Last month Universal Orlando Resort confirmed the new Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure attraction, which will bring guests flying on Hagrid’s motorbike beyond the grounds of Hogwarts castle on a roller coaster ride, where they’ll see “some of the Wizarding World’s rarest magical creatures.” And though the announcement revealed that ride will have unique coaster trains that recall the look of a motorbike and its sidecar, not much else was revealed at the time. However, in the weeks since Universal has first announced this attraction, some interesting new details have been revealed about what guests can experience when Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure opens on June 13th.
Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure will be a “family friendly” coaster, but will still feature plenty of thrills
Image: Universal Orlando Resort
Though some fans were initially disappointed to hear that the former Dragon Challenge attraction would be replaced by a “family-firnedly” ride, this new roller coaster will still pack plenty of thrills, as Universal has confirmed that Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure will have a top speed of 50 MPH, and will also include sections where the ride vehicle will twist, turn, and even move backwards.
And of course, there will be plenty of interesting (and potentially scary!) creatures along the way to thrill guests experiencing this new roller coaster, including centaurs, Cornish Pixies, and the iconic Fluffy the three-headed-dog. Riders will also face obstacles like becoming entangled in the Devil’s Snare during this thrilling new ride as well. Universal has also teased that a new creature that was not featured in the films will be debuting as part of this upcoming attraction as well!
Though its true that this won’t be a hardcore roller coaster like Dragon Challenge, it looks like this new attraction will still feature plenty of thrills, but will have a height restriction that will keep it accessible to younger Harry Potter fans in a way that the former Dragon Challenge attraction was not.
This new attraction will place guests in a “real” forest with newly-planed trees.
Image: Universal Orlando Resort
As Universal previously confirmed, the setting for this new ride will be the Forbidden Forest, and in order to bring this setting to life, Universal will be building an actual forest with over 1,200 live trees being brought in to surround this new ride and keep all the magical creatures that will pop up during this attraction hidden from guests. Of course, there will also be indoor sections of this ride as well (as you can see in the concept art above), but most of the action seems like it will happen outdoors in this heavily forested area, which of course will be punctuated by animatronics and setpieces. And of course, this will be the first heavily-themed Harry Potter attraction that will not rely on screens, whcih is certainly an exciting development, and will hopefully set this attraction apart from other offerings in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
Cast and crew from the Harry Potter films will be involved
As you can see in the video above (which features Tom Felton, who played Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter films) Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure will feature plenty of cast and crew from the Harry Potter films, who worked diligently behind the scenes to create an attraction that recalls the films and is highly immersive. Universal is already calling this the most “highly themed” attraction they have ever created, which is quite a big claim, but after seeing all the work that is going intoHagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, we’re inclined to believe it!
Though Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure is still very heavily under construction, it looks like work is progressing quickly, as Universal has previously confirmed that this new attraction will open on June 13, 2019. Of course, this timing is not an accident, as Universal is probably trying to roll out its newest Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction as far in advance as possible of the now-confirmed August 2019 opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, even as prices continue to rise at Walt Disney World.
