I entered the magical world of Harry Potter as a six-year old. I was home from school with the flu, when my mother began reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone to me as a distraction.

From there my love for the series grew. I read the following five books in second grade, and I participated in a reading competition in my third grade class over who could read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows the fastest after it was released — spoiler alert, I won.

Many movies and Halloween costumes later, Harry Potter and his hijinks had so affected me that I wrote my college admissions essay about the Voldemort in my own life, and how JK Rowling’s world of fantasy inspired me to face it.  Cancer was my Voldemart, coming again and again to attack my family: my aunt, my mother and my father all survived. My stepfather died after a long fight. For myself, and many other children growing up in the early 2000’s, Harry Potter grew to be far more than just books sitting on the shelf.

Visiting The Making of Harry Potter

When my Mom brought up taking a trip to London, my mind went straight to Harry Potter. Yes, I wanted to go to the Tower of London and Westminster Abbey, and all of the other requisite spots. But the opportunity to see some of the sets and scenes from the movies that brought much of Harry Potter to life was personally important, and I was excited. In May of 2018, I finally got my chance to make the visit!

Our journey began much like Harry’s: in a train station. After joining up with several other “Potterheads”– the moniker for Harry Potter fans — my mom and I hopped on a train from London to Watford Junction, where Warner Brothers Studios London is located. Buses emblazoned with scenes from the Harry Potter films transport visitors from the train station to the studios.

From the moment we stepped off the bus, Warner Brothers transported us into the world of Harry Potter. Several wizard’s chess pieces sit outside the entrance. It took one glance for me to imagine Ron sitting atop that very horse, as a knight in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, as the trio plays their way across the board to prevent the Stone from falling into the wrong hands.

Movie Sets

The first set that visitors see is also one of the most iconic. The Great Hall is a constant throughout all of the movies, and it was the set that I was the most excited to see.

Through camera angles, wide angle lenses, and movie magic, the Great Hall in the films actually looks far larger than the set does in person, but to be standing in the same place as the actors was awe-inspiring.

Costumes line parts of the Great Hall, including Harry’s and Ron’s school uniforms from the first movie, along with the clothing of many of the teachers, such as Dumbledore, Mad-Eye Moody, and Professor McGonagall.

Almost as impressive as the sets and costumes are the guides who work at Warner Brothers. As an avid Harry Potter fan, I know a fair amount of Harry Potter trivia, but my knowledge pales in comparison to these experts. Throughout the tour, I learned so much about the filming of the movies, including some information I had always wondered about.

For example, in the first movie the students are all wearing wizard hats, but these hats are never seen again after the sorting hat ceremony. Our guide informed us that the reason for this was that after the actors threw the hats up into the air, several caught fire after falling into the large torches lining the walls of the Great Hall.

Guided Tour over a Self Tour

On our guided tour, we completely skipped the line to enter. Additionally, once the tour was over, we could go back through the whole thing again on our own, starting at the beginning, and skipping the line a second time.

Another benefit to the guided tour of Warner Brothers Studios is the personal attention from the guides that work there. Our guide, Evie, walked us through the entire studio, giving us information along the way that was absent from the printed placards.

We had the opportunity to see many of the costume pieces from the films up close and personal, like the dress and accessories that Luna Lovegood wears to Professor Slughorn’s Christmas party in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Evanna Lynch, the actress who plays Luna Lovegood in the films, made the bracelet that Luna wears in that scene herself.

As a Harry Potter fanatic, I’ve always had a certain idea of how the world of Harry Potter should look. While reading the books, my mind would come up with its own movie to play in my imagination. As the movies were released, some of these depictions fit with my initial projections, and others did not.

Now that all of the movies have been made, it’s often hard to imagine many of the concepts differently than how we see them now.

In one section of the studios, the walls are dedicated to the art submitted by numerous artists in competition for how the fantasies of JK Rowling would become reality in the movies. From these pictures, it is easy to see how many parts of the Harry Potter series could have seriously diverged from the movies we have all come to know and love. The artists whose work is shown on these walls helped the magical world of Harry Potter come alive.

One of the most astounding things about the production of the Harry Potter series is the immense detail that went into all parts of the various sets. In the potion classroom set, this is especially obvious.

All of the textbooks, which easily could’ve been filled with blank pages leaving viewers none the wiser, were filled with potion recipes and graphics demonstrating the proper way to concoct anything from a polyjuice potion to a vial of Felix Felicius.

Jars filled with mysterious objects floating in various liquids line the back of the classroom. The set designers took special care in filling each jar with something different–sometimes even specially designing toys to float in the colored water–and ominous.

Creatures of the Wizarding World

Some of the most memorable features of the films are not the actors, but the creatures they interact with. From Buckbeak to Aragog, thestrals to dragons, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter has no shortage of amazing magical creatures.

Today, many creatures in movies are solely CGI, but in the Harry Potter films, the technology behind the creatures was a mixture of animatronics and CGI.

On our visit, we took a trip through the Forbidden Forest where we had the opportunity to meet Buckbeak, Aragog, and many of Aragog’s frightening offspring. Visitors have the opportunity to see many of the creatures from the films in extreme detail, and at very close range.

Some of the creatures in the Harry Potter series are characters central to much of the plot development such as Dobby, Kreature, and Griphook. Warner Brothers Studios saved many of the masks for the goblins of Gringotts, and it is clear that many hours of work went into each mask, hand, and foot as each wrinkle and age spot is discernible.

As for the house elves in the movies, they were generally computer-generated. The exception is Dobby’s final scene in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, when Harry is holding the elf’s lifeless body. The director believed that a corporeal Dobby would elicit more emotion from Daniel Radcliffe than the green tennis ball and stick that had been used in prior scenes.

My favorite part of the Warner Brothers Studio experience was the many interactive activities that they had for the visitors. Any muggle can try their hand at flying on a broomstick, bowing to Buckbeak, riding in the train to Hogwarts, and many more.

For the eleven-year old me that was always waiting for her letter, the opportunity to actively participate in the world of Harry Potter was priceless. I channeled my inner Sorcerer’s Stone-era Harry Potter, and not so patiently commanded my broomstick with the word “Up!”

Later, I tested my flying abilities by soaring over the Hogwarts grounds. Although I didn’t have the chance to fly on Buckbeak, I was able to bow to him in the Forbidden Forest.

The end of the tour at the studios is also the most impressive stop.

A massive model of Hogwarts stands alone in a dark room, where visitors have the chance to walk completely around the castle.

Film crews used the model to shoot exterior aerial shots of the castle. The model is so detailed that all of the windows have lights that turn on and off. Visitors have the chance to see what the castle looks like in day and night. All around the castle are interactive screens. Visitors use these to view scenes that used the model in shooting.

Return Visits?

An important question is whether or not there is any point in returning after you’ve already seen the Studios. I mean, haven’t you already seen everything that there is to see? But, a unique feature of the Studios is that they have limited-time experiences for visitors that change overtime.

When we visited, we had the opportunity to experience a part of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in the form of the Triwizard Tournament champion selection. Just like in the movie, the goblet turned red before emitting a singular piece of charred paper. One lucky visitor snatched the paper out of the air which revealed the name of one of Hogwarts’ champions: Harry Potter.

The age line around the goblet prevents those under seventeen from putting their names in the cup. Just outside of the line sat the costumes and beards worn by Fred and George in the movie after they attempted — and failed — to circumvent the rules.

Ultimately, the trip to Warner Brothers Studios ended up being one of my favorite parts of my trip to London. For those of us who grew up reading and watching the series, and even those who discovered the magic as adults, seeing the world behind the fantasy is an amazing experience.

Honestly, going through the tour made me appreciate all the work that went into making Harry Potter and his friends come to life in the movies. This experience is a must for casual and avid Harry Potter fans alike.

At the end of the day I sent Mom home alone — as I disappeared through the wall at platform 9 and 3/4 — to catch the Hogwarts Express and take my rightful place in the Gryffindor common room.

Cat Gassiot attends university in New York. When she’s not studying, she’s leading the charge to free house elves everywhere.

If you have missed reading the Harry Potter books or watching the Harry Potter films, it is never too late to start!

From beginning to end, we found the films engaging. Amazing to see actors playing Harry, Ron, and Hermione grow up through the series. First film’s trailer:

Here is the trailer from the Deathly Hallows, the final chapter of Harry Potter’s story.

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