Potter tour lets muggles in on the magic

Hangin' in the Leaky Cauldron

My childhood body used to react in a very specific way when we came through the gates at DisneyWorld.  My chest would tighten, my breath would shorten, my jaw would drop.  In the presence of magic, where all the characters of my juvenile fantasies were made incarnate, I was so swept up in the excitement that tears would prick my eyes.

Decades later, I shamelessly confess: this is exactly what happened to me as I walked through the doors into the great hall of Hogwarts on the Warner Brothers/Harry Potter Studio Tour.  You can call me silly, or immature.  I really don't care.  There are few moments of real magic left in an adult's life.  When they come around, I'm all for embracing them.

If you are a Potter fan who's consumed all the books and films, this place is wondrous.  Absolutely on par with a Disney experience, three hours here will pass in the blink of an eye as you walk through the fantasy world to which you've hitherto only been an observer.  The grown-ups could have easily given it another hour or two, but the attention span of our accompanying 7-year-old mandated the pace.  Even the begrudging tag-alongs get drawn in.  My husband, who has read none of the books and was moved to only moderate interest by a few of the films, was intrigued by the details of the film making process, sets and production.  (If anyone ever does something similar for Peter Jackson's Middle Earth films, he'll be in there for days.)

The whole experience ricochets you constantly between the wonders of the massive set pieces and
fascination with attention to detail.  In the former category, most people know to expect the great hall and Diagon Alley.  You'll also find the imposing gates into the Hogwarts grounds, the Gryffindor common room, the potions classroom, a towering slice of the Ministry of Magic, the Hogwarts express belching steam, the creepy interior of Borgin and Burkes, and much more. There's an outdoor area where you can clamber aboard the Knight Bus, sit in the flying Ford Anglia or Hagrid's sidecar, knock on the door at Privet Drive or amble over Hogwarts Bridge.

The chocolate buffet from the start-of-term feast

This area is located next to a cafe, cleverly placed about 2/3rds of the way through your tour.  Just as you're all beginning to wear out you can get refreshments, sit for a while and let the kids run riot.  On offer, of course, is butterbeer, the non-alcoholic wizard kids' staple.  The drink is a bit like a root beer float consumed just as the ice cream has turned liquid, flavour enhanced with a shot of butterscotch.  Butterbeer-flavoured ice cream is similar, but its flavours are stronger on butterscotch and marshmallow.  Beware.  In both cases, you will find the first few bites lovely, but if you consume much you will feel as if you have ingested an entire bag of sugar, and will be looking for the bitterest coffee imaginable to counteract the effect.  Purchasing one treat for a whole group to sample will really suffice.

With my love of history, art and architecture, it was the attention to detail that most captivated me.  Every tiny item, down to things that might never appear on screen, was created as if real.  You can examine costumes and see how elements like cloth choice, buttons and shoe shape all worked together to reinforce a personality.  Every character's wand has a shape and handle that reflects personal style.  Every individual item in the room of requirement is completely finished, from the engravings on old sports trophies to the dust on artefacts and the hanging trim on broken chairs.  In Dumbledore's office, the books are all leather-bound, aged, and each has a different and appropriate title.  The food created for banquet scenes is innovative and mouth-watering.    The carriages of the Hogwarts Express have appropriate framed prints, the decorative carvings on the Hogwarts interiors have been carefully aged, the "Magic is Might" statue appropriately channels fascist architecture.  Perhaps most intriguing for the art historian: the scores of custom-created portraits that dress Hogwarts, all recreating recognisable styles.  A Gainsborough-esque Georgian wizard here, a swarthy Spanish type who looks distinctively like a Velazquez there.

The wandcraft lesson

Those who like technology can explore how green screens work, complete with a chance to ride on a broom.  The creatures shop shows how prosthetics can turn men into goblins or monsters, and shows off the sophisticated robotics that bring mythological beasts to life.  You'll be hard-pressed to deny that Buckbeak the Hippogriff lives.  And it's not just looking at stuff.  You can plunge your baggage cart through the wall of Platform 9 3/4, stamp a passport book every time you find a golden snitch or take a wandcraft lesson.  The instructor of the last told me I was particularly good at the sneaky behind-the-back move; no doubt a legacy of 20 years in the corporate world.  Everything is carefully set up to create excellent photo opportunities, of course.

All this climaxes with a piece of set design so magical it brings that heart-stopping, eye-pricking feeling right back.  I won't tell you what it is because, frankly, the surprise of not knowing what's around the last corner is part of the awe.  You exit through the inside of Olivander's Wand Shop, where thousands of matching boxes are each labeled with the name and role of someone who worked on the films.  A fitting tribute to the team and, in its vastness, a reminder of the mammoth size of this endeavour.

You exit, of course, in the shop.  Even this is beyond the ordinary, maintaining the fantasy that Hogwarts is real.  It's another beautifully modelled set, filled with properly enticing stuff.  You could be in an emporium off Diagon Alley.  There's sports kit for each of the houses, books and tankards.  You can buy your own "familiar" (stuffed toys, of course) or your own version of the Marauders' Map.  And, of course, you can a copy of any of the main characters' wands.

My niece went home with Luna Lovegood's, cradling a cuddly Hedwig, brain fizzing with new information and thoroughly contented.  The adults weren't too different, though we skipped the souvenirs.  If, like me, you've been waiting for a kid to have an excuse to go on this tour, forget it.  Just do it.  The magic of this very special studio tour will roll back your years faster than an over-wound time turner.