 | |
 Hogwarts Castle, which housesHarry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, at Universal Studios Hollywood | |
 Interactive map of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter | |
| Location | Universal Studios Hollywood |
|---|---|
| Theme | Harry Potter (book series,film series anduniverse |
| Coordinates | 34°08′17.50″N118°21′11.64″W / 34.1381944°N 118.3532333°W /34.1381944; -118.3532333 |
| Status | Operating |
| Opened | April 7, 2016[1] |
| Replaced | Gibson Amphitheatre[2] The Adventures of Curious George |
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is a themed area atUniversal Studios Hollywood theme park near Los Angeles. The area is themed to theHarry Potter media franchise, adapting elements from thefilm series and novels byJ.K. Rowling. The attraction—the secondHarry Potter-themed area to exist at a Universal resort—was designed byUniversal Creative from an exclusivelicense withWarner Bros. Entertainment.
After the successful debut of asimilarly themed area atUniversal Orlando Resort,Universal Destinations & Experiences announced the construction of a second Wizarding World of Harry Potter on December 6, 2011. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood officially began operation on April 7, 2016.
This attraction suspended operations on March 14, 2020, on grounds of theCOVID-19 pandemic.
AHarry Potter themed attraction at a Universal Studios park or aDisney park was rumored in 2003.[3][4] However, the rights to the Harry Potter franchise had been acquired byWarner Bros., which denied all rumors.[5] In January 2007,About.com reported a rumor from a "highly credible source" that theUniversal Islands of Adventure park'sLost Continent area atUniversal Orlando Resort was going to be re-themed "to the stories and characters of one of the most popular children's franchises".[6] Other sources followed up in the next few days with unofficial confirmation that the new area would involveHarry Potter.[7][8] On May 31, 2007, Universal, in partnership with Warner Bros., officially announced that the Wizarding World of Harry Potter would be added to Islands of Adventure.[a]
After a2+1⁄2-year construction period, the area officially opened to the public on June 18, 2010.[13][14] This resulted in attendance at the park jumping approximately 50% in its first year of operation.[15] On July 8, 2014, Universal opened an expansion to the Wizarding World atUniversal Studios Florida, Diagon Alley, which was placed in the formerAmity Island area of the park. This expansion also included the new ride experience:The Hogwarts Express, in which a train travels between the two Universal Florida Parks, from the Hogsmeade area to Kings Cross Station (right outside of the entrance to Diagon Alley). A week later, on July 15, 2014, Universal openedthe Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Japan.[16]
On December 1, 2011, theWall Street Journal reported a rumor from "people familiar with the matter" thatUniversal Studios Hollywood was going to add its version of Islands of Adventure's Wizarding World of Harry Potter.[17] The report also detailed the possibility thatUniversal Parks & Resorts would open additional Harry Potter-themed areas atUniversal Studios Singapore andUniversal Studios Japan as well as a location in Spain.[17] This report was widely relayed by other media sources.[18][19][20] On December 6, 2011, Universal Studios Hollywood announced the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.[21] Universal Parks & Resorts executives Tom Williams and Ron Meyer were accompanied byWarner Bros. executives, theGovernor of CaliforniaJerry Brown as well asJames and Oliver Phelps who played theWeasley twins in the films.[22] The announcement came with very few details of what would be built, however, it did confirm that theGibson Amphitheatre would be demolished and a re-creation ofHogwarts andHarry Potter and the Forbidden Journey would be constructed.[2][23] The last show at the Gibson Amphitheatre was held on September 6, 2013, prior to its closure and subsequent demolition.
On April 23, 2013,NBCUniversal made the final step by receiving a unanimous vote in approval of the 25-year expansion by the county Board of Supervisors. This $1.6 billion expansion is expected to greatly boost tourism and the local entertainment industry. It will also create 30,000 jobs during the time of construction.[24]
On December 8, 2015, it was announced that the park will open on April 7, 2016. The announcement featured actressEvanna Lynch, who played Luna Lovegood in theHarry Potter films. However, the soft opening was on March 31, 2016.[1]
Similar to the Wizarding World in Japan, this one never featured theDragon Challenge coaster like Islands of Adventure once had, but does includeHarry Potter and the Forbidden Journey andFlight of the Hippogriff, along with Ollivander's Wand Shop Show, and the Frog Choir and Triwizard Spirit Rally.
Wands purchased from Ollivander's Wand Shop can be used to perform "magic" at various indicated locations, using sensors that track the movements of the wands. While performing different "spells" from the Harry Potter universe, fans can produce different reactions, such as unlocking a cabinet, opening a box of candy (Chocolate Frogs), and forcing a ruler to lower itself.
The table below show the different attractions across the area.[25]
| Name | Type of Attraction |
|---|---|
| Flight of the Hippogriff | Ride |
| Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey | Ride |
| Hog's head | Dining |
| Three Broomsticks | Dining |
| Dervish and Banges | Shops |
| Filch's Emporium of Confiscated Goods | Shops |
| Honeydukes | Shops |
| Ollivanders Wand Shop in Hogsmeade | Shops |
| Owl Post & Owlery | Shops |
| Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment | Shops |
| Gladrags Wizardwear | Shops |
| Zonko's Joke Shop | Shops |
| Books |
| ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feature films |
| ||||||||||
| Characters (cast) |
| ||||||||||
| Fictional universe | |||||||||||
| Other works | |||||||||||
| Inspired media | |||||||||||
| Fandom |
| ||||||||||
| Related | |||||||||||
| Upper Lot |
| ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Lot |
| ||||||||||||||
| Events | |||||||||||||||
