november-2011

A new studio tour provides an
inside look at some of the most
famous sets in movie history
MUGGLES, REJOICE.
Opening on 31
March, the new
Warner Bros.
Studio Tour London – The
Making of Harry Potter is set
to take passionate Potterites
on to the sets of the most
successful film series of all time.
Covering more than
13,900m2 KIDS
, the walking tour
encompasses hundreds of
props, costumes, animatronics
and sets from all eight Harry
Potter films. Unlike The
Wizarding World of Harry
Potter theme park in Orlando,
the London attraction features
actual sets from the films,
so visitors get to experience
things exactly as the cast did
during filming.
It’s a quite extraordinary
glimpse behind the scenes, and
Thomas Cook Travel was lucky
enough to get a sneak peek at
the studio in Leavesden, near
Watford Junction, while it was
still under construction. It’s
Cars Land
DISNEY’S CALIFORNIA
ADVENTURE, CALIFORNIA
With new rides including the
headline attraction, Radiator
Springs Racers, Cars Land will
recreate the fictional town of
Radiator Springs from Pixar’s
two Cars movies. disneyland.
disney.go.com/disneyscalifornia-adventure
WORDS GINNY CUMMING. PHOTOGRAPHY ALLSTAR Wild about Harry
safe to say that Harry Potter
devotees – and indeed film
fans in general – are going to
love this place.
Two enormous sound
stages will house sets –
including Hogwarts’ Great Hall,
Dumbledore’s office and the
truly colossal Ministry of Magic
– and countless props such
as the Sorting Hat, Mad-Eye
Moody’s trunk and three blue
Ford Anglias. “They represent
some of the 15 cars we had to
make the movie,” explains
John Richardson, special
effects supervisor on all of
the Harry Potter movies. He is
just one of the many talented
artists and SFX wizards (ahem)
working on the tour after
spending more than a decade
on the films.
In the Weasley kitchen, a
self-washing frying pan and
a cauldron that stirs itself
are two of the props that
visitors can work themselves,
with just a wave of a hand or
Under the Sea: Journey of
The Little Mermaid
FANTASYLAND, WALT
DISNEY WORLD, ORLANDO,
FLORIDA
This lavish new ride based on
The Little Mermaid is part of
the largest expansion in Magic
Kingdom history that will nearly
double the size of Fantasyland.
disneyworld.disney.go.com
Uncover
the secrets
behind the boy
wizard’s magical
powers on
the fantastic
studio tour
a flick of a wand. There’s no
post-production CGI trickery
here, says Michael Finney
from Thinkwell, Warner Bros.’
creative partner in this studio
tour: “It’s amazing how many
of the effects in the films are
actually mechanical.” The
Creature Effects workshop
Despicable Me
UNIVERSAL ORLANDO
RESORT, FLORIDA
Based on 2010’s animated
blockbuster (pictured above
left), this fun family ride is
set to make Despicable Me
the first film from Universal
Pictures to be transformed
into a theme park experience.
universalorlando.com
Departures
features more mechanical
marvels, like Buckbeak the
Hippogriff, Aragog the giant
spider and Fawkes the phoenix
to name but a few.
There’s really only one word
for it: magic.
Tickets are on sale now at
wbstudiotour.co.uk.
TAKE A RIDE
Start planning your next family holiday to the USA. These
fun new rides and theme parks are all set to open in 2012
Transformers: The Ride–3D
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA
The most ambitious ride
ever created by Universal
Studios Hollywood will
feature sophisticated special
effects and one of the most
elaborate flight simulator
ride systems to date.
universalstudioshollywood.com
Thomas Cook Travel
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