How It Works: HP & The Forbidden Journey | The Robot Ride Inside Hogwarts Castle 

Foolish mortals, this is not the ONLY video this month. Keep your heads out and bring your death certificate for my Halloween special coming sooOOoon. For now: www.patreon.com/amusementlabs Also, to make sure I have ample study time for finals there will not be a November video and likely not in December either. But worry not, I'll be back in the new year. 🙂 Thank you for all your support this last crazy year and I can't wait to share what I have in store for the future.

This is the first ride I have ever rode that literally left me speechless afterwords. It's probably the best dark ride on the planet, honestly.

I always wondered why the animatronics got so close... I used to think I was exaggerating how close those darn dementors got but nope, they pop right up to my face 😬😅

This is a great ride! The first time I went on it though, It broke down. My dad sister and I were all in the bench upside down beneath the womping willow. I was so nervous that the branches were gonna hit us because the props didn't stop moving even though the ride vehicles did. The lights turned on and nerdy me started fangirling over the ride vehicles that we could all now see. After about 20 minutes, the ride resumed and our vehicle was set to that "jog" position. Universal, of course, offered to put us in the front of the next line for the ride since we were stopped for so long. But to be honest, I didn't mind one bit being stuck on it. I loved figuring out how it worked.

Don't forget to talk about how often this ride breaks down. Depending on where you are in the ride, and what position the train is in, that can be a pretty terrifying ordeal.

This was the first ride I ever rode that I came off and the first thing I said was..."HOW DID THEY DO THAT?" The moving between real scenes and screens is just so well done. Also probs to The Amazing Avengers of Spider-Man which does this flawlessly despite being a decade older.

I went on this ride at Universal studios, the ride stopped right where the giant spiders are trying to get you. A gigantic spider was right in front of me. It was awesome. Then the ride kept going. It gave me time to observe and look around the ride.

My favorite ride ever. I went on it 13 times in a single visit using the single rider line. Exit the ride in the gift shop, cut thru the locker area and you're back on in seconds

Weirdly enough, I spent the better part of 4 days hanging around the HP section of Islands of Adventure and never went on this ride! Admittedly, the line was always long, and I was never sure how I'd feel about being tossed around. However! My mom and I happened to ask an attendant about the ride and she happily informed us of the non-ride queue through the castle. We certainly turned a few heads walking through an empty line parallel to the ride queue, but it was a great time to really take in the interior of the castle they built up. Also it's inside, air conditioned, and free with no time restrictions; I think we spent probably an hour slowly walking through and poring over all the props and details. It's a super nice way to experience the queue effects even if you don't feel up to the ride, and not a lot of people know about it!

Will literally never be able to forget the time my foot touched a dementor on this ride 😭😭😭 Now I live in fear of touching one of the spiders the next time I ride

A castle that dominates the Orlando skyline. Wish I was a Hogwarts student

I like learning about those "hologram" portraits. Its like a modern Pepper's ghost that fascinates me like the haunted mansion

I screamed my lungs out when I rode this because I didn't expect the dementors to get so close. I'm an grown ass man btw

So the most surprising thing for me in this one was the absolutely massive size of those “ride vehicles” The seats are only about 10% of the total frame 😳

I rode this a lot of times over two days. On the second day, a dementor that had been absent the day before (being fixed? idk) popped right into my face. Scared me half to death lmao

A small additional detail: there is a second station behind the main station, with switching tracks before/after the main station. There is usually only one car arriving at this station at a time, but it can remain stationary during loading/unloading, and is launched upon clearance from that station's operators. When launching, the system slows the cars leaving the main station just enough that it can skip into the ride without a major disruption, and similarly it slows the cars behind the "secondary" car at the end of the ride just enough to allow the switching to occur. This station is primarily used for disabled access to the ride, but it's additionally been used for VIPs, as the route to this station completely bypasses the main queue.

I can’t help but think about the Kuka arm becoming sentient, breaking free & stealing a bench full of riders 😂😭

I saw this in my recommended and just said yes

Apparently, the ‘Universal Monsters’ ride at Epic Universe is gonna have a more advanced version of this ride system where the arm is on a rollercoaster track

It’s a masterpiece of ride technology but I’ve never felt so sick riding anything. This actually made me feel more sick than on the Simpsons ride over in USO. 🤢

Well, "Just Amusement Labs", yer a wizard.

Your speaking voice and enunciation is improving, not to mention the always top of the line content. This is a wonderful video, bravo!

HP and the Forbidden Journey is probably the best theme park ride I’ve ever rode (not counting rollercoasters). From the line theming, the speed at which you get on and off the ride, the mechanics blending magic motion and old school live action, practical animatronics. The overall experience is fantastic. Two rides I’ve yet to experience is the Star Wars Rise of the Resistance and Avatar’s Flights of Passage Pandora. I heard both are great but as of this post, no ride has emcome close to the overall experience that Forbidden Journey delivers.

Bro that big ass spider scared the shit out of me!!! Love the ride so much but now I close my eyes when the ride takes you by Aragog.

One of the best rides ever made. There are some amazing rides between Disney and Universal but this one and Flight of Passage are the only two rides that left me speechless and in awe. Two rides that I’d like to know “how they work” would be Revenge if the Mummy and that cool turn table and the fire up the ceiling effect, and Manta/Superman/flying coasters!

Went on this a couple of weeks ago with no idea what to expect. It surprised the hell out of me how much I enjoyed it. I ended up riding it 5 times thanks to the Single Rider line being a 1-minute wait - it was awesome.

This was a perfect video. I can not thank you enough for not showing the very long spider scene in this video review. For the first time I was able to see how this ride works and now I am willing to try it again. I have rode this attraction once in my life, but closed my eyes to long to enjoy the experience. Know that I have more information about the ride I can fully enjoy with the rest of my family. Thank you for your time in creating this Awesome video!

I was so sick after riding this that I needed to leave the park in a wheelchair. Never again. Miss dragon challenge, though! Thanks for a great video explaining a ride that I couldn't actually enjoy in person.

I rode this for the first time last week, and I was NOT ready for it. No ride video can prepare you for the actual experience on this phenomenal dark ride. It must be ridden to be believed. As someone else in the comments said, it left me speechless. And by the way, the right-most seat when you're in the vehicle is definitely the scariest; I rode on both ends in the same day. The right-most seat gets the "dragon fire" right in the face!

I rode this at japan, it's truly amazing how you can feel that you're flying even though your no more than a few meters above ground

I was so excited to ride this and as soon as it started, motion sickness!!! I had to close my eyes the ENTIRE time. This was worse than Star Tours for me lol. I’m sure it’s a great ride but my stomach can’t handle it. Maybe I’ll try it with Dramamine next time.

When I rode this, I didn't understand how each rider could have such a long time in front of the dome projections when there's so little time between each cart in the queue...now it all makes sense.

Woo-hoo! Always love your vids. Thank you so much for making these, even when you have school. I’m also loving the new amusement labs. (Even though I’m missing the “and stand in the queue line, which you’re probably already doing” line) I’ve been watching your videos from the beginning. It’s been great seeing you get more and more of the credit you deserve. Shows your dedication. 👍 Have a great day, dude. Good luck on your finals.

6:37 Imagine sitting down, being a little tall, and the attendant closing the restraint bonks you on the head with the roof.

Thank you so much for posting this video and others like it!! This is my first visit to your channel. We just rode Harry Potter and The Forbidden Journey yesterday. It was absolutely fascinating! I am one of those people who loves to learn how things work, especially rides. It also gives me the courage to try different rides when I understand how they work. Ever since we rode this ride I have been trying to figure out how it was done. I searched you tube and ran across your channel. I will definitely be checking out your other videos. Thank you for your hard work and great detail given in these videos!!!

we need more of these robotic arm coaster rides, its amazing

i remember when this opened up in california. made everyone in my family sick 😂

The spiders in the California version traumatized me

The ride also has a well-thought-out method for loading and unloading disabled riders. There is a separate loading room without the moving sidewalk. A single Kuka arm and carriage is diverted from the regular track, enters this room, and comes to a complete stop. The disabled rider(s) and their friends (still four people total) can then take as long as they need to load and unload, without disrupting the ride flow of the other carriages. Once loaded, this ride vehicle is reintroduced to the regular ride flow, but returns to this separate station afterwards. This is a great improvement to older ride systems that use the regular loading area for disabled riders. And probably not that expensive to construct, since the ride systems need a way to take a single ride vehicle out of service anyway. A thoughtful and much-appreciated addition by the ride’s designers, and Universal, who’s staff did an excellent job running this station.

one of my favorite rides!!! literally rode the first time, ran to jurassic park grabbed my brother and ran back to the castle!! its amazing and videos like this one are so FASCINATING !! i love knowing how it all works, thanks for this!!!! going back in the Fall :)

Just rode this ride yesterday for the first time and I'm still in awe on how amazing it is!

You will always be missed dueling dragons

I must say your channel has really gotten better over time. The single biggest improvement is your narrations, they are so well done much clearer and much easier to understand. Super great channel! Always enjoy your videos very much and always learn something new!

The spiders holeee sheeett, that was unexpected, got me to close eyes the rest of the ride

Loved this! All I have wanted to see from this ride for the last ten years is an accurate blueprint xD

This is the most magic ride I have ever been on. The Gringotts ride was fun when it was added, but this is just beyond amazing.

I always look forward to these videos! The amount of information you provide is always great

this dementors and the spider scared the shit out of me, but this is probably one of my favorite rides I’ve ever been on! the tech behind it is so interesting, i swear i talked my friends’ ears off after we left lmfao

Lets not forget about that amazing dragon CGI.

Bro I was just at universal for the first time since Covid last week. And went on forbidden journey half a dozen times with express, and I’m not even a Harry Potter fan. Amazing how the ride works, and how complicated it is. Thank you for the video boss.

When I first got on this ride I cried because I love HP and they did such and amazing job. Thanks for another great video.

We love this ride. Thanks for going into detail about the intricacies on the engineering side of things. Top notch research and awesome presentation!

The ride halted while I was on it, but it ended up making it cooler! The emergency lights allowed me to see all the guts making things work. I was stopped in front of a concave projector screen, and it, somehow, amplified my voice when I spoke.

I just wish I didn't get so sick when riding this, seeing it all in action definitely shows now why that happens.

Off the charts theming and a top notch dark ride. Freaking awesome. That ride system is an engineering marvel.

Wow, I love how technical you are in the video. I will for sure check out your other videos. I hope they're a lot like this one. Thanks for posting this.

My guy, this is such a helpful resource. Imagine going on the ride and seeing how it works. There needs to be more videos like this. I'd like to see something similar for how the Avatar ride works at Animal Kingdom, that one and this one was one of the best experiences of their respective parks.

Once when I was on this ride, it shut down halfway through. My mother stopped directly in front of the part with the spider that spits water in your face. 😂

the spiders and dementors scared the shit out of me lmao

Love seeing continuous improvements. Keep it up 🙏

Aw man, no gear contest? That’s fine, it’s one of the many reason why I love these videos. Looking forward to the next one!

this ride is sick as hell, but man it gets me super motion sick.

I only found your channel recently but it’s amazing getting to learn about some of my favorite rides I’ve ever been on

Just found this channel and have been binging it over the last few days. Is good stuff. Hope you get more views and subs cos they're definitely due!

I was petrified during the entire ride 😂

Hi, from the UK. This is one of my top rides, at Universal. Very clever ride system. Lucky for me, i don't get motion sickness. Visited back in december last year. Hope to get back, at some point, in the near future. Been watching updates, on the new Velocioaster, looks awesome, as does Iron Gwazi, over at BG Tampa.

My favorite ride! The first time I rode it I cried happy tears. I can ride it over and over and not get tired of it.

The best videos ever !! Congrats men you are amazing! Greetings from Mexico 🇲🇽

Those are not “buttons” or flags on the sides of the vehicles as was mentioned. Those are indicator lights as to which mode each vehicle is operating on. Ride attendants on the load platform carry a RFID tag in one hand. They are able to tell each vehicle what mode to be in according to different sensors on each vehicle. The green light means the vehicle is tagged for dispatch. A blue light means the vehicle will travel to the Secondary load platform. Another sensor will pop the harnesses on the vehicle when an RFID signals it. There isn’t another one for maintenance mode. Lastly it takes 2 ride attendants to disable a vehicle using their RFID tags. It’s a very simple feature that is guest proof should a guest try to mess with it. So next time you ride, pay attention to the yellow RFID tag in your ride attendants hand. :)

As someone that suffers motion sickness, this ride was like Torture for me. Horrific

Wandering from the Lost Continent to the entrance of Hogsmead you get that incredible sight of the town and castle and it lines up beautifully. One of the best forced perspectives Orlando parks have ever had. The designers should be praised and forever employed from here til they retire.

This was honestly my favorite ride. I felt so there and as a harry potter obsessed nerd, this was so cool u have no idea..

I remember riding this one over an over when I went. Second time through the ride stopped for almost 10 minutes- we were mid tilt in one of the spookier parts of the ride. I can’t remember if it was a dementor or the giant spider, but it freaked me out

Just love to see how theme parks use robots that are usually used in factories to carry people to give a unique experience

What an amazing and incredibly detailed video! Excellent work!

Love this ride every time I get to visit. The queue is always fun to look at and when the ride is operational, it's a blast!

I had to close my eyes I was so scared 😂 we got stuck by Aragog and I REFUSED to see the big spider 😂 no way. It's amazing how it works, I've been on it since then and it is so immersive... Albeit the screens could do with updating but that's just me being very picky. Amazing ride, hardly ever breaks down but when it does, embrace it because you get to see the cool stuff.

omg i swear the woman painting spoke to me in this ride queue.

I still couldn’t understand how does it feel that you’re actually flying so fast in some scenes, it’s so realistic

The best ride I’ve ever been on. So glad I’ve been able to experience it!

pretty cool to see it with the lights on!

I’ve been on this ride quite a few times. It’s so fun! It’s amazing to see how it all works and from what it seems like Timing is so important with this ride!

Thanks for this, it was one of my favorite rides at Universal!

Awesome content for one of my all time favorite rides! Great job

How did I miss the the upload by three days. Curse you youtube suggestions! Notifications on

I subscribed from your "How Does RMC Work" video years ago ,and ever since then I've seen you videos improve and improve! I think this is by far one of your most polished videos. There are other Forbidden Journey videos around and you clearly take the prize here. On another note, you mentioned you are in school, are you studying to become an engineer? If so, this is a great resume builder for a job as an imagineer!

Nice work on the mechanical breakdown..I went on this ride for an hour straight before...This ride is very smooth and at times feels like your actually flying... 👍

New subscriber here. You literally answered my question. Thanks 👍🏾😊 I swear to ya, the past time I was at the park(literally just last week) I paid more attention to trying to see around the screens and seat (since I was at the end seat) just because I wanted to see how it worked. I could even see the riders behind my seat. So I got curious about how they perfectly executed ride. And here you are! So I'm subscribing

I absolutely love this ride and it is always a must ride for me. One time I got stuck at the part where you are basically upside down next to the whomping willow

In my trip to Orlando in 2019 this was actually one of my favorite rides! I was very thankful for our express passes bc I rode it many times in a row! My mom on the other hand couldn’t handle it 🤢

I just walked out of Universal a while ago and my mom was planning on taking me to that ride. I knew that I can’t go there blind in case the ride is too dangerous for me or not. So, I decided to watch this video. Now I know what the ride is like and how it’s made. Thank you very much! EXPECTO PATRONUM! 💫

Thanks for the informative video! Keep up the great work :)

I just wanna watch this vid nowwww!!!

What's my favourite ride? In 2020, it's the one where I sit and watch Amusement Labs show me all the magical secrets of theme parks. That has is by far my favourite ride of 2020.

Ive never watched a Harry Potter movie but I spend tons of money going to Universal because I love the rides!! Absolute best!!

This is my favorite ride at Universal!

This ride always makes me feel a little sick, especially on an empty stomach

this ride was cool but it scared me lmao i had my eyes covered the entire second half

i wish i could leave a photo comment to show how amazed i was wondering how this ride worked my very first time riding it. while everyone in the in ride photo looked shocked, i was looking off to the side like "HOW?!?!?!?" thank you so much for this video! i've wondered this for years.

I enjoyed watching your video.. Thank you for posting.