I'll admit it: I love theme parks (I visit at least a couple each summer) and I love Harry Potter, so I've pretty much been excited for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios in Orlando since it was announced. The footage and images coming out of this park (opening June 18th) look pretty awesome. (See for yourself!) I'm seriously considering booking a flight and braving the crowds so I can indulge in some ButterBeer and chocolate frogs. The only real disappointment I have is that while the rides haven't totally been revealed, there seem to only be three. Perhaps that number will grow, but to start there is just Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (a magical ride inside the castle), The Dragon Challenge (dueling roller coaster) and the Flight of the Hippogriff (a family friendly roller coaster). The reason I go to parks is for the thrill rides, not necessarily for the merchandise, but since Wizarding World is planted next to the Hulk roller coaster that I still love and the Spider-Man attraction, I suppose that I could find something else to do while I was there. Anyway, not everyone needs to be spun upside down constantly in order to be entertained, and what WW sounds like it has an amount of detail sure to please Muggle and wizard alike. Here are the five things that I think look the most impressive about it:

On June 18, the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park at the Universal Orlando Resort opens, and we could not be happier little movie geeks. We can't wait to buy our own magic wands at Ollivander's and get buttered on butterbeer at the Hog's Head! But all this hoopla has gotten us thinking about other film franchises, many much older than Harry Potter, that deserve their own theme parks. Here's our list of eleven action, fantasy, sci-fi and comedy franchises that we would love to immerse ourselves in for at least four or five days out of the year.

Look out, San Diego Comic-Con -- this past weekend, Disney held their own convention in Anaheim, and it had more Disney-related celebrity panels and announcements than you could shake a stick at. While a lot of the show was simply fan service -- merchandise, collectible pins, a look at new theme parks and attractions in the works, a Miley Cyrus concert -- there were actually a lot of great announcements about upcoming movies, and we thought we'd run down some of the bigger ones below.

Movie buffs who also happen to be fans of roller coasters are about to have the Best Week Ever. On the heels of yesterday's announcement of a Transformers ride being built at Universal Studios Hollywood comes the news today of a Terminator coaster in the works at Six Flags Magic Mountain. And while Transformers fans have to wait until 2011 to buckle in, Terminator: The Coaster will open next year around the same time that Terminator: Salvation opens in theaters. [Was time travel involved? - Zach]

Transformers fans, rejoice! After 25 years of loving the toys and cartoon, and a year and a half of either praising or cursing Michael Bay's name for his handling of the live-action film, you will finally be able to ride along with the Transformers. ...Not actually inside the Transformers -- that could end badly. Being inside a transforming car is never a good thing, no matter what the new Knight Rider tells us. No, instead, you'll be able to ride a roller-coaster-type thing past the giant robots fighting with each other, in a new ride planned for Universal Studios Hollywood. Yes, the robots will look like they do in the movie. No, they will not be wearing nametags.

Are you plagued by specters, spooks or phantoms? Do you have a strange and penetrating belief in the paranormal? Do you own an old firehouse with a perfectly good garage, and nothing to put in it? Well, whip out a check or money order and remove the spending limits on your Paypal account, because one of the three original Ecto-1 Ghostbusters cars is up for auction on eBay Motors. Of course, this one never appeared on the big screen, and was instead made specifically for people to take their picture with at the Universal Studios theme park, but from a distance, who can tell? The bidding is already over $45,000 with three days left, and you'll have to pick it up yourself in Tennessee or pay somebody to deliver it, but isn't 60-70 grand a small price to pay for a piece of history? ...Well, you know, film history? ...Okay, theme park history?

At Wednesday's Walt Disney Studios Showcase, the Mouse announced a ton of new projects, most of them starring Johnny Depp. Not only will the actor definitely be playing the Mad Hatter in director Tim Burton's motion-capture CGI Alice in Wonderland (as rumored back in July), he'll also be returning as Jack Sparrow for yet another Pirates of the Caribbean movie (that's four now, for those of you not counting at home). What are they going to call this one, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Successful and Still Mildly Enjoyable Franchise?

Tarzan, in whatever version it finds itself, has long been on my shit list. Most put the blame squarely on the shoulders of that 2003 (I don't think it made it into 2004) WB series of the same name (which, perhaps because of the beefcake, I totally watched), but in reality, it happened the minute Disney decided to screw with the single greatest attraction, ever, the Swiss Family Robinson Tree House at their Disneyland resort, by turning it into the ultimate lameness that is the Tarzan Treehouse. The pirates learned the hard way not to fuck with the Swiss Family Robinson, and I hope someday Disney does, too. Where was I going with that? Oh yeah. A new Tarzan is in the works, folks -- this one a re-imagination of the classic, Tarzan, Lord of the Apes.

Bad news, space cadets. The Star Trek Experience in Las Vegas is closing after ten years. You have until September 1 to visit Trekker Mecca (hey, that kinda rhymes!) and get your picture taken on the bridge of the Enterprise. Read our suggestions for a replacement in the Telefile, if you can keep from crying into your Chech'tluth.