Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts |
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Ukrainian Ironbelly atop of Gringotts Bank which houses Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts
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| Universal Studios Florida | |
| Location | Universal Studios Florida |
| Park section | The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley |
| Coordinates | 28°28′49″N 81°28′12″W / 28.48028°N 81.47000°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | July 8, 2014 |
| Replaced | Jaws: The Ride |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel – Launched – Enclosed |
| Manufacturer | Intamin |
| Designer | Universal Creative |
| Lift/launch system | Drive tire launch |
| Length | 600 m (2,000 ft) |
| Site Area | 75,000 sq ft (7,000 m2) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Duration | 5:00 |
| Max vertical angle | 50° |
| Height restriction | 42 in (107 cm) |
| Trains | 11 trains with 2 cars. Riders are arranged 4 across in 3 rows for a total of 24 riders per train. |
| Theme | Gringotts Bank (Harry Potter) |
| Pre-ride host | Bill Weasley |
| Ride host | Bill Weasley |
 Universal Express available |
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 Single rider line available |
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| Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts at RCDB | |
Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts is an exciting indoor roller coaster at Universal Studios Florida. It's part of the amazing Wizarding World of Harry Potter area. This ride is like a dark ride because it uses cool special effects, 3D videos, and moving seats to make you feel like you're really there! The ride opened on July 8, 2014, and quickly became a main attraction. It's all about the Gringotts Wizarding Bank from the Harry Potter stories.
Contents
Discovering the Ride's History
How the Wizarding World Grew
Universal Parks & Resorts and Warner Bros. first announced the Wizarding World of Harry Potter on May 31, 2007. This magical area officially opened at Universal's Islands of Adventure on June 18, 2010. It was a huge success! Many more people visited the park in 2010, showing how popular the Harry Potter theme was.
Planning the Expansion
Because of this success, Universal started thinking about making the Wizarding World even bigger. They wanted to add new areas and keep visitors coming to both Universal's Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida. In April 2011, people started guessing that a new area called Diagon Alley might be added. They also thought a Gringotts-themed ride would replace the old Jaws ride.
Building the New Attraction
On December 6, 2011, Universal officially confirmed a "significant" expansion. This news came just after they announced the Jaws ride would close on January 2, 2012. Soon after, the Jaws ride was taken down. Workers then started building new structures, including a huge building for the Gringotts ride.
More details about the expansion came out on May 8, 2013. They confirmed new attractions based on Diagon Alley and London. On January 23, 2014, the main new ride was named Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts. It was even called a "virtual reality roller coaster" by Entertainment Weekly. The new ride opened on July 8, 2014, as part of the new Diagon Alley section.
The Dragon and the Crowds
The building for the ride has a giant 60-foot (18 m) dragon statue on top. This dragon can even breathe fire, which is a really cool special effect! When the ride first opened, it was so popular that people sometimes waited up to seven hours to experience it.
Experiencing the Ride: Your Adventure at Gringotts
Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts is an indoor steel roller coaster about 2,000 feet (610 m) long. It uses moving ride vehicles, detailed sets, and 3D screens. These screens show both animated and live-action scenes, similar to other popular rides like Transformers: The Ride. The ride's story happens during the events of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2. In the story, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger are trying to get into Gringotts Bank. They need to find a Horcrux to help defeat Lord Voldemort.
Joining the Queue: Entering Gringotts Bank
Your adventure begins as you walk through the grand lobby of Gringotts Wizarding Bank. Here, Bogrod, a goblin teller, greets guests who want to open an account. After he gives you permission to visit the vaults, you head to a security check. You might even have your ID picture taken!
Next, you'll see tables with copies of the Daily Prophet newspaper. These papers show important headlines from the Harry Potter movies. Then, you walk down a hallway lined with offices where the bank's goblin employees work. In one office, you can see and hear the shadows of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger (who looks like Bellatrix Lestrange because of Polyjuice Potion), and Griphook. They are planning to sneak into the vaults.
Meeting Bill Weasley and Heading to the Vaults
As you continue, you enter Bill Weasley's office. A goblin named Blordak welcomes you, and then Bill Weasley himself appears! Blordak tells you to go to the vaults. After leaving the office, you wait for an elevator that seems to take you deep underground. A moving picture of a goblin explains the ride's safety rules. Once you're "down" in the vaults, you grab your special goggles and walk up stairs to the ride's loading station.
The Ride Begins: Escape from Danger
Once you board your cart, it speeds off! Suddenly, security alarms blare, and the bank goes into lockdown. Bellatrix Lestrange appears, angry about the break-in. She decides to torture you by cutting off the track and tilting it. Your cart then rushes towards the vaults, passing pointy stalagmites that make you feel deep underground.
Just in time, Bill Weasley casts a spell, Arresto Momentum, to stop your cart. Then, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Griphook appear from the Thief's Downfall. This magical waterfall has washed away Hermione's Polyjuice Potion disguise. Their cart drops them from a high place as security trolls climb up, pushing Bill and Blordak off their cart.
A security troll pushes your cart further, past the Thief's Downfall. It stops in front of more trolls. One troll is hit by a mace but still holds onto your cart, sending you falling! Bill casts Arresto Momentum again to stop your fall. Then, he uses Wingardium Leviosa to lift your cart through the vaults. Meanwhile, Harry, Ron, and Hermione are trying to escape the vaults on the back of the Ukrainian Ironbelly dragon. Blordak tells you to hide inside one of the vaults.
Facing Voldemort and the Dragon's Rescue
As you enter the vault, the walls crash down! Nagini, a giant snake, appears and tries to attack you. Bellatrix reappears, this time with Lord Voldemort! He confronts you, asking where Harry Potter is. He blames Bellatrix for the vault break-in. Bellatrix decides to torture you again, sending you into a lava-filled chamber deep in the vaults.
To make you tell him where Harry is, Voldemort prepares to cast a painful spell. But then, the Ukrainian Ironbelly dragon crashes in! Harry casts a counterspell, and the dragon breathes fire at Voldemort. Voldemort shields himself and Bellatrix, and they both angrily leave. Hermione casts a spell to hook your cart to the dragon, helping you escape the vaults safely. Ron casts Confringo to create an escape route. In the final scene, Harry asks Bill to take care of you. He confirms they found the Horcrux, the item they were looking for. Bill then says goodbye to you.
Meet the Cast: Familiar Voices and Faces
Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts features many actors from the film series. Most of them returned to play their characters.
- Domhnall Gleeson as Bill Weasley
- Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange
- Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter (his look and old voice recordings)
- Adam Sopp as Harry Potter (new voice)
- Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley
- Emma Watson as Hermione Granger (her look and old voice recordings)
- Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort
- Warwick Davis as Griphook (his look)
- Jon Key as Blordak (voice for the queue animatronic)
- Miranda Richardson as Rita Skeeter
- Alan Rickman as Severus Snape
- Jimmy Vee as Gringotts Goblin
Awards and Recognition
Since it opened in 2014, Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts has been recognized as one of the best dark rides. It has often been in the top five at the annual Golden Ticket Awards given by Amusement Today.
| Golden Ticket Awards: Best Dark Ride | ||||||||||||||||
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| Year | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | |||||||||||
| Ranking | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 5 | |||||||||||
| Golden Ticket Awards: Best New Ride for 2014 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Images for kids
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Gringotts Wizarding Bank queue
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Animatronic Bogrod at Gringotts Wizarding Bank
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Elevator to the cave
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Boarding station of the ride
