After the success of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Florida, Universal Parks & Resorts announced in 2011 that the popular Islands of Adventure attraction would expand to Universal Studios Florida. Now, after years of anxiously waiting, Potterheads can finally visit Diagon Alley as the new expansion officially opens. While many fans will likely be enjoying attractions like the Hogwarts Express, the Leaky Cauldron, and the ‘Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts’ roller coaster, you might notice an exclusive first look at the upcoming film ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them‘ if you look closely.
Shortly after the studio revealed the release date earlier this summer for the Harry Potter prequel written by J.K. Rowling, rumors began to circulate about ‘Gravity’ director Alfonso Cuaron returning to the magical franchise to helm the movie that follows Newt Scamander and his adventures. However, those reports were soon debunked by the filmmaker himself and the search for the project’s director continues. Despite that, theme park patrons will be able to get a first look at some of the fantastic beasts from the film in the Magical Menagerie shop in Diagon Alley. If you’re like me and unfortunately can’t make it to the opening of the new expansion, USA Today provides a picture from the store featuring a few animals that may appear on the big screen in 2016:
The blue creature in the middle is clearly a Hippogriff, which could be seen in ‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’, but the other two might be a little harder to decipher considering that they’ve never been visualized before. After a quick look in my copy of the Hogwarts textbook, the transparent gorilla on the left is probably a Demiguise, an ape-like creature whose hair can be woven into invisibility cloaks. As for the horned beast on the right, it could be a Graphorn, which is an aggressive, hump-backed being with skin tougher than dragon hide that can repel most spells. While wizards and witches use the horns as a highly prized potion ingredient, mountain trolls have been known to use Graphorns as a form of transportation.
What do you think of this sneak peek at ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’? Are you planning on heading to Diagon Alley in Florida to check out it out for yourself? Let us know in the comments below.
‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ hits theaters on November 18, 2016.