The Warner Brothers Studio Tour – London: The Making of Harry Potter

The Warner Brothers Tour London: The Making of Harry Potter is an absolute must for all Harry Potter fans. It is a completely immersive experience that allows fan to see that actual sets, costumes, props used in the films. Located in Leavesden on the studio where the movies were filmed.

Fans are first shown a short film about the background of how J.K. Rowling’s first book came to be published and subsequently went on to become the most successful film franchise in movie history. Walking into the Great Hall is breathtaking. The filmmakers knew these set had to last at least a decade so they were made to be far more long lasting than standard sets. The sets on display on the tour include: The Great Hall, The Forbidden Forrest, Platform 9 3/4, Diagon Alley, Gringotts, and Professor Sprout’s Greenhouse.

Some of the most popular props include: The Potion’s Classroom, Memory Cabinet in Dumbledore’s Office, Umbridge’s Office, and Puking Pastilles. There are also iconic costumes such as: Quidditch costumes, Yule Ball Costumes, and Beauxbatons costumes. The tour also features the Chamber of Secrets door, the Whomping Willow along with the Weasley Car.

Outside there is also the Knight Bus, Hogwart’s Bridge, 4 Privet Drive, the Potter’s house in Godric’s Hollow, Weasley Car, and Hagrid’s Motorcycle. There is the opportunity to have pictures taken on a broomstick and on the train. Hogwart’s Express is an actual train. The filmmakers found it in junkyard. It was actually used in WWII and was later discarded. The filmmakers brought it onset and brought it back to life! You can walk inside and see some recreations of several famous scenes. We also learned that the Knight Bus was a double decker bus with an extra deck added. For the scenes where it appears the bus is speeding it was actually going its max speed of about 40 mph, and the other vehicles were going very slowly to create the illusion that the bus was speeding. We learned so much on this tour. Did you ever notice that when Umbridge is first introduced in the films she is wearing light pink. As her power increases her pink wardrobe gets darker and darker pink. The opposite is true with Voldemort! He begins in dark black robes. By his final scene in Deathly Hallow 2 his robes are more gray. This symbolizes a loss of power.

There is a cafeteria area that also sells Butterbeer, Pumpkin Juice, and other Harry Potter favorites. The gift shop, as you can imagine, is extensive! There are robes form all houses, shirts, hoodies, wands, and a variety of Harry Potter candy.

Getting to Warner Brothers Studio Tour London can be slightly confusing as it is actually 20 miles north of London. From London take the train to Watford Junction. Make sure you take the direct train, which is about 20 minutes. From Watford Junction there are regular shuttle buses arriving every 15 minutes to the studio tour. Tickets for the tour must be booked in advance and it is recommended to get them as soon as possible especially if traveling at a busy time. This is an experience like none other that we highly recommend!!