Welcome back to Universal Studios Hollywood and the impending arrival of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  The opening date for this new land has been announced and signs of life are already apparent.  You should get your annual passes now because you are really going to want to hang out in this park.  A soft opening might happen sooner rather than later.  We also share the progress of the new entry plaza facades and shops.  Next we look at the upkeep on the Studio tour and the Jurassic Park ride on the lower lot.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Officially set to open on April; 7th, 2016, the Wizarding world of Harry Potter is ready for technical rehearsals any time now.

Several sources have told us that they’ve visited the Hogsmead village area and it looks wonderful. However, it is more compact than its Florida counterpart. Still, the scale seems to work quite well and the experience is completely immersive and magical.

Looking at the main arches into Hogsmeade, you can see the Hogwarts Express just to the right, billowing steam from its smoke stack.

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Entry Plaza

The new entry plaza is really coming along nicely.  As the first impression guests will have of the new Universal Studios Hollywood and it will offer a visually impressive new first act to the park.

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However, while construction in the entry is completed, the clearances between construction walls are pretty tight.

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The new buildings have a classic Hollywood Deco look.

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Studio Tour

Along the Studio Tour we see that a few spots that are getting some major work. In the backlot, a former carpentry shop is now getting a full rebuild.  Little Europe is also enjoying a long refurbishment as the sets are rejuvenated for future production.

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Studios are dynamic places. A set can be dressed and redressed as necessary to meet the needs of filming. Facades can be changed very rapidly, reskinned, painted, or decorated in an infinite number of ways. It’s one reason why I love the Studio Tour and am always on the lookout for what’s new!

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Jurassic Park

The Jurassic Park attraction is taking advantage of the cooler weather to conduct a refurbishment.  Thankfully, Uni thought to place a sign at the entrance to the Starway leading down to the ride. No reason to head all the way down the hill if this was your destination.

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Lower Lot

The work on the construction on the lower lot has now been covered with tarps to protect from the upcoming rainy weather.

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City Walk

We close out the update with a look at the work on the Universal Store in CityWalk, just outside the entrance.

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This concludes our Universal Studios Hollywood update for this week. Are you ready for Potter? Saving up your Butter Beer money?

We’ll see you in the movies!

Norman Gidney
Norman Gidney, also known as Fishbulb, has produced and edited many of the articles on MiceChat over the years.