Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden is an studio complex in Leavesden in

Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

, in the

East of England East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sunrise, Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact ...

. Formerly known as Leavesden Film Studios and still colloquially known as Leavesden Studios or simply Leavesden, it is a film and media complex owned by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

The studios were all converted from an aircraft factory and airfield called Leavesden Aerodrome, a centre of British aircraft production during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The nearest railway station is King's Langley which is a walking distance of . The studios contain approximately of flexible space which includes stage space, one of the largest filtered and heated stage-based water tanks in Europe, production office space, workshops and support buildings, along with an extensive

backlot A backlot is an area behind or adjoining a movie studio containing permanent exterior buildings for outdoor scenes in filmmaking or television productions, or space for temporary set construction. Uses Some movie studios build a wide variety of ...

which offers a 180-degree uninterrupted horizon, favourable for exterior sets. Following a £110 million refurbishment by Warner Bros., the studios are now one of the largest and most state-of-the-art filmmaking facilities in the world. Though the studios are owned by Warner Bros., all of the studio facilities are available to rent for any production. Since acquiring the site, Warner Bros. has opened a public attraction named Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of ''Harry Potter'', which receives over 6,000 visitors a day at peak times. The site maintains a secure studio space within the same complex.

History

Leavesden Aerodrome

Leavesden Aerodrome was an airfield created in 1940 by the de Havilland Aircraft Company and the

Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force and civil aviation that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the ...

in the village of Leavesden, between

and Abbots Langley, in

. Construction began in 1940 after the outbreak of World War II. The de Havilland company, who were based in nearby Hatfield, entered into a contract with the Air Ministry to produce what would become known as the

Mosquito Mosquitoes, the Culicidae, are a Family (biology), family of small Diptera, flies consisting of 3,600 species. The word ''mosquito'' (formed by ''Musca (fly), mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish and Portuguese for ''little fly''. Mos ...

fast bomber aircraft. Space for the large scale hangars needed to produce the huge number of aeroplanes required was not available at de Havilland's Hatfield Aerodrome, so the Ministry of Supply requisitioned this new site in Leavesden, which was an empty plot of land at the time from the Watford Corporation, and it was developed into the complex that it is today. The construction was enormously expensive so parts of the site were leased to the London Aircraft Production Group and The Second Aircraft Group. Under

Handley Page Handley Page Limited was a British aerospace manufacturer. Founded by Frederick Handley Page (later Sir Frederick) in 1909, it was the United Kingdom's first publicly traded aircraft manufacturing company. It went into voluntary liquidation a ...

, another

-based aeroplane manufacturer contracted to the Air Ministry, these groups produced the Handley Page Halifax heavy bomber. As a result, by the end of the war Leavesden Airfield was, by volume, the largest factory in the world. The two planes were both critical successes for Britain during the conflict. Due to the high priority placed on aircraft production, large numbers of workers were drafted with little experience or training in aircraft production, with over half the workforce eventually being female. As part of constructing the aircraft factory an airstrip was created, first so the planes could be tested and later to deliver the craft to their final destinations. The runway and control tower still remain to this day, even after two major renovations, in an effort to preserve the site's history. The runway is now the main road through the complex} and the tower is currently an observation lounge. After the war, the aerodrome was purchased outright by de Havilland, who themselves had a succession of owners in the following decades, including

Hawker Siddeley Hawker Siddeley was a group of British manufacturing companies engaged in list of aircraft manufacturers, aircraft production. Hawker Siddeley combined the legacies of several British aircraft manufacturers, emerging through a series of mergers ...

from 1959, but ultimately they and the site were acquired by

Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to: * Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct Automobiles * Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated in ...

who continued production and design of helicopter engines. Under Rolls-Royce ownership the RTM322 engine for the UK Apache, Merlin and NH90 helicopters was designed, developed and produced at Leavesden as a joint venture with Turbomeca of France. The airfield was also used by commercial small business aircraft as the field is close to both the M1 and M25 motorways. However, by the early 1990s, Britain's manufacturing industry was in decline and Rolls-Royce had sold their interests in the site and transferred all work to their Bristol facility. Unable to find a new owner, by 1994 Leavesden Aerodrome was left disused and all but abandoned. The following units were here at some point: * No. 122 Gliding School RAF * Coastal Command Communication Squadron RAF

Leavesden Studios

In 1994,

Eon Productions Eon Productions Limited is a British film production company that primarily produces the ''James Bond'' film series. The company is based in London's Piccadilly and also operates from Pinewood Studios in the UK. ''James Bond'' films Eon wa ...

' ''

James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...

'' film ''

GoldenEye ''GoldenEye'' is a 1995 spy film, the seventeenth in the List of James Bond films, ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions, and the first to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional Secret Intelligence Service, MI6 agent James Bond (lit ...

'' was to be the next film in the series. Pinewood Studios, their traditional home studio, was fully booked with other productions, not being prepared for the series' unexpected return (production had been delayed for several years due to legal issues between MGM and Eon Productions). Facing little time to find a space in which they could build the number of large scale sets required, the production discovered the unoccupied Leavesden. The wide, tall and open aircraft hangars were uniquely well suited to conversion into film stages. Eon leased the site for the duration of their shoot and went about gutting the factories, turning them into the stages, workshops and offices needed for a working

film studio A film studio (also known as movie studio or simply studio) is a major entertainment company that makes films. Today, studios are mostly financing and distribution entities. In addition, they may have their own studio facility or facilities; how ...

. This process is shown on the 2006 DVD's special features. Members of the production crew, impressed by the enormous size of the filmmaking complex they suddenly had to themselves, jokingly called Leavesden "''Cubbywood''" after Eon's long serving producer Albert R. 'Cubby' Broccoli. Leavesden Studios, as the site was rebranded by its owners, quickly became popular after filming of ''GoldenEye'' was completed. A succession of major feature films made use of the site; in 1997, the first of the ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...

'' prequels, ''

The Phantom Menace ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

'', and later

Tim Burton Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and producer. Known for popularizing Goth subculture, Goth culture in the American film industry, Burton is famous for his Gothic film, gothic horror and dark fantasy films. ...

's '' Sleepy Hollow''. By the year 2000,

Heyday Films Heyday Films Limited is a British film and television production company founded in 1997 by producer David Heyman. The company made its feature film debut with '' Ravenous'' (1999), and is most successful for producing the ''Harry Potter'' f ...

had acquired use of the site on behalf of

for what would be the first in a series of films, '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone''. Every one of the ''Harry Potter'' films was based at Leavesden Studios over the following ten years. While other productions—almost exclusively other Warner Bros. productions—made partial use of the studios, the site was mostly occupied by ''Harry Potter''s permanent standing sets. Indeed, some films, such as '' Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'' and ''

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...

'' actually made use of some of the ''Harry Potter'' sets since they were sufficiently appropriate for their Victorian setting and tone. During this time, however, it was noted that there were some ways in which the site's facilities might be improved. None of the stages were adequately soundproofed and the WW2 era ceilings had a tendency to leak during rainy weather. One of the more noticeable exterior sets constructed on the Leavesden

(outdoors) was a row of ten houses (five per side) along a street, which was created for the ''Harry Potter'' series to represent Privet Drive. On 21 March 2010, there was a fire on one of the Hogwarts sets during filming of ''

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 Harry may refer to: Television * ''Harry'' (American TV series), 1987 comedy series starring Alan Arkin * ''Harry'' (British TV series), 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons * ''Harry'' (New Zealand TV series), 2013 crime drama starring Oscar K ...

'' at Leavesden Studios. Not much of the set was badly damaged. In 2010, as the final ''Harry Potter'' film was nearing completion, Warner Bros. announced their intention to purchase the studio as a permanent European base, the first studio to do so since

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

in the 1940s.

Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden

By November 2010, Warner Bros. completed its purchase of Leavesden Studios and announced plans to invest more than £100 million into the site they had occupied for over ten years, rebranding it Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden. The studios make Warner Bros. the only Hollywood film studio with a permanent base in the United Kingdom. Much of the redevelopment involved converting stages A to H into

sound stage A sound stage (also written soundstage) is a large, soundproof structure, building or room with large doors and high ceilings, used for the production of theatrical film-making and television productions, usually located on a secured movie or te ...

s and equipping all the facilities with the latest fittings a production might require. The refurbished stages were conversions of the original buildings and the runway and control tower from the site's days as an aerodrome remain intact as well as all of the buildings' original structures. The full scale refurbishment and renovation of the production facilities were completed and the studios reopened to film and television work in 2012. As part of this redevelopment Warner Bros. also created two entirely new soundstages, J & K, to house a permanent public exhibition named the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of ''Harry Potter'', creating 300 new jobs in the local area. Currently the whole attraction is dedicated to the making of ''Harry Potter'' and is now home to many of the series' sets, props and costumes. It was opened to the public in early 2012. The first film to start shooting at the newly refurbished studios was '' Edge of Tomorrow''. Though the studios are privately owned, the shooting spaces are available to rent for any production. On 30 June 2014, Warner Bros. announced the expansion of the studio, building three new state-of-the-art stages and adding a further of office space. The announcements were made after a reception celebrating the Creative Industries, hosted by

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

David Cameron David William Donald Cameron, Baron Cameron of Chipping Norton (born 9 October 1966) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016. Until 2015, he led the first coalition government in the UK s ...

, and attended by WB's CEO Kevin Tsujihara and WB UK's MD Josh Berger. Leavesden's trio of new sound-stages consist of one building and two buildings, along with of adjacent office space which were completed by the end of 2014. On the same day the filming of live-action '' The Legend of Tarzan'' got underway at the studio. Following the refurbishments, the studios are now one of the largest and most state-of-the-art secure filmmaking facilities in the world.

Royal opening

Almost twenty years after the complex was converted from aerodrome to film studios—and over a year since the completion of work on the newly refurbished studios—the site was officially opened by the

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

and Duchess of Cambridge on 26 April 2013. On their visit, they were accompanied by the Duke's brother Prince Harry and J. K. Rowling (who had been unable to attend the tour's grand opening the year before), amongst other guests. Several hundred beneficiaries of supported charities were given invitations to the Studio Tour on the day of the visit. The royal entourage visited both the tour and the studios, viewing the props and costumes from

Christopher Nolan Sir Christopher Edward Nolan (born 30 July 1970) is a British and American filmmaker. Known for his Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Blockbuster (entertainment), blockbusters with complex storytelling, he is considered a leading filmma ...

's ''Batman'' films, before conducting the site's

inauguration In government and politics, inauguration is the process of swearing a person into office and thus making that person the incumbent. Such an inauguration commonly occurs through a formal ceremony or special event, which may also include an inau ...

2019 fire

On 10 July 2019, a fire broke out in one of the studio's sets, and would take responders 15 hours to extinguish. A set for the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

television series '' Avenue 5'' was damaged in the fire.

Productions

Films that made use of the facilities include:

1990s

*''

'' (1995) *'' Mortal Kombat Annihilation'' (1997) *'' An Ideal Husband'' (1999) *'' Onegin'' (1999) *'' Sleepy Hollow'' (1999) *'' Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace'' (1999)

2000s

*'' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' (2001) *'' Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets'' (2002) *'' Die Another Day'' (2002) *'' Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'' (2004) *''

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire ''Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'' is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling. It is the fourth novel in the ''Harry Potter'' series. It follows Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, a wizard in his fourth year at Hogwar ...

'' (2005) *'' Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'' (2007) *'' Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'' (2007) *''

The Dark Knight ''The Dark Knight'' is a 2008 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, from a screenplay co-written with his brother Jonathan. Based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, it is the sequel to ''Batman Begins'' (2005), and the second inst ...

'' (2008) *''

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'' is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling. It is the sixth and penultimate novel in the ''Harry Potter'' series, and takes place during Harry Potter's sixth year at the wizard scho ...

'' (2009) *''

'' (2009)

2010s

*''

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1'' is a 2010 fantasy film directed by David Yates from a screenplay by Steve Kloves. The film is the first of two cinematic parts based on the 2007 novel ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallo ...

'' (2010) *'' Inception'' (2010) *''

'' (2011) *'' Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows'' (2011) *'' The Invisible Woman'' (2013) *'' Edge of Tomorrow'' (2014) *'' Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit'' (2014) *''

Paddington Paddington is an area in the City of Westminster, in central London, England. A medieval parish then a metropolitan borough of the County of London, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Paddington station, designed b ...

'' (2014) *'' 300: Rise of an Empire'' (2014) *'' In the Heart of the Sea'' (2015) *'' Jupiter Ascending'' (2015) *'' Kingsman: The Secret Service'' (2015) *'' The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' (2015) *'' Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation'' (2015) *'' Pan'' (2015) *'' Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'' (2016) *'' Jason Bourne'' (2016) *'' The Legend of Tarzan'' (2016) *'' Alien: Covenant'' (2017) *'' The Current War'' (2017) *'' Darkest Hour'' (2017) *''

Justice League The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived the ...

'' (2017) *'' King Arthur: Legend of the Sword'' (2017) *'' Kingsman: The Golden Circle'' (2017) *'' The Mummy'' (2017) *'' Paddington 2'' (2017) *''

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''All Star Comics'' Introducing Wonder Woman, #8, published October 21, 1941, with her first feature in ''Sensation Comic ...

'' (2017) *''

Bohemian Rhapsody "Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the British rock music, rock band Queen (band), Queen, released as the lead single from their fourth studio album, ''A Night at the Opera (Queen album), A Night at the Opera'' (1975). Written by Queen's lead si ...

'' (2018) *'' Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald'' (2018) *'' Hunter Killer'' (2018) *'' Mission: Impossible – Fallout'' (2018) *'' Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle'' (2018) *''

Overlord An overlord in the English feudal system was a lord of a manor who had subinfeudated a particular manor, estate or fee, to a tenant. The tenant thenceforth owed to the overlord one of a variety of services, usually military service or ...

'' (2018) *'' Ready Player One'' (2018) *''

Tomb Raider ''Tomb Raider'', known as ''Lara Croft: Tomb Raider'' from 2001 to 2008, is a media franchise that originated with an Action-adventure game, action-adventure video game series created by British video game developer Core Design. The franchise i ...

'' (2018) *''

Cats The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the ...

'' (2019) *'' Detective Pikachu'' (2019) *'' Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw'' (2019) *'' The Kid Who Would Be King'' (2019) *'' Men in Black: International'' (2019) *'' Spider-Man: Far From Home'' (2019)

2020s

*'' Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga'' (2020) *'' The Witches'' (2020) *'' Wonder Woman 1984'' (2020) *'' Tom & Jerry'' (2021) *''

Zack Snyder's Justice League ''Zack Snyder's Justice League'' (colloquially referred to as the ''Snyder Cut'') is the 2021 director's cut of the 2017 American superhero film ''Justice League'', the fifth film set within the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), which is based ...

'' (2021) *'' F9'' (2021) *'' Venom: Let There Be Carnage'' (2021) *'' Last Night in Soho'' (2021) *'' The 355'' (2022) *'' The Batman'' (2022) *'' Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore'' (2022) *'' Fast X'' (2023) *''

The Flash The Flash is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date, cover-dated Jan ...

'' (2023) *'' Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One'' (2023) *''

Barbie Barbie is a fashion doll created by American businesswoman Ruth Handler, manufactured by American toy and entertainment company Mattel and introduced on March 9, 1959. The toy was based on the German Bild Lilli doll, Bild Lilli doll which Hand ...

'' (2023) *'' Meg 2: The Trench'' (2023) *'' Wonka'' (2023) *'' Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom'' (2023) *'' Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire'' (2024) *'' A Quiet Place: Day One'' (2024) *'' Beetlejuice Beetlejuice'' (2024) *'' Apartment 7A'' (2024) *'' Venom: The Last Dance'' (2024) *'' Blitz'' (2024) *'' Wicked'' (2024) *'' Kraven the Hunter'' (2024) *'' The Gorge'' (2025) *'' Mickey 17'' (2025) *''

Fountain of Youth The Fountain of Youth is a mythical Spring (hydrology), spring which supposedly restores the youth of anyone who drinks or bathes in its waters. Tales of such a fountain have been recounted around the world for thousands of years, appearing in t ...

'' (2025) *'' Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning'' (2025) *'' The Running Man'' (2025) *'' Wake Up Dead Man'' (2025) *''

Supergirl Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Supergirl (Kara Zor-El), Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. Th ...

'' (2026) *''

Clayface Clayface is an alias used by several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Most incarnations of the character possess clay-like bodies and shapeshifting abilities, and all of them are List of Batman family enemies ...

'' (2026) * Untitled J. J. Abrams film (TBA) Television shows that made use of the facilities include: *''

Longitude Longitude (, ) is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east- west position of a point on the surface of the Earth, or another celestial body. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees and denoted by the Greek lett ...

'' (2000) *'' Pennyworth'' (2019–22) *'' Avenue 5'' (2020–22) *'' The Sandman'' (Season 1) *'' House of the Dragon'' (2022–Present) *'' You'' ( Season 4) *'' The Regime'' (2024) *'' The Franchise'' (2024) *'' The Agency'' (2024) *''

Euphoria Euphoria ( ) is the experience (or affect) of pleasure or excitement and intense feelings of well-being and happiness. Certain natural rewards and social activities, such as aerobic exercise, laughter, listening to or making music and da ...

'' (Season 3) *Untitled ''

Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven Fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...

'' television series (TBA) The footage used for theme parks that made use of the facilities include: * Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (2010) * Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts (2014) *

Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure is a multiple-launch steel roller coaster located in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade section of Universal Islands of Adventure at Universal Orlando. Manufactured by Intamin, the ...

(2019) The studios have also been used for various music videos and television commercials, most notably support for the video for

Jamiroquai Jamiroquai ( ) are an English acid jazz and funk band from London. Formed in 1992, they are fronted by vocalist Jay Kay, and were prominent in the London-based funk and acid jazz movement of the 1990s. They built on their acid jazz sound in th ...

's " Deeper Underground".

Studio tour

Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of ''Harry Potter'' is a public attraction in Leavesden Hertfordshire,

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. It is a permanent behind-the-scenes exhibition of the ''Harry Potter'' films. The Studio Tour, opened to the public in early 2012. The grand opening event was attended by many of the ''Harry Potter'' film series cast and crew members. Each tour session typically lasting three and a half hours, the studio tour has the capacity to handle up to 8,000 visitors daily. Despite Warner Bros. being the studio behind ''Harry Potter'', the tour is not styled as a theme park, due to the fact that Warner Bros. sold the licence to do so to

Universal Studios Universal Studios may refer to: * Universal Studios, Inc., an American media and entertainment conglomerate ** Universal Pictures, an American film studio ** Universal Studios Lot, a film and television studio complex * Various theme parks operat ...

. Though the standard tour is self-guided, various guided tours are available at an additional cost.

Creation

As early as 2001, on the heels of the success of the first film, Warner Bros. planned to build an attraction dedicated to the series in place and so began storing items from the films when they were no longer being used. The tour's layout and overall presentation was designed by the

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

-based Thinkwell Group in close collaboration with Warner Bros. and the actual filmmakers, including

Production Designer In film and television, a production designer is the individual responsible for the overall aesthetic of the story. The production design gives the viewers a sense of the time period, the plot location, and character actions and feelings. Work ...

Stuart Craig, Set Dresser Stephenie McMillan, Creature Designer Nick Dudman and Special Effects Supervisor John Richardson. It only includes sets, props and costumes that were actually created for or used in the production of the ''Harry Potter'' film series. Sets like the Great Hall, Dumbledore's Office, Diagon Alley, the

Ministry of Magic The Ministry of Magic is the government of the British wizarding community in the fictional universe of ''Fictional universe of Harry Potter, Harry Potter'' for Britain and Ireland. It is led by an official called the Minister for Magic, and is ...

, Gryffindor Common Room and Boys' Dormitory, Hagrid's Hut and a 1:24 scale model of

Hogwarts Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry () is a fictional boarding school of magic for young wizards. It is the primary setting for the first six novels in the '' Harry Potter'' series by J. K. Rowling, and also serves as a major setti ...

Castle.

Studio model of Hogwarts at Leavesden Studios

Reception

Since opening in 2012, TripAdvisor has reported ''The Making of Harry Potter'' as the highest-rated attraction in the world every year since.

Expansions

Warner Bros. has continued to put on special features following a seasonal rotation, such as Dark Arts, Magical mischief and Hogwarts in the snow. Some installations like the Wand Choreography Interactive and the inside of the last No. 4 Privet Drive Exterior set have been so popular that they have remained after their respective features have closed. In January 2015, the attraction's first expansion was announced – a new '' Platform 9¾'' section, where visitors are able to board the original carriages behind the Hogwarts Express steam engine used in the films. The setup includes the locomotive GWR 4900 Class 5972 ''Olton Hall'' (dressed as 5972 ''Hogwarts Express'') and the

British Rail Mark 1 British Rail Mark 1 is the family designation for the first standardised designs of railway carriages built by British Railways (BR) from 1951 until 1974, now used only for charter services on the main lines or on preserved railways. Followin ...

train that appeared in the films, brought to life by John Richardson's special effects team. Finally a new green screen experience illustrates what working on the films is like from an actor's point of view. This section opened in late March 2015. The tour in Warner Bros. Studios Burbank has been renamed Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood (previously it was known as the ''Warner Bros. Studios VIP Tour''). Warner has altered the tour, offering more facilities and options to visitors. The latest expansion opening in Summer 2023 is the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo.

References

External links

*
Warner Bros. Studio Tour London website

Warner Bros. Official UK website

Warner Bros. Entertainment website

Time Warner Inc. Official website
{{Defunct airports in the United Kingdom 1994 establishments in England Buildings and structures completed in 1994 2010 mergers and acquisitions Defunct airports in England De Havilland Hawker Siddeley Rolls-Royce Airports in the East of England Warner Bros. Studios British film studios Buildings and structures in Three Rivers District