My Amazing Journey to the Warner Brothers Studio Tour Part 4

This is the fourth and final part of my account of my Warner Brothers Studio Tour trip. So far I've seen the Great Hall, Gryffindor Common Room, Dumbledore's Office and Ministry of Magic amongst many other iconic sets and props. Could the tour possibly get any better? Oh yes, it can.

From the gorgeous graphics display, visitors leave the first section of the tour by a door which leads out to a courtyard. Two things face you immediately when you step outside: the very ordinary-looking Number 4 Privet Drive and the obviously magical triple-decker Knight Bus.

This could easily be any street in Britain

                   Unfortunately not normally seen on streets in Britain                      

Other features of the courtyard include the Hogwarts Bridge, Flying Ford Anglia and Sirius' motorbike. The great thing about this area is that, unlike the other props and set pieces, you are welcome to touch and stand/sit on many of the buildings and vehicles. I can officially and proudly say that I have touched Harry Potter's door knocker as well as gone for a ride in the Ford Anglia (well, in my head, anyway).

If you squint hard, me and my partner could almost pass for Harry and Ron

The courtyard also offers visitors the chance to buy a cup of Butterbeer! I wouldn't say I was particularly taken with it (it was like a mix of Irn Bru, Cream Soda and whippy cream) but at least I've given it a try.

After the excitement of the courtyard, I found the next section of the tour- animatronics and prosthetics- a little less thrilling, although still very interesting.  This is the most 'behind the scenes' part of the tour and some of the things you'll see here include life-size models of actors and creatures, a dementor backback (yes, really!) and rows of goblin heads. I was most surprised by a talking Hagrid head, unceremoniously plonked on top of a stack of crates, which was used for Robbie Coltrane's double in the films.

Or maybe this is what Hagrid always looked like under his coat?

I left the animatronics room expecting another room of technical stuff but was instead met with....

Squeeeeeeeeee!

Diagon Alley! My absolute favourite place in the books and films! And it was definitely my favouirte part of the Studio Tour too, even though it was pretty crowded. The facades were so beautiful; I longed to head into Olivanders to browse the wands and stroll into Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour for an extravagant sundae.

One scoop of champagne ice cream with gold sprinkles, please

Maybe after an ice cream, I could pick up a copy of Magical Me...

Or browse the puking pastilles and joke wands in Weasley's Wizard Wheezes....

 

 

But either way, I'd definitely need a visit to Gringott's first to collect some gold!

                                  

It's easy to get carried away when visiting this part of the tour! The lighting in Diagon Alley changed from day to night every few minutes which was nice and atmospheric, but I also would have loved to hear some soundscapes too- maybe some owls hooting and witches and wizards chatting in the street. Or perhaps even the music from the film that is played when Harry first visits Diagon Alley. Overall though, this was- apologies for the cliche- an absolutely magical part of the tour.

The next section of the tour was a collection of artwork and paper models which were a bit of an anticlimax after Diagon Alley, but I'd like to spend more time looking at them on a second visit. 

The final part of the tour was- judging by others' reviews- many people's favourite part of the Studio Tour. It was the large scale model of Hogwarts.

                         

Harry Potter figure not included

I don't want to downplay how magnificent this model is; it really is beautiful and intricately detailed. It is also massive. It's hard to explain the scale of the model but it took up an entire studio room by itself and visitors could walk around the entirety of the model to view it from every angle.  I think I would have been more impressed if every newspaper and internet review I'd seen of the Warner Brothers Studio Tour before my visit hadn't printed a massive picture of the model and gushed over how it was the highlight of the tour. That said, the tour wouldn't have been complete without Hogwarts I am very happy to have seen it.

Visitors exit the tour through a room filled with wand boxes, each displaying the name of a person who contributed to the creation of the films.

                           

 As you head toward the exit and into the gift shop, you are met with a screen displaying this quote from J.K. Rowling which is a fitting and touching end to the tour:

                         

N.B. I visited the Warner Brothers Studio Tour back in 2012 and there have been a few additions since this time, most notably the Dark Arts exhibit. With any luck, I'll be able to go again soon to see the changes!

My Amazing Journey to the Warner Brothers Studio Tour Part 3

If you can remember back past the annual abundance of Christmas pudding and turkey to Part 2 of my trip to the Warner Brothers Studio Tour, I had just left Dumbledore's Office and had promised you props. The majority of the most important props were in one particular display case.

         

Am I the only one who thinks the Philosopher's Stone looks edible (and really tasty)?

There was also a horcrux display containing the five inanimate horcruxes. I'd like to be able to say that the blurriness of the following photos are due to the horcruxes exuding an aura of evil that interfered with my camera. Unfortunately the reality is probably down to my own poor photography skills.

 

The wonderful thing about the Studio Tour is that you have the opportunity to take as much time as you want to inspect props and sets that are only glimpsed on screen. For example, I had never noticed quite how beautiful Slytherin's Locket was until I saw it as part of the tour. The locket itself is almost opaline with delicate inlaid green gems in the shape of an 'S' or serpent. I'd just assumed that it was a plain amber-brown colour from the films. The photo I took didn't do it any justice whatsoever!

                         

I begrudgingly pulled myself away from the horcruxes to visit the enigmatic Potions Classroom.

Where you can learn how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses

This was the first set on the tour that included a 'magic' moving item- a self-stirring cauldron. You can watch a video of the cauldron in action on YouTube here (please note: the video is not my own). The Classroom is watched over by the costumes of everyone's favourite Slytherins: Severus Snape and Horace Slughorn.

                                         

 

Fun fact: Snape's costume didn't change throught the films

From the Potions Classroom you pass by Hagrid's Hut which was mostly notable for mugshots and details on the films' animal actors nearby. Did you know that it took three cats to portray Mrs Norris and only one of them was female? Well now you do.

After Hagrid's Hut was a display of three significant doors- one to the Chamber of Secrets, one for a Gringotts' vault and one for the Hogwarts Entrance Hall. Sadly the snake mechanism of the Chamber of Secrets door was not yet up and running when I visited but I'm informed that if you go now you would be able to see this working even without having to speak any Parseltongue!

                 

The next set is The Burrow and again features moving items- this time a self-chopping knife and Mrs Weasley's magical-knitting needles (as someone who is currently learning

to knit, I'd love to own some of these!).

I particularly enjoyed seeing the Weasleys' magical clock in the corner of the room. Unfortunately when I visited this was a very busy area of the tour and it was hard to get to the front of the crowds to get a good look at the set.

As you turn from the cosy and homely Burrow, you are confronted with the monstrous Magic is Might statue depicting muggles being crushed under a massive stone tower.  This change of set is very jarring and it reflects the darker change in mood within the books and films as Harry Potter's story progresses. The following Ministry of Magic set is less whimsical and more based in the real world than the tour so far; the set is intended to resemble the tiled London Underground and the Magic is Might statue is based on real Soviet statues, particularly the Worker and Kolkhoz Woman.

                                  

 

Still think Harry Potter is a children's story?

The only colour injected into this area of the Studio Tour is the violent pink of Dolores Umbridge's Ministry Office.

                      

I actually find Umbridge's Office strangely beautiful (I know many would feel otherwise!) which makes Umbridge herself even more repellent to me.

Thankfully the mood lightens once more as you move on to a surprise gem of the Studio Tour- the graphics deapartment display. Aside from a few key sets, this was easily my favourite part of the Warner Brothers Studio Tour as you are able to get really close to incredibly detailed items such as Dumbledore's will and the Marauder's Map.

                                     

                          

You can also peruse a shelf of mouth-watering wizarding treats such as Cauldron Cakes and Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans.

                          

I can't overestimate how much I loved this section. The love and care that went into each of these items is phenomenal and I could have easily spent an hour examining every small detail in this display. However, there was much more still to be seen....

My Amazing Journey to the Warner Brothers Studio Tour Part 2

Spoilers are contained within...

The Great Hall itself is absolutely magnificent. It did feel much smaller than I expected when watching the films, but then again I'm not an 11 year old child and I was in a group of about 200 people (most of whom were adults) so it's not that surprising. I was slightly disappointed that the four house tables were not all laid out- instead there are two tables along each side of the Hall- but this is understandable to allow for visitor access.

                          Much more interesting than my former school canteen


Another drawback was that each group had around 10 minutes in the Hall before being asked to move on so that the next tour group could experience the same awe when entering the empty Great Hall as we did. Thankfully you could go back into the Hall once the second group had entered and, as the rest of the Studio Tour is entirely self-directed, this allowed plenty of time to look at the costumes and props on display.


                          
             Costumes from my own house (according to Pottermore): Slytherin

I even managed to see some paintings on the walls of the Great Hall that I'd never noticed in the films before. I've watched the films back and they're definitely in there but are only just visible. It just shows the kind of effort and dedication that went into the making of films even when the details are not focused upon in the movies themselves.

The painting above the hourglasses is even authentically faded to make it look 1000 years old

At Christmas, as part of the Hogwarts in the Snow make over, eight huge Christmas trees are added to the Great Hall and the tables are laid out for a festive dinner with flaming Christmas puddings, prop food and Hogwarts crackers. I've yet to see this in person but I'm determined that I will soon!


                         
                                          Grinning in the Great Hall

From the Great Hall, you move into an impossibly enormous room (Undetectable Extension Charm, anyone?) holding a vast array of sets and props from all eight films. First up are the costumes and props from the Yule Ball (one of my personal highlights of the films). Again, I found things that I didn't remember from the films, despite seeing them many, many times, such as this magnificent ice-castle with jewel-coloured bottles of pumpkin juice:

Can I order one of these for my office's Christmas party?

You then pass an array of wigs (see if you can spot the box marked 'Wormtail/Pettigrew: chest wig x 1, spare chest wig x 1'!), costumes, a wall of Umbridge's Educational Decrees and the Hogwarts gate- complete with winged boars-  before you reach a bizarre, barrel-shaped set.


                          
                                                  Mystery barrel

From a distance I had no idea what this was as I couldn't read the sign, but it was surrounded by people and eventually I elbowed my way to the front. Inside the wooden exterior was.....


                                 
                                                A barrel of beds!


The Gryffindor Boys' Dormitory! This set seemed minuscule considering that towards the end of the films they had to fit five teenage boys in here along with props and an owl!

Moving on from the dormitory, I saw the original Fat Lady portrait, the Mirror of Erised (it was impossible to get a decent photo of this due to the crowds!) and a slightly incongruous area surrounded by tall metal barriers that contained items from the Room of Requirement and other props. The next large set was the wonderful Gryffindor Common Room, complete with Neville's mimbulus mimbletonia in one corner! The sofa near the fireplace looked wonderfully inviting and I could easily imagine settling down for a bit of Arithmancy revision with a hot chocolate.


                      

Maybe with a little firewhisky mixed in if it's a particularly cold night!

I tore myself away from the Common Room and made my way to the next major set- Dumbledore's Office.


                      
          The ghostly figure of Richard Harris's original costume stands on the stairway


Signs displaying facts about the films and sets can be found around the Studio Tour. A sign in front of Dumbledore's Office informs visitors that the books on the shelves in the Office are really covered phone books! I think Dumbledore would be quite amused with the idea of having fake books to trick nosy visitors to his Office!

You can even creep around the back of the set and peer in through a window to a back room behind Dumbledore's desk. Judging by the contents of the room, it's where Dumbledore would go to chill out on a sofa with his magical instruments and devices. Presumably after a busy day in his office working with other magical instruments and devices.


                      
                      Please ignore the ghostly reflection of my hands!

Up next: Potions Classroom, The Burrow, Ministry of Magic and props, props, props!

My Amazing Journey to the Warner Brothers Studio Tour Part 1

Here be spoilers so enter at your own risk.


The best day of my life was probably my university graduation. The second best day of my life was my visit to the Warner Brother Studio Tour in 2012 shortly after it opened.

No trip to the Studio Tour would be complete without first making a detour to Kings Cross Station to pose by half a trolley sticking out of a brick wall. Since the photo below was taken, the Platform 9 3/4 trolley has been taken over by the Harry Potter Shop nearby, where, after about an hour of queuing, enthusiastic helpers wrap a scarf around you and flap it feebly just out of shot for an extortionately-priced photo (I'm informed that if you come outside of the shop hours you can still take your own, free photo). But then again, when I went a man mistook it for a rubbish bin and stuck a greasy Greggs wrapper in it, so it's swings and roundabouts.

                                  

                                            Pre-Gregg's wrapper photo

Unfortunately you can't catch the Hogwarts Express to the Studio Tour, but you can catch a themed bus from Watford train station, which is better than nothing. I was intending to whip myself up into a magical frenzy by listening to the Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone soundtrack on my MP3 player on the bus, but there was a mildly interesting voice over during the short journey which informed passengers of the history of the Leavesden Studio. 

                   

                                 Sadly, the bus is not a triple decker

When the bus pulled up to the Studio Tour, I was greeted with this magnificent facade:

                       

                                                      Jolly

Hogwarts Castle it's not, but believe me, it is amazing inside.

Even the foyer is jaw dropping and it is perfect for setting the scene and making visitors excited about beginning the tour. Huge photos of the cast line the tall ceilings and a flying Ford Anglia hangs alongside a celestial globe. Then there's the obligatory Starbucks.

The thing that really grabbed me, however, was how much thought had gone into the whole experience, even from the offset. Harry Potter is such an emotive series of books and films for its fans and any Harry Potter-themed attraction has to be able to deal with the source material sensitively- after all, we grew up with Harry, Ron and Hermione and we really want to emotionally connect with the wizarding world. When you join the queue to go into the tour, you line up alongside the place where it all started: the cupboard under the stairs, complete with toy solders and a little pair of round spectacles on the shelf. It really did tug at my heartstrings and I'm normally quite a tough nut to crack.

                       

                          Still probably bigger than most flats in London

The first part of the tour was a little odd, but this was probably for the best as otherwise I could have literally exploded from excitement and that would have made an unpleasant day out for all the other visitors. You are first led through to a dark room with back lit Harry Potter movie posters on the walls where you hear about J.K. Rowling's struggle to get published and how it went on to become a world wide phenomenon. Then you're taken through to a cinema screen where you watch a nice little video from the stars of the movies about their experiences working on the films and how excited they are by the Studio Tour. So far, so average.

However, as Dan, Rupert and Emma stand in front of the door to the Great Hall in the video and say 'come inside', the entire cinema screen suddenly rolls up into the ceiling to reveal.....

                      

                                                   Ta da!

The door to the Great Hall itself!

Part 2 to follow soon....