{"id":6021,"date":"2016-03-10T10:30:21","date_gmt":"2016-03-10T15:30:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/?p=6021"},"modified":"2016-01-20T17:17:16","modified_gmt":"2016-01-20T22:17:16","slug":"harry-potter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/harry-potter","title":{"rendered":"Bringing Harry Potter to life"},"content":{"rendered":"

Move over, Disney World.\u00a0Hogwarts is the new most\u00a0magical place on earth.<\/p>\n

\"HogwartsAs you walk through the Great Hall\u00a0for the first time, you see Dumbledore\u00a0standing\u00a0at the podium, flanked by the\u00a0Hogwarts staff dressed in their best robes.\u00a0The table is set for dinner, and you suspect\u00a0that somewhere freshly baked pumpkin\u00a0pasties are waiting to be consumed.<\/p>\n

\"HogwartsWelcome to Hogwarts.\u00a0Since the publication of Harry Potter\u00a0and the Sorcerer\u2019s Stone in 1997, every\u00a0reader, Quidditch player and self-proclaimed\u00a0muggle in the world has dreamed\u00a0of going to Hogwarts. Millions of\u00a0fans have become enchanted by Harry\u00a0Potter\u2019s world of witchcraft and wizardry,\u00a0attending midnight book releases and\u00a0movie premieres annually for nearly 15\u00a0years. Now that every book and movie\u00a0has reached completion, some Potter fans\u00a0struggle to find new ways to propel their\u00a0obsession. Fortunately, you can now visit\u00a0Harry Potter\u2019s magical world for yourself.\u00a0\"Monster<\/p>\n

The Warner Bros.\u00a0\u201cStudio Tour London\u2014The Making\u00a0of Harry Potter\u201d opened to the public in 2012,\u00a0and\u00a0swarms of Potter fans have been\u00a0filling the aisles of the Great Hall ever since.\u00a0Celebrities such as the Duke and Duchess\u00a0of Cambridge and even J.K. Rowling\u00a0herself have roamed the hallowed\u00a0halls, wielding wands and sampling the\u00a0concession stand butterbeer. While the\u00a0starry ceiling and self-stirring pots prove\u00a0to be just lighting and animatronics, the\u00a0studio still holds a splendor that feels\u00a0otherworldly. The magic isn\u2019t witchcraft,\u00a0but that doesn\u2019t make it any less real.<\/p>\n

Step outside to visit 4 Privet Drive,\u00a0where the quiet, suburban street of Harry\u2019s\u00a0childhood has been transformed by relics\u00a0of the wizarding world. The covered\u00a0bridge, which usually leads the way to\u00a0Hogwarts, sits isolated on the concrete\u00a0outside the perfect little row of houses.\u00a0The Knight Bus and Hagrid\u2019s flying\u00a0motorcycle are parked nearby, across\u00a0from the tombstone of Tom Riddle,\u00a0on a concrete pavilion where concessions\u00a0are served.<\/p>\n

\"HarryThe real magic lies behind the scenes,\u00a0in the construction and artistry of each set, prop and special effect.\u00a0View rows\u00a0after rows of costumes and\u00a0animatronics, with ghostlike Dementors\u00a0extended from the ceilings above\u00a0\u201cpetrified\u201d\u00a0wax bodies from Harry Potter and the\u00a0Chamber of Secrets. Examine intricate scale\u00a0models fit for an architect\u2019s workshop.\u00a0Hagrid\u2019s cottage, the Weasley\u2019s \u201cBurrow,\u201d\u00a0and the flying Durmstrang ship all sit in\u00a0one room, surrounded by sketches and\u00a0video animations to illustrate the creative\u00a0process.<\/p>\n

Yet the highlight of the entire tour is\u00a0the Hogwarts castle itself. The scale model\u00a0is large enough to fill a small house and\u00a0feet taller than the average adult. While\u00a0the model is 1\/24 of the size of the \u201creal\u201d\u00a0Hogwarts, the model takes up an entire\u00a0sound stage, measuring 50 feet in diameter.<\/p>\n

Witnessing the artistry\u00a0and engineering behind the 10-year\u00a0cinematic venture brings a different light\u00a0to Harry Potter\u2019s world. The franchise\u00a0employed hundreds: set designers, robotics\u00a0specialists, animators, costume designers,\u00a0cinematographers, you name it, leaving\u00a0behind remnants of some of the most\u00a0intricately designed constructions and\u00a0and artwork ever to grace the the silver\u00a0screen. A visit to the Harry Potter studios\u00a0is not just an ode to a fictional world, but\u00a0an inspiration to future filmmakers in\u00a0our own.<\/p>\n

Add this activity to an Insider\u2019s\u00a0London tour<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>or call 1.888.310.7120 to learn more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Move over, Disney World.\u00a0Hogwarts is the new most\u00a0magical place on earth. As you walk through the Great Hall\u00a0for the first time, you see Dumbledore\u00a0standing\u00a0at the podium, flanked by the\u00a0Hogwarts staff dressed in their best robes.\u00a0The table is set for dinner, and you suspect\u00a0that somewhere freshly baked pumpkin\u00a0pasties are waiting to be consumed. Welcome to Hogwarts.\u00a0Since Read More …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[89,345,58,2507,2506,453,128],"class_list":["post-6021","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-explorica-news","tag-art-educational-tours","tag-educational-tours","tag-educational-travel","tag-film","tag-harry-potter","tag-london","tag-student-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6021","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/41"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6021"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6021\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6033,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6021\/revisions\/6033"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}