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| Jose Granell, model supervisor, is pictured with the model of Hogwarts Castle. |
Harry Potter fans suffering withdrawal symptoms after 15 years of the young wizard’s adventures can get their fix where the series was filmed.
There, at Leavesden Studios in Hertfordshire, England, this extraordinary model of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is due to go on display for the first time, along with many other sets from the series of hit films.
The model was built for the first film, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (renamed Sorcerer’s Stone in the U.S.) and has been used for exterior shots in every film since. When all the time spent by 86 artists and crew members is added up, it took an incredible 74 years to build.
Measuring 50 feet across, it has more than 2,500 fibre optic lights to simulate lantern torches and students passing through hallways. It even has miniature owls in the Owlery and hinges on the doors. The castle is going on display from March 31 as part of Warner Bros.’s The Making Of Harry Potter studio tour.
Promotional material for the tour promises: ‘For the first time, the doors are going to be opened for everyone at the studio where it first began.
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| Stuart Craig, production manager, is dwarfed by the massive structure |
‘You’ll have the chance to go behind-the-scenes and see many things the camera never showed. From breathtakingly detailed sets to stunning costumes, props and animatronics, the tour provides a unique showcase of the extraordinary British artistry, technology and talent that went into making the most successful film series of all time.’
The tour will take Potter fans inside the Great Hall and Dumbledore’s office and visitors will also be able to step onto cobbles of Diagon Alley, walking past the the shop fronts of Ollivanders wand shop, Flourish and Blotts, the Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes, Gringotts Wizarding Bank and Eeylops Owl Emporium.
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| The model as it appears in the film Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
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Iconic props from the films, including Harry’s Nimbus 2000 broomstick and Hagrid’s motorcycle will be on display alongside life-sized models of some of the creatures from the films.
