Warner Bros. Studio Tour, London.
You are called for your tour at the allocated time and, passing by Harry’s cupboard under the stairs, find yourself in a makeshift cinema A short introduction then leads up to your first view of the Great Hall, a strangely subdued area bereft of the clamour of wizard students and with neither the hanging candles (apparently a practical nightmare) nor the magic ceiling, both of which were added by CGI.
There follows a carefully constructed meander through the filmic world of Harry Potter: the models, the sets, the special effects and the artistry that went into producing the eight most financially successful films of all time.
Sets on display include Gryffindor Boys’ Dormitory (containing beds which gradually became too small to accommodate the grown-up versions of their original occupants); the common room, where hangs a picture of the young Professor McGonagal; Dumbledore’s office; Umbridge’s ghastly pink lair; the Potions Class; Hagrid’s hut and the Weasleys’ living room at The Burrow which showcases some delightful special effects. If you care to queue for a while you can get to ride on a broomstick or in the flying Ford, a green screen behind you magically pictures you soaring across London or hurtling ahead of the Hogwarts Express.
It’s great fun for kids of all ages.
On the backlot can be seen Hagrid’s motorbike; the three storey Knight Bus; the only section of Hogwart’s bridge ever built (the rest, again, was CGI); the exterior of Privet Drive and of Godric’s Hollow and the Riddle family tomb. You can also buy Butterbeer here; it costs an arm and a leg and tastes like ice-cream soda with a caramel topping, but it's a part of the experience that no true Potter fan will pass up.
The Creature Shop is another revelation. Here the makeup for Griphook the goblin, Greyback the werewolf and the villainous Voldemort was created, a life-size version of Dobby the house-elf was built and the creatures Aragog the giant spider, Buckbeak the hippogriff and Fawkes the phoenix were constructed. The Shop simply reeks of technical genius.
Thence to Diagon Alley. The shops are closed. Apparently they are very much open for business and very crowded in America’s World of Potter. Here you have just a front view of them and none the worse for that.
Ollivander’s wand shop; Weasleys’ joke shop; Gringotts bank: be photographed in front of one of them, absorb the unique atmosphere and smilingly move on.
To the awe-inspiring climax of the tour which, as i editor Stefano Hatfield’s 15 year-old daughter, Holly, wrote on the 30th of March in Britain’s first and only concise quality newspaper, “…actually brought tears of joy to many eyes.” Too right.
Finally there’s the shop again. It’s pretty pricey but there’s some lovely stuff to buy. Sadly, though, no models of Dobby: My Leader was disappointed.
On the positive side: from car park, to reception, to shop and café and throughout the entire tour the staff were patient, friendly and helpful. You can ask no more than that.
You have to book in advance for this treat. If you are a Potter fan and a worshipper of the goddess J.K. Rowling (join the club) go on the internet http://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/ and do it now!
Grandson Ellis said it was the best day of his life. And that was after he'd been carsick on the way home. Perhaps we should have avoided the A3 during the 4-7pm stop-start.
Well, we made it. Six of us set off on the 9 a.m. car ferry from the Isle of Wight and, the M25 proving less crowded than daughter Roz (who did all the driving) thought it might be, arrived at Leavesden a couple of hours early for our 1.30 p.m. studio tour.
It did not matter. Everything about this experience, from the free car parking to the well stocked gift shop, is exciting, carefully organised and warmly welcoming. High up in the entrance hall are king-sized photographs of the Potter cast and, safely suspended in one corner, the actual Ford Anglia which Ron and Harry purloined for their journey to school in The Chamber of Secrets. To one side is the gift shop and to the other the studio canteen which serves a reasonable selection of food at reasonable prices.
It did not matter. Everything about this experience, from the free car parking to the well stocked gift shop, is exciting, carefully organised and warmly welcoming. High up in the entrance hall are king-sized photographs of the Potter cast and, safely suspended in one corner, the actual Ford Anglia which Ron and Harry purloined for their journey to school in The Chamber of Secrets. To one side is the gift shop and to the other the studio canteen which serves a reasonable selection of food at reasonable prices.
There follows a carefully constructed meander through the filmic world of Harry Potter: the models, the sets, the special effects and the artistry that went into producing the eight most financially successful films of all time.
Sets on display include Gryffindor Boys’ Dormitory (containing beds which gradually became too small to accommodate the grown-up versions of their original occupants); the common room, where hangs a picture of the young Professor McGonagal; Dumbledore’s office; Umbridge’s ghastly pink lair; the Potions Class; Hagrid’s hut and the Weasleys’ living room at The Burrow which showcases some delightful special effects. If you care to queue for a while you can get to ride on a broomstick or in the flying Ford, a green screen behind you magically pictures you soaring across London or hurtling ahead of the Hogwarts Express.
On the backlot can be seen Hagrid’s motorbike; the three storey Knight Bus; the only section of Hogwart’s bridge ever built (the rest, again, was CGI); the exterior of Privet Drive and of Godric’s Hollow and the Riddle family tomb. You can also buy Butterbeer here; it costs an arm and a leg and tastes like ice-cream soda with a caramel topping, but it's a part of the experience that no true Potter fan will pass up.
The Creature Shop is another revelation. Here the makeup for Griphook the goblin, Greyback the werewolf and the villainous Voldemort was created, a life-size version of Dobby the house-elf was built and the creatures Aragog the giant spider, Buckbeak the hippogriff and Fawkes the phoenix were constructed. The Shop simply reeks of technical genius.
Thence to Diagon Alley. The shops are closed. Apparently they are very much open for business and very crowded in America’s World of Potter. Here you have just a front view of them and none the worse for that.
To the awe-inspiring climax of the tour which, as i editor Stefano Hatfield’s 15 year-old daughter, Holly, wrote on the 30th of March in Britain’s first and only concise quality newspaper, “…actually brought tears of joy to many eyes.” Too right.
Finally there’s the shop again. It’s pretty pricey but there’s some lovely stuff to buy. Sadly, though, no models of Dobby: My Leader was disappointed.
On the positive side: from car park, to reception, to shop and café and throughout the entire tour the staff were patient, friendly and helpful. You can ask no more than that.
You have to book in advance for this treat. If you are a Potter fan and a worshipper of the goddess J.K. Rowling (join the club) go on the internet http://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/ and do it now!
Grandson Ellis said it was the best day of his life. And that was after he'd been carsick on the way home. Perhaps we should have avoided the A3 during the 4-7pm stop-start.
No comments:
Post a Comment