Park Paradise

Universal Studios Orlando - Butterbeer Record

Universal Orlando is celebrating the sale of the 5 millionth Butterbeer at Islands of Adventure’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which opened in 2010.

The beverage, which features heavily in the Harry Potter books and movies, has proven to be one of the most popular elements of the Wizarding World, enabling guests to get a real life “taste” of life in the Potterverse. Universal has now expanded the number of locations selling Butterbeer to four, enabling it to achieve the stunning sales figures.

Butterbeer, which previously existed only in fiction. Their recipe has since been cloned at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in London, and will also be replicated at Wizarding Worlds at Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Studios Japan.

Rival Disney has made some attempts to recreate Universal’s success with Butterbeer, including the introduction of “Le Fou’s Brew” at Gaston’s Tavern in the expanded New Fantasyland at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom.

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Universal Studio Parks - Harry Potter Footage

Stars of the Harry Potter movies have reportedly descended on the Warner Bros. Studio in the UK to begin filming footage for under-construction new rides at Universal Studios Florida.

The scenes are likely to be used as part of two new additions to the park, which will form part of a new area themed around London as seen in the Potter movies. The first of these will be a roller coaster themed around Gringotts Bank, while the second will be a recreation of the Hogwarts Express train, linking the area to the existing Wizarding World of Harry Potter at neighboring Islands of Adventure.

Among those who have been spied entering the studio, which now houses the behind-the-scenes Warner Bros. Studio Tour, are Helena Bonham Carter (who plays evil Bellatrix Lestrange) and Mark Williams (who portrays Arthur Weasley, a close ally of Harry Potter). Lestrange is likely to feature as a character in the Gringotts Bank coaster, while Weasley seems more likely to play a role in pre-show videos for one or both of the new attractions.

The new land at Universal Studios Florida will recreate Diagon Alley, the shadowy area of London seen in several of the Harry Potter movies. It will sit on the site of the former Jaws ride, which closed in January 2012.

Tags: Universal Studio Parks universal universal studios universal studios orlando orlando florida usa theme park harry potter wizarding world of harry potter warner bros studio UK rollercoaster gringotts bank helena bonham carter bellatrix lestrange mark williams arthur weasley diagon alley

Universal Studios Orlando - Transformers ANNOUNCED

Universal Studios Florida has confirmed that it will open a version of Transformers: The Ride - 3D in summer 2013, becoming the third park in the chain to do so.

A clone of the existing existing Transformers attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood has long been rumoured to be on its way to the Universal Orlando Resort, as a stop-gap measure while a new Harry Potter land is constructed nearby. The ride has been rushed into production, with Universal believed to have green lighted it just months ago.

Transformers: The Ride - 3D ride utilizes a very similar system to the Amazing Adventures of Spiderman attraction at Islands of Adventure. As with the Michael Bay-directed movies it is based upon (and the earlier toys and cartoons), it features robots that “transform” into cars, planes, tanks and other vehicles. Riders are placed into the middle of a pitched battle between the human-friendly Autobots and the evil Decepticons.

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Universal Studios Orlando - Transformers?

The Universal Orlando Resort is to make a major announcement on November 1, with all signs pointing to confirmation of the addition of Transformers: The Ride.

A clone of the existing Transformers attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood has long been rumored to be on its way to the Florida resort, as a stop-gap measure while a new Harry Potter land is constructed at Universal Studios Florida. Transformers: The Ride will also be situated in the resort’s first theme park, with Universal looking balance out its appeal against Islands of Adventure.

Universal teased the announcement via its Facebook page. It was originally not known whether the announcement was HP or Transformer related, however a reader noted that the the Adobe Flash file used was named “TransformerCountdown_Clock.swf” as shown above. Universal has since renamed the file. A version of Transformers: The Ride for Universal Studios Florida was first rumored back in September 2011, when legendary director Steven Spielberg let slip that it would be on its way to Universal Orlando “soon”.

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Universal Studios Orlando - $1.5 billion funding APPROVED

The Universal Orlando Resort is reported to have approved some $1.5 billion of spending on new attractions, as it aims to build on the success of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

MiceChat reports that less than half of the available funds have been allocated to two major projects at Universal Studios Florida: the addition of a clone of Universal Studios Hollywood’sTransformers: The Ride - 3D in 2013, and the creation of a second, London-themed Harry Potter land. Universal Orlando hopes that this will help draw guests to both of the resort’s parks for multi-day trips, rather than making single-day visits to the Wizarding World at Islands of Adventure.

According to the report, plans for the remaining funds have yet to be finalised, although they are expected to cover a 10-year timescale. Universal Orlando has already revealed plans to open a new hotel, the Cabana Bay Beach Resort, in 2014.

The level of spending at Universal Orlando will match that at sister property Universal Studios Hollywood, which recently finalised plans for its own $1.6 billion evolution plan. This will include two new hotels and a clone of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

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Universal Studios Orlando - Alice Cooper Maze

It is barely August and already the rumour mill and announcement mill for Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights is in FULL SWING! A “sequel” to last year’s Alice Cooper-themed Halloween Horror Nights maze is to feature in the 2012 line-up at Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Studios Florida.

Cooper confirmed via a webcast on Monday that a new maze, dubbed Alice Cooper Goes 2 Hell in 3D, will be hosted at both parks. The answer can be found in recording of the webcast, embedded above, at 41.59.

Last year’s version of the maze was known as Alice Cooper: Welcome to My Nightmare, and was designed to tie-in with the star’s album, Welcome 2 My Nightmare. It was set in Cooper’s mind, and featured guillotine decapitations, electric chairs, a sadistic insane asylum, predatory snake and giant Black Widow spiders.

Universal itself is yet to confirm the plans for the Alice Cooper maze, although it has announced attractions based on the Silent Hill video game series and the smash-hit TV show The Walking Dead.

During Halloween Horror Nights, areas of Universal Studios Florida and Universal Studio Hollywood are dressed up as “haunted houses” and “scare zones”. Fans of the House of Horrors attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood will know what to expect, with real actors mingled in with the guests to create genuinely unpredictable scares. This year’s events will kick off on September 21 at both parks.

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Universal Studios Orlando - Harry Potter Expansion UPDATE

Over at the former site of Amity Island and the Jaws ride some major construction work is taking place. This mystery project is rumored to be a section themed to Harry Potter in London with a Gringots bank coaster. Universal has announced a Wizarding World extension but no details as of yet.

Generally the site has just been cleared by Universal Studios, but over the last few weeks a new dam has been erected to help restrict water flow to the new site.

Work continues at a steady pace at this mystery project. Note the two dam features at the water edge. The blue wall keeps water back from the construction site. The yellow berm catches debris that might float away from the site.

A crane here is lifting a concrete form away from the dry area behind the dam.

More updates as we have them!

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Universal Studios Orlando - The Walking Dead Maze ANNOUNCED HHN

A maze based on popular TV series The Walking Dead will be featured at Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Studios Florida’s Halloween Horror Nights 2012 events.

Rumors that a temporary attraction based on the smash-hit show would form part of this year’s line-up had been circulating for months, and Universal has now moved to confirm them. The company’s announcement comes hot on the heels of the news that a horror maze based on the Silent Hill video game series will also be hosted at both parks during the events.

The Walking Dead tells a familiar story of a world that been overrun by zombies, and could be likened to an episodic version of George A. Romero’s Living Dead movies. The maze will feature a number of scenes that will be familiar to fans of the programme, and will be populated by horses of the “undead”.

During Halloween Horror Nights, areas of Universal Studios Florida and Universal Studio Hollywood are dressed up as “haunted houses” and “scare zones”. Fans of the House of Horrors attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood will know what to expect, with real actors mingled in with the guests to create genuinely unpredictable scares. This year’s events will kick off on September 21 at both parks.

These new maze announcements are flying in at the moment, I have to experience this event on time in my life…it looks incredible!!

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Universal Studios Orlando - Silent Hill [HHN ANNOUNCEMENT]

After weeks of rumors, Universal Studios has officially announced that a haunted house based off of Silent Hill, the hit video game and movie series, will debut at this year’s Halloween Horror Nights events on both coasts.

For the first time ever, Halloween Horror nights will feature a house based off of a video game franchise. According to the announcement, Konami is working closely with the parks to create the house. Guests at both parks will encounter horrifying creatures from an alternate dimension, inspired by the highly-acclaimed video game and upcoming film, Silent Hill: Revelation 3D.

Stay tuned to Orlando Attractions Magazine for more information on Halloween Horror Nights 22.

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Universal Studios Orlando - Cabana Bay Beach Resort

The Universal Orlando Resort is to open a fourth on-site hotel, with the Cabana Bay Beach Resort set to welcome its first guests in 2014.

Whereas Universal Orlando’s three existing hotels are aimed primarily at the high-end of the market, the Cabana Bay Beach Resort is designed to be an affordable option for families. It will be themed around old-style “road trip” vacations, and will be managed on Universal’s behalf by Loews Hotels & Resorts.

Guests at the new resort will not receive the same perks as those at the existing Portofino Bay Hotel, Royal Pacific Resort and Hard Rock Hotel. Most significantly, they will not be equipped with unlimited Universal Express passes, which enable guests at the other resorts to skip the lines for major attractions. However, they will be able to take advantage of early entry into Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure - a particularly important perk for those visiting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Located on a 37-acre site next to Islands of Adventure, the new resort will feature a 900 family suites (capable of accommodating up to 6 guests) and 900 standard guest rooms. This places it squarely in the same category as Walt Disney World’s recently-opened Art of Animation Resort, which aims to compete with nearby “value” resorts such as the Nickelodeon Suites Resort in Orlando.

The construction of the new hotel marks the first time Universal Orlando has taken on Walt Disney World in the family accommodation market, as it aims to claim a greater share of the time that families spend on vacation in Orlando. It will be heavily-themed, with 50s-style rooms, lobby area and pool.