PHOTO: A fierce dragon protects the gold at Gringott's Bank, occasionally blowing a fireball as in the video below. (All photos and video by Barry Kaufman)
In the first novel of J.K. Rowling's saga, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, the titular hero's walk into Diagon Alley is really his first step into the magical world. The book sums up the sense-shattering experience perfectly, saying, "Harry wished he had eight more eyes… There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Harry had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon…"
This sensory overload of the bizarre, the quirky and the whimsical informed the design team behind Universal Orlando Resort's Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley. And their attention to detail and devotion to the source material has created something truly stunning.
PHOTO: Ollivanders, Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC.
"I mean, this is Harry Potter we're talking about," said Thierry Coup, Senior Vice President of Universal Creative. "We've been looking forward to this day for four years now so we could share this incredible new experience with the world."
Diagon Alley will open to the public July 8, but Universal was kind enough to offer a sneak media preview June 18, giving a few of us a chance to take in this amazing new creation without the inevitable crowds that will come flooding through after the opening.
In the interest of full disclosure, the centerpiece of this experience, Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts, was not operational at the time of the media preview, but that simply meant more time to explore the intricately detailed homage to Rowling's Wizarding World.
You enter Diagon Alley through a meticulously detailed replica of London. The entrance itself is flanked by a fully realized façade of Charing Cross Street, including a bookshop and a record shop, as in the books. To one side is King's Cross Station, home to the Hogwarts Express ride, which transports Muggles to and from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Hogsmeade. To the other, a block of homes comprises Grimmauld Place, which Potter fans will recognize as the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. Keep your eyes peeled for Kreacher the antisocial house elf, who peers out from the windows of Number 12.
PHOTO: Platform 9 3/4 in King's Cross Station.
Parked just outside is the Knight Bus, where a friendly driver plays the straight man for a hilarious shrunken head in conversation with guests. This attraction encapsulates several of the qualities that make Diagon Alley so impressive - a seemingly genuine affection for the source material and truly talented character actors who complete the immersion into this world.
PHOTO: The Knight Bus, its friendly driver, and an interactive shrunken head speaking with guests.
Once inside (through a wonderful brick entryway where hidden speakers subtly play the sounds of bricks grinding together. If you've read the book, it makes sense) you are hit from all sides by the mind-boggling chaos of Diagon Alley. To your left, The Leaky Cauldron welcomes hungry travelers (the sign actually leaks, so be careful). To your right, the towering figure of Fred Weasley marks the entrance to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.
PHOTO: Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, the finest joke shop in Diagon Alley.
And from there, the details spring at you from all sides. Wanted posters for Sirius Black line the walls. Advertisements for Pumpkin Juice tower over the cobblestone streets. The shingle for The Daily Prophet looks like it has been creaking over its doorway for centuries. A window display of shrunken heads converse amongst themselves in a Knockturn Alley Window. There isn't a single square inch of the entirety of Diagon Alley that doesn't entice further exploration, and this total immersion ensures you'll need multiple trips to take it all in.
"To be quite frank, it's so impressive," said actor Matthew Lewis, who portrayed Neville Longbottom in the films. "When we were filming, the sets were brilliant… but as is very common on a set, half the sets have the cameras or the crew. Whereas what you've done here is created this completely immersive 3D environment… You can't get this anywhere else. From the moment you arrive until the moment you leave, the illusion is never shattered."
Even the food is authentic. During a presentation in The Leaky Cauldron, Senior Vice President of Revenue Operations Ric Florell showed off some of the prep work that went into planning the menu - a dog-eared copy of The Sorcerer's Stone littered with multi-colored Post-Its where he'd found passages devoted to the cuisine of the wizard world.
PHOTO: A troupe of actors perform "The Three Brothers" from the seventh film using a mixture of puppetry and special effects.
Adding to this immersion is a cast of witches and wizards who wander the streets of Diagon Alley, chatting amongst themselves and goggling at the all the Muggles in their midsts. (One of them asked me, "Is that a muggle camera? So the pictures don't move?" Wait until they find out Vine exists.)
Turning down Knockturn Alley, shifty-eyed dark witches and wizards will engage in illicit dealings and react brilliantly to guests. Two of them, deep in conversation over something sinister-looking wrapped in a parcel, quickly hid their contraband when I approached them.
But the most masterful display of character acting can be found in Ollivander's, where a Scottish-accented wandsmith guides you on a personal shopping trip to find your wand (or rather, for your wand to find you). I simply cannot spoil this experience for anyone by writing about it. Trust me, just do it.
PHOTO: A friendly witch demonstrates some magic in Diagon Alley.
Which brings us to the wands. In conjunction with the rollout of Diagon Alley, Universal has introduced a masterful bit of interactive technology that helps bring the Wizarding World to life. Sometimes quite literally. By purchasing an interactive wand at either Ollivander's location (Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley), guests are given a map of special plaques scattered throughout both parks.
With a flick of the wrist, guests can make a skeleton mirror their dance moves in Knockturn Alley, float a quill at the Scribbulus Writing Instruments shop, and even cause a sudden downpour on the streets outside Gringott's Bank. (Quick side note: If actor Domhall Gleason, who played Bill Weasley in the films, is reading this, I had no idea you were standing there and I'm very sorry).
J.K. Rowling set the stage for this new attraction by creating an entirely new fantasy world that millions have immersed themselves in, living and breathing the world of Harry Potter. It's a daunting thing to try and pull something this beloved out of the realm of imagination, but the creative team at Universal Orlando has pulled it off, and created a truly remarkable theme park experience in the process.
The Universal Orlando Resort's Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley opens to the public July 8.
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