In a live webcast from Leavesden Studios in England, Harry Potter set designer Stuart Craig, along with a rep from Universal Studios, officially announced that Universal Studios in Orlando will open a Harry Potter theme park in 2010 called "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter." The park will encompass all the Harry Potter books and, eventually, all the films as well.
Park visitors will be able to visit and enter Hogwarts Castle, Hogsmeade Village and the Forbidden Forest. enjoying rides, attractions, shows, shops and restaurants. Although no specifics can be given at this time, there will be intense thrill rides, as well as fantasy rides, and other entertainment experiences based on characters.
Everything from the park staff to the food served will be authentically Harry Potterish. Although the park will appeal to any age range, it will be based on a mature kind of magic, the same as the books.
The decision was made to build the park in Florida, as opposed to England, due to the ideal weather climate and the city of Orlando was chosen specifically as it is a theme-park town. All plans for the park were collaborated on by people such as Harry Potter producers David Heyman and David Barron, screenwriter Steve Klovis, and everything was reviewed and approved by J.K. Rowling herself.
According to Rowling:
Quote:
The plans I’ve seen look incredibly exciting, and I don’t think fans of the books or films will be disappointed.
Discussions about the park began in Nov. 2006 and the design process began in Jan. 2007. Fans will eventually have an opportunity to contribute thoughts and ideas for the park on a website, which you can visit right
here.
Special thanks to Warner Bros. for inviting SnitchSeeker to be a part of its exclusive webcast tonight, allowing us to bring this news to our members before releasing it to the general public!
Artist rendering of Hogwarts Castle
Artist rendering of Hogsmeade Village
Artist rendering of owl view of park
You can view the concept art images in high res right
here in our gallery.
UPDATE: For those interested in more information about the theme park, Warner Bros. has just issued this
press release.
Harry Potter theme park to open in Orlando in 2010 
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