To be honest, I’m not the biggest Harry Potter fan in the world, although I don’t hate it in any way. I’ve watched all the videos at least once, but I’ve never read the books. and I’m not at all fascinated by the world created by J. K. Rowling and the filmmakers. To me, those are wonderful videos and are even among the most productive videos of the 2000s and beyond, but it’s not a fandom that I’ve invested a lot of time in emotionally.
However, recently, on a trip to the UK, I joined the rest of my family, some of whom are big Harry Potter fans, to make a stopover on the Harry Potter Studio Tour at the Warner Bros. studio. The tour, which takes place about 20 miles from London, is great. It’s all beautifully presented and definitely worth any fan’s time and money. For me, it all came down to one part of the trip that was worth it and wasn’t what I expected: Hogwarts style at the end.
The tour itself begins as a stroll through Universal Studios or Disney World, walking through a row with pictures and text on the walls explaining the Harry Potter films in order. After walking through the queue and receiving a short briefing from a tour guide, you’ll get to watch a short film about the films and the tour, hosted by members of the original Harry Potter cast.
Finally, the screen rolls up and the doors to the Hogwarts dining hall are revealed. Once the doors are opened, you get the first glimpse of the actual set of the dining hall that fans know so well. Even I, a super casual fan, was pretty amazed, especially by the floating candles. From there, the guided part of the tour ends and you are on your own to explore all that the tour presents. It turns from a theme park-like experience to a museum-like experience.
The sheer amount of film-used sets, props and costumes from the Harry Potter movies is a little overwhelming. There are wands, trophies and Golden Snitches galore. Dozens of paintings that hang on the walls of Hogwarts are on display, and there are even some very impressive examples of whole sets from the movies, including the potions classroom and, most impressively, two different versions of Gringotts: one before its destruction in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, and one after. Of course, the set for platform 9 3/4 is included, too.
After all this and much more, you finally reach the highlight of the entire journey when you enter a dark room with an incredible Hogwarts style that fills the entire space.
The folks who created the tour definitely knew what they were doing when they put the model at the end. It is, quite honestly, astounding. As impressive as the rest is, it’s the 1:24 scale mode, which was used for many of the exterior shots in the movies, that will truly blow your mind, as it certainly did mine.
The level of detail is incredible, as you would expect from a style of film like this, but it goes beyond that. Not only is the set incredibly artistically impressive, with details of the school and grounds, but the presentation is first class. It makes you think that the Harry Potter global is real.
A winding walkway takes you from the highest point of the model, down and around to the lowest, so visitors get the complete experience from every possible angle. When we were there, it was set up for Christmas, so there was snow covering the model and the whole thing took on an ethereal vibe.
Of course, John Williams’ magical score plays as you walk, adding to the dramatic effect. Even if this style is the only element on the entire tour, it would be worth the effort to see, even for the most casual of fans. like me In fact, it made me need to use my Max subscription and rewatch the entire Harry Potter series.
Hugh Scott is the Syndication Editor for CinemaBlend. Before CinemaBlend, he was the managing editor for Suggest.com and Gossipcop.com, covering celebrity news and debunking false gossip. He has been in the publishing industry for almost two decades, covering pop culture – movies and TV shows, especially – with a keen interest and love for Gen X culture, the older influences on it, and what it has since inspired. He graduated from Boston University with a degree in Political Science but cured himself of the desire to be a politician almost immediately after graduation.
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