Hollywood confirmed our earlier report that Hogwarts is coming to Hollywood! The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood is expected to open some time in 2015.
Warner Bros have provided us with a video that includes highlights from the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 DVD/Blu-ray release celebration at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Orlando that took place this past weekend. The video includes quick clips with many of the stars, including Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley), James and Oliver Phelps (Fred and George Weasley), Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood), Warwick Davis (Griphook/Professor Flitwick), producer David Heyman, and director David Yates.
We 
