Roller Coasters do not have to go hundreds of feet in the air to be a thrilling ride, and the newest ride based on the Harry Potter movies at Universal Orlando in Florida proves it.
Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, which recently opened at the Islands of Adventure theme park, shows that thrills and storytelling can be combined on a coaster-style ride – and can be delivered without over burdening the human body.
Hagrid appears during the ride on Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure at Islands of Adventure/Universal Orlando. Photo Courtesy: Universal Orlando.
While going through the highly detailed (and long) queue line, visitors eventually view a video (in a mysterious cavern) where the character Hagrid, along with the help of Arthur Weasley, father of Harry’s friend Ron, are trying to charm and tame the rambunctious motorbikes so that we Muggles can ride them.
The motorbikes have a sidecar attached to them and riders riding together have to decide whom is in the car and whom gets to hold onto the handlebars during the magical journey.
Securely restrained in, (this is a Muggle theme park after all) the train of motorbikes is launched out into the Forbidden Forest. This is the first of seven times riders are launched as they whiz past a variety of magical creatures, some of which can be dangerous.
Enchanted motorbikes head up a hill on Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure at the Islands of Adventure theme park. Photo Courtesy: Universal Orlando.
At one point the motorbike goes up only to lose power as it nears the end of track. The ride goes backwards into a cave where more creatures threaten riders. After another dose of some more of Hagrid’s magic, which finally works, launches the motorbike train forward again on the finale of the ride where you finally see the creature Hagrid wanted riders to see.
The speed of the motorbikes hits nearly 50 mph as it banks and careens around the Enchanted Forest. But while it is fairly fast on the nearly one-mile journey, the turns are all well banked just like Disneyland’s Space Mountain.
Besides powered launches, there are also many moments when the motorbikes are deliberately slowed down for key story/show scenes – only to be magically launched onto another portion of the journey.
Gary Blumenstein, Creative Director for Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. Photo Courtesy: Universal Orlando.
Universal’s creative team, led by Creative Director Gary Blumenstein, have topped previous efforts at the park. Gary, who worked with me during our time together at Walt Disney Imagineering, successfully weaved a unique Harry Potter experience throughout this attraction with loads of details taken from the movies based on the novels by J.K. Rowling.
I can only hope that we will soon hear an announcement about this coming to Universal Studios Hollywood here in California so I can ride it again without taking a cross-country jet flight to Florida.