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Fans Get 'Chills' After Seeing 'Fantastic' New 'Harry Potter' Ride Coming to Universal Studios
By Jacqueline Burt Cote,
10 days ago
There's an all-new ride coming to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Orlando, and fans are particularly excited about one feature in particular: The return of Dame Imelda Staunton as the infamous villain Dolores Umbridge.
In a video shared on YouTube, the creative team behind Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry revealed a series of key details about the upcoming attraction, which will debut with the rest of the Epic Universe in 2025.
As the clip shows, the ride will take guests through the Floo Passage to the British Ministry of Magic for Umbridge's trial, exploring the Ministry's varied departments along the way.
An "unbelievable" atrium space will feature a restored Fountain of Magical Brethren statue, flying memos, and a spectacular enchanted weather ceiling. A series of both familiar and all-new scenes include a locker room where Harry, Ron, and Neville are in training to become Aurors, and Umbridge's small but "extremely ornate" pink-and-gold office, where fans can meet Higgledy, Umbridge's former house elf.
Anisha Vyas Burgos , Assistant Director of Projects for Universal Creative, called Staunton "absolutely brilliant in her performance" as Umbridge for the ride.
"She got to take Umbridge to the extreme," Burgos said.
From the looks of the comment section on the video, it seems fans are more than ready to take this particular magical mystery tour—and they're especially looking forward to getting up close and personal with Umbridge.
"Merlin's Beard, when this attraction was first announced I didn't expect Dame Imelda Staunton to actually return as Umbridge herself. But now, it's pretty obvious that you can't do a ride this big without her and it looks like she's still got it after all these years. Plus, I'm glad they didn't go the CGI route with her. It was my initial thought, but happy to be proven wrong," wrote one fan.
"The CHILLS I got when I saw Dolores Umbridge reprising her role! Still the DARK DIVA I remember <3," raved a second viewer.
"Looks fantastic! Can't wait to see how it rides. That queue looks awesome, too!" commented a third Potterhead.
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