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Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure at Universal’s Islands of Adventure

Skip to: Overview | Location | Restrictions | Setting | Main character | Queue | Ride experience | Magical creatures | Virtual Line | Fear factor | Fun fact | Hours of operation | Guest reviews

What is Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure?

This state-of-the-art, family-friendly roller coaster – which Universal brags is the most themed one it’s ever done – takes you deep into the Forbidden Forest, joining Professor Rubeus Hagrid’s Care of Magical Creatures class as he introduces you to the various rare fantastic beasts that call the woods home (with the star of the show being the never-before-seen Blast-Ended Skrewt). It replaces the former (and beloved) Dragon Challenge coaster, which was open for Hogsmeade’s first seven years.

You can read our full review of Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure here.

Where is Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure located?

In The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade, which is in Islands of Adventure.

Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure – height restrictions and other factors

Height requirement is 48 inches; no Express Pass access; has a single-rider line (enter at and follow the regular queue until it splits for single riders). A test seat is available, and all loose articles must be stowed in lockers. Modified ride vehicles are available to assist guests in transferring from a wheelchair to the ride vehicle.

What is the setting of Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure?

Although the Forbidden Forest is quickly experienced in both Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey and Flight of the Hippogriff (where the front of Hagrid’s hut can be spotted), Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure is the first attraction to be exclusively set in this environment, replete with its mysterious beasties, new-to-the-mythology abandoned ruins, and myriad trees (there’s over 1,200 of them!). We explore why this is such a great location for adventure and why it’s such a perfect complement to everything else in Hogsmeade in our detailed write-up.

Who is the main character of Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure?

Rubeus Hagrid takes the leading role away from Harry Potter himself in the first Wizarding World ride in five years. And in order to bring the Care of Magical Creatures professor to life, Universal has created its most detailed and lifelike audio-animatronic figure yet, working with actor Robbie Coltrane in order to capture his appearance and essence – his face (and, even, his teeth) were digitally scanned, and his performance provided the basis for the robot’s 24 different body actions. And just in case that weren’t enough, the animated figure’s face was “meticulously” hand-sculpted, all of its individual hair strands were carefully placed (including the eyebrows and lashes), its costume was designed by the same team that furnished Coltrane’s attire in the various Harry Potter movies, and its now-iconic pink umbrella is an exact replica of the film prop.

It’s no wonder Universal is calling the seven-foot-six-inch Hagrid “hyper realistic.”

There’s still more to sink our (digitally scanned) teeth into, though. To understand just why the passing of the narrative torch from Harry to another Wizarding World protagonist is such a massive, potentially game-changing deal, please see our in-depth feature.

What is the Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure queue like?

Walk down paths that take you past the back of Hagrid’s hut, near the Black Lake (the first time the body of water has been present in Orlando!), into ancient ruins, and past a smorgasbord of Easter eggs – and that’s even before you meet Rubeus Hagrid and his good friend, Arthur Weasley. We explore the grounds with you in our guided tour.

What is the Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure ride experience like?

Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure concept art
Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure track layout

Each roller coaster “car” features two different seats, the motorbike and its side car, which provides two slightly different ride experiences (don’t worry – you won’t miss any sights or thrills along the way, no matter which one you choose). It is in these unusual seats that guests are asked to rendezvous with Professor Hagrid out in the Forbidden Forest to meet one of his Blast-Ended Skrewts (a never-before-seen-in-the-movies creature), but – in typical theme-park fashion – something goes horribly wrong: the motorcycles have a mind of their own and venture ever further into the woods.

As riders surge through multiple launches and hills, going as fast as 50 mph – including backwards! – they get the chance to spy a whole host of other magical creatures, including centaurs, Cornish pixies, and the iconic Fluffy, the three-headed dog. They also have to brave such obstacles as Devil’s Snare, the entangling plant, which requires a bit of novel motion in order to escape its clutches.

Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure – the creatures up-close

Universal has released photo highlights of the main audio-animatronic beasties you encounter during your Motorbike Adventure with Hagrid. First up: Fluffy, the giant three-headed dog, who weighs 8,000 pounds in his robotic form.

Fluffy from Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure
Fluffy from Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure

Then there are those mischievous little Cornish pixies, 20 of which appear in the ride, clustered around the Weasleys’ flying Ford Anglia (which has been lost in the Forbidden Forest for the past few years – and which was originally spotted in the former Dragon Challenge’s queue).

Cornish pixies in Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure
Cornish pixies in Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure

Devil’s Snare, that treacherous plant, ensnares you at one key moment during your journey through the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid.

Devil's Snare in Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure
Devil’s Snare in Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure

A lone centaur encounters you on the ride, as well, and though he keeps his distance, that doesn’t make him any less formidable.

Centaur in Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure
Centaur in Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure

And, finally, making his “on-screen” debut, we have the Blast-Ended Skrewt, which stands up to 10 feet tall (with his tail) and eight feet long. That’s a big ‘un!

Blast-Ended Skrewt in Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure
Blast-Ended Skrewt in Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure

How does Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure’s Virtual Line work?

While we haven’t seen the Virtual Line at this attraction for a while, it has been used in the past for this popular offering. This means that you’ll have to secure a return time slot before you’re able to go to the attraction at all, which we recommend attempting before Islands of Adventure opens to the general public (yes, you are sometimes able to snag these slots during Early Park Admission for Universal hotel guests and annual passholders). Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure is currently testing a new Virtual Line system. The biggest change is that this will require you to sign on through an external site, as opposed to using the Virtual Line options within the app. But after that, the process is still the same. Identify your party size and select a time slot (they call this a “reservation”). The app will then provide a QR code for you to show a Team Member when it is time to ride.

For more on how Virtual Lines operate, please see our insider’s guide.

How scary is Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure?

We would rank Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure four out of five Dementors in terms of scariness. Although the coaster’s not anywhere near as intense as Dragon Challenge was (which was riddled with inversions and massive hills), and although it doesn’t go upside down, it still features a 16-foot drop straight down that’s just long enough to give you a little jolt of adrenaline.

Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure – what you wished you knew before you experienced it

How many Easter eggs there are all throughout the ride, starting with its queue. (The most obvious one is also our favorite: the Dueling Club artwork on the ruins’ wall is a loving callback to Dueling Dragons, the original incarnation of the coaster that would eventually be called Dragon Challenge.) Be sure to keep your eyes peeled at every stage along the way!

What was Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure’s opening date?

June 13, 2019

Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure – OI fun fact

This is the very first Harry Potter ride to not feature the Boy Wizard himself, a trend which started with Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts, when Harry just pops up for a moment or two in both the queue and ride experience proper. We wouldn’t be surprised to see this continue in the years ahead – all the child actors have aged considerably over the course of the last decade, after all.

Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure – a word on operating hours

Please be aware that Universal has continued to (heavily) modify Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure’s hours of operation (due to its popularity and its daily maintenance and technical-support demands). It’s not uncommon for the ride to open an hour or more after Islands of Adventure does or to close well before the rest of the park, even all this time after it first debuted.

Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure – photo gallery

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Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure – real guest reviews

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