Last weekend we visited the Warner Bros Studio Tour for my birthday and we loved it! We’ve been once before back in 2020 just before COVID hit and though I enjoyed it, I had a lot going on so I wasn’t as immersed as I would have liked, no such issue this time around!
The tour takes you behind the scenes of the Harry Potter films, from costumes and props, to full sets and animatronics from the films themselves. The tour is laid out in such a way that you won’t miss anything, starting off with 2 video presentations before a visit to the Great Hall.
From here you’ll move into some of the smaller sets from the film, such as Hagrid’s Hut, The Gryffindor and Slytherin common rooms and Dumbledore’s office! These are exactly as you’d see int he films, kept in excellent condition and each has costumes from the characters which adds to the feeling of you actually being there.
During our visit, the tour was hosting their annual Dark Arts event which has more of a focus on the Death Eaters from the series. As a part of this, there are processions happening regularly where the Death Eaters will descend upon one of 2 areas and perform a little show.
Of the two showings, you don’t want to miss the one on Platform 9¾ as this was the better one of the two. The other, which takes place early on in the tour next to Hagrid’s Hut was good but it didnt have the pyrotechnics or the space that the Platform 9¾ has.
Further around from the common rooms and Dumbledore’s office, you’ll find a green screen section that allows you to take some fun photos and be projected into scenes from the films while riding a broom! These are up-charges to your visit but they are free to try. We ended up doing the photo experience here and took home a printed photo with a digital copy. This was priced at £14 but they do have offers to buy your photos and video as a package.
As for the packages, we were told a few different things about them and it is about the only thing I can honestly say that was a bit negative. Initially when we asked at the photo booth if we could mix and match photos from this point forward, we were told we couldn’t as they were different systems and wouldn’t allow that. So we bought the one photo at £14 and moved off onto our tour. Later on you’ll come to platform 9¾ where there is another photo opportunity and we paid another £14 for the photo here. Even further on into the tour, just as it ends, there is a photo booth that appears to serve both of the experiences we tried and it seems the 2 photos for £20 does indeed allow you to mix and match between the two, which was disappointing to find out right at the end. This really could do with looking at!
Back to the positives and into the Dark Arts area where you’ll find the classroom from Divination, the entrance to the Ministry of Magic, the dark arts classroom stairs and the Riddle family grave too. Here is where you’ll get the chance to do more of the Dark Arts event and learn how wand combat worked in the films. This was fun and it encouraged you to bring your own wands from home if you have one, or buy one before the tour starts. It’s only a little thing but it helps to immerse you if you’re into the whole roleplay element.
The Dark Forest is next and here you’ll come face to face with Buckbeak, Aragog and even some unused Dementor props from the 3rd film! The director, Alfonso Cuarón, wanted physical puppets for the Dementors and the creature department apparently took ages to come up with the 3 different designs you’ll see here but none of them fit the bill so digital Dementors were used. It doesn’t make this section any less exciting though as they aren’t far off what you see on screen!
It’s also great to see that in the dark forest, you have the choice to skip Aragog if you’re terrified of spiders, a nice touch!
Next up is Platform 9¾, where the real life Hogwarts Express resides, pulling several carriages that feature train scenes from each of the films! There is also the second green screen experience as mentioned earlier as well as a shop that does have things that aren’t found in the main gift shop, so don’t miss this one!
Next up is the Backlot cafe and the Butterbeer bar where you can have a breather and choose from a selection of burgers, hotdogs, fries and salads, as well as have a taste of the legendary Butterbeer!
I will say that I don’t find Butterbeer quite as exciting as it’s made out to be. I believe it’s been changed to be sugar free which takes away from it’s taste and for what it is, it’s quite expensive too! Though this is one of the few places where you can get it so I would certainly give it a try at the very least. You get to keep the cup as well which makes the price a little more justified.
The actual Backlot contains part of the bridge section added in Prisoner of Azkaban and the Knight bus. You’ll also fin a scale model of the burrow, Professor Sprouts Greenhouse, Number 4 Privet Drive and a newer building that goes into depth about special effects and how they accomplished them.
Next up will be the creature department and there is a lot to see here. This is where all the goblins, house elves, Buckbeak and the dragons come to life so take your time through here as there is so much to see!
Gringotts and Diagon Alley are next and both of these are full size sets that are very special to see. Gringotts in particular looks so clean and is exquisitely finished. It really does feel like you’re actually there!
Diagon Alley is the same, though it’s not the bright and lovely Diagon Alley from the first few films, it’s the version from the latter. Ollivanders is damaged and the street looks a little miserable as the films portray, but Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes looks amazing, especially when contrast with the depressing looking alley beside it.
The art department is next, and here you’ll see all the concept art and designs for the sets and costumes as well as the evolution of things that changed. As with the creature department, there is a lot to take in here so be mindful in planning your time!
Finally there the model room and I don’t feel I should spoil what’s in here as it is very special to behold. Take your time in here, take in all you have to see and just enjoy it. We certainly did!
Finally you’ll head through the wand room where all the cast and crews names are found on wand boxes as though you were in Ollivanders. We had a laugh trying to find some of the bigger names, as well as the names of some of the excellent acting talent that is unfortunately, no longer with us.
The tour concludes and you’ll head into the gift shop which has a lot to offer. If you’ve spent enough time in the Merlin owned theme parks, then you’ll get a sense of what to expect here. There are t-shirts, patches, pin badges, costumes, wands, sweets and so, so much more!
Some of the things we found to be quite expensive, such as newer range long sleeve t-shirt which were priced at £50 but then other t-shirts were £25, hoodies were around the £60 mark but there were plenty of cheaper things to buy. We both remarked how the sweets from the series, like Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans were very expensive, coming in at £9.95 for a small box, same with the chocolate frogs too.
Overall though, I was quite impressed with the quality of merchandise and how it wasn’t all a rip off too. You can easily spend a small fortune if the mood takes you, but you don’t have to do that to come away with something!
The Warner Brothers Studio Tour – The Making of Harry Potter is, in my opinion at least, well worth the price of admission. We paid £56 per person which is a lot of money, especially when compared with the likes of Alton Towers or The Imperial War Museum. However I felt like we had more than our fill of Harry Potter, the props, the sets and the magic in and behind the films to more than make up for it. If you’re even remotely interested in Harry Potter, or even just the film making industry, you will not be disappointed here!
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