I was at Universal a few years ago, when the Harry Potter section was new, but I’d just found out that I was pregnant and couldn’t ride anything. My brother-in-law Thomas and I took a break from Disney and went over to Universal last week. I Harry Potter’d! I did so much Harry Pottering!
Read more on Harry Potter Day at Universal, Plus All of the Food…
I am so in love with this. I bought this from Life Geekery a while back, and I’ve had it for about a month now. They’re made to order, so you do have to be patient for a few weeks until it ships. But they have some other amazing character interpretations (Dr. Who, Star Wars), not just Harry Potter. And you can order for a Kindle, iPad, Mini, etc. You do have to get used to carrying Harry upside down, the opening is at the bottom. Small price to pay for greatness.
Other posts about LeakyCon: LeakyCon Pt. 1.
So in addition to the fabulous time we had at the screening and at the park, we saw some pretty great convention sessions, too. I’m actually finishing up this post from the airport, we head home tonight and miss the ball and closing festivities. Which is a little sad, but I’ve been away from home for 3 weeks and am SO ready to get back (weather permitting)!
Some panels were just impossible for getting good photos because of our seats, or security measures, etc. The Opening Ceremony was excellent, and I can now officially say I understand what Pottermore is. That one was definitely no photos; they showed us some really cool stuff that no one else has seen yet. But I’m so glad I went, it’s all starting to make sense to me.
I also saw Snape (from Team Starkid) interviewing some Starkid folks, and we watched a screening of A Very Potter Musical. The 1st act, anyway. Neither of us had ever seen it before, hilarious. But as far as I can tell not worth the insane fangirl vibe running through the whole week–they did something like 4 different signings and photo ops, and each time the line took up the whole convention center.
We also went to a meetup for fans over 30, which was loads better than I was expecting. Some really great, informal discussion about the impact of the books. Lots of professors and educators there, plus some really excellent fans.
This was fun, a surprise MuggleCast/LeakyCast panel inside the park featuring Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood, 2nd from the right). It was her first time seeing the park, she was excited.
IT ALL ENDS 7.15.
So my brother and I are in Orlando for LeakyCon 2011. It’s quite an experience to celebrate the release of the LAST HARRY POTTER film with about 3500 fans. It feels appropriate and lucky to be here for the end of something so momentous to so many people, but I don’t think Rob had any idea how big and extensive this fandom is. He was a little shell-shocked, but we’ve both gotten into the spirit of it and enjoyed all the panels and events we’ve been to.
Including early screenings of the movie yesterday, before the official release today. That was clearly the highlight of this week, and I think we took over pretty much the entire 18 screen theater at Universal CityWalk. Our show was at 6:45pm, and as a fan you know it’s going to be an incredible experience when a full-wand salute breaks out moments before the lights go out:
We were practically all crying the minute the lights went down, and I am so mad that I didn’t think to bring my newly purchased wand (of course I bought one!). This was such a thrill; we all knew when to gasp, when to be silent, when to get ready for something big, and when to start crying…inside and out and this crew knew how to do this screening. And the movie…let’s just say I’m seriously considering bumping it to the top of my Favorite Movies of All Time list, but I need to see it 2 or 3 times more to be sure. 🙂
I know I’m late with this, but…
I’m beside myself. So excited.