TheDailySnitcher along with a few other Harry Potter fansites was invited to take part in a press conference with Thierry Coup today, who is the vice president of creative development for Universal Creative. He spoke to us about all of the exciting new developments at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park, which will open this spring in Orlando, Florida, and also answered our questions.
Below you can read the highlights of the conference:
ÂOllivander's will feel very intimate and very tall, and like a shop that has been around forever. When you walk into the shop you will see stacks of wand boxes. You will be greeted by a wandmaker who works for Ollivander at Hogsmeade. The set designer of the Harry Potter films, Stuart Craig, will be creating some of the wands, which are approved by J.K. Rowling. The wand will choose the wizard who will own it, which will be done in a special way. The wand choosing can take up to two minutes and possibly longer. While the wand chooses you, there will be special effects such as flowers wilting if the wand isn't right for you. If the wand is right for you, then you will have the option to choose it or leave it. There will be 13 different types of wand wood used in the making of the wands. Wand accessories can be purchased at Dervish and Banges.
The rest of the shops in Hogsmeade are near completion with about 90% of the interiors finished, and about 10% of the final details are done. The exterior of Hogwarts Castle is "very large" and will feature rooms such as Dumbledore's office, the Dark Arts classroom, the Great Hall and more! Props from the Harry Potter film sets have been used, including the Flying Ford Anglia. The smallest shops are the Owl shop and Dervish and Banges, and Zonko's joke shop is the largest. There are no lines to get into the shops, and they will be fully functioning shops as well as attractions. The shops will resemble the film versions as closely as possible. There are plans to expand the park in the future to include more attraction sites.
Update: An audio of the conference can be heard below:
We'll be keeping you updated about the opening of the park!
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
