The Wonderful World of Harry Potter--Warner Bros. Studio Tour Part One!

There's no way Blogger is going to let me upload all of my Harry Potter pictures at once, so this will be at least two posts. Maybe three! While I wouldn't classify myself as a Harry Potter obsessive, I do really love the books and enjoy the movies. Despite how troublesome J.K. Rowling has become with her transphobia, what she created is magical and transcendent and an enduring cultural touchstone. That being said, I've long wanted to visit the studio tour outside of London and see all the sets and props. Honestly, it was even better than I imagined--if you don't like Harry Potter but are at all interested in the craft of movie making, especially special effects, it's worth a visit.

 
 
Also, there are so many fun photo opps--which of course I demanded we engage in.  Elowen looks like the Ministry of Magic is about to close in and she is VERY concerned.
 
 
 
And the below is a still, but there's also an immensely satisfying video of me riding a broom. Clearly, I was made for Quidditch (especially with those Pilates toned arms). Did you know there are actual teams of people who play quidditch? They run around on broomsticks...I know this because I saw a game in Boston on the commons.
 
 
 
You pass through an archway of giant wands approaching the building. 
 
 
 
The tiny witches were either happy to be there, or happy to be included in Elowen's case.   
 
 
 
While you wait for your ticket entry, you can marvel at the huge dragon in the entrance. 
 
 
And you can also enjoy Christian Bale and Heath Ledger's costumes from The Dark Knight. 
 
 
Though the most exciting costume for me was Audrey Hepburn's teeny tiny outfit from My Fair Lady. 
 
 
 
She would have been no match for Gal Gadot, that's for sure (well, they're evenly matched in beauty).  
 
 
One of the first stops on the self-guided tour is the Great Hall from Hogwarts, complete with candles magically floating in the air. The tables are lined with a feast as well as costumes from the various houses, and of course up front you have the teacher's costumes and the Sorting Hat. Since we got there with the first group, it wasn't very crowded, and it truly did feel like walking into the Great Hall. Magical! 
 
 
Outside of the Great Hall, you enter a cavernous room full of sets, props and costumes from all of the movies. This is Hermione's dress from the Yule Ball.   
 
 
 
And I don't know why it tickled me so much, but Snape's wig cracked me up. Doesn't it just look greasy?
 
 
 
More teacher costumes.   
 
 
Harry, Ron, and Hermione's costumes from the last movie.


And me with the Fat Lady portrait! I can't remember my password for anything so she'd never let me in. 

 
 
Luckily, she wasn't actually guarding the Gryffindor common room or Harry's bedroom. 
 

 
 
Dumbledore in his office. 
 
 
 
The next two photos are of the potions classroom, and the wands stirred and the cauldrons bubbled if you pushed a button. And of course there's Snape, plotting and fretting.
 
 

 
Brooms! 
 
 
Elowen, always prepared for any occasion, of course had a Harry Potter dress. 
 
And after seeing the Weasley's magicked car that ran away to live in the Forbidden Forest, she of course had to take a little joyride in it.

 
 
  
 
 Moody's costume and trunk. 

 
 
Costumes from the Malfoy family. 

The tour opens in pieces, so before you can enter the Forbidden Forest, you wander around all of the sets, do some photo ops, and learn about how the special effects. So before I tackle the Forbidden Forest and Privet Drive in the next post, I'll leave you with Professor Umbridges' unhinged pink office, the Weasley's house, and Voldemart holding a meeting of the Death Eaters.

 
 










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