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Writer's pictureBrandi Parker

The Ultimate Guide to Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure at Universal Orlando Resort


Photo, video and content credit: Universal Parks & Resorts

Have you ever dreamed of going beyond the grounds of Hogwarts? Do you remember the excitement as you would read about the thrilling and wondrous adventures in the Forbidden Forest? Well, get ready for your dreams to come true at Universal Orlando Resort.


Whether you’re a Harry Potter fan, roller coaster enthusiast, or are looking forward to the latest Universal Orlando Resort attraction, here’s the ultimate guide to Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, located in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade in Universal’s Islands of Adventure.

THE QUEUE:

For the first time ever, you will get to venture to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Alan Gilmore, Art Director for the Harry Potter film series, joined Universal Orlando Resort in making this truly immersive and magical experience for all guests to enjoy. Here are some tips and things to keep an eye out for that the team included…

  • Make sure to enjoy the views as you walk in because you can spot Hogwarts castle, Hagrid’s hut, and a view of the ruins that you’ll soon enter.

  • When you enter the ruins, you’ll spot statues of rare magical creatures found in the wizarding world.

  • You’ll see some incredible drawings in this room that are definitely worth your attention.

  • In the ruins, you may encounter some familiar faces who will help prepare you for your journey.

  • Once you reach the fireplace, you’ll may spot footprints belonging to a small fiery creature.

  • These ruins seem uninhibited, but act as a holding space for some of Hagrid’s belongings, such as a curious collection of eggs.

  • Keep an eye out for Hagrid. It seems he’s been up to something.

    • Notice scratch marks and burn marks on the walls?

    • Looks like Hagrid left teddy bears and blankets?

    • Did you spot the page in The Monster Book of Monsters?

HAGRID

You’ll meet Hagrid face-to-face in Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, as he takes you through the Forbidden Forest for a Care of Magical Creatures class. As you climb aboard a magical motorbike, you’ll experience how it feels to be a beloved student of Hagrid. The team at Universal Orlando left no detail untouched when it comes to this animatronic version of the beloved half-giant…

  • Hagrid stands at 7 feet, 6 inches tall.

  • His movie-real costume weighs about 50 lbs.

  • If you look at Hagrid’s hands, you’ll find dragon-skin gloves.

  • Does Hagrid look real? That’s because he’s Universal Orlando’s first human-like animated figure.

    • Meticulous work went into placing individual hair strands – including eyebrows and lashes.

    • Incredible attention to detail was taken to recreate Hagrid’s likeness from the films, including a meticulously hand-sculpted face, digital scans of Hagrid actor Robbie Coltrane’s teeth, and careful placement of individual hair strands -including eyebrows and lashes.

    • See more Hagrid facts here.

MAGICAL CREATURES YOU’LL ENCOUNTER

Get ready to encounter some of the Wizarding World’s magical creatures. As we all know, Hagrid, Hogwarts gamekeeper and Care of Magical Creatures professor, has a soft spot for even the most ‘seriously misunderstood’ creatures. You’ll encounter lots of these creatures along your journey through the Forbidden Forest…

Fluffy, Hagrid’s Three-Headed Dog

Fluffy is a giant three-headed dog that’s known for being the trusted guard dog of the Sorcerer’s Stone. And, as many of you know, Fluffy has a weakness – he falls asleep to the sound of music.


In Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, you’ll confront this gigantic, beloved creature deep in the Forbidden Forest. Proceed with caution – he’s a guard dog first and foremost. And in this new adventure, Fluffy weighs 8,000 Ibs., which is roughly as big as two standard Muggle cars.


Fun Facts:

  • In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Fluffy belongs to Hagrid, who adopted him from a “Greek chappie” he met in a pub

  • Experts on Pottermore say Fluffy was inspired by Cerberus – the dog that in Greek mythology guarded the gates of the Underworld – and, just like Fluffy, he fell asleep to the sound of music

  • Fluffy made his first and only appearance in the film, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Blast-Ended Skrewts

For the first time ever, you’ll be able to come face-to-face (or face-to-rear) with a Blast-Ended Skrewt on Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. Described as a cross between scorpions and elongated crabs, Skrewts aren’t afraid to attack other Skrewts they encounter and have incredibly strong armor that can’t be penetrated by spells – proving to be a challenge for Hagrid since they hatched.


On your journey through the Forbidden Forest during Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, you’ll encounter Blast-Ended Skrewts up to 8 feet long with tails up to ten-feet high and topped with a massive stinger. The Blast-Ended Skrewt is the main lesson for the day but, as with all adventures with Hagrid, things don’t always go to plan…


Fun Facts:

  • Blast-Ended Skrewts were first introduced in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and also mentioned in Harry Potter and Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

  • As you may have read in the book, Hagrid created these unique creatures by crossbreeding Fire Crabs and Manticores – fierce creatures in their own right

  • Skrewts create actual fire from their ‘blasting-ends,’ igniting at random intervals – so be wary during your encounter

  • Even if you’re far enough to avoid their fire, watch out as you may still catch a whiff of their powerful scent… known to smell like rotting fish

Magorian, the Centaur

A Centaur is a magical creature with a human head, torso and arms, joined to a horse’s body. They are, however, their own species and should be treated with great respect.


As you make your way into the dark forest on Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, look out for this mysterious archer in the distance ready to strike. He stands at 8 ft. tall, which would probably make him a great athlete in the Muggle world.


Fun Facts:

  • In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Hagrid is friendly with the Centaur herds as he regularly enters the Forbidden Forest to help injured creatures

  • According to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, these forest-dwelling beings usually live in herds of between 10 and 50 and are well-versed in magical healing, divination, archery and astronomy

  • Centaurs made their first appearance in the films during Harry Potter’s detention in the Forbidden Forest in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Devil’s Snare

While Devil’s Snare isn’t a creature, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to mention this perilous plant from the wizarding world – often strangling people who touch it with its dexterous vines. Devil’s Snare flourishes in damp, dark environments and it has a strong dislike of light and fire – remember that for your journey!


Speaking of your journey, Devil’s Snare is one of the many challenges you’ll face on Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. You may even find yourself entangled in a thicket of this dangerous plant but remember to remain calm! If you don’t, you may end up entangled in hundreds of its vines…

  • This perilous plant from the wizarding world has been known to strangle people, who touch it, with its dexterous vines. Devil’s Snare flourishes in damp, dark environments and it has a strong dislike of light and fire.

  • Remember, “Devil’s Snare, Devil’s Snare is deadly fun, but will sulk in the sun.”

And fun fact about Devil’s Snare, it made its first film appearance in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone when the brave Hermione told her friends how to defeat this dangerous force.

Cornish Pixies

Cornish pixies are electric blue tricksters who love to create mischief – often at the expense of others. These mischievous creatures fly, and have also been known to seize unwary humans by the ears and deposit them at the tops of tall trees and buildings – poor Neville Longbottom…


In Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, you’ll see these troublesome creatures wreaking havoc on an infamous blue car… and in places you may not expect. They’re about 13 inches tall and you’ll find more than 20 pixies throughout your adventure. Happy hunting!


Fun Facts:

  • According to Pottermore, Cornish pixies can produce a high-pitched jabbering that’s only comprehensible to other pixies

  • Cornish pixies made their first film appearance in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets during Gilderoy Lockhart’s Defense Against the Dark Arts class

And these aren’t the only creatures you may encounter on your journey with Hagrid:

Thesrals

  • You may hear some Thestrals near the carriages.

Fire Crab

  • Make sure you keep an eye out at the end of a tunnel in Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure as you’ll get a glimpse of a heavily jeweled shell of a Fire Crab.

Manticore

  • You may see a drawing of this dangerous creature that has an animal head, a lion’s body, and scorpion’s tail.

Gnomes

  • They’re hard to spot, but you may hear these mischievous garden creatures as you’re headed toward the Forbidden Forest.

Salamanders

  • Traces of these fire-dwelling creatures can be found around heated areas of this attraction.

Look out for sculptures of various magical creatures living in the black lake, including Merpeople (mysterious underwater-dwelling beasts) and Grindylows (horned, pale-green water demons)

THE COASTER

For the first time, students will get to fly to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Not only is this an incredibly immersive ride but this roller coaster is literally a record-breaker. See for yourself what makes this a record-breaking roller coaster…

  • Longest roller coaster in Florida at 5,053 feet long

  • Coaster with the most launches in the world, with 7 launches

  • Enjoy a true free fall vertical drop at nearly 17 feet

Other roller coaster facts:

  • Enjoy two unique ride experiences as you can ride Hagrid’s motorbike or the adjacent sidecar

  • This attraction reaches a maximum height of 65-feet

  • There is a 73-degree spike that goes backward in one-movement

  • This attraction is 3 minutes of non-stop ride time

  • There are over 1,200 real trees that were used to recreate this enchanted forest.



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