The famous Hogwarts Express steam train has pulled into Platform 9¾ at the popular Warner Bros Studio Tour near London. Does the new addition live up to the impressive standards the Studio Tour has already set?
By Tom Anstey | Published in Attractions Management 2015 issue 2
The Warner Bros Studio Tour – The Making of Harry Potter is a one-of-a-kind experience. Though the IP adorns other well-known attractions, with more on the way, the Studio Tour is the only place to house a vast collection of props, costumes, sets and gadgets from the movie franchise, and all in the location the films were made.
In essence, the Studio Tour is the world’s only Harry Potter museum, and it has grown even bigger with the addition of the 20,000sq ft (1,858sqm) Platform 9¾. The crowning glory is the Hogwarts Express, which is stationed inside. It’s an authentic British steam train, no. 5972 and once named Olton Hall. Today, the 78-year-old engine is probably the most famous train on the planet.
The tour lets you explore behind the scenes of Harry Potter. Following an impressive reveal when the Great Hall is unveiled, guests enter the studios and browse an array of Harry Potter props, costumes and sceneries, including Dumbledore’s office, the Gryffindor common room, the potions classroom and the new dark arts section.
The entire tour is designed to demonstrate how much work and care went into producing the Harry Potter films.
The new part of the attraction, Platform 9¾, creates another fantastic reveal as guests turn a corner to the sight of the Hogwarts Express billowing steam on ‘King’s Cross station’, recreated by three-time Oscar-winning production designer Stuart Craig.
The attraction is participative. Guests board the Hogwarts Express and walk the carriage. Each passenger compartment represents a different film in the franchise. A modified version of a compartment, designed to accommodate a film crew, shows how the train scenes were shot.
Visitors can also experience one of the interactive carriages, equipped with false windows that demonstrate the process used to create scenery and action outside the train, such as movie scenes with the flying Ford Anglia or the dementor attack.
There’s a new photo opportunity, similar to the one at (the real) King’s Cross, in which visitors “push” a luggage trolley through the wall of Platform 9¾, as happens in the films. Guests can use their own cameras rather than having to have a professional paid-for photo, though that option is also available.
The Warner Bros Studio Tour takes between 90 minutes and three hours. With added attractions such as Butterbeer sampling and green-screen broom riding – expertly supplied by Picsolve – the experience can be lengthy, and potentially more costly if you do buy the extras.
BOOKING AND TICKETING The incredibly popular tour must be booked in advance through the Warner Bros Studio Tour website. Visitors are booked in for specific times and can then explore the attraction at their own pace. Discounted rates are offered to groups of 10 or more and to school trips. Platform 9¾ and the Hogwarts Express are included in the Studio Tour ticket price.
FOOD AND BEVERAGE Food at the Backlot Café is reasonably priced, starting at about £3.50 ($5.19, €4.75) for soup. A burger costs upwards of £7.50 ($11.12, €10.18). The quality is excellent, and the menu has wide appeal. The attraction offers the franchise’s signature Butterbeer – which seems to be cream soda topped with a marshmallow foam. The foam creates a Butterbeer moustache and another photo opp for visitors. Definitely one for the sweet tooth, the non-alcoholic drink enjoyed by the characters in the book can be purchased with a souvenir cup (£4.95, $7.33, €6.72) or tankard (£6.95, $10.30, €9.44).
STAFF The staff are very well presented, friendly and extremely knowledgeable about Harry Potter. You can tell from speaking with them that they’re fans, which comes through in their words and actions.
RETAIL The Studio Tour offers two shops. Most of the items are exclusive to the Studio Shop and you pay extra for that privilege. However, the products are very high quality. For collectors, high-end versions of many of the products are on sale, with Harry Potter-themed jewellery, for example, available for several hundred pounds. Merchandise can also be bought via the online store.
DESIGN The tour feels more like being in a museum than the monster-sized aircraft factory you see on arrival. Thinkwell returned to design the new addition, having also collaborated on the existing Studio Tour.
SUMMARY The arrival of the Hogwarts Express adds to the magic of the Studio Tour. The attention to detail to faithfully recreate the new section as it’s seen in the films is clear for all to see. The attentive staff and special effects only add to the experience, which is world-class. The attraction really has no rival; it’s a unique experience that a Harry Potter fan in particular, or any visitor, would remember for a long time to come.
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2015 issue 2
Interview: Marty Sklar
Retired Disney Legend Marty Sklar
reveals the secrets of Imagineering,
the legacy of the 1964 World’s Fair
and the lessons he learned as
Walt Disney’s “keeper of the keys”
Talking Point: The $100 Barrier
As a Walt Disney World day ticket
enters three-digit territory for
the first time, we ask what this
means for pricing in the sector
Museums: Biomuseo
Panama has opened the world’s first
museum of biodiversity, an ambitious
building by architect Frank Gehry. We
meet the team behind the project
Expos: Food for Thought
Expo Milano 2015 launches in Italy,
aiming to bring the planet’s most
pressing problems to the fore, not least
how to provide food for everybody
Zoos & Aquariums: On the SAFE Side
AZA chair Dennis Pate explains a new
initiative designed to help endangered
animals, and offers some tips from
his world-class Henry Doorly zoo
Promotional feature: IDEATTACK
IDEATTACK is a creative maverick with a
new perspective, bringing custom-made
one-of-a-kind attractions typologies to
a world that needs something di�fferent
Rides: The Ride Makers
In the third part of our series, we look at
the enduring appeal of wooden coasters
Ticketing: Dream Tickets
Ticketing systems are advancing to
improve the guest’s experience and the
operator’s profit. We investigate the
sector’s current and upcoming trends
Location The Studio Tour is located in Leavesden, 20 miles northwest of London. Public transport links serve the attraction
OPENING HOURS Opening times vary: check online. Guests must book slots in advance
ADMISSION PRICES Tickets cost £33 ($49, €45); children aged five to 15 are £25 ($37, €34); a family package is £101 ($150, €137)
what’s the score?
Toilets
9/10
Staff
10/10
Cleanliness
9/10
Value for Money
8/10
Overall rating
8/10
RIGHT TO REPLY
Sarah Root
Sarah RootVice President Warner Bros Studio Tour London
“We’ve received a fantastic reaction from visitors to the new expansion of Warner Bros Studio Tour London, featuring the authentic Hogwarts Express train on Platform 9 ¾ and I’m pleased Attractions Management’s mystery shopper enjoyed the experience too.”
The famous Hogwarts Express steam train has pulled into Platform 9¾ at the popular Warner Bros Studio Tour near London. Does the new addition live up to the impressive standards the Studio Tour has already set?
By Tom Anstey | Published in Attractions Management 2015 issue 2
The Warner Bros Studio Tour – The Making of Harry Potter is a one-of-a-kind experience. Though the IP adorns other well-known attractions, with more on the way, the Studio Tour is the only place to house a vast collection of props, costumes, sets and gadgets from the movie franchise, and all in the location the films were made.
In essence, the Studio Tour is the world’s only Harry Potter museum, and it has grown even bigger with the addition of the 20,000sq ft (1,858sqm) Platform 9¾. The crowning glory is the Hogwarts Express, which is stationed inside. It’s an authentic British steam train, no. 5972 and once named Olton Hall. Today, the 78-year-old engine is probably the most famous train on the planet.
The tour lets you explore behind the scenes of Harry Potter. Following an impressive reveal when the Great Hall is unveiled, guests enter the studios and browse an array of Harry Potter props, costumes and sceneries, including Dumbledore’s office, the Gryffindor common room, the potions classroom and the new dark arts section.
The entire tour is designed to demonstrate how much work and care went into producing the Harry Potter films.
The new part of the attraction, Platform 9¾, creates another fantastic reveal as guests turn a corner to the sight of the Hogwarts Express billowing steam on ‘King’s Cross station’, recreated by three-time Oscar-winning production designer Stuart Craig.
The attraction is participative. Guests board the Hogwarts Express and walk the carriage. Each passenger compartment represents a different film in the franchise. A modified version of a compartment, designed to accommodate a film crew, shows how the train scenes were shot.
Visitors can also experience one of the interactive carriages, equipped with false windows that demonstrate the process used to create scenery and action outside the train, such as movie scenes with the flying Ford Anglia or the dementor attack.
There’s a new photo opportunity, similar to the one at (the real) King’s Cross, in which visitors “push” a luggage trolley through the wall of Platform 9¾, as happens in the films. Guests can use their own cameras rather than having to have a professional paid-for photo, though that option is also available.
The Warner Bros Studio Tour takes between 90 minutes and three hours. With added attractions such as Butterbeer sampling and green-screen broom riding – expertly supplied by Picsolve – the experience can be lengthy, and potentially more costly if you do buy the extras.
BOOKING AND TICKETING The incredibly popular tour must be booked in advance through the Warner Bros Studio Tour website. Visitors are booked in for specific times and can then explore the attraction at their own pace. Discounted rates are offered to groups of 10 or more and to school trips. Platform 9¾ and the Hogwarts Express are included in the Studio Tour ticket price.
FOOD AND BEVERAGE Food at the Backlot Café is reasonably priced, starting at about £3.50 ($5.19, €4.75) for soup. A burger costs upwards of £7.50 ($11.12, €10.18). The quality is excellent, and the menu has wide appeal. The attraction offers the franchise’s signature Butterbeer – which seems to be cream soda topped with a marshmallow foam. The foam creates a Butterbeer moustache and another photo opp for visitors. Definitely one for the sweet tooth, the non-alcoholic drink enjoyed by the characters in the book can be purchased with a souvenir cup (£4.95, $7.33, €6.72) or tankard (£6.95, $10.30, €9.44).
STAFF The staff are very well presented, friendly and extremely knowledgeable about Harry Potter. You can tell from speaking with them that they’re fans, which comes through in their words and actions.
RETAIL The Studio Tour offers two shops. Most of the items are exclusive to the Studio Shop and you pay extra for that privilege. However, the products are very high quality. For collectors, high-end versions of many of the products are on sale, with Harry Potter-themed jewellery, for example, available for several hundred pounds. Merchandise can also be bought via the online store.
DESIGN The tour feels more like being in a museum than the monster-sized aircraft factory you see on arrival. Thinkwell returned to design the new addition, having also collaborated on the existing Studio Tour.
SUMMARY The arrival of the Hogwarts Express adds to the magic of the Studio Tour. The attention to detail to faithfully recreate the new section as it’s seen in the films is clear for all to see. The attentive staff and special effects only add to the experience, which is world-class. The attraction really has no rival; it’s a unique experience that a Harry Potter fan in particular, or any visitor, would remember for a long time to come.
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2015 issue 2
Interview: Marty Sklar
Retired Disney Legend Marty Sklar
reveals the secrets of Imagineering,
the legacy of the 1964 World’s Fair
and the lessons he learned as
Walt Disney’s “keeper of the keys”
Talking Point: The $100 Barrier
As a Walt Disney World day ticket
enters three-digit territory for
the first time, we ask what this
means for pricing in the sector
Museums: Biomuseo
Panama has opened the world’s first
museum of biodiversity, an ambitious
building by architect Frank Gehry. We
meet the team behind the project
Expos: Food for Thought
Expo Milano 2015 launches in Italy,
aiming to bring the planet’s most
pressing problems to the fore, not least
how to provide food for everybody
Zoos & Aquariums: On the SAFE Side
AZA chair Dennis Pate explains a new
initiative designed to help endangered
animals, and offers some tips from
his world-class Henry Doorly zoo
Promotional feature: IDEATTACK
IDEATTACK is a creative maverick with a
new perspective, bringing custom-made
one-of-a-kind attractions typologies to
a world that needs something di�fferent
Rides: The Ride Makers
In the third part of our series, we look at
the enduring appeal of wooden coasters
Ticketing: Dream Tickets
Ticketing systems are advancing to
improve the guest’s experience and the
operator’s profit. We investigate the
sector’s current and upcoming trends
Location The Studio Tour is located in Leavesden, 20 miles northwest of London. Public transport links serve the attraction
OPENING HOURS Opening times vary: check online. Guests must book slots in advance
ADMISSION PRICES Tickets cost £33 ($49, €45); children aged five to 15 are £25 ($37, €34); a family package is £101 ($150, €137)
what’s the score?
Toilets
9/10
Staff
10/10
Cleanliness
9/10
Value for Money
8/10
Overall rating
8/10
RIGHT TO REPLY
Sarah Root
Sarah RootVice President Warner Bros Studio Tour London
“We’ve received a fantastic reaction from visitors to the new expansion of Warner Bros Studio Tour London, featuring the authentic Hogwarts Express train on Platform 9 ¾ and I’m pleased Attractions Management’s mystery shopper enjoyed the experience too.”
Abu Dhabi-based investment firm Mubadala Capital has made a binding, fully financed
€1 billion
offer to acquire Pierre and Vacances SA, the European holiday resort operator behind the
continental European Center Parcs business.
Expo 2030 Riyadh is being planned as a permanent visitor destination, with organisers
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day destination.
Hotel de France, located on the British Isle of Jersey, has created a wellness retreat package
that includes a hot yoga session that will take place in Jersey Zoo’s butterfly sanctuary.
A new immersive attraction designed to transport visitors into the final hours of ancient Pompeii
is preparing to open near the world-famous archaeological site in southern Italy.
Experience design company, BRC Imagination Arts, has completed a transition that sees founder
Bob Rogers pass ownership of the business to four long-serving senior executives, while
remaining actively involved with the company.
Movie Park Germany has opened a new Paramount Pictures-themed attraction as part of its 30th
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Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Efteling has opened Hooghmoed, a new family drop tower designed to broaden the appeal of its
recently launched Sirene Island themed area and introduce younger visitors to thrill attractions.
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