Universal Names Latest New Attraction At Wizarding World Of Harry Potter

Earlier this week Universal Creative finally announced that the long-awaited addition to The Wizarding World – Hogsmead at Universal’s Islands Of Adventure theme park, will be called ‘Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure’. Along with the name, they have released a piece of Artwork that gives us a couple of hints as to how the ride will work. More on that in a bit, but first, why did a much-loved ride have to make way for it?

Hagrid Moves In

‘Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure’ will finally open after nearly 2 years of construction on the land that was formerly home to the much-loved Duelling Dragons roller coaster. That itself was rebranded in 2010 to ‘Dragon Challenge’ when Harry Potter moved into most of the Lost Continent section of Islands Of adventure before Dragon Challenge was finally dismantled in September 2017 to make way for this new attraction.

Why Couldn’t Dragon Challenge Carry On?

Space is at a premium in Universal’s small (relatively speaking) parcel of land at the top of International Drive. To imerse us in ever more elaborate settings takes space, and an awful lot of it. Universal Creative had BIG plans which required an equally big parcel of land on which to bring them to reality.

There is also the shift in the demographic in that the Wizarding World attracts a much younger audience than the original vision for Lost Continent. Duelling Dragons had to be big because it was the only main attraction in the area aside from the multi-sensory Poseidon’s Fury attraction. It had to make its mark and make Lost Continent stand out in a theme park that was, and still is, full of A-list attractions. Any of which most other parks worldwide could only dream of financing and developing at the time Islands Of Adventure was initially coming together.

Dragon Challenge, although being a world-class ride, and still one of the only racing suspended roller coasters in the world at the time of its deconstruction, was perhaps aimed at a slightly older group than the people that The Wizarding World is aiming for. Guests had to be a pretty sizeable 1.37 meters tall to ride which left a lot of Harrys fans out of luck when it came to riding. Duelling Dragons had a huge footprint, and, when ‘Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure’ opens later this year it will still have one of the longest as well as most well-themed queues in the world.

Combine the high height restriction and the fierce sounding roar as the trains rolled by, ridership of the roller coaster was not as high as Universal had hoped.

Theming? What Theming?!

The queue line of both the original Duelling Dragons and the re-themed Dragon Challenge was highly elaborate but that didn’t extend to the ride itself. The rollercoaster originally drew crowds of people as the ride cars passed within inches of each other on several elements giving both riders and spectators a sense that they were about to crash. It was a spectacular piece of ride design but it all took place over a barren featureless piece of land.

Fast forward over 15 years and the wow factor had diminished as rides have become more immersive, starting with the nearby Spiderman, also in Islands Of Adventure that opened at the same time as Duelling Dragons. The popular ‘Mummy – The Ride’ at neighbouring Universal Studios introduced the world to rollercoasters that can go slow, as intricate story driven scenes play out, before shifting gear into a fast-paced roller coaster for a thrilling finale. The opening of Harry Potter And The Forbidden Journey, also next door at Universal Studios, took themed rollercoasters a quantum leap forward when it opened in early 2016.

Universal agreed with Harry Potter creator, and design consultant for the Harry Potter lands, J K Rowling, that Harry Potter would be the most highly themed lands ever conceived. She wants fans of the books to believe they truly are in Hogsmead or Diagon Alley. Anyone that’s ever visited either land will agree you do believe you have been transported into the world of Harry Potter. In that regard, Dragon Challenge was failing one of the most important remits. Combine the lack of ride theming, low ridership and huge ride footprint, it was clear to Universal Creative that something truly magical could be brought to life. It was time to retire Dragon Challenge and look to the future.

When Will Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure Be Open And What Will It Be Like?

Very little has been released by Universal Creative about the ride’s storyline, theming, ride time or, indeed, anything else. Universal Creative had the following to say in a statement:

“Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure will open on 13 June 2019 in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade at Universal’s Islands of Adventure, and feature the most highly-themed coaster yet. 

“For the first time ever, guests will fly with Hagrid on a thrilling roller coaster ride that plunges into the path of some of the wizarding world’s rarest magical creatures.

This statement, along with the above artwork gives us our first glimpse of what the ride will be. Their official Tweet for the launch of the ride also gives little away aside from the date. Looking at past attractions and the name of the attraction, ‘Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure’, we know we will be encountering some magical creatures along the way. To bring those creatures to believable life around us, Universal will need some form of dark ride portion to the attraction. The artwork illustrates track emerging from the ruins of a gothic looking building before plunging into the forest and making a banked turn while riders are screaming in delight while the ominous Hogwarts Castle sits in the background. The exact percentage of the ride that will be indoors compared to the outside is still unknown but you can bet that Universal won’t be leaving the outdoors section anywhere near as barren as it was while there were Dragons roaring over the area.

What is a pleasant surprise is the look of the ride cars themselves. Themed to look like a motorbike and sidecar, as Hagrid uses in the movies, riders will be sitting in either the sidecar or on the motorbike. It’s quite likely that each seat will give a very different sensation to the ride. The sidecar will likely make you feel more protected while the motorbike will convey faster turns and steeper drops as you are sitting exposed and higher than the rider in the sidecar.

Keeping in with the theme of other rides in The Wizarding World, we can expect the ride height minimum to be a little lower than Dragon Challenge allowing more people to ride. Harry Potter And The Forbidden Journey has a height restriction of 1.22 meters while the newer ‘Escape From Gringots‘ roller coaster at Universal Studios is even lower at 1.07 meters to ride. You can expect the ride height restriction for Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure to be around these heights. Whether the sidecar will allow those shorter in height to ride remains to be seen but it’s an interesting idea in allowing yet more people to ride the movies like they never have before.

We will have to wait until 13th June this year to find out. Whether it will be a better ride than Duelling Dragons/Dragon Challenge is a personal debate that many tens of thousands of visitors will be mulling about for years to come. One thing though is certain, it will be a more fitting addition to the land it is based in and Universal should be praised for taking the bold and very expensive step of replacing an iconc ride with something more fitting to the world they are trying to create.