Care of Magical Creatures class with Professor Rubeus Hagrid was always an adventure because for every wondrous lesson on unicorns and thestrals, there were chaotic and often dangerous lessons with blast-ended skrewts. It seems that the unpredictable nature of hanging out with Hagrid extends to the real world as well. In a case of life imitating art, Universal Studios’ Hagrid rollercoaster has been forced to shut down to a bee infestation.
Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure at Universal Studios Orlando closed last week due to a bee infestation. According to Spectrum News 13, the rollercoaster was closed after hundreds and possibly thousands of bees were discovered near the attraction. Universal’s team worked to resolve the issue and the ride was later reopened.
It’s not clear where exactly the bees were coming from or how Universal’s team got them out of there. Perhaps the Wizarding World staff transfigured the bees or used the evanesco spell that wizards used to use to vanish their umm…waste before they stole the idea for indoor plumbing from muggles. Whatever they did, hopefully it was in a safe fashion that didn’t harm the bees.
You can imagine what a nightmare this could have been though. Fabio once collided face first with a goose on a Busch Gardens rollercoaster (RIP goose) and bees could have led to an equally horrific incident for riders of Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. Imagine being trapped in a rollercoaster flying into a swarm of bees that you can’t escape from.
Many of us want to live in the Wizarding World and that’s why guests visit Universal Studios, but this isn’t quite what most fans have in mind. Would that kind of terror have made for a more thrilling ride that is a closer approximation of journeying into the Forbidden Forest? Absolutely. But I don’t know that the law, magical or otherwise, would have allowed that to go on for very long. I guess we should be thankful they weren’t dealing with acromantulas.
This bee infestation could have been especially problematic for people who are allergic so it was a smart move to shut the coaster down to deal with the issue. Thankfully the issue was cleared up in the same day so it wasn’t a prolonged problem. Unfortunately this is just the latest hiccup for the new coaster.
The Hagrid rollercoaster, located in Hogsmeade at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure theme park, opened back in June and has been plagued by its popularity. Wait times have been as high as an insane 10 hours and the constant running of the ride to accommodate all the guests has resulted in technical issues. The coaster has had its operating hours changed to allow for daily maintenance as a result.
Sans actual magic, these kinds of problems are the reality of popular theme park attractions. Universal is not alone in this, as Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge has also been called a failure and just the other day Walt Disney World’s new Skyliner gondola transportation system stranded guests for hours.
Still, Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure sounds like a blast with advanced animatronics and tons of Easter eggs for Potterheads. Now with 100% less bees!
Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to see all the magical movies coming to the big screen this year and stay tuned to CinemaBlend for all the latest movie and theme park news.
