Calling all Potterheads because in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the ‘Prisoner of Azkaban’ the Warner Brother’s Studio Tour – The Making of Harry Potter has unveiled its latest attraction, ‘Return to Azkaban’. Our girl Hannah Tan went on an after-hours tour of the studio to discover the magic.
The experience began with cocktails and canapes at the Great Hall, a rarefied experience that will make any Harry Potter fan’s heart burst with glee. Seeing the frog choir, and all the original costumes from Dumbledore to Hagrid’s while enjoying Hogwarts-inspired cocktails sans the crowd was a great way to kickstart the Warner Brother’s Studio tour.
For the first time ever, Potterheads are invited to Return to Azkaban able explore the Divination classroom as seen as seen when Harry, Ron and Hermione attend their first lesson with Professor Trelawney, allowing fans to feast their eyes on the room draped in rich red fabric, decorated with jewel-toned velvet pouffes, patterned rugs and Arabian-style lanterns.
Here, they can marvel at a grand teacup tower which holds over 500 vintage teacups and try their hand at the art of reading tea leaf signs.
A new section of the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom set – with aesthetics that changed with each teacher that occupied it – can now be seen featuring the handcrafted, Art-Nouveau-inspired Boggart wardrobe centrepiece, to recreate the fan-favourite moment where students learn to cast the Riddikulus spell.
Visitors will also see The Monster Book of Monsters rampage in Harry’s bedroom at the Leaky Cauldron, complete with the original Tudor bed seen on-screen.
Brand new for the Return to Azkaban feature, is a full cross-section of the Knight Bus – transport for stranded witches and wizards – interior on display, complete with sliding beds and a swinging chandelier.
All the other Harry Potter attractions, including Gringotts Bank, the Hogwarts Express and No 4 Privet Drive where you can see a blown up Aunt Marge are also part of the tour.
To celebrate, Aunt Marge – who Harry Potter famously inflates in one of the opening scenes of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban – floated past the iconic Tower Bridge to mark the launch of the new Return to Azkaban feature at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter.
In a scene straight out of the wizarding world, Londoners were treated to a mesmerising sight as a colossal 6.5-metre-high Aunt Marge drifted across the skyline. Looking to add some magic to your next weekend day out? Then definitely check out Return to Azkaban at the Warner Brother’s Studio Tour. Your inner child will thank you later.
Return to Azkaban is a special feature running from 1st May – 4th September and all new additions are included in the ticket price. After opening its doors to visitors on 31st March 2012, Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter celebrated its 12th anniversary earlier this year. The highly rated attraction offers visitors the ultimate chance to get up close to authentic sets to discover the magic behind spellbinding special effects and explore the behind-the-scenes secrets of the Harry Potter film series. Visitors can explore the original Great Hall, step into the Forbidden Forest, discover Gringotts Wizarding Bank and pull out a Mandrake in Professor Sprout’s Greenhouse all before marvelling at the breath-taking miniature scale model of Hogwarts castle. Tickets must be pre-booked at www.wbstudiotour.co.uk
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