Despite having previously visited back in 2013, the Warner Bros. Studio Tour - The Making of Harry Potter had added a butt load of new fun stuff to try over the past four years, so Conor and I decided we were overdue a visit.
The studio tour is located inside the Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden near Watford. The cool thing is, the attraction is actually located on the lot of a still working studio, so productions are actually taking place around you, although this is kept to the other sound stages away from the studio tour itself.
You only have to glance at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour page on Trip Advisor to see that this is a world class attraction - it's the perfect blend of theme park meets pop culture exhibit. Everything is done on such a cinematic and magical scale that you easily forget that this is essentially just a museum exhibit on steroids. It's pure magic, even if you're not a gigantic Harry Potter fan like myself.
The studio tour showcases everything to do with the creation of the Harry Potter movie series - from film sets to costume design to practical effects to props. I've been on my fair share of film set tours and this is easily the best of them - the details and the way the films are brought to life in front of your eyes is magic in itself - the way the props move is reminiscent of the best theme park theming in the world and although you're constantly told this isn't real - it's special effects, you're still utterly convinced. A testament to how amazing this really is!
What is weird is, having been to more than a few Wizarding Worlds all over the world at the Universal Parks, it's quite hard in my brain to differentiate and remind myself that this is a film set/tour - NOT a theme park. Yes, the Hogwarts Express at Universal Studios Orlando is better because it actually moves, but this is the set where the film was filmed, of course the 'real' Diagon Alley in Orlando where you can actually go in the shops is better, but the set here is impressive in its own right for the way it forces perspective and plays with architecture to be captured on film.
They're magical and mesmerising for different reasons, and I think if you've been to the Wizarding World you do have to remind yourself of that otherwise you'll leave feeling a bit 'meh' and longing for a ride on Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.
The Forbidden Forest area was new for this year and honestly, I wasn't that impressed by it. Partly because of the reasons above but also partly because even though these are film animatronic and not theme park animatronics, they just felt a little ropey and it felt a little anticlimactic.
But that's me really nitpicking, it is excellent, the best example of its kind of attraction in the world and there's a reason why it sells out months in advance. Even if you're not the biggest Potterhead in the world, if you love themed attractions we have a world class one here on our doorstep in London that you really should check out.
Talk later xoxo,
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