Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey

It takes guests in and around Hogwarts Castle depicting virtual scenes and environments from the Harry Potter series of books and films.

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey uses KUKA robocoaster technology, which allows the seats to pivot while being held above the track by a robotic arm.

[5] To enter the ride, guests walk through the gates of Hogwarts and begin their journey in the dungeons where they see items featured in the movies and books.

In the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, Harry, Ron, and Hermione appear from under the Invisibility Cloak, urging guests to meet them in the Room of Requirement in order to sneak everyone down to a Quidditch match.

[6] Next, riders board an enchanted Omnimover-style bench inside the Room of Requirement, which lifts off the ground and through the Floo Network for a journey with Harry.

The guests leave the room of requirement through its fireplace and enter the Observatory, where they look out through the open arches to the hills and lake outside Hogwarts' boundary.

As the guests fly out of one of the Observatory's arches, the ride smoothly switches to a wrap-around projection screen and they follow Harry Potter and Ron Weasley around Hogwarts' buildings and towers to a Quidditch match.

[7] The riders descend into a set of the Forbidden Forest where they encounter a figure of Aragog, a large, sentient spider who spits water at them.

The skeleton of the long-deceased Basilisk lies on the floor of the Chamber, and expels Lord Voldemort's Dark Mark into the air as the benches are drawn into the mouth of Salazar Slytherin's statue.

They fly over the Black Lake, back into Hogwarts and through the Main Hall and Grand Staircase, where they are shouting wildly on by a series of onscreen characters from the movies who appear three-dimensional.

[14][15] On May 31, 2007, Universal, in partnership with Warner Bros., officially announced that The Wizarding World of Harry Potter would be coming to Islands of Adventure.

Unlike its Florida counterpart, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey featured 3D HD Technology, in which guests wore 3D "Quidditch" goggles.

[34][35] At around the same time, rumors began circulating about the possibility of Islands of Adventure adding a Van Helsing-themed ride using this technology.

[36] These plans were later scrapped with Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ultimately using the same technology and opening on the same plot of land proposed for the Van Helsing ride.

This allows the arms to travel through the attraction while performing their movements in synchronization with the ride's show elements (animated props, projection surfaces, etc.).

[35] The disadvantage of this intricate machinery is that if the ride breaks down, some guests are stranded in uncomfortable positions, such as being tilted backwards in dark enclosed spaces.

Niles wrote that the company had set its expectations almost impossibly high, and that the ride is "the most advanced and engaging attraction in theme park industry history".

[39] Ricky Brigante of Inside the Magic described the ride as a "jaw-dropping journey that no one should miss", but criticized the lack of continuity with the story.

[42][43] In Amusement Today's annual Golden Ticket Awards, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey debuted as the best new ride of 2010.

The entrance to the ride consists of a path which proceeds between two gates before heading to Hogwarts Castle.
Entrance to the ride at Islands of Adventure
One of the scenes in the queue area is that of the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. It replicates the classroom as seen in the films.
The Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom forms a portion of the queue at Islands of Adventure
The station of Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey allows up to four guests to board an "enchanted bench" which is their ride vehicle for the duration of the attraction.In the back of the loading station there is a gigantic mirror.Be careful though!To get to the ride vehicle you have to walk on a moving conveyor belt!Finally, when you are about to go into pitch-black darkness, you hear Hermione's voice say three, two, one and you start to float.
The "enchanted bench" ride vehicles.
A scene from the film that accompanies the ride which features Harry Potter as portrayed by Daniel Radcliffe riding a broomstick.
Harry Potter ( Daniel Radcliffe ) in a scene from the ride-film of the attraction.
Test seats, which replicate those present on the ride vehicles, exist at the entrance of the queue to ensure potential riders will be comfortable when seated.
Test seats exist at the entrance of the queue at Islands of Adventure.
Robocoasters feature KUKA robotic arms, the same technology used on Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. Unlike the stationary robotic arms used in Robocoasters, the technology is used in conjunction with busbar track technology to provide a differing experience.
KUKA robotic arms, similar to those used on Robocoasters (pictured), are used on Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey in conjunction with busbar track technology.