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Photo: popculturegeek.com from Los Angeles, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The gentlest of the Harry Potter roller coasters. A fairly short (1-minute) outdoor ride without much of a story.
Flight of the Hippogriff is a junior roller coaster at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter section of the many Universal theme parks. It is present at Universal Islands of Adventure in Universal Orlando Resort, Universal Studios Japan, Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Studios Beijing. Designed by Universal Creative, the first installation opened at Islands of Adventure on June 18, 2010. The new ride was a redesign of an existing roller coaster known as Flying Unicorn, which the park closed in 2008 to begin its transformation. The design change was implemented to fit the new Harry Potter-themed area that was being constructed at the park. Flight of the Hippogriff is a mild alternative to the area's more extreme rides such as Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. Following a successful launch, identical versions of the roller coaster were installed at Universal Studios Japan and Universal Studios Hollywood over the next several years, with the Beijing version opening with the park in 2021.
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A fast-paced adventure flying through Hogwarts and its grounds, featuring many characters and memorable elements out of the books and movies, from Hagrid to Quidditch. The mix of humor, excitement, and nostalgia will be a joy for Harry Potter fans. The ride is partly but not entirely a motion simulator, but be warned, some visitors find the rolling motion to be nausea-inducing.
You'll sit on Hagrid's motorcycle or in the sidecar for this outdoor roller coaster. More intense than the other Harry Potter rides.
The smaller portion of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, a recreation of the wizarding village of Hogsmeade complete with snowy rooftops and crooked chimneys. A stunning recreation of Hogwarts Castle hosts the "Forbidden Journey" ride and has outdoor light shows each evening around dusk (times vary by season).