I'm Going to Harry Potter World!

Since Penelope asked what I thought of it, and I've been meaning to blog about it anyway, and because I consider it my civic duty to report on all things Harry Potter, here's a little post on Universal's new The Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park announced last week. When I first heard rumors that a park was in the works, I was disappointed, thinking that it would just be a letdown. But knowing that Rowling was on board from the inception and that Stuart Craig, the movies' set designer was the concept artist made me feel a bit better. I admit, I was stoked when I saw the concept drawings.

Officials are being very tight-lipped about the actual attraction components of the park, with the reason for the hush-hush being attributed to everything from the fact that they don't know, that it's still under development or that some of the main attractions actually come from the pages of Deathly Hallows. Part of the reason they've waited so long to unveil is because they wanted to encompass all the books. Rumors are afoot that one of the rides will be a simulated experience in the flying Ford Anglia from Chamber of Secrets.

After overcoming my initial distrust of the whole thing, I'm actually ridiculously excited at the thought of getting to go to Hogsmeade and shop in Honeydukes for Fizzing Whizbees and Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans and, of course, Chocolate Frogs. And I hope there's a sweet old witch pushing a cart around so that we can scoop up some Cauldron Cakes and Pumpkins Pasties. With the attractions still under wraps, I reserve final judgement until I know more. There's so much potential for attractions based on the books that I'll be highly disappointed (and mildly irate) if the attractions wind up being reimagined elements of the Harry Potter universe. In other words, if we're going to the Forbidden Forest, it better be the Forbidden Forest. I'm not interested in the Troll Train. And besides, what would Bane think if there was a centaur carousel?