The Making of Harry Potter

The Making of Harry Potter official promotional poster.

Warner Bros. Studio Tour London: The Making of Harry Potter is a behind-the-scenes one-way walking tour about the Harry Potter films, which opened on 31 March, 2012. The tour features authentic sets, concept art, scale models, costumes and props from the Harry Potter series.

The tour is located 20 miles from Central London at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden, where the Harry Potter movies were filmed. Tickets will not be available for sale at the attraction, they must be booked online through the official website or via a site such as Brit Movie Tours.

Throughout the year various extra events are held for no additional price. Christmas at Hogwarts is held from December to January, with decorations to the Great Hall, Gryffindor Common Room and Dormitory, and the Hogwarts Castle Model. Animal Actors is usually running in the February half-term, where various animal actors are invited in from the series for talks and photo opportunities. In the summer, Summer Spells runs with various special effects shows in Diagonal Alley and the duelling table in the Great Hall. Summer screenings of the films are also held since 2014 during these months. In September a Back to School feature is run, and a Halloween feature in October. A Bludgers and Broomsticks feature has also been held in the past.

Outside are the giant chess pieces where you can have your photo taken. The main atrium contains various posters of characters from the films as well as parts of the astronomy tower and the Weasleys' Ford Anglia hanging from the ceiling. The shop is accessible before and after the tour. There is also a cafe in the atrium, and at Christmas a large tree is stood in the centre.

Before going into the tour, you will be handed a booklet where you can do various things on the tour such as finding 15 Golden Snitches in various areas, answering quick questions and locating stamps. When you go into the tour, you will be standing in a room containing posters of the films in various languages which will eventually change into clips of why the Philosopher's Stone became a film.

The tour guide will then lead you into a cinema to watch a small clip of Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson explaining why Harry Potter was a success and what it meant to them. The film will end with the trio going into the Great Hall. The screen will lift up, revealing the actual Great Hall.

There is then a large room including props, costumes and sets. Major sets include the Malfoy Manor table, Umbridge's Office at the Ministry, the Ministry Atrium, the Magic is Might statue, the Potions classroom, the Gryffindor common room, the Gryffindor dormitories, the Burrow kitchen and Dumbledore's office. There are also various other smaller displays including props from the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, the Leaky Cauldron, Borgin and Burke's, the Yule Ball, the castle gates, Quidditch, various portraits and the giant clock tower pendulum, as well as key prop displays such as the horcruxes and death eater masks.

In a small room, off the side of the large room containing the props and sets, there is a green screen area where a member of staff can take a photo or video of you on a broomstick or appearing to have a flight in the Weasleys' Ford Anglia, which can be purchased there or later in the shop. Photos cannot be taken in this area. The toilets are also located there.

Between the large room and backlot there is a large cafe where you can eat your own food or purchase sandwiches or cooked meals. Outside in the backlot there is the set of 4 Privet Drive, the Knight Bus, a small Butterbeer cafe, the Potters' Cottage, the giant chess pieces and the Hogwarts Bridge (which you can walk across). This is where you can take a small break on your tour. Then you go into the creature shop with Dobby, Aragog, the animatronic Buckbeak, and various other animated props, masks and costumes and more. This is guided on-screen by Warwick Davis. You then go into Diagon Alley, preceded by scale models of set and prop designs and concept art. Various props are also on display here, with members of staff there to give you talks and demonstrations.

Down a corridor, there is a large model of Hogwarts used for exterior shots within railings, so you go down the ramp and take a look at that. In the background the theme "Harry in Winter" is played.

You are then in a small room like Ollivander's Wand Shop. Each box has on it the name of an actor even vaguely involved in Harry Potter, such asDame Maggie Smith or Evanna Lynch, with a guide there to lend you his wand so you can have a photo of you pointing to your favourite.

You are then led to the gift shop at the end, where you can buy anything from Extendable Ears and Pygmy Puffs to the Weighing of The Wands set and Hermione's Yule Ball Gown, as well as a vast selection from Honeydukes, and merchandise in house colours, and wands from most characters from Harry to Narcissa. These are particularly expensive, and not all items have each house colour such as the Prefect badges. New items are added regularly, and you can now purchase some of these on their online shop, accessible from their website.

Harry Potter film series cast and crew members Rupert Grint, Tom Felton, Bonnie Wright, Evanna Lynch, Warwick Davis, David Thewlis, Helen McCrory, George Harris, Nick Moran, Natalia Tena, David Bradley, Alfie Enoch, Harry Melling, David Heyman, David Barron, David Yates, Alfonso Cuaron and Mike Newell, attended Warner Bros. Studio Tour: The Making of Harry Potter grand opening event on 31 March, 2012.

On 19th March 2015, a new area is set to be opened, including the Hogwarts Express and Platform 9 3/4, with a theme inspired shop and photo opportunity at the barrier.

Hogwarts Castle model

Great Hall — Harry Potter Studios

External Links.

• Official Site
• Studio Tour Guide
• Harry Potter Studio Tour London - Brit Movie Tours