Credit: Variety
The young wizard Harry Potter is about to see the release of his fifth film on July 11. His seventh and final novel is coming out July 21. But come late 2009, he and his friends will be getting their own theme park.
Universal Studios’ Islands Of Adventure theme park in Orlando, Florida is planning a huge Potter themed attraction area to open before the final film of the franchise opens in theatres. It is said the area will have at least three attractions and numerous shops for people to get the whole magical experience. The area will be called “The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter.”
The area will encompass such a large area that it is being described as a theme park within a theme park. The attractions will be centered on the Hogwarts School, the Forbidden Forest, and the village of Hogsmeade.
“The timing seemed right for us,” said Warner Bros. prexy and chief operating officer Alan Horn, noting that the fifth installment, “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” will bow on the big screen next month, soon to be followed by the arrival of the seventh and final book in the series, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.“
The designers did not want to rush the park so as to make sure everything was perfect by author J.K. Rowling’s novels and vision. But just because the films and books will be over with not long after the park’s opening, that doesn’t mean the park will close as well.
Warner Chairman-CEO Barry Meyer said “For us, it’s an attraction that will last as long as the park — longer than our lifetime, hopefully.“
