Universal Epic Universe is set to have its grand opening on May 22nd, but we have attended early preview opportunities to experience Universal’s third theme park ahead of time. To help you decide if a visit to Universal Epic Universe is worth it, we’ll have a series of articles that explore the new theme park and the attractions and experiences within it. We already have an initial review of Epic Universe that explores a lot of what you can expect to find, but with more visits under our belts, it’s time to dive deep into the rides, experiences, restaurants, and more! In this article, we’re going to review the highly-anticipated Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry attraction.
As the Wizarding World’s only attraction in Epic Universe, it is not only the focal point of the land, but it is also a marquee attraction for the entire theme park. This review will contain photos of the queue and “spoilers” for the ride itself as we offer our thoughts on the experience. Filming of the ride is against the park rules, so we’ll have to stick to descriptions and concept art when it comes time to board. That said, we’ll have a full photo tour of the queue, which is almost an attraction all its own!
So sit back and settle in as we offer our review of Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry at Epic Universe!
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic
We’ll set the scene a bit before we enter the queue line. Welcome 1920s Paris. Unlike other Wizarding World lands, you’re not taken to a location from the books and movies such as Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade. Instead, you’re taken to the streets of Paris and a location called Place Cachée. That said, these are the streets of Paris unlike you may have seen them before. You’re in the Wizarding version of Paris, and you’ll be reminded of that just about everywhere you look.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic is one of four immersive “Worlds” or theme park lands that emanate from the central Celestial Park land. It is the third Wizarding World-themed land at Universal Orlando Resort, and it is currently a completely unique land in Universal’s portfolio.
The premise is that the land itself takes place during the time of the Fantastic Beasts movie series, but the Battle at the Ministry ride takes you somewhere, and some time, else completely. It’s an interesting premise that works if you don’t think too hard about it, and the vast majority of guests certainly won’t pay it too much mind once they step into the British Ministry of Magic.
We’ll have an overarching review of the land itself, along with some of the other wonderful experiences (and characters) you’ll find along the way, but for now, let’s talk about Epic Universe’s flagship attraction – Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry.
Before we jump into the backstory, let’s take a look at what Universal itself has to say about the ride. Universal calls the Battle at the Ministry their “most impressive ride to date”, saying that the ride blends “massive incredibly detailed environments, powerful storytelling, unprecedented ride technology and so much more to take guests on an action-packed adventure”. Universal says that the “immense scale and awe-inspiring details within the British Ministry of Magic will amaze guests as they are immersed in yet another iconic location from the beloved Warner Bros. Pictures Harry Potter films”.
Ok, with Universal themselves setting the bar incredibly high, let’s see if Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry can live up to the hype!
Attraction Backstory and Timeline
As hinted at in the section above, the Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry ride takes place not only outside of Paris, but decades in the future as well. Universal asks us to suspend belief (as if a world filled with wizards and magical creatures wasn’t enough), and travel to the 1990s British Ministry of Magic to bring Harry, Ron, Hermione, and other characters from the books and movies to life. We’ll talk more about the how as we make our way through the queue tour, but first, let’s talk about the why.
You’re visiting Epic Universe and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter on an important day. Today is a day decades in the making for Harry Potter fans as the evil Dolores Umbridge stands trial for her actions. You’re visiting the British Ministry of Magic via Metro-Floo, which travels not only across space but time as well.
Of course, Umbridge isn’t going to go quietly, and what appears to be a rather standard visit to the Ministry on an exciting day ends up being a completely unique Harry Potter adventure during a pivotal moment in the Wizarding World.
In terms of timeline, we’re experiencing the Ministry of Magic after the death of Voldemort. The Second Wizarding War has concluded, Voldemort has been defeated, and Dolores Umbridge is getting ready to stand trial for her crimes. This period is just after the Battle of Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Kingsley Shacklebolt is the Minister of Magic, and Harry, Ron, and Neville are training to become Aurors – highly trained law enforcement officials.
The timeline and story are completely unique to the attraction – this is not a book report ride. That said, the characters that you encounter will be familiar, complete with some influence from the Fantastic Beasts series of movies. We’ll explore more of the storyline as we make our way through the queue and onto the ride.
What is the Métro-Floo?
Ok, let’s talk about the Metro-Floo a bit. This is a new concept that is not directly seen in movies or books. The Metro-Floo is described as wizarding mass transit, and it’s a result of a collaboration between Universal Creative and the filmmakers. Before we get to the Metro-Floo itself, here’s a look at the unassuming attraction entrance, tucked away at a dead-end street in Place Cachée.
Of course, we can call it unassuming now because there is a Virtual Line in place (more on that later), which means that the entrance shouldn’t be overrun by guests. The operational reality is that the entrance to the attraction is where most of the frustrated guests will flood when issues arise with the Virtual Line (and issues have been aplenty).
Currently, the queue operation is pretty unique. What you see above is technically not the entrance to the attraction. During previews, you have not been required to have a valid Virtual Line return time to enter here. Effectively, this is the line to enter the Metro-Floo “station” and make the trip to the British Ministry of Magic. As you’ll soon see, it’s in the iconic grand atrium of the British Ministry of Magic where the actual attraction entrance is. In short, you don’t need to have attraction access to visit the British Ministry of Magic, and we love that.
Perhaps my opinion will change if there is a 2-hour wait to get into the Metro-Floo fireplace and then a 3-hour wait for the ride, but right now, it’s lovely. Before we take a look around the Metro-Floo station and experience, here’s a look at the attraction test seats, which are outside of the Metro-Floo station entrance. As you can see, the ride seat is a simple seat with a seat belt as the only restraint. This is the most accommodating Harry Potter attraction that Universal has built to date, and while we’ll have more to say about the ride experience in a bit, the seat itself should allow most guests to ride.
Ok, it’s time to take a step past the Metro-Floo entrance and explore the station a bit before stepping into a fireplace to be whisked away from the streets of Paris. Again, it should be noted that this is the only way to get to the ride, but it’s not technically the entrance to the ride insomuch in that you won’t need a Virtual Line to be able to walk through this area (and the next area).
The Metro-Floo station has subway vibes (and tiles), complete with some advertisements, ticketing counters, and an underground(ish) feel. As you can see, there is plenty of switchback queue here, thankfully not much of it was in use during our preview visits. There is also an exterior overflow queue that I’m sure we’ll spend some time in this summer, but we haven’t yet during the very limited previews.
There’s a green sign with the name of the attraction in the queue that I could do without in the name of immersion preservation, but I digress. As you round the corner, you get your first view of the actual Metro-Floo fireplaces. This is where you’ll enter the British Ministry of Magic (and presumably jump forward some 70-80 years in the Harry Potter timeline).
Fans of the development of Epic Universe might find an Easter Egg here in the fireplace numbering system. The numbers light up when a fireplace is open for travel, and a Team Member will direct your party to walk through a specific fireplace. Our favorite fireplace to travel through is 905 (iykyk), but all will take you to the impressive next phase of the queue: the British Ministry of Magic.
In terms of the actual Metro-Floo experience, as guests approach the fireplace, green “flames” will rise in front of them, signaling that the portal is open and working. Don’t worry, we’re dealing with fog here and lighting, not actual flames (of course). While you’re in the winding hallway “traveling” along the iconic Floo Network, green lighting effects make it look like “flames” are dancing on the wall.
Eventually, brick fireplace walls turn into tile walls as another “flame” bursts in front of you as you enter the iconic grand atrium of the British Ministry of Magic. Before we get to the next section discussing the atrium and queue, here’s a look at the Metro-Floo experience as we leave Paris behind.
Ministry of Magic: World-Class Immersive Queue
Entering the grand atrium of the British Ministry of Magic is a reveal that is in a league of its own right now. In terms of similarities, it would be similar to the reveal in Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance when you exit the IT-S and board the Star Destroyer. That said, the Ministry of Magic takes everything about that already amazing Star Wars moment at Walt Disney World to another level. The scale and scope are outstanding. The attention to detail and care to recreate an iconic set from the movies and books is impressive.
Sticking with the comparison to Rise of the Resistance and the Star Destroyer hanger moment, these two queue sets, while each at the top of their respective game, are as different as Disney and Universal are. Currently, the Star Destroyer experience is one of efficiency and, quite frankly, some hostility (all to serve the story…of course). You’re not allowed to loiter in the Star Destroyer hangar area as Cast Members sternly instruct you to move on to the next hallway of the queue. You can maybe snap a photo or two if you’re lucky, but you’re asked to keep it moving.
In contrast, the Ministry of Magic was purpose-built to be a place to loiter. The current setup allows guests to freely roam the area, taking in the sights and sounds. There is even seating around the base of the (rebuilt) Fountain of Magical Brethren for guests who would like to spend some extra time in the area.
The big disclaimer here is that this is all subject to change once the park opens. That said, if the Virtual Line requirement stays in place, there really isn’t a good reason for the average guest to loiter here until their return time is called. That should keep crowds manageable until a traditional standby queue is opened. Once a traditional standby queue opens, we hope that Universal has enough outdoor queue to keep the masses on the Paris side of the fireplace, carefully controlling the number of guests in the Ministry of Magic atrium.
Ok, here’s a look around the atrium, under the enchanted weather ceiling, before we enter the actual queue for the attraction.
The attraction entrance is to the left of the restored Fountain of Magical Brethren statue in the atrium. A set of switchbacks takes you past an impressive wizard status in the “distance”. There is some wonderful forced perspective at play here, combining a physical statue, some physical sets, and some high-resolution screens. This is kind of our first glimpse at the very impressive screens that will be found elsewhere in the attraction experience. We’ll talk more about Universal and their use of screens in a bit.
Passing through a golden gate, we enter the reception area. This is a spot where Ministry guests would stop by to get directions and information about their visit to the Ministry. As you’ll see, the reception is empty as the Ministry is preparing for the Umbridge trial. While Umbridge is the one on trial today, wanted posters on the wall contain some familiar names and faces, hinting at the continued fallout from Voldemort’s rise to power and ultimate fate.
As we continue through the green-tile hallways, we come upon a magical map, showing the general layout of the underground Ministry, along with some notices. We never really experienced a long line in the attraction queue itself, so we walked through these rooms rather quickly, only pausing to snap a photo or two. That said, I’m sure that there are levels of details, and probably a few Easter Eggs, for guests to spot once the crowds get larger and the wait times climb.
Continuing on, we pass through the Hall of Ministers filled with portraits of former Ministers of Magic. They’re having a discussion about the day’s events, as well as a little bit of gossip.
The next room opens up a bit and we see some Ministry offices, including the door to the office of Dolores Umbridge. A magical vacuum is cleaning up a mess of papers, including some forms containing information about some well-known wizards as part of Umbridge’s Muggle-Born Registration system.
As we make our way through the winding queue, we eventually make it to the Auror locker room. In the locker room, most of the lockers are closed, but (lucky for us), the lockers of Harry Potter, Neville Longbottom, and Ron Weasley are open. A broom is perched above the lockers and there are a number of details for guests to get a glimpse of before making their way to the next room.
The next room is the Aurors Office, where we can see a number of case files, and a suspect board targeting Dolores Umbridge (and other dark wizards). It’s clear that Umbridge is top of mind for the magical world’s law enforcement officials following her crimes during the rise of Voldemort as depicted in the books and movies.
Within the office, there are talking portraits of some famous Aurors of the past, including Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody, Hesphaestus Gore, and (wonderfully) Frank & Alice Longbottom.
After you leave the Aurors office, you’re directed by a Team Member to head down a hallway with pink tiles. The change from purple tiles to pink is somewhat subtle, at least compared to the next couple of rooms, which contain an explosion of pink as you enter the office of Dolores Umbridge.
While we’re on the topic of tiles, both the queue and attraction spaces for Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry are covered by tiles. The Métro-Floo alone has over 80,000 subway tiles and the British Ministry of Magic spaces have over 125,000 of the iconic Ministry tiles in five colors!
A small sitting area is in slight disarray as it appears the boxes are being packed with belongings – is Umbridge’s stuff being packed away?
You’ll probably hear her before you see her, but a house-elf named Higgledy is sitting perched upon a cabinet, seemingly taking inventory of the messy office of Dolores Umbridge. Higgledy is Dolores Umbridge’s former house-elf, and she has a lot to say. Like most house elves, Higgledy is seemingly torn between duty and loyalty to her master and her own thoughts and feelings, such as her respect for Hermione Granger.
While there are no traditional pre-show experiences at Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry, this moment with Higgledy does lay down some important storytelling context for the adventure ahead. Here are some photos of Umbridge’s office before we make our way down another hallway as we get closer to boarding the actual ride.
At the end of a hallway, we make a left to walk up and down a number of stairs. As noted in our early review of Epic Universe, you will be traversing a lot of stairs in the lands and attraction queues. Thankfully, Battle at the Ministry saves the stairs for the final stretch of the queue before you reach the loading area. You’re essentially walking up and over one of the ride tracks as you make your way to a duel load platform.
Just like everything up until this point, even the boarding area is highly themed, containing an immersive attraction load experience. Team Members at the bottom of the staircase will group you into traveling groups, which will then be further broken down into groups of two or three for seating assignments. Here’s a look at the load area and attraction ride vehicle as we put away our camera and get ready to ride!
Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry: Ride Review
Again, filming and photography of any kind on Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry is against the park rules, and clearly posted signage throughout the queue and load area says that guests risk being banned from the park if they break the rules. As much as I’d love to be able to film the ride in low-light 4K, it’s simply not a risk I’m willing to take, so we’ll rely on stock images from Universal Orlando and a written description of the ride experience.
Guests load into a ride vehicle that will be instantly compared to Tower of Terror – and for good reason. A well-appointed, large version of an elevator awaits to whisk you away to the Wizengamot Courtroom No. 10 as Umbridge’s trial. The ride vehicle contains 14 seats across two rows. There are eight seats in a row at the back of the vehicle and three pairs of two seats in the front row of the vehicle. Here’s a look at the vehicle before we boarded.
Once onboard, you will start to move horizontally into the ride show area. As we wait to be whisked away deeper into the Ministry of Magic, physical sets start to seamlessly blend into screens as the ride vehicle jumps to life.
While I’m not sure what the actual ride vehicle base looks like, speculation (and ride motion) suggests that it is a mix between a Tower of Terror-style seating area, on a Star Tours-esque motion base. This allows for a wide range of motion during the experience, including tilting from side to side and small drops.
Before we get into a scene-by-scene description of the ride, let’s discuss motion sickness. In short, this ride is not anything like Forbidden Journey or Escape from Gringots. That said, there is a chance that riders will experience motion sickness if you struggle on those other rides (especially Forbidden Journey). The wide range of motion of the ride vehicle, paired with a number of early scenes with fast-moving scenes on screens means that you could experience some motion sickness. If you are prone to motion sickness, it wouldn’t hurt to take some over-the-counter solutions with you for Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry.
Ok, with some of that out of the way, let’s head into a scene-by-scene description of the ride.
After leaving the load station, your elevator moves through a physical set of walls with the iconic Ministry of Magic design that we saw throughout the queue. Your ride vehicle then jumps to life, creating a floating feeling as you move in front of a screen that shows other omnidirectional lifts moving through a highway of hallways. Wizards are chatting about the upcoming trial of Dolores Umbridge – the Ministry is buzzing.
As your magical lift turns through the scene, a screen is replaced by a physical elevator, hovering in front of you. Inside the vehicle, we see Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Higgledy, among other wizards. They say hi before asking if we’re headed to the trial – of course we are! In order to create the sensation of motion, there are projection walls on either side of the (Kuka-supported) elevator, continuing the motion that we “felt” in the 100% screen scene just a moment ago.
Imagine that the elevator seen in the screenshot below of a Universal Orlando Resort promotional video is a physical prop, with a video screen inside, showing Harry and friends. Flanking the physical prop on either side are projection walls with corridors zooming by as we travel through the Ministry of Magic’s magical multi-directional elevator system.
The inside of the physical elevator in front of us is a screen, with Harry and friends depicted exactly as you’d find them in the movies. An unexpected wobble and jolt signals that something is wrong. Your ride vehicle turns around to find another physical elevator floating in front of you as Dolores Umbridge is seen breaking free of her restraints with the help of Death Eater Corban Yaxley, who we saw on a wanted poster earlier in the queue.
Umbridge declares her intention to make it to the Time Room within the Ministry of Magic. Umbridge has come up with a plan to get her hands on a Time Turner and to go back in time to Lord Voldemort’s reign, presumably to ensure that he is victorious this time around. Umbridge enlists the help of not only Yaxley but also Death Eaters Alecto Carrow and Walden Macnair.
Before Umbridge disappears from the lift, she instructs Yaxley to dispose of us (Confringo!). That curse sends our elevator backward, turning into a new scene.
Harry Potter slows our spin (Arresto Momentum), and as we stabilize, Harry, Ron, and Hermione (again, floating in a physical elevator in front of us), plan to get to the Time Room to stop Dolores Umbridge. As the trio are coming up with the plan, Higgledy enlists our help, sending us into the Ministry of Magic archives.
While most of the ride has been a marriage of screens and physical, floating elevators, the Ministry Archives room is a stunning, expansive space that introduces us to the first on-ride Audio-Animatronic. It’s a jaw-dropping moment that blends physical sets with a giant screen. The Audio-Animatronic Death Eater is casting spells into the screen where Hermione is holding her own with Higgledy by her side.
As Hermione continues to battle an on-screen Death Eater, the physical Death Eater turns their attention to our vehicle. You aren’t quite able to recover from the initial reveal of this immersive room and before another jaw-dropping moment when the bookshelf that this physical Death Eater is on starts to slide in sync with your vehicle as they cast a spell in your direction.
Now out of view of the first Death Eater, we’re quickly put in front of another physical Death Eater battling with Harry Potter on the screen behind them. It’s a really magical blend of physical sets with super high-resolution screens that combine for an immersive, connected experience. We’ll have some more thoughts about the use of screens when we close out this article, but they may be justified and, in fact, redeemed, when you consider just how crisp the images are. Continuing on.
Harry then instructs us to find Umbridge as he continues to battle with the Death Eaters. Our vehicle spins again, leaving the expansive Ministry Archives and heading into the Department of Magical Creatures. A melody from the newest Harry Potter franchise can be heard, woven into the music and sound effects carrying over from the previous scene.
Physical scenes turn to screens once again, as we see Dolores Umbridge restrain Higgledy, sending us into the most significant drop of the ride. This “drop” is not a free fall, and not even as intense as the sensation on Rise of the Resistance. I don’t suspect that there is any drop elevator like Rise of the Resistance at play here. Behind the scenes, we suspect that the ride vehicle has extended to full height and then retracts more than free-fall drops. Either way, the screen in front of us depicts a drop into a foyer of the Department of Magical Creatures where an Erumpent isn’t happy to see us and starts throwing our vehicle around.
As our vehicle retreats from the rhinoceros-looking creature, it breaks through a “digital” wall. We spin a bit past some physical walls as we hear the Erumpent breaking through walls behind us. One final turn puts a floating (physical) elevator in view with Harry, Ron, and Hermione inside.
Up until this point, we’ve seen some wonderfully articulated humanoid Audio-Animatronics in the ride. Stepping outside of the Wizarding World for a moment, we’ve also seen some impressive monster Audio-Animatronics over in the Monsters Unchained attraction as well. What we see next is an unbelievably impressive, full-size Erumpent Audio-Animatronic!
The Erumpent has broken through a (literal) wall, and we see her glowing horn and massive presence in yet another jaw-dropping moment on this ride. Pound for pound, the Battle at the Ministry provided more jaw-dropping moments than any other ride in Epic Universe, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves.
While she’s a bit more tame now than when we saw her earlier, the Erumpent is still a little unruly, knocking Harry, Ron, and Hermione’s elevator before knocking ours as well, serving as a transition to the next scene.
Thankfully, the Erumpent was able to point us in the right direction, with the next scene being that of the Time Room in the fabled Department of Mysteries. The Department of Mysteries is a secretive section of the Ministry of Magic that carries out confidential research into various topics. Topics include love, space, thought, death, and time. It’s time that we’re most concerned with right now with Umbridge set on acquiring a Time Turner and going back in time to, presumably, change the outcome of the Battle at Hogwarts.
In a room filled with clocks from floor to ceiling, we see Dolores Umbridge again, this time in a cabinet filled with Time Turners and Higgledy as hostage. Umbridge tries to repair a Time Turner (Reparo) but the spell backfires, sending us through the collapsing Time Room.
This scene was one of the standout scenes for me during our first ride given how effectively the screens and physical sets blended together to create a space that felt massive. Essentially, you’re floating in space, passing what appear to be endless hallways as time starts to collapse around you due to the failed spell from Umbridge. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are seen continuing their battle with Death Eaters.
With the sands of time flowing in every direction, and a frenetic pace of action taking place in front of you, you find a small moment of time to pause in front of a collapsing structure with a physical Audio-Animatronic of Dolores Umbridge right in front of you. Higgledy is represented via screen on a nearby platform, eventually stealing Umbridge’s wand. As the structure continues to collapse, it turns to hide the Umbridge Audio-Animatronic, and we find Umbridge falling off the structure via a large video screen.
Harry and Ron are also soon seen falling through time, catching Dolores Umbridge in mid-air before Higgledy appears to snap us all out of the collapsing continuum. As Umbridge shrieks that we’ve “ruined everything”, Harry has one of the most cathartic moments, uttering “You must no tell lies, professor” – a callback to a time when Umbridge tortured him during his years at Hogwarts.
Before you know it, the screen turns black and your vehicle makes another turn to find Umbridge finally on trial in front of the Wizengamot and Minister Shacklebolt – all constructed via physical sets and Audio-Animatronics. Harry and Ron have their wands trained on Umbridge, who stands in the middle of the circular room, surrounded by wizards in a stadium seating setting. These are the first-ever Audio-Animatronics of Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, and they’re sort of a mixed bag. They appear to have projected faces (along with Umbridge), and I would say that while Harry looks great, Ron could use some help.
As Umbridge objects, Minister Shacklebolt sentences her to life in the wizarding prison known as Azkaban. A magical moment transforms her pink suit into a white and black horizontal prison stripe look right in front of your eyes. The vehicle then turns to leave the scene and make its way to the end of the ride, but not before passing by some cameras for an on-ride photo.
In the final scene, we can see Hermione and Higgledy in a floating elevator again, this time with the captured Death Eaters that they were battling throughout the ride. Higgledy receives a compliment from her hero Hermione before a final wave “we all saved the Ministry!”.
Before we head to our closing thoughts, we should stop and pause to applaud the on-ride photo. The scene itself is a bit awkward, but the photo sleeve is among the best we’ve seen at Universal (or Walt Disney World). Here’s a look at the photo sleeve, putting your on-ride photo right on the front cover of the Daily Prophet (complete with date)!
After walking past the on-ride photo sales station, its back into the grand atrium and a short walk through the Metro-Floo on our way back to Paris. Well, more specifically, back through a Paris gift shop before we get to the streets of Paris, but more on the Tour En Floo gift shop in a separate article.
Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry: Closing Thoughts
Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry is not only a technical triumph, but also a very rewarding storytelling experience for fans of the Harry Potter franchise. Taken as a whole, the experience, from queue to final bow, is world-class…and maybe even best in class. As we prepare our closing thoughts on the ride, we wanted to discuss not only what we love about the Battle at the Ministry, but also how it stacks up against other rides at Epic Universe…and beyond.
Having ridden every major attraction at Epic Universe multiple times, I can confidently say that Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry is the best attraction experience at Epic Universe. The immersive storytelling is second to none, and it is apparent that Universal crossed their t’s and dotted their i’s with this attraction – I can’t say that about a number of other rides at the park. The queue is not only the best at the park, but the best queue we’ve ever experienced at any theme park. While I certainly pride myself on being able to take some good photos of the theme parks, photos and video simply don’t do the British Ministry of Magic grand atrium justice. The queue not only faithfully recreates spaces from the movies/books, but also creates some never-before-seen areas that are just as interesting and detailed.
Moving on to the ride, it is packed with wow moments throughout. For as much grief as Universal receives for attractions utilizing screens (and we have more to say on that in a bit), the screens on the Ministry of Magic ride are so crisp and detailed that they start to blend physical and digital in the most convincing execution yet seen in a theme park. The ride contains the best Audio-Animatronics at Epic Universe, full stop. I can’t imagine how difficult it is to program a robot to convincingly cast a spell, and Universal has done just that. The fluidity of the Death Eater Audio-Animatronics specifically is on par with (or exceeds) the impressive Na’vi Shaman of Song on Na’vi River Journey at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. It’s really a shame that we can’t take photos or video on the ride because not only are the figures impressive in motion, but the scenic placement of the Audio-Animatronics is wonderfully executed as well.
All of that makes Battle at the Ministry the best ride at Epic Universe. It simply ticks the most boxes and it’s clear that it will be a popular ride for years and years to come. However, there is a difference between the objectively best ride at a theme park and my (subjectively) favorite ride at a theme park. For that, we’d have to head over to Darkmoor and the Monsters Unchained attraction, but more on that later.
It wouldn’t be a complete review without a mention of some of the drawbacks of Battle at the Ministry. For me, there are simply too many screens. Yes, the screens are impressive and the best we’ve ever seen, but they’re still screens. I’m a sucker for physical sets or at least mostly physical sets. While there are some very impressive physical sets on Battle, I found myself nearly rolling my eyes about the third time I saw a floating elevator flanked by projection screens. Obviously, the story is that we’re on a wild chase through the Ministry on an elevator of our own, so it makes sense that we would see repeating moments with an elevator, but I wish that we could’ve followed a floating elevator through a physical set once or twice during the ride.
And just because I felt like I glossed over it too quickly, I want to underline that the screens are amazing. The resolution and seamless execution of the screens are not only the best at Universal but better than anything that Walt Disney World has ever done…and it’s not even close. Unless you’re specifically riding to look for screens, you’ll find yourself questioning where exactly the transition between the physical set and the screen is on more than one occasion during the ride. Whatever Universal did here feels like a generation ahead of everything else, and that should be applauded.
That said, the screens can be a double-edged sword – especially right now when the attraction isn’t the most reliable at Epic Universe. One small glitch (or mighty failure) ruins the experience. When a screen is 80% of the scene, it needs to work 100% of the time. Physical sets don’t glitch.
Speaking of reliability, we have to mention that the ride, for all of its technical achievements, does rely quite a bit on advanced technology. Right now, we’d say that it’s unreliable, with half of our rides (so far) containing either minor or major breakdowns. We have been in a ride vehicle that has broken down so spectacularly that it hurt. We have ridden through a majority of the ride with the screens paused and Audio-Animatronics frozen (and you don’t even want to see the projection-face figures during a breakdown). Yes, yes, it’s “previews”, but the concept of a “preview” goes out the door the second I pull out my wallet, but I digress. Hopefully, the ride can be reliable once the park has its grand opening instead of its current early opening “preview”.
Where Battle at the Ministry shines the most is when we’re faced with mostly physical sets on a massive scale. The first time that we rode and turned into the archives room to see a massive set with an Audio-Animatronic that many have confused for an actual actor, I said “wow” out loud. Battle goes down on a very short list of attractions that have elicited a verbal reaction from me, a normally quiet enjoyer of theme park attractions.
We should also talk about the massive Erumpent! While it’s great to see that Universal can excel when creating a humanoid Audio-Animatronic with the impressive Death Eaters on the ride, it’s also great to see an Audio-Animatronic on a more massive scale. Universal does large Audio-Animatronics well, and the Erumpent is some of their best work. It’s a simple movement, so don’t go into the ride thinking that you’ll get the Yeti (well, when it was working, at least), but it is yet another wow moment on a ride filled with those types of moments.
Overall, Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry represents the best work that Universal Creative did for an attraction experience at Epic Universe. The queue is second to none and the ride itself contains some technological wizardry and a storyline that rewards fans of the Harry Potter series. Universal has made some generational leaps with how it utilizes screens (even if there are too many for my taste), and the ride contains the best Audio-Animatronics figures at Epic Universe (and, perhaps, the best in any Orlando theme park). All of that adds up to an attraction experience that will be compared to some of Walt Disney Imagineering’s greatest work, which is high praise and exactly what Universal Orlando needed to do with its newest theme park.
Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry is an outstanding ride that has fully earned the high praise that it has been receiving during early previews. It is a ride that will be popular for decades to come, and it is packed with the best technology in theme park attractions right now.
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