*Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure isn't the first coaster in the U.S. to feature a vertical drop.* Don't blame me, go tell Universal. They claim it to be in their press release (check out #4) -> blog.universalorlando.com/whats-new/7-thrilling-details-about-hagrids/ *When are you going to cover Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure?* I kinda did? I'm not going to cover brand new attractions because there's not that much history about them and honestly I don't want to spoil the ride for anyone. *Theme Park History of Diagon Alley in 2020? Really?* Yes really. I'm burnt out on Harry Potter attractions and need to take a break. Plus I need something to headline Theme Park History: Year 3.
Theme Park History Can you please do the Jurassic Park River Adventure at Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Japan since Jurassic World: The Ride is now open?
I remember going on Dueling Dragons as a kid and when you got off there was a sign that said ride again with an arrow and you got to skip part of the line. I still miss that:/
My grandpa worked in Bolliger & Mabillard for a lot of years and helped design Dueling Dragons. I just showed him this video and he loved it. Good work =)
One of my favorite memories from this ride: Sister and I hop on one of the dragons and we're heading up the ramp. Suddenly it comes to a grinding halt while the other dragon keeps going, thus missing our coasters syncing up. We're thinking 'great, some kind of malfunction' when a woman's voice booms in over the loudspeakers. "To the person in the front row with the camera- YES, you, I see you in your Beatles shirt, put your camera away at once. Have you not seen Final Destination 3? You want to die? You want death?" After a short while, we get moving, and for the rest of the day, my sister and I were like "Boo to the Guy in the Beatles Shirt" for ruining our experience that day.
@@thesfsguy6248 I take it you've never seen Final Destination 3 xD? But in all seriousness, bringing loose items can risk either hurt someone or damage the coaster, and then there's the fact that you've lost your phkne/camera. So, best to not have any loose items, like cell phones or cameras, out during a ride.
@@thesfsguy6248 Dude.... this ride literally doesn't exist because someone lost their eye because of idiots like that bringing on items that they either accidentally dropped or purposefully threw at the other track.
This makes me sad… Dueling Dragons had one of the best coaster concepts ever created and was one of my favorite rides at IOA along with the Hulk coaster. I made sure to ride both dragons at least twice, with my brother and I switching dragons each time. If they can ensure rider safety, I’d love to see another dueling coaster somewhere at some point. 🐉
Ikr. What kind of fuckery does a pair of unique and awesome roller coasters get taken down because some dumb fuck didn't want to take off his glasses or phones or other shit they had on them. Next up Hulk will be torn appart because some idiot will drop his phone.
@@alexfleis694 A guy who was blind in one eye went on the ride and some change flew out of another rider's pocket and hit his other eye leaving him completely blind
@@LakeHowellDigitalVideo I disagree. Not a big potter fan but I waited 5 hours for it and thought it was better than dragon's. Also, its not like you can't go down the road an hour to busch gardens and ride a much better invert in Montu.
@@matthewborne LOL.... Hilarious.... That you mention Busch Gardens since Hagrid is nothing more than a clone of Cheetah Hunt with Verbolten's vertical drop. Hagrid is lame -- can't believe how poor the theming is compared to Disney's family coasters..... You can see grass, walking paths, coaster supports, garbage cans, employee areas during the ride -- things that are hidden on Thunder Mountain for example, a 40 year old family coaster at the park down the street. Pathetic.
@@LakeHowellDigitalVideo I'd love to know if you have been on the ride. The ride is a lot better than cheetah hunt and verbolten and I have been on both. The walkways and paths on the ground are completley ignored when your on the ride, and the ride isn't perfect, but its definitley more thrilling and enjoyable than the family rides at disney.
@@LakeHowellDigitalVideo Saying that hagrid is a clone of cheetah hunt is just like saying like Montu is a clone of a Inverted coaster. The only similarities between Cheetah Hunt and Hagrid is the manufacturer and it being a launch coaster. The ride experiences are completley different and just becaude it uses another ride element like Verboten's vertical drop doesnt mean its copying, bc then every ride/rollercoaster copies each other.
I will never ever forget riding this ride like 15 times in one day. My dad and I went to IOA and he went with me on DD once per Fire and Ice side, then let me loose on my own to go as much as I wanted while he drank at the bar (the tree themed one I forget the name) right near the entrance of Dueling Dragons. I went on it like 6 more times then went into the bar where he was sipping on vodka tonics and told me to “go on it as many times until I get bored with it”. This was the time they dueled every single time. There was something absolutely mesmerizing about this amazing ride that made it one of the best coasters I’ve ever been on!
I happen to be wearing an old tie-dyed Dueling Dragons shirt right now, what are the odds? Fire 4 lyfe. The whole Lost Continent area was great, immersive atmosphere and very chill.
What a shame to see a great themed ride go to waste like that. I love the theme in the queue for Dueling Dragons, the story telling is just top notch. The stained glass window section is truly magical.
Love the intro. Too bad on the Beastly Kingdom. That would’ve been better than the Avatar Land. But, then again, we wouldn’t have The Lost Continent. Love the Dueling Dragons ride when I rode it. Was a bit disappointed when it was changed to Dragon Challenge and got rid of the dueling part because a couple people cant follow the rules of don’t take loose items on coasters.
Oh god, I remember Fire/Chinese Fireball treating my insides like a rag doll and having to lay on my back inside of Circus Mcgurkus for an hour until I felt better-good times. Jack, I feel like you’ve reached a level of quality now that is pretty unparalleled. Great video as always! 👍🏻
Thank you so much Fastpass Facts! It's amazing how one scrapped concept at Animal Kingdom played such a huge role in shaping Islands of Adventure! We would be delighted to work with you for a collab!
@@ThemeParkHistory I don’t know if you read Twitter or this more, but I still have a Ride summary segment script I wrote myself about The Cat in the Hat if you’re interested in it and adjust it to your liking
Dueling Dragons was an original. My husband and I rode it in Sept. 2009 and the theming of the castle cannot be overstated. Spooky winding walkways with armor in the walls, ice knights, Merlin's beckoning voice...Riding in the front seats provided a particular thrill on the initial turns; however, the back seat really intensified the surprise of the near miss encounters. Grateful to have experienced, in my opinion, the best themed, heart-pounding and satisfying roller coaster in my lifetime.
Video: "In order to tell this tale I must first tell you the story of dinosaurs..." Me: "Beastly Kingdom" Video: "... and Michael Eisner..." Me: "Beastly Kingdom!" Video: "... now you might be wondering--" Me: *desperately shaking my laptop* "B E A S T L Y K I N G D O M"
Man, that video was intriguing...! I knew about the cancelled fantasy-themed Animal Kingdom expansion and the Universal Orlando Resort expansion projects, but I never knew that there was a connection between the two of them in one of the most iconic of Universal's rides...! My brother rode the ride as "Dragon Challenge" more times than he could count, but I unfortunately never got to experience it--however, I did get to ride the new "Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure" and I absolutely loved it. I don't think we'll ever agree on which is or was better, and I personally won't have a way of telling, but it's fun to compare the two. Amazing ending for your Wizarding World attractions videos for this year! Thank you so much, I'm so glad a channel like yours exists...!
Don't Think I didn't hear that Dovakiin Song. Serious note, this was an awesome video to watch and I actually miss the Dueling Dragons ride. Thank you for putting together to video TPH!
Nice to see a video on this coaster. I was fortunate enough to have ridden Dueling Dragons during Island's of Adventures inaugral year. Also the intro music is the original theme music for the Merlin Wood area of the Lost Continent section of the park. Cudos to this channel for tracking that down.
I remember riding this during the opening week in 99’ when I was 9. I screamed my little head off but had to go on it again to try out the blue side. The queue was insanely long but I didn’t care because It was so much fun! Last time I rode it was in 08’ and there was barely a 5 min wait. It was fun while it lasted
Excited for this years HHN haunted house based on this ride! I'll ne er get to experience the epic coaster, but excited to see the story come alive once again.
Dueling dragons was the first roller coaster I ever rode and got me over the fears of going on one. It was my favorite ride in IOA but I did ride Hagrids and it is my new favorite ride now!
You guys should do the duelling coaster in Universal Studios Singapore - Battlestar Galactica. Pretty sure it was inspired by Duelling Dragons and it’s a pretty awesome rollercoaster. Plus it has an interesting history of delays, testing and problems in between.
Found myself on the suggested comments page. Thank you for making this video. I’ve watched closely every month and it’s finally here! This channel rocks.
Dueling Dragons and The Incredible Hulk were my first roller coasters. It's because of them that I love Universal, and theme parks in general, so much. This was a great send-off for Dueling Dragons. Thank you, Jack.
When I was little, I went to Universal. The wait time for this ride was like 5 minutes. I did not roller coasters back then, so I chickened out and began to cry when I sat in the train. The dispatcher unlocked the restraints and let me off. Years later, I visited Knott's Berry Farm and went on Silver Bullet. I loved it, and when my sister told me that Silver Bullet was very similar to Dueling Dragons, I told her that I would go on it next time we went to Islands of Adventure. Unfortunately, I found out it was closed and got replaced with Hagrid's Motorbike Adventure. I still regret not riding it to this day.
Do Flying Unicorn, please! My childhood is at stake! I remember riding Flying Unicorn repeatedly to the point where my parents would have to drag me to another portion of the park.
When I was 12, I was terrified of roller coasters. I finally rode dueling dragons, and I did not regret it. This was the time when the dueling feature was active. 2 years later, the dueling feature was closed. I was so happy that I did in fact ride this when it was at its prime. First roller coaster ever ridden. Fire for life
Dueling Dragons was one of the greatest theme park attractions ever created, the first time I ever visited Islands of Adventure in 2000, it was without a doubt my favorite one in the entire park, and that's saying something considering how well-rounded IOA is, even back then, long before The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The queue line was like nothing I had ever seen in my life, it was just as good as the coasters themselves if you can even believe that, and of course, the coasters were amazing, too. On their own, they were pretty much middle of the road B&M inverts, but put together to duel, with all of their insanely exciting near-misses, made them two of the greatest B&M ever built. Even as a big Harry Potter fan like I am, Islands of Adventure just isn't the same without this incredible attraction, but I guess it just had to be, especially since they stopped dueling them because of idiot guests throwing objects at the other trains. I'm just thankful that I have the memories, if you never got to experience this ride when they were still allowed to duel, and never got to experience it's incredible queue line, you seriously missed out.
Hey 👋 hows it going, I’ve been binge watching your videos all week haha. There really good. You should a Theme Park History Video on Star Tours at Disneyland.
I'm pretty sure that Verbolten in Busch gardens Williamsburg has a drop section too. So what you said about Hagrid being the first in the US to have a drop section is incorrect.
my thoughts throughout this video: "Oh wow! This coaster looks fantastic! I really want to go to Islands of Adventure now!" "Oh damn... it closed." "Oh thank goodness, I'm glad it's still the same coaster really." "GOD DAMNIT"
I would love to see a How toTrain Your Dragon version of this ride. With a Night Fury (the twistier one) and a Deadly Nadder (the faster one). Add a little more story elements with it like the Hagrid ride (maybe Hiccup and Astrid sending each of the coasters off) and I think it would be a hit
I miss these rides I always went on both of them when I was in Orlando I’m so mad that they got rid of them I have shirts to pay a tribute I will always miss them they were best ride I ever went rest in piece dueling dragons and dragon challenge I will miss you a lot and forever
I graduated in 2017, so we had our grad bash at Orlando. My friends and I were so excited for the Dragon Challenge, only to be disappointed that it was closed. At first, we thought they were fixing it up. I went back there again for HHN and no, it was gone
Thank you for sharing this story, Dragon challenge was on of my favorite rides. I didn't like the Hagrid's coaster, I expected more...they promote a universe with a dark and magical forest, and delivery a open and poor coaster... I love Harry potter too, I support changes but I expected more from this new attraction.
Thanks! was too scared back then, altho I lived there and had annual passes.... got into coasters later when it was gone. Hola from Baja on the beach. Lots less hurricanes
Man, your work is top quality, and it keeps getting better, if that's possible. If one day you decided to create a Theme Park History episode about the Backdraft ride at Universal Hollywood/Japan it would be much, MUCH appreciated! All the stuff I read about it was never extensive or detailed enough, and I've always been fascinated by that ride. Of course when, or if, you want. Excellent video, as always. Keep it up!!
Rode this back in 2004, got the front row on one and the timing was perfect for the loop, you really felt like you where about to hit the other coaster and still surprised your feet didn't hit the people on the other coaster. Sad that it's gone, sad to see the tracks piled as scrap in this video, but Hagrids is a good replacement if it had to be replaced, rode it during the June Orlando Informer Meetup this year, was one of the last people on the ride, so it was almost midnight and really dark, but still had enough light to see the linear induction motors and the braking motors so I knew every time it was about to go balls out, funnest coaster in the park.
Me: let’s do dueling dragons Theme park history: uhh that’s what you’re watching Me: then do test track Theme park crazy: we have also done that. Me: then do space mountain. Theme park history: whatever.
Great video and amazing coaster(s) that I loved! My favorite of the two was Fire. Congrats on 60+ K subs! I made this suggestion on one of your earlier videos but since you have done Flying Unicorn and this attraction I would love for you to do Poseidon's Fury or Ghostbuster.
I remember going on dragons challenge in 2014, it was in my top 3 rides at Universal. I remember the que being incredibly short and I went on the ride at least 4 times
Loved it! I didn’t have the chance of riding the coasters when they were Dueling Dragons but the concept always interested me since I watched how they were made on TV during a young age 💕. Thanks for doing this video! Btw, I have to admit I got excited when I saw my name in the comments on the video 🙈❤️
Loved this video. Last rode the dueling dragons in 2016 after 5 years of not going to IOA. Had been on this ride many times but did not know why there were metal detectors in the queue or why the dragons weren't dueling anymore. It was so disappointing but glad I got to ride it one last time before it was taken down.
Love the Skyrim music!! Can you do for your next episode the history of the Toon Lagoon theatre? I walk by it all the time and try to remember everything that was there and never know why it was built originally
