I can't believe I found out about this when there was already 400 comments! It seems really cool. I wish it wasn't part of islands of adventure but I'm still excited. I can't wait to find out more! I just hope it meets our expectations.

awesome!!!!!!!!11 lyl lyl

I'll give a while after it opens. Less crowds, better food, more rides. Then I'll freaking move there.

thats the year i graduate from high school!!! =]]]]]]] and my senior class trip is to disney... so i PRAY that they'll get tired of taking us to disney (even though they have been for at least the past 15 years) and decide for a change and take us to UNIVERSAL! either that, or im already planning to save money so that i can go with my friends when were in college! becuase it will be less than a year old then if everything goes according to plan!!! =]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]] ]]]]]]]

Holy Hippogriffs!!!! I can't wait! I have always wanted to visit England for the books, but can not afford it. This will be SO AMAZING!! AAAHHHH! Although, I am surprised that WB gave them the rights to make the park...Oh well, who cares right now! 2010 seems so far away though! I still can't wail!!

OMG im so0o0o0o going it takes me 18 hours to drive there but who cares USA rocks n im goin orlando the day it opens luv u

The website says it open either late 2009 or early 2010. So it be after the last movie is out assuming movie 7 comes out Summer of 2009. They'll probably have The Great Hall, and Gyffindor Common room

omfg. this just made my terrible day amazing. :) :) :) :) :) :) :).

OMG!!im soo going there!and then live in the hogwarts castle so i can stay there forever....lol

OMG!!! I am so totally freaking out right now!!! when i am 16 or 17(and yet still a complete HP obsessive) i will totaly go there for my summer vacation, family or NOT!! this is a fantastic way for the younger population of america (under 6-too young for HP) to get involved with both harry potter and reading! This is the gold mine of all HP ideas (other thatn the books and movies, of course)

dobby_rocks, movie 5 comes out summer 2007, movie 6 comes out winter 2008 and movie 7 comes out summer 2010. So the theme park will open probably before or around the time of movie 7's release.

OMG I am so exicted im jumping in my seat!!!!!!!! This is going to be A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!! Im sooo going to go, but i hope they make it a bit bigger and have alot of rides. Like the whomping willow, hogwarts express, the minisrty. Can you imagine if they had everything in detail. OMG THEY ARE GOING TO MAKE MILLIONS CAN'T WAIT!

oh and can you actually go in the castle and shops in hogsmeade?! :)))).

oh nvm i just read the faq and you can! :)))))).

YAYAYAYAYAYYAYAY!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THats gonna be sooooooooo freaken awesome!!! omg imma wanna buy everything in the store!! can u imagine that! ahhh! harry potter all around! yay! uhhh have to wait till practically 2010! but hey! idc its gonna be worth the wait! yayyay! :D:D:D! woo now im gonna know where to go in vacation every year :D, to bad its gonna be all across the other side of the country or else i would go there many times... but yay!

Wow, the concept art looks amazing.. now if they had a Diagon Alley too I would be booking a plane ticket right now :)

Okay...I just got home. I am an actress at Universal Orlando and when we arrived at work today we got "Blood Pops" and a paper announcing the "Wizarding World of Harry Potter" and we were told of 4 meetings we could attend to get more info...I went to the 3pm meeting in sound stage 33 as you walked in it was dimly lit and there was smoke everywhere with Harry Potter music playing. As you headed to the seats there was a large stone fireplace (7 ft high) on a stage with a floating broom above it and flickering candles on the mantelpiece there were 2 red velvet chairs a few large odd looking jars on the floor and a cauldron with smoke pouring out. On either side of the stage were two huge movie screens with our Universal Logo. The atmosphere was really awesome. Then the film started by saying live from England...and it was Hedwig flying all around Hogwarts and ending in the owelry, it cut to a Universal Guy and Bill Davis the President of Universal Orlando talking about how cool Hogwarts was and about an announcement that was about to be made and that Bill needed to get back to Orlando for it so he gave Bill some Floo Powder and explained how to use it so Bill Davis took it, threw it down and said "Universal Orlando" and in a huge burst of smoke and pyro He walked out of the fireplace in front of us it was great!!!!!!!!! To Quote: "Today, we are celebrating one of the most exciting days in the history of our resort as we officially announce that Universal Orlando will become the theme park home for "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter."

That is soooo neat Draigfire!

Is it weird that when I read "early 2010" I thought right away, "score! spring break freshmen year!"?

oh how can people say this is dissapointing?! it's a dream come true for any harry potter fan! and I think is a good way to keep harry potter for the memory of everyone!

about time they finally made it official!!! it's the best news i have had all week!! i can't wait!!!

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am soooo happy right now! I've been waiting for this for so long!!!

they should have wooden roller coaster that is like the underground passages of Gringott's! complete with goblins! i almost peed my pants with excitement and there should be a ride like the spider man one that it the ford anglia. ooh there are so many possibilities!

*cries* I am going to be a broke college student when it opens! I wanna go!

I'm so excited!!! I can't wait until it opens! My husband and I were planning a trip to Orlando in the next few years and now we will DEFINITELY have to go!!!!

I can't wait! I just wish there was a whole Harry Potter park, not just part of a park. That would make it even better, but I'm still looking forward to 2010!!!1!!

this is so awesome..harry potter is so phenomenal! JK Rowling is the best of all..im so going there..wish there is a ride in the gringotts bank vaults..hahaha..that makes your neck break haha..its so awesome..i will not be dissapointed, looking at the pictures..makes me..AAAAHHHH! I WANNA GO THERE! LIKE NOW!?

Why not have Diagon Alley? I mean think of all the shops that will be missing. This is my ideal theme park: You start off at the entrance- The Dursley Household. No cheesy Aunt Petunia or anything, but it provides a nice place to look at as you wait in line. You step into the fire place, throw "Floo Powder" at the ground and say "Diagon Alley". And then the fireplace simply turns around and you are in Diagon Alley. From there you can just follow signs like "This way to Platform 9 3/4" and you run through a wall or something (they can have some sort of simulation that looks like a wall) and then you board a Hogwarts Express (with millions and billions they could make a couple Hogwarts Expresses). And it has a short trip that shows you all the different parts of the park while carts come by selling chocolate frogs and such. You end up outside the castle (they have to have something under a lake that is like book 4 and a Quidditch ride that's NOT lame. And also some simulations of classes or something for authenticity. And of course eating in the Great Hall... though I'm pretty sure making food appear out of nowhere wouldn't work) Anyway from THERE they would have Hogsmeade and The Forbidden Forest and such. But you have to have all the ins and outs. They can't have every location of course but leaving out Diagon Alley is a HP faux pas in my opinion. But life isn't perfect and I must say that this is pretty darn exciting! I just can't believe they didn't think of it about 10 years ago like the rest of us...

My sister and I used to daydream about this... We came up with a list of rides too, and if I remember right this included the Gringotts vaults, a simulated broomstick ride (somewhat more personal than, but close to Soaring Over California at Disneyland) and the Maze.

HELL YES!!!!!!!! count on me being there on opening day!!!!

im actually crying of excitement

whaHA!! totally going to pay a visit ^_^!

I think it's stupid that America gets EVERYTHING! It's sooooo annoying that everyone else is always in the dark.

I am litterally crying from the excitment! This is my absolute dream come true and i will be counting down the days. I love Islands of adventure more than any place in the world and now The world of Harry Potter will be there. I can't wait I am so incredibly excited! i will be the first one in line I garuntee. I might even move down there now get a job at IOA just so I can be close to it!

Oh my gosh! I am so happy! And I live less than an hour away from IOA! IOA was always my favorite park here and now I love it even more!!

We've already put off our overseas trip until then lol!

Aww. I live in England. I was hoping it would be in the country side in England so it would be surrouneded by forests and trees and maybe a lake =[

I know people have been wondering if there would be rollercoasters.. but I swear I can see at least two in the concept art: (I've gone over them in red to point them out)

Here's a link. http://img297.im ageshack.us/img297/3308/h pthemeparkxd0.png

Oh NO NO NO! Guys why are you happy about this? Our beloved book is already too commercial for its own good! A theme park?!?! Now when people think of Harry Potter they wont think of the wonderful story that it really is! The first thing that will come to the minds of people who aren't major fans like us will be "Oh, I went to the Harry Potter theme park. It was pretty cool." If I go to this the magic of the reading and imagining these places like the Hogwarts Castle will all be ruined. I don't think making Harry more happy-mealish is a cause for celebration.

THIS IS NOT HAPPENING!!!! WHYYYYYYYYYY????? WHY MUST IT BE IN AMERICA????? O.k, I get why, to get more customers, more money etc, but it would have been cooler if it were in Scotland...I mean it would still be an 8 hour car drive but at least it would be on the same CONTINENT. Ah well, I was gonna go to university when I left school but I'll just have to skip out on that and save up my money to go to this theme park instead. Location problems aside though, it looks AWESOME.

I didn't think I'd care about a theme park - it sounded so tacky. But, I'm actually liking the look of this. It could be fun, if they pull it off well.

I don't like this idea at all. It's going to destroy the books. If I remember correctly... we heard something about this a long time ago. I remember reading the thread and seeing maybe 2 out of 100 people excited and the rest of us not really following the idea. Now everyone is on the band wagon. - The concepts look stunning! (So don’t get me wrong) If they can pull that off (something of that size), then they will have a real money maker on their hands. The castle is huge, and the village is just as stunning. I really just love these books...and I would hate for Harry Potter to get played out like an overplayed tune. I think I'll just keep myself away from the park, and I won’t read anything relating to it. It looks amazing, but I think it will ruin the magic of it all. By not reading or visiting, maybe I can save the magic for myself.

The sad thing is, I'm going to have to start saving money now if I have any chance of ever getting there. It looks well cool, I saw it on the news the other day. I love Orlando! I can't wait!

Going back to someone who commented AGES ago, Europe can't make their own park because America has wayyy more money! Plus, last time Europe made their own thing - DISNEYLAND - I think I'm right insaying, Florida made their own one, which, alas, is WAY better than the Euro-Disney! Oh well, I can see I'm about to be lynched by most of you lot, Sorry! Moustash! Mrs_Weasley xxx

This was expected, but it was a nice surprise to get onto MN and see this. =D They better get EVERYTHING right. This is AMAZING!

Oh, no! Now what am I going to do? Wait, let me explain. My wife feels that doing the whole Florida theme park tour is a once in a lifetime trip because it's so expense. She has tagged 2009 as our year to go! My kids will be 9,8 and 5 the perfect age according to her. I wonder if I can convince her to wait another year! I do understand the Potter purists concern over the commercialism of the Potter world! The only advice that I can give you is to loosen up your shirts and have some fun, you just might enjoy it!

mrs_weasley.. you also have a disney world.. and many many many more themeparks.

"- Stuart thinks that the park will be better off in the United States." WHY?! ENGLAND! GO OON. Just a thought, JK is going to be THE RICHEST WOMAN EVER. haha, how much merchandise? And I think she deserves it too. GO JK.

That's exactly what I was thinking Willowpuff! JK's got the money and it needs to be in England; Harry is English, the books are English, St.Mungo's&Grimmauld Place are in London.. I mean, that we be more authentic! And I (as a dutch girl) can more easily go to England than to the United States xP! But nervertheless I am still very excited that there's going to be a themepark! When I'm going to America I will make sure I visit this park also! It would rock to walk in the Entrance Hall or go to the Forbidden Forest.. Bloody brilliant! xD