The Osaka theme park is set to begin construction on the Japanese version of the Wizarding World, which will likely be built on the site of a current parking lot between Jurassic Park and the Waterworld theater. Since Universal Studios Japan won't have to clear away any existing attractions for its Wizarding World, it should be ready for a late 2014 debut, opening before the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood, which was announced last December.
No opening date has been announced for the California version of the Harry Potter land, and there are no publicly visible signs yet of construction, which is tipped to involve the demolition of existing structures at the park. (To be fair, Universal Studios Hollywood's getting ready for the public debut of Transformers: The Ride 3D on May 25, so it's not like USH hasn't been busy building new stuff.)
The Japanese Wizarding World is said to include Hogwarts Castle and the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride from the original "Hogsmeade" version of the Wizarding World, which opened at Universal's Islands of Adventure in Orlando in 2010. There's no word on any possible inclusion of elements from the rumored "Diagon Alley" version of the Wizarding World, which is said to be coming to Universal Studios Florida in 2015 or so.
This announcement would leave Universal Studios Singapore as the only Universal theme park without a Harry Potter attraction in the works. Park vice president John Hallenbeck last December dismissed speculation about Harry Potter coming to Singapore, and having toured that park and its surroundings in person, I can't imagine where Universal could make an additional attraction of this size fit in that space-constrained theme park.
Now I gotta start scrounging the cash for a plane trip to Osaka.... :^)
Update: Here's the release from USJ.
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Also, Iger announced yesterday what Disney has said already, that it would eventually bring Marvel characters to the non-WDW Disney theme parks. In this case, he name-checked Avengers, since that's what's earning Disney gobs of money right now and that's what they were talking about during that investors' call.
*According to me of course, we'll see if Transformers joins their company this summer.
Give up Waterworld to build Hogwarts Castle and Forbidden Journey, and convert Far Far Away to Hogsmeade. The junior Vekoma roller-coaster here (Enchanted Airways) is a very close copy of the Flight of the Hippogriff. Shrek's tree-stump house? Possibly Hagrid's Hut. Though it might seem odd to have it far from the castle, so they might want to move it.
Harry Potter there would be excellent.
(Sidenote: in my entire time living there, even in a quaint little neighborhood that literally had no other gaijin living there, I never felt as much of a foreigner as I did that day we were in Universal. =( )
That being said, I'm glad at least one of the parks on the other side of the world will be able to experience Harry Potter. Not everyone can travel across the world, let alone across the US.
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