In February, we took my sister and two of her friends to Harry Potter studios here in London for her birthday treat. Not a big Harry Potter fan myself, I was happy to see her show an interest in the HP books as she rarely reads (and, you know, I'm a nerd and I just can't understand how anyone wouldn't enjoy reading...how is it possible?).
Anyway! I won't go on forever about the tour because 1 - it's not really easy to describe in writing and 2 - it was nice but not mind-blowing. In fact, I'd go as far to say that it's not worth the £37+ adult ticket fee. There were a few things that were very impressive to experience (the Great Hall being one) and the remainder of the tour was mainly spent looking at some sets, props and short videos explaining the filming, crew, sets and props. The props WERE incredible to be fair - I don't want to take anything away from that. The amount of effort, time and detail that went into each and every piece was evident and there were literally tens of thousands of pieces: chairs, tables, costumes, cups, beds, couches, rugs, wands, books, statues, jars, HOUSES...the list is endless! And it's always interesting to see how small everything looks in real life compared to the movies. For example, Harry's bedroom in Hogwarts was a tiny little corner section of the studio!
The final "part" of the tour really takes your breath away. It's a 1:24 scale model of Hogwarts that the creative team built to film the wide and sweeping shots of the school. It is truly magical, and took weeks to build and perfect. I think that was my most favourite part of the tour, plus the Great Hall and the special make-up effect "room". Oh, and also the room with Kings Cross station as it looked EXACTLY like Kings Cross which was incredibly disconcerting considering we were in the middle of Watford!
I'm in two minds on whether I'd recommend the tour. I think for children it's not that easy to enjoy because it's mainly going around looking at props and identifying things that were in the movies rather than a more interactive experience. For adults who love the HP franchise I think it's more interesting because one can appreciate the magnitude of the Harry Potter world. So, in conclusion, I am not really sure! >.<
~Sx
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