When Universal opened up the highly anticipated Epic Universe earlier this year, there was perhaps no portal with more pressure on it than the latest installment of the Wizarding World. After all, the initial Harry Potter lands redefined what Universal theme parks could be, laying the groundwork for Epic Universe.
While The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic — which recreates a magical version of Paris in exacting detail (plus a London section, for reasons we’ll get to) — is as intricately detailed as its Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley counterparts, there are a couple of harsh realities of the new land that visitors have been dealing with.
Some background: I’ve seen the Harry Potter films and read the books more times than I can count, so you could say I’m a big fan of the series. I also love visiting Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley in the existing Universal Orlando parks, and was really looking forward to visiting the Ministry of Magic, despite some thematic trepidation, but we’ll get there. So, let’s get to the land.
Harry Potter and the Seemingly Never-Ending Wait
The portal — and arguably the whole park — is headlined by the Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry. This massive dark ride — which is based around the trial of Dolores Umbridge — is one of the most incredible attractions we’ve ever ridden. It uses a revolutionary ride system that combines physical sets and motion with screens and simulator technology.
Even the queue, which recreates the British Ministry of Magic in full scale glory, is breathtaking.
However, the attraction has been plagued with long lines since the park’s opening. The popularity of its IP, word of mouth about how good it is, and the fact that it was one of the only Epic Universe attractions that can operate in all weather have led to wait times that usually hover around 100 minutes or more ALL DAY LONG!
On top of that, the attraction has a tendency to break down, and Universal will often close the queue long before the park’s scheduled closure, eliminating one of our go-to hacks of jumping on an in-demand line just before the park closes!
Timey Wimey Problems
Beyond the wait times, there are other harsh realities to deal with in the land. For starters, you may have noticed above that the headlining Battle at the Ministry is set in London during the late 1990s as seen in the original Harry Potter series. However, the majority of the land is set in Paris during the Fantastic Beasts series, which predates the Harry Potter series by a number of decades, beginning in 1926, while Harry himself wasn’t born until 1980.
So, how does the land justify this? Floo Powder and time travel, in a way that doesn’t really jive with the how things tend to work in the pre-established Harry Potter universe. Of course in the real world, the decision to theme the attraction to the original series was likely due to the relative failure of the Fantastic Beasts film series, but within the universe it sticks out like a bit of a sore thumb.
Even though the Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic has some issues, the scale of this new portal is quite impressive, and the attraction is incredible… even if the wait it long! Stay tuned to AllEars for more on Epic Universe!
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What are you most excited to experience in Epic Universe? Tell me in the comments!
I am excited for the new Harry Potter and super Mario land and how to train your dragon ?
One of the great things about all the theme parks is the ability to use your imagination. If if you can’t use your imagination that I don’t know that theme parks are the best place. I don’t remember there being dinosaurs in Harry Potter but when I crossed the bridge at a hogsmeade on suddenly on Jurassic Park. That doesn’t take away from the magic.
I cannot wait for Epic Universe, but it’s going to be jam packed with crowds at the start. The new Harry Potter ride offers a story beyond the last movie. The how to train your dragon area features actual flying animatronic dragons. Mario Land is still pretty new but it features a brand new Donkey Kong Area. Celestial park has the giant coaster and hotel. Dark Universe will be an amazing themed experience featuring the dark ride and some really awesome dining locations with all the Movie Monsters.
There are a LOT of time turners involved in Epic Universe’s new land. The Merch has time turners on it and the portal into the land has a time turner. Now, I am afraid that they won’t follow the “rules” of the time turner that Hermonie used in Prisoner of A, but I feel certain that time travel is worked into the way this land works. There are a lot of hints about this.
The circus show will involve beasts from Newt’s case, after the case has been stolen and the plot involves rescue of the beasts. When one enters the park the main portal will transport one back into the 1920’s Paris, and then the “Metro-Floo” will use more time travel to take the visitor to the 1990’s England. Simple by theme park standards, and very much advertised by all the time turner images scattered about.
If there is a time difference between the Streets of Paris and London’s Ministry of Magic, then I’m sure Universal Creative will come up with a story to explain it. Disney created the weird plant when you enter Pandora to explain why we can breathe the atmosphere, so an out-of-movie explanation can be made up if needed.
As for why Streets of Paris from Fantastic Beasts is being used, I believe Universal was so convinced this was going to be the next big successful film series that Universal began created the land immediately, and were already too far along to completely cancel the project when it became apparent that Fantastic Beasts was ending without a decent ending.