out and about: Harry Potter

Me in Potions class witih Snape (that pot in the background actually stirs itself).

Brendan and I have been to quite a few Harry Potter spots over the year. I still have yet to go to "platform 9 and 3/4" at King's Cross but for my birthday my parents got me tickets to the Harry Potter Warner Bro's Studio Tour!!! It was amazing, absolutely amazing. I would even return there a second time in the future because it was that cool. It was basically a Harry Potter museum with all the sets and props. You also get to learn all about the people who helped work on the set, design, script, etc. For example, there were 20 make-up artists working each day, the film had it's own engineering team, and there are SO MANY PROPS that had to be made for these films. You simply wouldn't believe how many things were not just computer generated. My friend Elisabeth (from Austria) came with me to tour the studio. We spent about six hours there so honestly, if you go, make it an all day event haha. Well, if you like Harry Potter. Anyways, hopefully you'll recognize the spots below. I'd go into more detail about the studio but I don't want to completely spoil it for anyone who has yet to go and if you don't want to know how the magic of the films is created, then don't scroll down... :)

Courtyard at Oxford

Stairs at Oxford that were used for a few scenes inside the castle.

The infirmiry and the place where McGonagall teaches them to dance for the Yule ball.

The infirmary / door that Harry and Hermione run through after using the time turner.

Me in the room that inspired the great hall and the tree in the courtyard where Moody turns Draco into a ferret.

The bridge that the death eaters destroy in London (the Millenium Bridge).

Harry Potter Warner Bro's Studio Tour

The cupboard under the stairs!

Gryffendor Table

professor's table

The Great Hall

from the Yule ball

Dumbledore's hair and the jackets Daniel Radcliffe wears for the scene in the seventh film. He had four jackets that got progessively more torn and burnt.

Umbridge's decrees

The common room and a hallway that wasn't actually a hallway. The chair is only about five feet from where I was standing and far too small to fit a person.

The moving picture frames!

Hagrid's hut

A stair case, the entrance to the chamber of secrets, a Gringot's vault door, and a door to Hogwarts.

Hagrid's Hut

The Weasley's

Magic is Might and Umbridge's Office

Death Eaters and Voldemort

Chocolate Frog! You could buy one--for 8 pounds...

Harry's Letters

The Hogwarts Letter

Plastic coins (from Harry's vault)

Marauder's Map

Ministry of Magic and Umbridge's Office

The thing with the hoarcrux in the 6th film.

Over 3000 Wands were made for the film!

Moody's trunk with a mirror showing a small photo of Moody in the bottom and the door to Hogwarts with a stair case (used for close ups).

Hoarcruxes!

Dumbledore's Office and Pensieve

The Snitch!

Step into my office... the stairs that come up are actually functional. They had to have a 12 foot deep well under what you see.

The mirror of Erised

Gryffindor Common Room

The Black Family Wall Paper

Tom Riddle's Tombstone

The bridge!

The Potter's

The chess pieces! Some of them actually move/explode.

Butterbeer! So good--basically it's like butterscotch-y cream soda with whipped cream.

Elisabeth with her butterbeer.

Elisabeth trying to flag haha. The Knightbus!

Elisabeth infront of 4 Privet Drive

4 Privet Drive! And then we entered the third stage with the animatronics/masks--this is fenrir greyback's mask.

Harry masks, Griphook, Voldemort/Quirrell, and Dumbledore's hands.

Hagrid's animatronic head! This was only used when they needed Hagrid to be walking somewhere or something.

Engineering!! If only I could've helped build these things... they actually had engineer's on site to work on these things--even Scabbers was animatronic! For the werewolves they had someone wearing that head and those feet.