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A UK Pregnancy, Parenting and Lifestyle Blog
March 16, 2016

Warner Brothers Harry Potter Studio Tour*

A couple weekends ago we tootled on up to London for a little trip, which included going to, and reviewing, the Warner Brothers Harry Potter Studio Tour. Bizarrely I wasn’t the biggest Harry Potter fan till about a year ago. I’ve jumped on the bandwagon rather late and never used to see what the fuss was about, but now I’m obsessed. I love a bit of Harry Potter and have loved re-watching all the films.

warner brothers harry potter studio tour review

When we turned off onto the road leading up to the Warner Brothers Studios, we were greeted by a very helpful attendant who checked out reference no and directed us towards the car park, and his colleagues there. We were then directed to an empty space by another attendant. It was all very efficient.

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The first thing that struck me was the size of the place. It’s huge! There are two studios, J Studio and K studio…get it?

We walked from the car to the studios and picked up out tickets from a machine outside. All you had to do was type in your reference number and last name, and your tickets popped out the bottom of the machine.

We then went through a baggage and security check, which didn’t take much time at all. The entrance hall that you walk in to is huge! It has a café, a Starbucks stand, toilets, cloakroom, an entrance to the shop and then the main entrance you queue up for to get into the studio tour. We did have about a half hour wait to get through, but it was the last day of half term so it was to be expected.

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Once we got through the queue for the entrance we were taken into a room and a guide told us a little bit about the studios and the history behind the making of the Harry Potter films. They also explained some ground rules and how the studio tour works. There was a short video clip then we were taken into a cinema room to watch a short film about the making of the films. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint featured in it and it was incredibly interesting to see lots of behind the scenes footage of all the staff involved.

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When the short film finished there was a big surprise and we were greeted with the doors to the grand hall. Another interactor got us to get up and gather around the doors before telling us more about the tour. The doors then open and you get to go through and explore the grand hall. The interactor continued to tell us lots of interesting information about the grand hall and all the different houses etc.

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After this we were left to our own devices. Lots of people had the digital guides but being there with a toddler was never going to allow for that, so we just winged our way around the place. It was so much bigger than I expected! In the first studio there was:

  • Information about the producers
  • Costumes
  • The gate to Hogwarts
  • Lots of interior sets to look at e.g. the Gryffindor Common Room; Dumbledore’s Office; the potions room; the ministry of magic’s fireplaces and many, many more
  • A green screen broom experience
  • A wand waving experience

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What fascinated the husband and I the most was all the cgi and visual section. They explain how so many of the iconic Harry Potter scenes are filmed and it was mind blowing to hear what work goes in to creating all the special effects around certain scenes. So many secrets were revealed!

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We then went through to Platform 9 ¾. Little I was absolutely thrilled by the Hogwarts Express. She kept pointing and shouting ‘CHOO CHOO’ and then laughed her little head off every time steam came off it. Unfortunately, she wasn’t so keen on getting her photo taken in the carriage set up though. We got moved on pretty quickly by the staff and it was a shame as we find it hard to get photos of the three of us out and about. Never mind, we did get a good photo of Little I and I going through the wall to Platform 9 ¾ though.

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The Backlot Café is situated between the two studios and provides the perfect opportunity to have a pitstop. We had a ham and cheese pretzel, a hot dog and a kids mac and cheese to share. The queues weren’t too long and the staff were pretty friendly. I can’t believe we forgot to try the Butterbeer. Little I was having a rather bad tantrum on the way out so we forgot to go back and get some on our way out.

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In between the two studios, there is an outside area, called the Backlot, with plenty of photo opportunities. There’s the Knight Bus, Privett Drive, the Hogwarts Bridge, cottage and the Weasley’s car. We took advantage of all of them except the car. The queue was too long and Little I had had enough.

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We then walked through to K studio where we saw:

  • Creature effects – Little I was fascinated by all the masks and robotic animals
  • The Art department – I loved looking at all the drawings and hearing about how every single wand box was hand inscribed
  • The model room – there were numerous models to look at on your way through to the big one…

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The enormous scale model of Hogawarts school was breathtaking. The detail was unbelievable and you had the chance to see it from every angle because you walk in from the top and walk down and round it. A wow moment indeed.

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It was so much fun to walk down Diagon Alley and look through all the shop windows. It felt really magical. The only problem was it was really busy so the photo opps were slightly ruined by all those lovely people trying to do the same thing we were! There was one man whose selfie stick almost hit me in the face twice. The husband thought it was hilarious.

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You know how gift shops are usually…well…a bit tacky and full of things you really don’t want to buy but end up buying anyway? This isn’t the case with the Harry Potter gift shop. I genuinely wanted to buy half of what was in there (especially a wand and cape) and it all looked like it was good quality stuff. Sure it’s a bit pricey, but that’s what you get for buying on site. We got Little I an owl puppet that turns it’s head and makes noises. She loves it!

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All in all, we had such a good day and have already recommended the experience to friends and family. I feel like I learnt a lot more than I was expecting to, and I was truly blown away by how much work goes into films like these. It’s really fascinating how it all comes together, from concept to big screen. There was so much to do and see and the whole experience is definitely worth the adult ticket price of £35. You can check out more information here and the full range of ticket prices here.

I honestly don’t think you even need to be an avid Harry Potter fan to enjoy the tour. You will learn so much about film making and the behind the scenes action, which is an incredible experience in itself.

Don’t forget to check out the vlog as well:

Thank you very much for having us Warner Brothers. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to watch all eight films back to back!

*We were invited to come review the Warner Brothers Harry Potter Studio Tour free of charge in return for an honest review

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thismamalife

Working mum to 2 👦🏼👧🏼
Wanderer/Military Wife 🌍
💌 sarah@thismamalife.com
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Kisses and cuddles with my faves 💖💫 Kisses and cuddles with my faves 💖💫
‘Each of us as citizens, has a role to play in c ‘Each of us as citizens, has a role to play in creating a better world for our children.’ - Nelson Mandela ❤️
It’s not enough though, is it? We’ve always h It’s not enough though, is it?

We’ve always had diverse toys in our house (not enough, but I’m working on it ❤️), but when questioned ‘why do you buy your kids Black dolls?’, I’ve faltered and answered incorrectly. I would respond saying ‘because that’s the doll Isla liked the best. What does it matter? We’re all human’, rather than questioning why that person is questioning it in the first place.

In a massive learning curve this week, where I am actively trying to become an anti-racist ally, not just anti-racist/non racist in general, I have found so many shortcomings in my effort to educate my kids and in my own attitudes towards race. But this isn’t about me. So here are some resources I’d like to share on top of the ones shared in my stories.

Some books to read:
Me and White Supremacy - Layla F. Saad.
Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race - Reni Eddo-Lodge.
How to argue with a racist - Adam Rutherford.
Brit(ish) - Afua Hirsch.
White Fragility - Robin Diangelo.
I Am Not Your Baby Mother - Candice Brathwaite.
So You Want to Talk About Race - Ijeoma Oluo.

Diverse kids books:
Anti Racist Baby - X. Kendi.
Riley Can Be Anything -Davina Hamilton.
Look Up - Nathan Bryon.
Mae Among The Stars - Roda Ahmed.
The Mega Magic Hair Swap - Rochelle Humes.
Let’s Talk About Race - Julius Lester.
Welcome To Our World - Moira Butterfield and Harriet Lynas.
This Book Is Antiracist - Tiffany Jewell.
The Extraordinary Gardener - Sam Boughton.
Let The Children March - Monica Clark-Robinson.
Ruby’s Worry - Tom Percival.
A Kids Book About Racism - Jelani Memory.

Some things to watch:
When They See Us.
13th.
Who Killed Malcom X.
Time: The Kalief Browder Story.
Explained: The Racial Wealth Gap.
Dear White People.
I am Not Your Negro.

My to do list:
- Sign more petitions.
- Donate to more causes.
- Listen to podcasts and share.
- Encourage changes in the school curriculum so that my children, and their classmates, get a better, much more rounded and diverse education.
- Call things out.
- Have honest/open conversations.
- Share content.
- To keep educating myself, whilst never expecting others to do it for me.

It’s just a starting point.

Thanks for listening x
Black Lives Matter. I can never pretend to unders Black Lives Matter.

I can never pretend to understand, but I will always stand.

I’ve been on a huge learning curve this week and have, shamefully, come to the realisation, which I should have a long time ago, that it’s not enough to just not be racist. We must also be actively anti-racist and do everything in our power to ensure our children are too.

Today is a day to stop, listen, support, educate ourselves, donate, sign petitions, take action in any way we can, big and small, to make sure that everyone knows we stand with our fellow humans, family and friends. But we can’t just do this today. We must do it each and every day going forward ✊🏿✊🏾✊🏽✊🏼✊🏻
And breathe! First day without both my babies for And breathe! First day without both my babies for the first time in 10 weeks today and it couldn’t have gone better. Both had wonderful days and were full of stories when they got home. I said over on stories last night, which got an incredible response so thank you to everyone who reached out, that I am completely comfortable with my choice to send the kids back to school and nursery but would never, ever judge anyone who felt different. We are all in different boats in this storm we’ve found ourselves in and what works for my family, might not work for yours. I have deliberately stayed out of the ‘are you sending your kids back or not?’ debate as it started to feel like another toxic discussion, in the media and on social media, that was resulting in yet another parenting divide.
I could have had the kids in this whole time, under key worker provision, but tried my best to hang on till the phased reopenings that I hoped would happen when they did. They were what I was aiming towards. Don’t get me wrong, I have LOVED having the kids at home together for such a sustained period, we have made lots of memories and learnt so much more about each other, but mixed in with the nature of my job and the fact that @thisdadalife is deployed and so I’m on my own with minimal support, I couldn’t have gone on much longer.
When I got in from dropping them off today, and as I went upstairs to work at my desk, I literally collapsed on the stairs and almost cried in relief. Relief that we made it through, as dramatic as that sounds. I don’t think I realised the toll it was taking mentally as I was constantly running on adrenaline.
I am so happy to get a bit more balance back and to, most importantly, feel like a better mum again. Not a snappy trying to juggle it all 24/7 with no break mum.
If you sent your kids back today, whether you wanted to or not, I’m with you and support you.
If you have kept them home in your bubble for longer, I’m with you and support you.
If you’re still unsure what to do and are undecided, I am with you and support you.
Nobody knows the full extent of someone else’s circumstances and we have to stop and realise that before we judge anyone else ❤️
Ibiza vibes in Puerto Gardeno today 😂☀️😅 Ibiza vibes in Puerto Gardeno today 😂☀️😅
This is the first year in YEARS that I have felt ok wearing a bikini. And I feel like it’s more down to how strong I feel, rather than how I look. Whatever it is, I hope it continues ❤️
On another note, how tanned does the @filterbymollymae fake tan make you look! 🙌🏻
(Both bikini and cover up are from last year).
#losingmyboobstho #youwinsomeyoulosesomehaha
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