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Galloping gargoyles! I'm the first to review this? It's the best ride in Orlando! I'll try to provide detail (a few minor spoilers ahead...)
Harry, Ron, Hermione, Dumbledore, Hagrid + Draco all appear in this ride, along with a few silent cameos by other characters. But the real star is Hogwarts itself. The ride takes place in the massive recreation of the castle, and the whole place feels very alive. Moreso than any attraction I've been on, the ride queue really feels like it's part of the attraction itself. HP fans will go ape at all the detail. One notable area walks through a room with tons of paintings that start to move + talk.
The ride itself is similar to IOA's own Spiderman. You get in a vehicle that really moves (in this case, 4-person "benches" suspended from overhead rails), travel through a seamless blend of live sets and movie footage, and tilt - a lot! - along several access to help give the simulation of motion. Spidey has long been unequaled at this, but HP is better. It's not 3d, but the movie is live action. When Hermione sends you off, rising up through a chimney, the motion feels stunningly real.
Moreover, the live sets and audioanimatronic figures are far and away the best Universal has ever done. Heck, better than anything Disney has done. Many of the sets and AA figures are enormous, some to the point of being bonafide menacing looking. No detail is spared, down to temperature changes when certain villains show up.
Not only does this ride live up to the hype, it surpasses it. Do. Not. Miss.
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