Take a Spin Through the Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash at Universal Studios Hollywood

© Universal Studios Hollywood

There can never be too many dark rides if you ask me, so it's wonderful that Universal Studios Hollywood has opened a new one - The Secret Life of Pets: Off The Leash.  Guests have waited an extra year to be able to take a spin through the animated world of our favorite pets, and the park has not disappointed on the execution of the attraction.

The ride features passengers that take on the role of pets that are going to be adopted but in order for that to happen they have to make their way through the zany streets of New York to arrive at the adoption event.  The ride is absolutely stuffed with cute animatronics and heavy on 3-D sets, but utilizes plenty of creative and modern technology mixed in as well.  Granted I'm going off of a video here, but it look like a fantastic addition to the park!

Here is a trip through some the ride's queue and the actual experience as well from Attractions 360, if you do not mind a spoiler then press play!

Universal Studios Hollywood Reopens Jurassic World - The Ride With Awesome Updates

© Theme Park Shark

Visitors to Universal Studios Hollywood's Taste of Universal special food event, still being held before the park's full reopening this week, got a special treat this past week as some rides and attractions were in operation.  This included Jurassic World - The Ride, which receive some awesome updates since the last time it was open at the park.

The attraction first reopened in the summer of 2019 as a full update of Jurassic Park - The Ride, which operated at the park since 1996.  There were many changes made to the visuals of the ride, including an all new ending that features the scary Indominus Rex having a battle with the Tyrannosaurus Rex right before the big finale drop.  However, many were let down that when the ride reopened the Indominus Rex was just the character's head, and it didn't really have quite the oomph many were hoping for.

Well, that's fixed now, no doubt!  The Indominus Rex character at the end is now a full animatonic that moves forward to well over the ride's track, snarling and getting ready to take a bite out of riders - until the Tyrannosaurus Rex shows up of course.  The old Indominus head character has also been moved to earlier in the ride, making it have a 3rd menacing appearance.  There were other changes, too, including a smashed Gyrosphere and the return of the popular Compies, which are fighting over a hat this iteration.

Check out all the changes in this video from Theme Park Shark:

And, if you're like me, you might want to see the 2019 version of the ride to make comparisons, so I'll make it easy.  Here's a point of view of the attraction from SoCal Attractions 360:

Universal Studios Hollywood to Resume Operations April 16th

© Universal Studios Hollywood

One of the last major California theme parks to announce their reopening date, Universal Studios Hollywood has confirmed that they will welcome guests back on April 16th.  Tickets for the reopening will go on sale on April 8th.  As with the other parks in the state, only California residents will be eligible to visit the park for now, and groups are limited to people from three households and an overall total of ten people.

All visitors will require a reservation in order to enjoy the fun at Universal Studios Hollywood.  There are plenty of guests out there who already have valid admission tickets in hand, and they'll be able to make reservations starting April 5th.

 

Season pass holders will be allowed to make reservations for "bonus days" - the first of which is April 15th, which do not count against their blackout dates nor do they count as normal days for calculating how long the pass is valid.  The bonus days will run select dates through May 16th.  Starting May 17th passholders will be given a new pass that shows their new expiration date (which covers all the days the park was closed in addition to the bonus day period).

© Universal Studios Hollywood

But how about the rides and attractions!  The park does state that not all will be able to open right away, but they intend to have most everything up and running that they can within the state's guidelines for operations.  This includes the brand new The Secret Life of Pets - Off the Leash dark ride that never got to open.  Also operating will be Jurassic World The Ride, a newer fan favorite at the theme park.  The park released the images included here to hype up guests for the rides before they reopen.

California Amusement Parks Can Open April 1st With Strict Capacity Limitations

© Disney

California has provided a new plan that will allow amusement and theme parks to open in the state as soon as April 1st, although with strict capacity limitations in place.  Prior to Friday's update the only way to get to reopen a large park was for the county it is located in to reach the yellow or "minimal" rating, which has proven impossible as the pandemic continues.

Now, even parks in counties that are in the 2nd red "substantial" tier can open starting April 1st.  The reason this is important is because the counties that contain the largest parks in the state are expected to move from the purple "widespread" ranking into the red ranking in the next couple of weeks.  I believe that California's Great America is already in a county in the red ranking.

© California Dept of Public Health

In the red ranking parks are limited to 15% capacity, which is a very small amount.  The state wants no groups larger than 10 visiting the parks and no more than 3 household groups together.  Indoor attractions will have a 15% max capacity, with "time restrictions" in place, there will be no indoor dining and quite importantly, no out of state visitors are allowed at the parks.

In the orange or "moderate" ranking the capacity limits increase to 25%, with the other rules still in place, although indoor dining is allowed.  In the least restrictive yellow phase capacity is limited to 35%, but indoor capacity remains at 25%.

© Disney

So this is progress, no doubt, but 15% capacity will be a big issue for parks like Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, Knott's Berry Farm and Universal Studios Hollywood.  One has to wonder if when they reopen with those restrictions in place if they will hold expanded versions of the food and retail festivals nearly all of them are already holding.  Knott's has been at this for almost a year now, with Disney and Universal joining them soon.  Adding some rides and attractions to the mix, kind of like what Busch Gardens Williamsburg has been doing, could but a good fit for 15% capacity.

These parks could continue to hold separate cost (or discounted for pass holders) events that will help them more easily stay within the 15% capacity limit, while still charging a higher ticket price that can help things stay positive at the bottom line.   Especially with the popular Disney parks, I can't see them just having it be a free for all with regular daily tickets offered for such a small attendance amount.  Perhaps this could work for parks up North, like California's Great America, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom and while not North, even maybe Six Flags Magic Mountain.  Maybe.  I'm not convincing myself fully though.

© Universal Studios Hollywood

I remember last year a lot of parks started out by limiting the amount of season pass holder reservations available each day, but when the crowds didn't materialize those restrictions quickly fell off.  That could come back as a more important issue this year for the California parks.  I guess regardless of the capacity mix of pass holders versus day tickets, I can't image these parks will be able to open all their attractions with a 15% capacity limitation, as keeping costs to a minimum will be a major concern.

Unless, of course, we see daily ticket prices go up to $250 a person or something!  I think Disneyland Resort fans would happy whip out their credit cards, but probably not so viable for the other parks.  One thing is for sure, the parks will get creative and find some way to entertain their guests despite these strict rules.  And that's great news to look forward to!

California Releases Strict Rules for Parks Reopening During Pandemic

© CDPH & CAL OSHA

All California theme parks have stayed shuttered during the pandemic, with only some opening in order to have special food and retail festivals or operate as zoos.  While parks in some parts of the country opened as early as June, there have been no rides operating in California since March, or so.  Recently the parks across the state have urged the California Governor to release a plan so that they know when they will be able to open the gates again, and now the plan has been released.  You can read the full document here, but in short, parks in California won't be reopening any time soon.

The plan features color coded stages related to positive COVID-19 test results and cases rates per county.  Purple (Widespread) is the worse, followed by Red (Substantial), then Orange (Moderate) and finally Yellow (Minimal).  These follow the larger reopening plan that the state has had in place for some time, and the risk matrix for each stage is below.

© covid19.ca.gov

No parks are allowed to open at all in counties in both the purple and red stages.  Starting in the orange stage "small" parks (overall capacity less than 15,000) can open but on at a maximum of 500 guests or 25% of capacity, whichever is less.  That's a severe restriction that would make operations unprofitable for nearly every park I can think of.  Plus, in the orange stage, these parks cannot open indoor attractions and visitors can only be from the same county the park is located in.  The logistics of checking that operationally seems like a nightmare as well.

If a county gets to the yellow stage then a park within it can operate at 25% of maximum capacity and all indoor locations in the park can only have 25% capacity.  That would allow parks to open in similar ways that others around the country already have, as there are also a full set of rules related to face masks, cleaning, social distancing, etc.

© covid19.ca.gov

The catch is that currently less than 10 counties in California are in the yellow stage, none with parks in them.  Less than 15 counties are in the orange phase, which would come with the strictly limited attendance, and they don't have parks in them anyway.  So all the bigger parks, like Disneyland, Universal Studios, Knott's Berry Farm, Legoland, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, California's Great America and a multitude of others, are currently stuck in purple or red stages.

Essentially, this means that under the Governor's current plan we won't see any of these parks open any time soon, especially with COVID-19 cases surging across the country once again.

Universal Studios Hollywood Updates on New Secret Life of Pets Dark Ride Experience

© Universal Studios Hollywood

Universal Studios Hollywood is starting to build buzz around their latest attraction, The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash, by finally announcing some details about the dark ride attraction.  Located on the upper level of the famous theme park in Pets Place, formerly Baker Street, the ride has been announced to be featuring the same vocal talent as in the feature films The Secret Life of Pets and its sequel.

"The film’s talent and their alter egos include Patton Oswalt as Max, Kevin Hart as Snowball, Eric Stonestreet as Duke, Jenny Slate as Gidget, Tiffany Haddish as Daisy, Lake Bell as Chloe, Dana Carvey as Pops, Chris Renaud as Norman, Hannibal Buress as Buddy, Bobby Moynihan as Mel, Jessica DiCicco as Princess and Tara Strong as Pickles."

Planned to open this Spring, the new ride is set from the perspective of riders being a stray puppy that's on the "ultimate quest to find their forever homes." The ride is said to blend "live, dimensional and animated characters with hyper-realistic media and projection mapping to fully immerse guests in a bustling New York City landscape."  The ride vehicles will resemble cardboard boxes that travel along a track toward the festive Pet Adoption event.

Other highlights of the experience include "technological firsts that combine sophisticated facial recognition with enhanced gesture tracking, which helps to identify each guest as a unique stray puppy for the duration of the ride."  Exactly what type of puppy each guest will be characterized as will change each time they ride, adding a level of repeatability to the experience.

When it opens this Spring, The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash will be housed in a structure themed as a busy New York Street.  The wrapping just recently came down on that, as seen below in a Tweet from Inside Universal.  You can see more of the ride facade in this update from the site.

Walls are down around Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash @UniStudios pic.twitter.com/xQxL7yUGWu

— Inside Universal (@insideuniversal) January 23, 2020

Jurassic World - The Ride Now In Previews at Universal Studios Hollywood

© RyanThemePark via YouTube

Jurassic World - The Ride is still listed as "coming soon" on Universal Studios Hollywood's website, but the ride has finally entered preview mode which means that we've been able to get our first look.  And some lucky folks have even had their first rides... and that means videos are available!

Consider this a light spoiler about the ride, however I'm not going to go into details of the changes made in the attraction - but they look great!  I admit that I was a bit unnerved to hear that the popular Jurassic Park ride would be undergoing major changes, however mostly for nostalgic reasons and not practical ones.  But now having watched many point of view videos of the ride, I admit it looks like a wonderful change that will better suit the expectations of the general public of 2019.

In fact, there's more changes that I anticipated.  We knew the main lagoon was transformed to being indoors, and that did pan out, but several other parts of the ride had major changes as well.  The indoor section at the top of the lift has been totally renovated, and while rather dark on most movies you can tell it's a totally different environment and theme than the 1995 version of the ride.  And for the better!

I'm excited to see if Universal decides to pull the trigger on making the same changes at Islands of Adventure in a couple years, or keeps the existing ride and expands upon Jurassic World in their new theme park.  Regardless of what happens in Florida, visitors to the park in California have a slick new attraction to enjoy!

The daytime point of view movies of the ride are great, but I think this one of it at night, from Ryan ThemePark on YouTube, really shows off how nice the ride looks.  Take a look if you want to see all that Jurassic World - The Ride has to offer!

Universal Studios Hollywood Opening Secret Life of Pets Themed Dark Ride in 2020

© Illumination Entertainment

Finally we can take another major addition to a Universal theme park off the "rumor" list and put it on the "confirmed" one.  Today Universal Studios Hollywood announced that they are building a new dark ride themed around The Secret Life of Pets film franchise in 2020.  The ride will be called The Secret Life of Pets: Off The Leash! and take up the space formerly occupied by the Globe Theatre.

The park has not released any concept art with today's announcement, but did give fans the premise of the ride.  The ride will be set in New York City and themed around a pet adoption day, with passengers playing the role of stray puppies on a mission to find a forever home.  They will join popular characters from the movies along the way, including Max, Snowball, Gidget, Chloe and Duke.  Of course, the trip to the adoption event is filled with an "array of challenges" that will have to be overcome before the end of the journey.

As for the ride itself, we know it will be an indoor dark ride experience, and Universal Studios Hollywood states that it will "blend live, dimensional and animated characters with hyper-realistic media as guests zip along a track aboard ride vehicles through bustling New York City streets towards the Pet Adoption event."

© Illumination Entertainment

“We are thrilled to be able to bring another exciting Illumination movie-based ride to our guests,” said Karen Irwin, President and COO, Universal Studios Hollywood. “The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash!’ will capture the essence of the popular film and invite our guests to live vicariously through some of their favorite characters as they embark on a one-of-a-kind experience only available at Universal Studios Hollywood.”

The attraction's location in Universal Studios Hollywood will put it right next to both Despicable Me Minion Mayhem and Super Silly Fun Land, also themed around Illumination Entertainment films.  Plus, The Secret Life of Pets 2 will open this June, keeping the franchise fresh before the ride opens next year.

New Potter "Dark Arts" Projection Show Coming to Both U.S. Universal Studios Resorts

© Universal Studios

A brand new nighttime projection mapping show has been announced to open this year at both Universal Studios Hollywood and Islands of Adventure, both of which are home to Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Hogsmeade themed areas.

The new show will again utilize the amazing Hogwarts Castle as the base for the experience, and will be called Dark Arts at Hogwarts Castle.

According to Universal Studios, "this exciting all-new light projection experience will cast a mesmerizing display unleashing eerie creatures and villains upon the stone walls of the castle. Illuminating the darker side of the Wizarding World, this spectacle of music and lights will unleash some of the eeriest creatures and darkest wizards of the Harry Potter series, cast ominously against the stone walls of the castle."

While this certainly sounds like something that would fit in rather well with the Halloween and Fall season, the premier date for the attraction at both parks has not been revealed yet.  The production will feature some of the most fearsome creatures from the Harry Potter series, including the highly feared Dementors and Death Eaters, but also the Acromantula, Mountain Trolls, and Thestrals.

These baddies will try to take over the Castle, and eventually "the chilling visage of the Dark Lord, Voldemort," will appear to finalize the takeover... only to have one of the wizarding world's most effective defensive charms cast to protect it.

Stay tuned for more details on when you can experience the Dark Arts at Hogwarts Castle at both Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Hollywood.

Brand New DreamWorks Theatre Featuring Kung Fu Panda Now Open at Universal Studios Hollywood

© Universal Studios Hollywood

Universal Studios Hollywood has completed another transformation inside the park, this time turning the former Shrek 4-D theater into the all-new DreamWorks Theatre featuring Kung Fu Panda: The Emperor's Quest.

Obviously based on the popular Kung Fu Panda franchise, the theater "takes guests on a thrilling journey that fuses captivating storytelling with state-of-the art visual effects for a highly engaging experience."  The film takes place on the morning of The Emperor's Great Feast of Heroes, when Po goes on a perilous mission to deliver the Liquid of Limitless Power to the grand palace, taking visitors to the theme park along with him.  Throughout the experience visitors will encounter "raging rapids, river pirates, awesome magic" and, of course, Kung Fu.
 

© Universal Studios Hollywood

Having officially premiered on June 15th, the attraction's opening ceremonies featured a plethora of DreamWorks Animation characters from films including Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar, Trolls and Shrek.  The ceremonies also included a martial arts demonstration, which can be seen above in a press image.

As for the attraction, it is described as a multi-sensory experience, using the "first-ever integration of interior projection mapping designed to engulf guests in 180 degrees of immersive adventure. Developed by the innovative team at Universal Creative, this never-before-adapted technique depicts a series of immersive and visually dynamic scenic designs that will transform within the interior space and enhance the story. With detailing that is so precise, it will be near impossible to realize the projected imagery is a mere illusion."

The film is coupled with high-end cinema projectors and 360 degree surround sound, and even the plush seats pivot to keep up with the 180 degree action.  In theater effects such as wind and water are also utilized.

Early reviews of Kung Fu Panda: The Emperor's Quest are glowing, highlighting the advanced technology that has taken this type of theater experience to the next level.

New Jurassic World Makeover Coming to Universal Studios Hollywood's Jurassic Park: The Ride in 2019

© Universal Studios Hollywood

This week we had another major new themed attraction announcement from the Universal parks, this time from Universal Studios Hollywood regarding their famous Jurassic Park: The Ride attraction.  The theme park will be closing the current version of the ride on September 3rd, 2018, in order to give it a huge makeover into a Jurassic World themed attraction.

Obviously, the new ride will be based on the current string of Jurassic World movies, the first of which came out in 2015, and the second - Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, opens next month.

Fans are not expecting much change to the ride system when the Jurassic World version opens, however it is expected that the story will change somewhat along with new animatronics, theming and other special effects.

The park is describing the attraction as follows:

"On this river-raft adventure, get doused as a colossal Mosasaurus dives for its great white shark snack. But the real danger lies ahead when the brutal Indominus rex escapes its enclosure. Be prepared when a 50-foot Tyrannosaurus rex comes to your rescue… right before your final plunge down a treacherous 84-foot waterfall."

© Google Maps

Jurassic Park: The Ride first opened at Universal Studios Hollywood in 1996, and was one of the largest additions in the park's history at the time.  Due to the popularity of the first Jurassic Park film, the ride received international press coverage and was a massive hit for the park.

The ride, which features a large shoot-the-chute style drop at the end, was cloned for both Islands of Adventure in Florida and Universal Studios Japan as well.

Make sure to get your final rides in before Jurassic Park: The Ride closes on September 3rd, I'm really looking forward to the new version of the ride!

Universal Studios Hollywood Names 2018 Replacement for Shrek 4-D

Visitors to Universal Studios Hollywood will have until August 13th to experience Shrek 4-D, after which the attraction will permanently close and work will begin on something new for 2018.  Shrek 4-D opened at the California theme park in 2003 and is located on the upper section of the property, not too far inside the entrance gates.

© Universal Studios Hollywood

The attraction's closing means that something new is on the horizon, and that has been announced as the DreamWorks Theatre.  The first of its type to open at any Universal theme park, the theater "will play host to a variety of action-packed DreamWorks Animation themed attractions beginning with the multi-sensory adventure inspired by the global blockbuster franchise Kung Fu Panda."

The experience will see visitors set on a journey that combines traditional storytelling with special effects such as projecting mapping and LED lighting effects.  The result will be an "engaging and immersive, unstoppable-awesome experience."

© Universal Studios Hollywood

A new DreamWorks meet and greet area will also open in 2018, not from from the new DreamWorks Theatre.  Characters such as Kung Fu Panda's Po and Tigress; Madagascar's Alex the Lion, The Penguins—Skipper, Rico, Kowalski and Private, and King Julian; Trolls' Poppy and Branch; Shrek's Puss 'n Boots will join characters already seen at the park such as Shrek and Fiona.

Also in 2018, Hello Kitty will have her own retail location within the park, featuring special items unique to Universal Studios Hollywood along with an area to meet with her. A similar location opened not too long ago in Universal Studios Florida, and immediately became a hit with visitors.

New Nighttime Show Revealed for Universal Studios Hollywood's Wizarding World of Harry Potter

© Universal Studios Hollywood

Giving visitors yet another reason to visit Universal Studios Hollywood this summer, the theme park has announced the addition of "The Nighttime Lights at Hogwarts Castle," a brand new show to debut in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter on June 23rd.

The show will feature a "dazzling light projection experience" set on the backdrop of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  Visitors will view the show from inside Hogsmeade village once the sun sets, enjoying a journey that will showcase "the four houses of Hogwarts: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin that culminates with awesome beams of lights that fan into the night sky."

Along with the light projections, the new show will feature a special musical arrangement created by John Williams, who composed the original scores for the series of Harry Potter feature films.  Experienced in surround sound, the arrangement will no doubt transport guests back into the world of Harry Potter.  The music is being conducted by William Ross and recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra.

Visitors to Universal Studios Hollywood will be able to experience "The Nighttime Lights at Hogwarts Castle" during multiple performances each night during the summer months.  There will be limited previews leading up to the June 23rd grand opening performance.

Universal Shares New Hints of Nintendo Plans for Theme Parks

Back in May of 2015 Universal Parks announced that they would be partnering with Nintendo for several theme park developments, but things have been quiet on the plans since.  Now that a year and a half has passed, Universal has some additional details and updates on what we will be seeing in the parks.

Through Universal's official blog and the video embedded above, a fair amount of details were released.  However, if you're looking for specifics of what will be added and when, well, you'll have to wait a bit longer.

Universal is saying that Nintendo themed lands will be built at Universal Studios Hollywood, Japan, and at the Universal Orlando Resort (assumed to be in Universal Studios Florida).  The lands are described as "expansive, immersive and interactive," highly themed and containing "multiple attractions, shops and restaurants."  So from that we can be sure that we won't just be seeing a new ride at each park, this is for sure totally new themed sections based on the world of Nintendo.

The additions will be aimed at all sections of the public, not just kids or adults, and be attractive regardless of gaming experience.  The expansions at each park will open independently of each other, and the blog post mentions that the announcement of the full details of the first will come sooner than later.  I can't wait!

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Debuts with Epic Show at Universal Studios Hollywood

© Universal Studios Hollywood

If you remember years ago, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter had a pretty amazing opening event at Universal Orlando.  Fast forward to last night, and Universal Studios Hollywood officially raised the bar and put on a pretty epic opening ceremony for the new addition of the same name.  As of today, Harry Potter has officially become a part of the Hollywood theme park, starting a whole new chapter in the park's history.

The event was pretty packed with stars of the Potter films and other guests, which does make a bit of sense considering the park is by Hollywood.  The above video was released by Universal Studios Hollywood, and covers many highlights from the event.

The epic part comes in when you notice that the park had John Williams conduct the Los Angeles Philharmonic live for the event, playing some of the films' most well known and exciting music.  Even better, toward the end of the live performance the entire Hogwarts Castle castle came to life with some seriously impressive projection mapping.

Below is a film of some of the opening events, make sure to watch toward the end for the projection mapping!

The opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is a major milestone in the series of renovations at Universal Studios Hollywood that has seen 75 percent of the park "reimagined."  With massive crowds expected now that the new land is open, it is no doubt that the park will continue to grow for years to come.

Year-Round Walking Dead Haunt Opening at Universal Studios Hollywood

Last night it was announced that Universal Studios Hollywood will be partnering with AMC once again to create a Walking Dead themed haunted house - only this one will operate year round at the theme park.

The house will be simply named The Walking Dead Attraction, perhaps not the most creative, but when you have Walking Dead in the title you do not need much more!  The park already utilizes the show as a theme for a yearly super-popular haunted house during Halloween Horror Nights, usually recreating the events of the prior TV season. 

© Universal Studios Hollywood

The new permanent maze will be housed in part of the huge new building that was recently opened just inside the theme park's gates; the front part of the structure has elaborately themed facades that house retail and food locations.  Now we know what the back of the building is for.

As for the haunted house, the press release for the attraction says that "authentic walker make-up effects, sophisticated animatronic walkers, substantially more detailed set design and costuming, and highly recognizable props replicated from the series" will be used to create "an uncompromised realistic environment that brings guests even further into the most watched show in cable television history."

© Universal Studios Hollywood

The concept of a year-round haunted house isn't new to Universal Studios Hollywood, they have actually had one for years until recently.  They had several haunted walk through attractions in their Stage 13 building before it was removed, with themes such as The Mummy, Van Helsing and finally Universal's House of Horrors which featured famous Universal monsters.

The new Walking Dead Attraction is set to open in time for the Summer season.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter In Previews at Universal Studios Hollywood

© Universal Studios Hollywood

The next chapter of Harry Potter in U.S. theme parks has begun, as previews of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter have started at Universal Studios Hollywood.

The new area has an official opening date of April 7th, but we all expected there to be a lengthy preview period for such a large addition.  This will allow Universal Studios Hollywood to do adjustments to the area as more and more crowds flow through it, testing the best ways to handle the crush of visitors during the upcoming Summer season.

As for the actual Wizarding World, well it's also as we expected - which is largely a copy of the original land in Florida's Islands of Adventure theme park.  The Hollywood version does have some changes that were incorporated into the Japan version when it opened in '14, so this really is Wizarding World 3.0 you could say.  Die hard fans will note small changes from the Florida original like the location of Ollivanders, the model of coaster used for Flight of the Hippogriff (it is a Mack this time around), and a Hogwarts Express photo op. created since the train can't be ridden in California.

You can count on a flood of content coming online now that previews have started, but to get your feet wet check out this story from Entertainment Weekly, and this piece at Inside Universal.

A Wizarding World Opening Date Announcement From Universal Studios Hollywood

© Universal Studios Hollywood

Today the exciting announcement was made that the Wizarding World of Harry Potter will have its grand opening at Universal Studios Hollywood on April 7th, 2016.

To help reveal the date, the park invited special guest Evanna Lynch, who played Luna Lovegood in the Potter films, to the new area to help out:

Now that's how you light up a castle!  Just as expected, Hogwarts Castle looks super impressive under the new show lighting that's shown in the image up top and in the video.

A new commercial for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter was also released today to coincide with the announcement:

They did a really great job on this commercial!  It doesn't take much to understand the massive impact that the Potter addition will have on Universal Studios Hollywood - this is going to be a game-changer for the park just like it was in Orlando.

It is also pretty safe to assume that there will be a soft opening of the area well before April 7th.  If you haven't already, be sure to check out the official website for Universal Studios Hollywood's Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Take a Virtual Trip to Universal Studios Hollywood's Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Due to open in the Spring of 2016, Universal Studios Hollywood has released the full details of its new Wizarding World of Harry Potter expansion via a brand new website.  Like we've seen launched for the two Potter areas in Orlando, the website allows visitors to take a virtual tour of the expansion, including plenty of videos and other renderings of the rides and attractions.

As known previously, the two major rides of the Wizarding World will be Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (presented in 3D from the start) and the family roller coaster, Flight of the Hippogriff.  The overall layout of the expansion is similar to the other Wizarding Worlds, though some minor changes have been made from the Orlando version, similar to what was done in Japan.

Much of the Wizarding World will contain the realistic creations of food and retail locations made famous in the Potter books and films.  These include shops like Dervish and Banges, Honeydukes, Zonko's and of course Ollivanders wand shop.

Hungry guests will want to stop by the Three Broomsticks tavern for a variety of meal options, and also check out the Hog's Head pub in the back.  Of course, Butterbeer will be served as well.

Other locations, such as the Owl Post and a replica of the Hogwarts Express will keep everyone busy for hours as they explore all that Hogsmeade has to offer.

Heard On... Six Flags and Comcast Q2 2015 Earnings Calls

Six Flags released another record quarter for the end of June, 2015, at least in terms of revenues - however not in actual earnings.  The company had its usual conference call and while there isn't any big news, here are some notes:

• Revenue for the second quarter grew $10 million and attendance grew 9% to 8.9 million visitors.

• The park's active season pass and membership base has exploded, up 32% over 2014.  This is a huge part of the 9% increase in attendance for the quarter.

• The season pass and memberships have hurt per caps; down 5% during the quarter ($2.18).  Admission per caps decreased 7% and in-park spending was down 2%.

• Six Flags recognized $10 million in revenue for the parks under development in Dubai and China - they hope to be able to talk about those deals in more detail soon, and announce new ones.

• The chain is seeing a very high percentage of season pass holders move on to being members at the end of the first year - creating a trend of increased visitation.

• All-season dining passes have been a "home run" for Six Flags, and they plan to continue to focus on them in the future - also working on the retail side of things.

NBCUniversal, a part of Comcast, also held a call detailing the earnings and results for the Universal theme parks located in the U.S. for the 2nd quarter of 2015.  Since the parks are a small part of a gigantic company, they don't spend a ton of time on them but things certainly seem to be going well.

• The second quarter was another for the record books as the theme parks saw a 25.7% increase in revenue to $773 million, and operating cash flow increase 44.9% to $354 million.

• The massive growth is due to Diagon Alley and the continued success of the Orlando property, which has created double digit increased in two-park tickets at the resort and record per cap spending.

• At Universal Studios Hollywood the new Fast and Furious Supercharged attraction on the Studio Tour has led to double digit attendance growth at the park already.

• The company pointed out that five years ago they made about $400 million from theme parks, and this year will probably be that plus about one billion dollars.  Yes, billion.

•  The theme park segment is seen as a "major growth driver" for the company for up to the next 20 years - so expect the massive trend of expansion at the parks to (happily) continue.  They still want to have at least one major new attraction at each of the U.S. parks each year.

• The Orlando resort grew attendance 21% during the quarter - a huge increase.

• NBCUniversal is still "excited" about growing in the rest of the world, including China and "other parts of the world" that they haven't talked about yet.