Potter’s Park

A new theme park is opening in Orlando which promises to connect children with a fantastic world they have come to know and love. “The wizarding Wrold of Harry Potter” will become part of Universal Orlando Resorts as a part of their Island of Adventure theme park. Potter’s park will open by the end of 2009.

The Wizarding World will include Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the Forbidden Forest and Hogsmeade village.

The park was designed with the help of dozens of artists under the direction of Stuart Craig who was responsible for production design for the Harry Potter movies. Scott Trowbridge, who works for Universal, said that every detail was considered in the design.
“We’re really going to the people who know this world best to ensure that level of authenticity,” he said.

Author of the Harry Potter books and the creator of the series, J.K. Rowling seemed impressed. “The plans I’ve seen look incredibly exciting, and I don’t think fans of the books or films will be disappointed,” she said.

Because of Harry Potter’s enourmous appeal to young people, the new addition to the Orlando theme park is expected to boost its popularity to that group.

“I’d go to Universal before I would Disney World to go on a Harry Potter ride,” said 15-year-old Alex Moran, who was visiting Orlando from Pleasant Hill, Mo.

One sign of Potter’s popularity is that the books have been translated into 65 languages and sold hundreds of millions of copies all over the world. The series has been made into four movies, with the fifth to be released on July 13 by Warner Bros. There are six books in the series and the final book is due out on July 21.

www.universalorlando.com/harrypotter/