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Kedric Francis with his three children. (Photo by Elaina Francis)
Kedric Francis with his three children. (Photo by Elaina Francis)
Kedric Francis

For those who can’t get enough of Harry Potter, a visit to Universal Studios Hollywood is probably on the must-do list for this summer. I read the books by J.K. Rowling and saw the movies. And we let our two oldest kids watch the first two films – we’re waiting on those in which the actors/characters are older and the action and themes darker. But as a family, we’re not as passionate about Mr. Potter and his friends as we are about Disney Princesses and “Star Wars” characters – so far, at least.

Still, I’m a curious columnist, so I took the opportunity to spend a couple of hours previewing the new rides and attractions up on the hill in Universal City.

The word we’re seeing most when people describe the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is “immersive.” And it is that. The village of Hogsmeade and the towering Hogwarts Castle have the wow factor we look for in the best theme park lands.

It’s similar to what we felt the first time we visited Cars Land at California Adventure: Here’s an imagined experience brought to life.

This part of the Universal Studios park is spectacularly detailed, down to bits of moss on the walls, worn edges on the buildings (many of which seem to lean with age) and the owl droppings on the ground beneath where the mail-delivering birds perch – or rather realistic facsimiles of the same.

Those fully familiar with the Harry Potter lexicon will find much to love in the wordplay and clever references from the books.

But let’s be frank: We don’t go to theme parks for the realistic aesthetic experience. So what about the rides?

First, a caveat: I was at the park as a single rider on a media-only morning, so I walked on to every ride without a wait. OK, so “every” is a stretch. There are two rides in Harry Potter Land. The first is a family-friendly roller coaster that’s only a bit more intriguing than Gadget’s Go Coaster in Disneyland’s Toon Town. But not by much: Flight of the Hippogriff is a 60-second-or-so experience, which is great for littler kids, but not so much for parents who have to wait in line for it.

The main attraction is Hogwarts Castle, a 200-foot-tall, gorgeously realized structure that houses the school for wizards at the heart of the Harry Potter stories. The line itself is pretty amazing, as it winds through rooms familiar from the films, with holographic images of the cast speaking to us as we snake our way toward the ride, called Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.

It’s a 3-D experience with motion simulation and screened thrills combined with actual movement that gives a realistic feeling of flight – as in flying and fleeing. There’s a fire-breathing dragon and menacing Dementors and/or Death Eaters – I don’t really remember the difference, much to the chagrin of true fans, I’m sure. And experiencing a “real” Quidditch match had me giggling like a kid.

As I exited the ride, I noticed an area marked Child Switch. It serves a similar purpose as stroller passes at Disneyland, allowing one adult to ride with one child while the other waits with a child too small to be allowed on. Then the adults switch spots. But the Universal Studios way is superior, at least for this ride, because the swap comes after all the cool experiences of the queue, allowing younger kids to enjoy part of the fun.

The ride itself is definitely an innovative blast. And yet … at the risk of coming across as a Disney snob, there was something missing. The video projections don’t seem as crisp as those in Star Tours, somehow, even though the motion was much more extreme and exciting.

And while the world of Harry Potter is definitely worth exploring, the rest of Universal Studios doesn’t measure up to what we expect from Disney. Oddly juxtaposed lands, and areas totally lacking in magic, like the series of escalators connecting the upper and lower sections of the park.

So should you brave the drive and the lines and go soon? Sure, if you’re a Potter fanatic, if your kids are dying to go or if you can afford a VIP experience (starts at $299) or a front-of-the-line pass ($179–$239). As for the rest of us, my advice is to wait out the summer crowds and see how long the lines are in September.

Contact the writer: kfrancis@freedom.com