Return to Azkaban at the Harry Potter Studio Tour

Fans of the Harry Potter film series will be thrilled to hear that the Return to Azkaban feature has now opened at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London, to celebrate the 20^th anniversary of the cinematic release of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

When entering the Studio Tour, visitors are being regaled by the Hogwarts Frog Choir, conducted by Professor Flitwick, under an enchanted ceiling of over 100 floating candles in the Great Hall.

For the first time ever, the Divination classroom set is now on display at the Studio Tour, as seen when Harry, Ron and Hermione attend their first lesson with Professor Trelawney, allowing fans to discover the details up close. When creating the Divination classroom, Set Decorator, Stephenie McMillan and Production Designer, Stuart Craig, were inspired by tea shops from India and the Middle East. The room is draped in rich red fabric and decorated with jewel-toned velvet pouffes, numerous patterned rugs and Arabian-style lanterns, creating a classroom in which eccentric Professor Trelawney would feel at home.

During filming, Set Decorators were tasked to visit markets, auctions and specialist dealers to source all the teacups needed for the classroom, including Harry’s Grim cup, made in the 19^th century in Japan, which is now on display at the Studio Tour. As seen on-screen, the set is home to the 28-layered teacup tower that holds over 500 vintage cups and saucers.

The Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom aesthetics changed with each teacher that occupied it; for Professor Lupin, inspiration came from collections of archaeological objects including skulls and creatures under glass domes. A new section of the set can now be seen at the Studio Tour featuring the handcrafted, Art-Nouveau-inspired Boggart wardrobe centrepiece, to recreate the fan-favourite moment where students learn to cast the Riddikulus spell.

Looking out of the windows of the Divination and Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom windows, visitors will notice intricate works of scenic art, a filmmaking technique used to bring the outside into a soundstage. Scenic Artists would take reference images of landscapes before hand-painting beautiful artworks of the Hogwarts grounds, based in the Scottish Highlands.

Visitors will also see The Monster Book of Monsters rampage in Harry’s bedroom at the Leaky Cauldron, complete with the original Tudor bed seen on-screen. Filmmakers originally hired the bed from a furniture company during production and were pleased to learn that it was still available 20 years later, bringing it to the Studio Tour for the Return to Azkaban feature.

In the wizarding world, the Knight Bus acts as transport for stranded witches and wizards. Brand new for the Return to Azkaban feature, a full cross-section of the bus interior is on display at the Studio Tour, complete with sliding beds and a swinging chandelier. During production, filmmakers created the Knight Bus’s frantic journey using some of cinema’s oldest techniques, shooting the bus travelling at normal speed while cars around it went at a snail’s pace. The footage was then sped up to create the appearance of the Knight Bus’s magically enhanced momentum.

Return to Azkaban is a special feature running from 1^st May – 4^th September and all new additions are included in the ticket price.