The Diagon Alley expansion at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter boasts a working Hogwarts Express which will take you to and from Hogsmeade. Today, new footage from the journey has been released.
In a 2-minute video posted to Universal Orlando’s YouTube channel, the theme park pulls the cloak off what the journey will be like when you ride the Hogwarts Express between Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley, the two lands at Islands of Adventure and Universal Orlando respectively.
The video offers on-board ride footage that you’ll be viewing through your cabin window. In addition to getting a wave goodbye from Hagrid, you’ll also see George and Fred flying on brooms outside of Hogwarts.
Yes, Fred has been brought back from the dead after his death in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. We remember when many fans thought that J.K. Rowling wouldn’t kill Harry in the final book because the atmosphere in the theme park would be sad. It looks like, if Rowling did kill Harry, they would’ve given him a reprieve in the park for tourism’s sake.
Fred also appears in the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride at Hogsmeade, which suggests that the setting for all of these attractions is sometime during the Potter book series prior to Deathly Hallows.
Two other interesting notes: 1) Universal’s Thierry Coup says within the video that you may actually see Harry, Ron, and Hermione on board the train. We’re wondering if you’ll see them out the window like you do Hagrid and the Weasley twins, or if they’re appearing in a different way. 2) Universal says you’ll go through the brick wall just like Harry does at Platform 9 3/4. How will that be? A smoke screen?
This week has been a busy one for the expansion: A contest with the Today Show was announced (it begins this upcoming Monday), and Universal unveiled the animatronic goblins within Gringotts Bank.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley land is expected to open this summer.