The Harry Potter Experience
If you’re a Harry Potter fan, then you know how immerse the whole Harry Potter world is, to the point that it’s almost believable if someone said it really exists. Then, you find out that it kind of does…
The Warner Brothers Studio Tour in London wanted to “keep the magic alive” by building a separate, massive structure on their studio lot that allows people to experience the movie sets, the behind the scenes of making costumes, animatronics, etc., and even some death eaters. Truly, it was one of the most remarkable things we could do just 45 minutes outside of London, in Leavesden.
The experience starts when you walk in
The minute you are through security and the glass doors, you are immediately hit with the sights and sounds of Harry Potter, including Norberta (the dragon) appearing as though she is flying over the lobby.
They also included costumes from other WB movies:
Reserve your spot for tea
While the tea may seem pricey, it is absolutely worth it for what you get. We each had our own platter of gluten-free sandwiches, pastries, and chocolates (which we couldn’t even finish), along with pots of tea and other drinks. The service was wonderful as well!
See the overview video at the top of this post for more on the experience.
TIP: Do this before you do the self-guided walking tour. The lines are long in the cafe half way through the experience.
The beginning of the tour
When your ticket is scanned to enter, you are sent through a line to read the history of the books, as well as see much of the script, and even where Harry lived on Privet Drive. You are then moved into an auditorium for a brief video overview with the cast.
TIP: Sit in the front middle - that is all we are going to say.
The Sets
If you saw from the overview video and the pics above, you are experiencing the exact sets that were used in the making of the film, including all working animatronics!
The Outdoor experience
Getting to walk through 4 Privet Drive, past the crooked house, and into the Herbology green house (where you get to pull out a mandrake) was all so amazing.
Diagon Alley & Gringotts Bank
If you have been to universal, then you are used to these two. However, the difference is that you can spend time in Gringotts (instead of walking through a line), and you can’t go in the building sets of Diagon alley. For a better experience with both, I’d recommend Universal.
The Props
FUN FACT: We learned that every single prop you see - every newspaper, food item, portrait, etc. was all created by hand for the movies. The level of detail, up close, is absolutely incredible.
the costumes
It’s no wonder these movies won awards for costume design. Everything had to be drawn out and hand-stitched to the size of the actor,
The Animatronics
The amount of engineering it took from some of the most inventive minds in the world to create the "magic” necessary to bring the bewitched objects to life, was massive. Everything from pots stirring on their own, to locks moving, to the dragon burning Gringott’s bank to the ground were all due to the amazing genius of this team.
Hogwarts Model
We learned that this model was used for the outdoor shots of Hogwarts. The walls behind it would become a green screen to fill in the background!
Tickets
For all ticket options, click here. NOTE: If you are coming from London by train, make sure to get the roundtrip double decker bus transfer! If you’d prefer to hire a driver to take you from London, click here .
IF COMING BY TRAIN: Please click here to read the instructions on how to do it.
