Harry Potter practical effects are on display at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London
Alohomora! This secret behind the Goblet of Fire and other practical effects from the Harry Potter films are unlocked at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London!
The Harry Potter films are filled with magic and mystery, but at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London’s “The Making of Harry Potter,” fans will come to realize that muggles were in control of many magical moments.
This past weekend at Universal Orlando’s A Celebration of Harry Potter, props traveled all the way from Leavesden Studios to show park guests how these memorable practical effects were created. Here are a few of our favorites from their booth at the Harry Potter Expo.
Floating candles in The Great Hall:
When filming in The Great Hall first started, the effects team rigged each candle from thin wires that would be removed during the editing process, but they quickly learned that having real flames caused the wires to burn, resulting in lit candles falling unexpectedly to the ground. The candles were replaced with electronic ones and the flames were added digitally.
Professor Umbridge’s steaming dress:
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Dolores Umbridge’s infamous pink dress can also be found on display at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London, but this costume piece is actually a practical effect!
After the Weasley twins crashed Hogwarts exams with loads of fireworks in The Great Hall, Umbridge’s dress was singed and smoke steamed up from the material.
The dress is designed to produce steam consistently, and on this set tour, you’ll see that the dress is still smoking! Weasley Wizard Wheezes doesn’t mess around when it comes to product quality!
Dolores Umbridge’s outfit from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix actually smokes from inside! This was a practical effect designed for one scene in the film! @wbtourlondon @HarryPotterFilm #HPCelebration @UniversalORL pic.twitter.com/S3e3ZqudBp
— themeparkreview (@ThemeParkReview) January 27, 2018
The Goblet of Fire:
The actual Goblet of Fire used in the fourth Harry Potter film is now on display, and it’s ready to reveal the newest wizard or witch being chosen for the Triwizard Tournament. You’ll remember that the Goblet of Fire holds a blue flame when accepting student names for the tournament, and then turns red before shooting a name into the air. What you don’t see in the film is the large metal arm connected to the back of the goblet that features several buttons and switches, which give the operator complete control over when the colors change and the paper shoots out.
The Dursleys’ front door mail slot:
Magic may have sent thousands of Hogwarts acceptance letters through the Durselys’ front door in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, but the muggles at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London have revealed an alternative for when you don’t have enough owls to deliver all that mail. Just behind the mail slot is a device that can shoot paper rapidly, not unlike a photocopier, which is how the Hogwarts letter delivery scene was shot for the movie.
Dobby’s hovering cake:
In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Dobby the House Elf gets Harry’s attention by taking control of a cake and hovering it over the heads of the Dursleys’ friends. Now you too can stand under the cake (which is held up by wires of course) and try to convince Debby not to drop it!
Check out videos of the Goblet of Fire and the Dusleys’ front door, and pictures of the Aunt Marge effects in the slideshow below:
Next: We tried the Hogwarts Mystery mobile game and uncovered the first quest!