Harry Potter fans will be able to enter Professor Sprout’s greenhouse for the first time at Warner Bros. Studio Tour this summer as part of a new feature.
Hertfordshire tourist attraction Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter has announced its latest exciting expansion at Leavesden that will invite ‘budding’ herbologists to explore Professor Sprout’s greenhouse.
The greenhouse is a fan-favourite set from the Harry Potter film series, where students were taught their herbology lessons with Professor Pomona Sprout, played by Miriam Margolyes.
It will open to the public as part of the Studio Tour’s newest feature, Mandrakes and Magical Creatures, which will run from July 1 to September 12, 2022.
Surrounded by special effects and props crafted by the production crew of the original film series, fans of the Wizarding World will be able to recreate when Harry, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger came face-to-face with screaming mandrake plants for the first time.
As part of the exclusive Mandrakes and Magical Creatures feature, visitors will also encounter a menagerie of magical creatures throughout the tour that will be on display for a limited time only.
Built by the original Harry Potter filmmakers, the greenhouse is home to many exotic and magical plants.
Just like a Hogwarts student, visitors to the Studio Tour will be able to step into the greenhouse and stop to pull out a potted Mandrake as part of an interactive display.
Based on the unforgettable scene in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, visitors will recognise the Venomous Tentacula hanging from the ceiling as they walk through the greenhouse.
During filming, various techniques were used to achieve the movement of the magical plants.
The sinuous grasping movement of the Tentacula’s tendrils was computer-generated, however the movement of the Mandrakes was achieved using animatronic controllers hidden beneath the table.
The greenhouse is a permanent addition to the Studio Tour and will open as part of Mandrakes and Magical Creatures on July 1.
As part of the feature, visitors will be welcomed into the Great Hall to the Frog Choir scene as seen in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, featuring the costume of conductor of the choir, Professor Flitwick, as worn by Warwick Davis.
Keen-eyed Harry Potter fans should be on the lookout for their favourite magical creatures as they explore the Studio Tour, as Cornish Pixies, Dumbledore’s beloved Fawkes, and the animatronic Monster Book of Monsters can be spotted during their visit.
Fans of filmmaking will also learn how Thestrals and Mandrakes were brought to life using a mixture of scale models and CGI in the Creatures Workshop.
In addition to the exciting addition of Professor Sprout’s greenhouse, Warner Bros. Studio Tour London will be expanding the exterior sets in their backlot with new additions including the fountain from the Hogwarts courtyard and a 1:3 scale-version of the Weasleys’ Burrow.
The scale-model of The Burrow in the backlot area will enable film-making fans to learn the camera trickery behind the external scenes of the family home, seen in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
During production, The Burrow took filmmakers 14 weeks to build but only six minutes to burn down in the iconic scene where the Death Eaters set the home ablaze.
Professor Sprout’s greenhouse, the courtyard fountain, and the exterior of the Weasleys’ Burrow will be permanent additions to Warner Bros. Studio Tour London.
The Mandrakes and Magical Creatures feature will run from 1 July 1 to September 12, 2022.
Now celebrating its 10th year of welcoming visitors, Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter opened its doors on March 31, 2012.
Details of how to book can be found at www.wbstudiotour.co.uk.
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