- A Tale of Two Cities: Hop On Hop Off London
- A Muggle’s Guide: Warner Bros. Studio Tour
- I’m Not Snitching on the Snitches
- A Delicious Discovery in Tynemouth
The Making of the Harry Potter Movies
Yesterday was one of the best days of my life. This is because yesterday we went to the Warner Bros Making of Harry Potter studio tour outside London.
The studio and tour were AMAZING! I loved every bit of it, because all of it was Harry Potter information with sets, costumes, and props! There was Number 4 Privet Drive, the Knight Bus, and Dumbledore’s office, to name a few. I was only there for about five hours, but I could’ve easily stayed there learning and admiring for an entire week.
Now, to fully appreciate the magic of Harry Potter, make sure you are prepared, mainly by putting on all your Harry Potter gear and booking a time to see the studio (I recommend going early, because that way you can experience the studio for longer). Here are a few tips to having the best experience in this magical place.
Make time for everything. When I first stepped into the studio, I couldn’t believe how much there was to see, do, and listen to!! Instantly, I began slowly picking my way through the amazing sets and props and costumes. However, as big as the first room was, I later realized that that studio was LESS THAN HALF of the whole tour. So, make sure you understand how big it is. Not only is there a gigantic first studio room, there is also the Platforn 9 3/4 room, the Broomstick green screen room, the Backlot, which has a lunch place and many outside sets, the special effects/magical creatures and people parts, Diagon Alley, a room dedicated to sketches and paintings of people, things, and places from Harry Potter, and, my personal favorite, the room with the huge model (used in the movies) of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. So, make sure to manage your time well, our you`ll find your day slipping away from you!
Get the digital guide. For an extra 5 GBP you can receive an audio tour of the studio. This was extremely useful because not only did it provide specific information about all of the exhibits that was featured in the studio, it also had many videos that shared fun things about the Harry Potter cast and crew!! It was extremely helpful, great to listen to, and made me more organized than I would`ve been on my own.
Bring your camera. The Harry Potter Studio allows you to take as many pictures as you want of anything you want (except at the very beginning), so take advantage of it. I can guarantee you that you will be wanting to take some pictures by the time your through. I alone took 321 photos, and my phone died 3/4 of the way through! Make sure to charge your phone or camera before hand as well.
Drink butter beer in the Backlot Cafe. About halfway through the tour, you are led to the Backlot Cafe. My family got there around 2:00pm, and ate a quick lunch (with butter beer) and then we’re on our way again. The Backlot has a nice selection of food, and the butter beer is delicious!! You should eat here because it is just so easy and worry-free! Plus, it is the only food/butter beer stop along the tour, and you don’t want to be hungry for the rest of your visit.
Have fun! This place is amazing, so you should just relax and have fun. Don’t worry that you can’t find the 13 snitches hidden around the studio or that you don’t have enough time to use the restroom. Don’t rush through it and then not remember anything. Just HAVE FUN!!!
I also have many favorite places in the Studio Tour that you can’t miss:
- The Great Hall. Not only does this feature the amazing architecture and detail of the original of the Great Hall, it also has four sections, for Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. These sections show the crest of each one and the uniforms and costumes of Hogwarts students of that house next to them. There is also the costumes of many of the staff members at Hogwarts, featured at the staff table at the head of the room. This is one of my favorites because of all of the things to see, this is one of the most awe-inspiring, and causes everyone to gasp in wonder (including me).
- The Burrow, Snape’s Classroom, and Dumbledore’s office. Out of all of the sets, props, and special effects in the first room, these three are my favorite. Maybe because they seem the most magical, I don’t know, but I know that I spent the most time at them. The audio tour that went along with it was very descriptive and I found that all of them were so detailed that I could’ve spent hours picking out all of the amazing things I saw, like the sword of Gryffindor in Dunbledore’s office and the clock in the Burrow. (Note: it was very hard to pick these three, because all of the sets are amazing)
- The interactive Green Screen. I know I haven’t really mentioned this before, but there is a green screen room in the studio for you to use, if you get into a long line. Staff members lend you a robe and you get to ride a broomstick; through cities, rivers, and finally Hogwarts. While you are on the green screen set, you will see yourself in the television screen, copying your exact moves but transporting you to other places. I LOVED this feature, and afterwards I bought the video of me on a broomstick!!
- Platform 9 3/4. The gateway to Hogwarts!! In this room, you get to see the real train used as the Hogwarts express, and take a peek inside the train cars where the films were actually filmed!! Take a picture of you with a trolley already pushed half way through the barrier, and then pretend to be riding the Hogwarts Express in an interactive ride (in a train car with a green screen window). This room was lots of fun, with lots to do, and you can’t miss it!!!
- The outside area. Okay, so after you had lunch at the Backlot, you walk out into an outside area, which is filled with all sorts of sets and vehicles. I cannot single out anything in the outside area, for it was all too good to be true. There was the Hogwarts Bridge (created for the 3rd movie), Privet Drive, the Knigt Bus (which you could look inside, though it was mostly roped off), and Hagrid’s motorbike. The Potter’s old house at Godric’s Hallow was there also.
- The Magical Creature/Special Effects Room. Fillled to te gills with magical creatures of many kinds, this room also has many wax figures of some of the Harry Potter characters (like Hermione and Dumbledore), for when the actors had to sit still or play dead for a long time. Inside this room, there was the gigantic Aragog, Buckbeak, many goblin heads, and the weird Voldemort “thing” from the 4th movie, before he is reborn. Hagrid’s head (or mask) was there too, which was worn by Robbie Coltrane. One of the most amazing things in this room for me was Luna’s foot. Well, not a foot, but a kind of boot made of hard material that was shaped exactly like her foot. This was used for the scene in the 5th movie, where Luna was supposedly barefoot.
- Diagon Alley. A whole street of shops lined the walls of the Diagon Alley room. There was Gringrotts, Ollivander’s, Madame Malkin’s. Flourish and Blotts, and Weasely’s Wizard Wheezes, to name a few. Big displays crowded the windows and the buildings towered above me. It was amazing to see all of the Diagon Alley set in action, and I was proud that I had finally made it there (even if it was not the real Diagon Alley). Note: throughout the whole tour, the audio kept playing, which made it about 100 times better, being able to learn all about the sets, props, and costumes.
- Hogwarts Model Room. The final place that I would like to mention, my absolute favorite set that I got to see, was the model of Hogwarts. Seeing it for the first time was the happiest moment of my life. There is nothing I can tell you to prepare you for the most wonderful view in the world. Even my sister, who is not a fan of Harry Potter, gasped with joy. I had not realized how big the castle must be until that moment. The model was about 1 1/2 stories high, and the castle shines like a beacon. This took 40 days to build, and it was pure perfection. It reminded me why I was such a big Harry Potter fan, and why I still continue to read and watch it. It was literally the BEST THING EVER!!! I could not take my eyes away from it, and I know that someday, somehow, I will come back to the studio, just to experience the wonder of the Hogwarts castle!!
I hope that this helped all of you Harry Potter lovers, and I hope you have fun at the studio!!
Hello! I'm Potter. I am 13 years old and I LOVE anything and everything to do with Harry Potter. I'm a Ravenclaw, and I really enjoy school, especially math, language arts, and history. In my free time (or anytime I’m not doing something), I'm a voracious reader. Anything from fantasy to historical fiction and everything in between. In addition, I'm passionate about acting, singing, and dancing. I can’t WAIT to explore Europe, and try new things with a smile on my face!
3 thoughts on “A Muggle’s Guide: Warner Bros. Studio Tour”
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Mason, what a thrill for you to go on this tour!! I enjoyed reading your review and shared it with my daughter, Bri. She’s a Harry Potter fan as well! Maybe I can take her on the tour one day!
I am having fun reading about your fabulous trip. Enjoy every second you lucky girl!
Love,
Mrs. Day
Sounds like the perfect vacation for you!! Glad you’re having so much fun!! Love ya!
That’s amazing!!!!
You’ll have to bring me for a tour!!