By Jim Farber
When I was a kid growing up in Los Angeles in the early 1950s, amusement parks were nothing like they are today. Ocean Park Pier in Santa Monica and the New Pike in Long Beach were sleazy tattoo-parlor, "Hello, sailor" affairs with cotton candy, taxi dance ballrooms, halls of mirrors, diving bells and rickety roller coasters.
Then on July 17, 1955, everything changed. Disneyland opened. "The Magic Kingdom" featured a Norman Rockwell vision of an American Main Street; a frontier-land past with Tom Sawyer, Davy Crockett and Indian canoe rides; a castle built on fantasies of Sleeping Beauty and Snow White; a jungle boat cruise with flapping-eared hippos; a house of the future; and a rocket to Mars.
Disneyland pioneered the idea that an amusement park experience could be directly linked to the success of a motion-picture studio and its products. At the same time it offered myriad opportunities for brand-name placement throughout the park and a marketing bonanza for every type of Disney souvenirs. Still have your mouse ears?
Nine years later, on July 15, 1964, the formula changed again. One of Hollywood's oldest studios, Universal (which had once sold tickets to watch movies being made for 25 cents), decided to transform the moviemaking experience into a theme park. The Universal Studios Tour was born.
Now there's a new kid on the block and he carries a big wand.
On April 5, Universal Studios (in collaboration with Warner Bros.) unveiled "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter" as John Williams conducted the Los Angeles Philharmonic in music from the films and fireworks exploded over the 200-foot-tall replica of Hogwarts Castle.
"Today is a very exciting and historically significant day for us," proclaimed Larry Kurzweil, president of Universal Studios Hollywood. "This incredible event to celebrate the opening of 'The Wizarding World of Harry Potter' marks the pinnacle of years of hard work and the beginning of a new generation of Universal Studios Hollywood. With over 75 percent completely reimagined, Universal Studios Hollywood is an entirely new theme-park destination and we look forward to sharing everything that the Entertainment Capital of LA has to offer with visitors from around the world."
The $500 million creation covers more than 5.5 acres of the park, replacing the old Universal Amphitheater. Now muggles, wizards and witches of all ages enter "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter" through a re-creation of the village of Hogsmeade.
As in "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter" in Orlando, Florida (which opened in 2010), everything has been re-created, down to the tiniest details drawn from the pages of J.K. Rowling's novels and their cinematic visualizations. But because of space constraints the Hollywood park does not include the immersive walk through Diagon Alley or the popular virtual ride on the Hogwarts Express from King's Cross Station (Platform 9 3/4) to Hogsmeade Village.
Instead visitors arrive at the gates of Hogsmeade on foot and enter beneath a sign that reads "Please respect the spell limits." The Hogwart's Express locomotive is there, huffing and puffing at the station. But the rest of the train is in Orlando.
For eating there's the Three Broomsticks ye-olde English-style tavern and the Hog's Head Pub. The bill o' fare includes traditional English dishes such as bangers and mash, shepherd's pie, fish and chips, beef, lamb and Guinness stew, along with a selection of signature beers that include Dragon Scales and Wizard's Brew. There's also the drink of choice for young witches and wizards (non-alcoholic) butterbeer and pumpkin juice.
A favorite haunt of Harry, Ron and Hermione's is Honeydukes, a rainbow of a candy store renowned for its chocolate frogs, exploding bonbons and Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans — just hope you don't get the one that tastes like boogies!
Olivander's wand emporium is not actually in Hogsmeade. It's in Diagon Alley, as any Potterite worth his wand will tell you. But it's here just the same. And it's a delight to watch as young wizards and witches go through the process of finding just the right one. Occasionally a wand will actually leap right off the shelf and into your hand! Also as a clever addition, the most expensive wands have a built-in sensor that activates special spots throughout the castle, which are located with the aid of a Marauders-style map that comes with the wand.
After their Hogsmeade experience the journey through the castle begins, climaxing with an interactive 3-D HD thrill ride called "Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey." It's described as "A robotic ride system fused with elaborate filmed action sequences and immersive visceral effects." And getting there is half the fun.
One of the "innovations" that Disneyland pioneered was the ability to transform an endless line into part of the ride. This concept has been totally integrated into a labyrinth of twists and turns, rooms and hallways that lead to "The Forbidden Journey." There's the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, the Gryffindor Common Room, Professor Dumbledore's office and the grand Portrait Hall, all accentuated by detailed props and holographic visual encounters.
Finally you arrive at the ride and step onto a moving sidewalk. Six riders are well secured inside moving vehicles, then don 3-D goggles. The adventure takes off at breakneck speed, spiraling and pivoting along an elevated ride track. It's a whirlwind ride that incorporates realistic props with HD visual effects reflecting storylines from the film but created specifically for the ride, including a quidditch match, a soaring flight above Hogwarts Castle and an encounter with one very persistent dragon. People subject to motion sickness, signs proclaim, should make their way to the exit before boarding! Absolutely.
After disembarking you'll exit through the gift shop — of course — where every bit of Potter memorabilia you can imagine is available, from class robes to Wizard Chess.
The hope is that "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter" will reshape the amusement park landscape of Los Angeles. I'm pretty certain it will!
WHEN YOU GO
For information and ticketing details: www.universalstudioshollywood.com/harry potter
Jim Farber is a freelance writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
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