This family-friendly thrill ride, which replaced the Dragon Challenge twin roller coasters, is also a coaster, but a highly themed one without huge hills or upside-down loops. Instead, it focuses on thrilling launches through forested terrain during outdoor segments, as well as close encounters with animatronic creatures inside and between the ride’s indoor buildings.

After exploring the immersive queue, guests board 14-passenger trains inspired by Hagrid’s motorcycle and sidecar. Highlights of the adventure include a vertical tunnel that leads into a backwards helix, followed by a free-fall drop into darkness. Fantastic creatures and familiar figures from the Potter world make appearances during your experience, such as the flying Ford Anglia, Fluffy the three-headed dog, and old Hagrid himself (an impressively lifelike animatronic).

If you feel Universal's attractions are too dependent on video screens and simulated movement, Hagrid is here to answer your prayers with richly detailed scenery, spectacular practical effects, and accelerated airtime that's exhilarating, but not too extreme for tweens and parents to enjoy together. While the coaster's 50 mile-per-hour top speed might not sound terribly swift, it feels far faster when you’re navigating ground-hugging twists and turns through a grove of 1,200 real trees. Move over, Everest, and step aside, Seven Dwarfs: Hagrid’s has a near-flawless combination of theme and thrills, making it easily the best “story coaster” in Orlando, and a strong contender for the best ride at Universal Orlando.