Yesterday, Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, England was present for the unveiling of Diagon Alley for the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter which will be opened to the public on March 31, 2012. He saw for himself that the particular attraction, which was featured in the first Harry Potter film, has the store fronts for Ollivanders wand shop, Flourish and Blotts, the Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes, Gringotts Wizarding Bank and Eeylops Owl Emporium where Hagrid purchased Hedwig for Harry.
“Harry Potter has been captivating people across the world for the last eleven years.” says Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London. “Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter brings these spellbinding stories to life and offers a magical opportunity for fans to discover what goes into making a production on this scale. This attraction will be a fantastic boost for London tourism when the world comes to London in 2012.” (Note: Mr. Johnson is referring to the 2012 Summer Olympics which will take place in London).
Stuart Craig, the Production Designer of all eight Harry Potter films admitted that Diagon Alley was his favorite set along with Dumbledore’s office:
“Diagon Alley is (along with Dumbledore’s office) my favourite set. It has a long history with many changes. It was first built for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and then part of it used for Hogsmeade High Street in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban! Then it was taken down and later rebuilt for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince with the inclusion of the Weasley Wizard Wheezes joke shop and then finally wrecked when Ollivanders wand shop was blown up. And so I am delighted that it has finally found a home in the Studio Tour for all to enjoy.”
In addition to Diagon Alley, the tour will include the Great Hall, Dumbledore’s Office, the Ministry of Magic, Harry’s cupboard room under the stairs, 4 Privet Drive, the Gryffindor common room, the boys’ dormitory, the Potion’s classroom, Professor Umbridge’s office, the Weasley kitchen, the Hogwarts bridge, and other sets yet to be announced.
Visitors will have the opportunity to journey behind-the-scenes and experience the magic that has gone into creating all eight Harry Potter films! They will be able to see the scale and detail of the actual sets, costumes, animatronics, special effects, and props used in those films.
“It was such a magical place to grow up,” says Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter). “People will be amazed to see the incredible sets that we’ve worked in all these years.”
Rupert Grint adds, “The sets all have tiny little details that you may not always notice in the films but when you actually walk through them, you can see all the work that’s gone into it. It’s really amazing.”
“This is incredible, it’s been a long time coming and I’m very excited.” says Emma Watson.
Set in over 150,000 square feet, this walking tour will include some of the sets and props that Harry Potter fans will immediately recognize. In the Great Hall, visitors will walk on the actual solid York stone floor laid over 11 years ago. Also, they will see the solid oak and pine house tables which were built for the films and then aged with axes and chains. Over the years, the Hogwarts pupils have taken upon themselves to carve in their own graffiti, which production designer Stuart Craig has encouraged, as this would happen in all schools! Visitors will view the unique house points bead system which is said to have caused a national shortage of beads when it was first installed in the year 2000.
Beyond the Great Hall, Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter will continue with a huge selection of the most detailed and largest sets ever produced in the UK. Visitors can gaze closely into Dumbledore’s office and spot the authentic sword of Gryffindor, the Sorting Hat and Hogwarts headmaster portraits which nearly covers the walls.
They will also discover the magic of green screen technology that has been used for the films including the many Quidditch matches. Also on display will be Harry Potter’s Nimbus 2000, Draco Malfoy’s Nimbus 2001 and Harry’s special gift from godfather Sirius Black, the Firebolt.
Along with the green screen, a number of never-before-seen video pieces featuring interviews with the crew and cast will reveal the many secrets behind the filmmaking process. Visitors will get to marvel over the spectacular animatronics and make-up designs within the Creature Effects workshop. The workshop will feature the films’ creatures like Buckbeak the Hippogriff, Aragog, the giant spider, Fawkes the phoenix and the enormous Basilisk head.
The Weasley kitchen will showcase the incredible craftsmanship of the real life special effect props including Molly Weasley’s self-washing frying pan, knitting needles and chopping boards. And fans of Hagrid will get the chance to visit his hut, visiting the real Hagrid’s hut, view his famous motorcycle, and take a peek at the secrets of how the larger than life character was created on screen.
The Ministry of Magic will have the breathtaking Magic is Might statue as seen in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1, designed by Stuart Craig to be reminiscent in style of soviet sculptures from the 1930’s highlighting the dominance of the wizarding world over Muggles.
At 4 Privet Drive, visitors of the tour will have a peek at cupboard under the stairs.
The Gryffindor common room is one of the films’ oldest sets and remains one of the most loved by fans. This well-known set will feature the Gryffindor boys’ dormitory which includes the original beds made for Harry, Ron, Seamus, Neville and Dean for the first film. Over the course of filming, as the cast grew from young boys to teenagers, filmmakers were required to find unique camera angles to hide the fact that the cast had clearly outgrown the beds.
Other Hogwarts sets on display include the dark and mysterious Potion’s classroom, and Professor Umbridge’s office decorated in pink with the incredibly detailed hand painted cat porcelain plates each made especially for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
The gateway to the school itself, the Hogwarts bridge, last seen burning to the ground following Neville and the Death Eater’s chase in the final film, will be restored for all to see as will hundreds of props, costumes, animatronics and many other exciting sets which will be unveiled as the opening approaches.
Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter will open March 31 2012. But the tickets are now currently available and have to be purchased in advance. They are not available at the Studio Tour. Their prices are priced at £28 for adults, £21 for children and £83 for a family of four.
Click here for more information.
Thanks to Warner Bros. for letting us know!
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