World Cities Tour 2014 Summer Edition - Day 26

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Day 26 - Behind the scenes

Today was dedicated to a tour of the Warner Brothers Studio where they made the Harry Potter Movies. We snagged some tickets and transportation from London even after the direct sales were sold out. The tour was set up so that you progressed from the indoor sets through some props and special effects, past the outdoor sets (and the Butterbeer), through the creature shop, by the models and out through the gift shop. They estimate 3 hours for the tour but we could have spent all day there. We also had a audio guide that gave a bunch more information as we went along. Anne's favorite part was seeing all the details worked into the sets. Michelle really enjoyed the creature shop where we saw the Monster Book of Monsters, Aragog, and Buckbeak. Tony was a huge fan of the detailed exterior model of Hogwarts from the final movies. For us it was a once in a lifetime opportunity but we could see that others had been there many times. After we made our way back to London we stopped in Kensington Park to play at the Princess Diana Memorial Playground hat was closed the day before. Michelle had a fantastic time and could have spent hours there. Dinner was upstairs in the hotel at the traditional Chinese restaurant on the 10th floor. It had a great view and great food, even if we didn't know what most of it was. Tomorrow we leave London to check out some of the nearby communities and lunch with a friend of Tony's from Amazon and his family. We should end up in Cambridge for the last part of our trip before heading home.

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Photos

Waiting for the bus?
this sounds like a time for icecream!

Not just any bus,
we get to ride a themed bus. We figured out this is the first time we've ever done this kind of tour.

We've arrived
We didn't see it on the way in but there looked to be some major filming going on on one of the other lots. we saw cliffs, building exteriors and some kind of round platforms. Wonder what it was.

Checkmate
These are all real props used during the movies. You get to be right up close to many of them so you can see the detail.

Under the stairs.
The first set we saw was Harry's cupboard under the stairs. All the signs gave great information about the ideas behind the sets and props and about where some of the materials came from. Most of the items in the cupboard came out of a set dressers basement.

In we go
After a bit of prep and video watching we pass through the doors and into the great hall.

The Great Hall
Used in all 8 movies, the Great Hall has a real stone floor and has been dressed and redressed many times. the detail of each area was amazing.

The back side of...
The floor may be real stone but the walls, like many of the sets, are made of plaster.

Ministry of Magic
One of Tony's favorite sections was the sets and props from the Ministry of Magic.

Detail everywhere
The amount of detail that went into props and background elements, often seldom or briefly seen on screen, is amazing.

Nobody Home
Michelle knocks on the door to Number 4 Privite Drive.

Giant Hairy Spider
Pretty much Anne's worst nightmare.

It's only a model
but it is a wonderful one, well worth visiting. we could have spent an hour just looking at all the detail. By the end of the tour we were all agreed we need to watch all the movies.

On a high note
Michelle found the highest point at the playground. t's modeled after Neverland from the Peter Pan book.

Nice view
Anne had to walk quite a ways to find a bathroom at the park. Fortunately there was a reward waiting at the end of the walk (in addition to the bathroom)

Urban wildlife
London parks are rich with all kinds of waterbirds