Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is a motion-based dark ride and the flagship attraction of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park lands at Universal parks worldwide. While not part of the original seven-novel canon, it is an officially licensed experience that immerses guests in the world of Harry Potter. The attraction features a highly detailed queue that takes guests through iconic locations within Hogwarts Castle, followed by a ride that uses advanced robotic arm technology to simulate a chaotic flight through various magical scenes alongside the series' main characters.

• Type: Theme Park Dark Ride (Real World Attraction)
• Location: Universal's Islands of Adventure (Orlando), Universal Studios Japan (Osaka), Universal Studios Hollywood (California) (theme parks)
• Ride System: KUKA Robocoaster
• Key Features: An elaborately themed queue functioning as a walk-through tour of Hogwarts Castle, a unique robotic arm ride vehicle referred to as an “enchanted bench,” and a combination of physical sets, animatronic figures, and high-definition projected media.

The experience is divided into two main parts: the queue and the ride itself. The Queue The queue line is an attraction in its own right, leading guests through meticulously recreated areas of Hogwarts Castle. Guests enter through the castle gates and begin in the Dungeons before emerging into the Greenhouses. From there, the path leads into the castle proper, through corridors lined with talking portraits, including the Four Founders of Hogwarts and the Fat Lady. Key rooms featured include:

• Dumbledore's Office: Guests encounter a projection of Albus Dumbledore welcoming them to Hogwarts.
• Defence Against the Dark Arts Classroom: Projections of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger appear from under an Invisibility Cloak to propose a plan to sneak guests out of a boring history of Hogwarts lecture and down to the Quidditch Pitch.
• Gryffindor Common Room: Guests pass through the Gryffindor common room, featuring more talking portraits and various props.
• Room of Requirement: The final room of the queue serves as the ride's loading station. The Sorting Hat is present, giving safety instructions before guests board their “enchanted bench.”

The Ride The ride's narrative begins with Hermione Granger using Floo Powder to whisk the enchanted bench and its riders away to the Astronomy Tower to meet Harry. The flight quickly goes awry, leading to a series of encounters with various creatures and dangers:

• Guests fly out of Hogwarts and narrowly follow Harry on his broomstick around the castle grounds.
• A Hungarian Horntail dragon, escaped from the Triwizard Tournament, chases the riders into the Forbidden Forest.
• The bench is knocked into the Whomping Willow, which proceeds to strike and batter the riders.
• Guests are plunged into a Quidditch match, only to be swarmed by Dementors. Harry attempts to cast a Patronus Charm.
• The Dementors chase the riders into the long-abandoned Chamber of Secrets, where they encounter the skeleton of the Basilisk and a horde of Dementors, one of which attempts to perform the Dementor's Kiss.
• Harry saves the riders with a powerful Patronus Charm and leads them out of danger.
• The ride concludes with a triumphant flight back into Hogwarts, where guests are cheered by characters in the Great Hall, including Albus Dumbledore, Ron Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Fred Weasley, and George Weasley.

• Hogwarts Castle
• Greenhouses
• Portrait Gallery
• Dumbledore's Office
• Defence Against the Dark Arts Classroom
• Gryffindor Common Room
• Room of Requirement
• Astronomy Tower
• Quidditch Pitch
• Forbidden Forest
• Whomping Willow's branches
• Chamber of Secrets (set piece)
• Great Hall

• The plot of Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is a new, self-contained story created exclusively for the attraction and is not part of the book or film series' main narrative. (theme park)
• J.K. Rowling personally approved the attraction's storyline and design elements to ensure they were consistent with the spirit of her creation. (J.K. Rowling interview)
• Many actors from the film series reprised their roles and filmed new scenes specifically for the ride's media, including Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley), Emma Watson (Hermione Granger), Michael Gambon (Albus Dumbledore), Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy), and others. (theme park)
• The ride first opened at Universal's Islands of Adventure in Orlando, Florida, on June 18, 2010. It was later replicated for Universal Studios Japan in 2014 and Universal Studios Hollywood in 2016. (theme park)
• The Hollywood version of the ride opened with stereoscopic 3-D effects, but these were later removed in 2018 due to guest complaints of motion sickness. (theme park)