Wizarding World

After defeating Voldemort and his Death Eaters in seven bestselling books and eight hit movies, Harry Potter is taking on perhaps his greatest challenge yet: boosting the Los Angeles economy. Universal Studios on Tuesday took the wraps off plans to build a Southern California version of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which drove a 68% increase in attendance at its Orlando theme park during the first three months of the year compared with the same period in 2010. Ron Meyer, Universal's president, said his company would spend "several hundred million dollars" to create the attraction, which is expected to include a re-creation of Hogwarts Castle along with Potter-themed rides, shops and restaurants.

First they put a lid on it, and now they're pulling the plug. Universal City's Gibson Amphitheatre, a fixture on the Southern California live music scene for more than 40 years, will close in September and be demolished to make room for the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction at Universal Studios theme park, officials announced Wednesday. The announcement came a day after Universal Studios Hollywood won approval from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to begin construction on its planned $1.6-billion expansion of the theme park.

What rises beneath the picturesque iron signs, just past the steaming engine of the now iconic Hogwarts Express, is not so much a theme park as an eye-widening, heart-lifting testament to the unassailable power of imagination in the 21st century. A story conjured in the head of a young woman 20 years ago as she rode on a train from Manchester to London has become not just a book franchise, not just a film series, but an actual place: the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort's Islands of Adventure.

A new themed land debuting at Legoland Florida this summer will take visitors to a fantasy world where animal tribes battle for possession of a mystical energy source known as chi . Photos: World of Chima themed land at Legoland Florida Debuting in July, the new World of Chima themed land will include an interactive boat ride, a 4-D film and walk-around characters based on a new line of Lego construction toys and a Cartoon Network television...

With the unprecedented success of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter , Universal Studios executives are already wrestling with the question of how and when to expand the perpetually congested 20-acre theme-park-within-a-theme-park at Islands of Adventure in Florida. Photos : Top 10 Wizarding World of Harry Potter rides and attractions Although officials won't discuss specific plans, several signs point to preparations being made for phase two of Wizarding World: * In January, survey markings that possibly may be mapping out the potential expansion began appearing in the backstage areas behind the Lost Continent, the themed area of the park that was partially taken over to make room for phase one of Wizarding World.

Having cast a spell in Orlando and planted his flag in Los Angeles, Harry Potter is now taking his theme park magic across the Pacific. Universal Studios Japan on Thursday will unveil plans to build the first international version of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the blockbuster attraction that has drawn millions of fans to Universal's Orlando resort and is expected to do the same at a planned Hollywood location. The Osaka destination, which will begin construction in the next few weeks with a planned opening in late 2014, is the latest in a series of expansions underway at major parks around the world that has followed an uptick in attendance, particularly in Asia.

Theme park attendance rose nearly 3% in North America last year, according to a new report. But about half of that increase was because of one attraction — the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which opened at Universal's Islands of Adventure park in Orlando, Fla. None of the major theme parks makes its attendance records public, but annual estimates are made by AECOM, a Los Angeles engineering and consulting firm. Those figures were used in a report released by the Themed Entertainment Assn.

First they put a lid on it, and now they're pulling the plug. Universal City's Gibson Amphitheatre, a fixture on the Southern California live music scene for more than 40 years, will close in September and be demolished to make room for the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction at Universal Studios theme park, officials announced Wednesday. The announcement came a day after Universal Studios Hollywood won approval from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to begin construction on its planned $1.6-billion expansion of the theme park.

A new themed land debuting at Legoland Florida this summer will take visitors to a fantasy world where animal tribes battle for possession of a mystical energy source known as chi . Photos: World of Chima themed land at Legoland Florida Debuting in July, the new World of Chima themed land will include an interactive boat ride, a 4-D film and walk-around characters based on a new line of Lego construction toys and a Cartoon Network television...

Universal Orlando will debut the "Cinematic Spectacular" nighttime water show this spring as part of a new entertainment lineup at the Florida theme park that includes an upgrade to one ride, a re-theme of another attraction and the addition of a nightly parade. PHOTOS: New attractions coming to Universal Orlando this spring and summer "Cinematic Spectacular" will celebrate a century of Universal Studios movie memories with a nighttime water show that features film clips projected on 30-foot-by-30-foot waterfall screens and colorful fountains that rocket 100 feet into the air along with laser lights and pyrotechnic displays on the Orlando theme park's central lagoon.

NBCUniversal has dropped controversial plans to build thousands of residences on its famous back lot and hopes instead to add movie and television production facilities and expand the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park. The new $1.6-billion proposal was unveiled Monday just before the release of the final environmental impact report on the company's proposal to improve the sprawling studio and tourist attraction in the San Fernando Valley. An earlier plan, valued at $3 billion, called for nearly 3,000 apartments and condominiums at the east end of the studio's property; they would have been served by proposed shops and restaurants.

Theme park attendance rose nearly 3% in North America last year, according to a new report. But about half of that increase was because of one attraction — the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which opened at Universal's Islands of Adventure park in Orlando, Fla. None of the major theme parks makes its attendance records public, but annual estimates are made by AECOM, a Los Angeles engineering and consulting firm. Those figures were used in a report released by the Themed Entertainment Assn.

This post has been corrected The top theme parks in North America enjoyed an estimated 2.9% increase in attendance in 2011, with the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Fla., accounting for about half of that rise. The attendance estimate was released Thursday by the Burbank-based Themed Entertainment Assn., a trade group for designers of theme parks, casinos, museums, zoos and other entertainment venues. The assessment is based on an annual estimate of theme park crowds by AECOM, a Los Angeles engineering and consulting firm.

Having cast a spell in Orlando and planted his flag in Los Angeles, Harry Potter is now taking his theme park magic across the Pacific. Universal Studios Japan on Thursday will unveil plans to build the first international version of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the blockbuster attraction that has drawn millions of fans to Universal's Orlando resort and is expected to do the same at a planned Hollywood location. The Osaka destination, which will begin construction in the next few weeks with a planned opening in late 2014, is the latest in a series of expansions underway at major parks around the world that has followed an uptick in attendance, particularly in Asia.

I took a behind-the-scenes tour Friday of the new Transformers ride opening in a few weeks at Universal Studios Hollywood. PHOTOS: Behind-the-scenes tour of Transformers ride For those of you who have never experienced Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey or the rebooted Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man at Florida's Universal Orlando (or traveled to Universal Studios Singapore where Transformers opened in December), you're in for a real treat when the new motion-simulator dark ride with high-definition 3-D images officially debuts on May 25. For the better part of a decade, the Spider-Man ride was widely considered the best theme park attraction in the world, until the Wizarding World of Harry Potter came along and the Forbidden Journey reset the bar for attraction supremacy.

Universal Orlando will debut the "Cinematic Spectacular" nighttime water show this spring as part of a new entertainment lineup at the Florida theme park that includes an upgrade to one ride, a re-theme of another attraction and the addition of a nightly parade. PHOTOS: New attractions coming to Universal Orlando this spring and summer "Cinematic Spectacular" will celebrate a century of Universal Studios movie memories with a nighttime water show that features film clips projected on 30-foot-by-30-foot waterfall screens and colorful fountains that rocket 100 feet into the air along with laser lights and pyrotechnic displays on the Orlando theme park's central lagoon.

Universal Studios Orlando on Thursday announced plans to retheme its Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast attraction with a new " Despicable Me " story line, and to digitally refresh the Amazing Adventures ofSpider-Man motion-simulator ride for 2012. With no new attractions set for 2011, Universal continues to ride the "Wizarding World" wave of Pottermania, which has helped drive up attendance at the tandemFlorida theme parks by an astonishing 68% so far this year.

After defeating Voldemort and his Death Eaters in seven bestselling books and eight hit movies, Harry Potter is taking on perhaps his greatest challenge yet: boosting the Los Angeles economy. Universal Studios on Tuesday took the wraps off plans to build a Southern California version of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which drove a 68% increase in attendance at its Orlando theme park during the first three months of the year compared with the same period in 2010. Ron Meyer, Universal's president, said his company would spend "several hundred million dollars" to create the attraction, which is expected to include a re-creation of Hogwarts Castle along with Potter-themed rides, shops and restaurants.