ORLANDO, Fla. — The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is growing beyond the borders of Orlando. But its first superfans hope there will be room for expansion at the boy wizard’s first theme-park home as Universal adds new attractions at parks in Japan and California.
Wizarding World saw its first growth spurt when London-themed Diagon Alley was added at Universal Studios last year. It was connected — via Hogwarts Express train — to the original attraction, which turned 5 years old last week.
Another Wizarding World opened at Universal Studios Japan last summer, and Universal Studios Hollywood will become home to the third World next spring.
All three locations will feature the signature Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride, but in California, it will be presented in 3-D. Japan’s version recently was retrofitted to have those effects. Universal officials have not said whether Orlando’s ride will be updated, but the biggest Potter fans expect similar upgrades here, if not one-ups.
Keith Carden of Casselberry imagines a stage show featuring wand duels and 3-D projections.
“That, I think, they’re missing out on. They have the technology to do it already,” said Carden, who, back in the day, waited with his 2-year-old daughter outside construction walls at Islands of Adventure.
Although he understands the business advantages of Universal’s expansion strategy, he thinks Orlando should have first dibs on additions to the Potterverse.
“We were the first park, and I feel like that if they want to do something new or different, we should be the ones to get it,” Cardin said. “Obviously, I want to see everything I can as fast as I possibly can.”
Karen Martin, who frequently traveled from her home in St. Petersburg in the early days of the first Wizarding World, has been glad to see the expansions.
“I think it’s good for other fans to get to enjoy what we have — I mean, I’m glad we got it first,” said Martin, a firm fan of J.K. Rowling’s fiction and the “Potter” films who says she grew to appreciate the theme-park version and approves of the Diagon Alley branch.
“I really appreciate Universal for using that Potter money in the best way,” she said.
On her wish list is an attraction based on a Wizarding World sport with flying broomsticks.
“Quidditch is my absolute favorite thing about Potter,” she said. “I think any sort of ride involved with that would be the coolest thing ever.”
Back in 2010, Martin sometimes rode to Orlando with friend Cody Meacham, who, during the Potter construction, would spend days off outside the construction walls.
Meacham wishes Universal Orlando had devoted an entire park to Harry Potter’s adventures.
Despite the franchise’s popularity, the question remains whether Potter has staying power, said Chad Emerson, columnist with Tourist Attractions & Parks magazine.
“A road map might be the ‘Star Wars’ series. It really is starting to come back on every single level, from Lego Star Wars to new animated features,” he said. “But it’s really the new live-action content (“Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens”) that’s coming up this winter that’s going to keep it fresh.”
The final film of the Potter series, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2,” debuted in 2011.
“The good luck for them is the attraction was so amazingly done that even if Harry Potter loses some relevance, it’s still an interesting place to go,” Emerson said.
He’d like to see Universal explore the culinary side of the Potterverse, beyond butterbeer.
“With food innovation being so popular these days, I’d like to see them put as much effort into food-and-beverage innovation as they did with ride mechanism,” Emerson said.
