It has been 20 years since Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban hit cinemas and in celebration of this milestone the Harry Potter Studios Tour in Leavesden has curated never before seen sets, props and costumes from the film for fans to enjoy. The special tour called Return to Azkaban is open between 1st May to 4th September 2024 with fans able to see the divination classroom set including Professor Trelawney with red drapes, circular tables and tea cups stacked high with audio proclaiming that Harry has the grim! The new sets also include Professor Lupin teaching in the Defence Against the Dark Arts Classroom with Neville Longbottom’s boggart Severus Snape dressed as his Grandmother. Also on offer is an updated Gryffindor boys bedroom that reenacts the iconic scene from the film where Harry, Ron, Seamus, Neville and Dean are tasting magical sweets and steam releases from Harry’s ears. My personal favourite set is the little Monster Book of Monsters that terrorises Harry at the Leaky Cauldron. The permanent sets are still there during these special features, which include Diagon Alley, Herbology Greenhouse, Privet Drive, Forbidden Forest and much more.
Review
Imagine this – the iconic golden doors that Harry first walks through open up before your very eyes to reveal rows of glowing candles hanging from the ceiling, the frog choir chant out their ominous song of wickedness and the world of Harry Potter is unveiled. This is exactly the first impression when visiting the Return to Azkaban feature.
I’ve visited the tour 4 times in total and at various stages of features. I visited when the tour first opened in 2012 and a lot has changed and expanded the sets, props and capabilities over time. I then visited in February 2020 just before lockdown closed all businesses and then again in 2023 for Hogwarts in Snow. My main critique for the tour is the lack of harmony between entering the great hall and then into a space that becomes very cramped and crowded as visitors are ushered quickly out of the hall for the next set of visitors to enter. I would like to spend more time in the hall and look at the details and costumes in more detail instead of rushing through. Secondly, crowding is a big issue around the studio, particularly in the main area where the common room, wigs, Dumbledore’s office are located. It is very difficult to navigate crowds and I think the sets need a 360 degree element where visitors can walk through the sets and around to elevate the strain of everyone trying to stand centre. The story of how the visitor should move around the space is unclear, with sets not linking to one another. For the Azkaban feature in particular, I was disappointed that the story of the film wasn’t at the centre and were more inserted into spaces where other sets or props have been removed from previous displays. I think there needed to be some visuals with scenes from the film or exploration of the plot to help place the sets and costumes to help immerse the visitor. I am aware that this is the ‘making of’ that demystifies the magic rather than the a theme park like Universal Studios, but I think many fans of the films and books want that magic and immersive quality while still learning about the behind-the-scenes.
A feature that I loved are the free passports and collecting the stamps around the tour, and these stamps and books do change when new sets are added – this time the Divination classroom was added with a stamp of the grim that is found in Harry’s teacup. The passports can be found at the start of the tour at customer service or dotted around inside by the stamp machines. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is my favourite film in the series and I was very excited to see some of the costumes up close such as Sirius Black, Professor Trelawney and Snape as a Boggart, which are the originals used in the film which gives a level of authenticity to the experience. The interactors gave explanations and demonstrations on how some of the props worked such as the Boggart wardrobe, which was a nice touch to see the sets brought to life. The majority of the new sets were located in the main hall after the great hall with visitors then walking through the Forbidden Forest and meeting Buckbeak that then leads through to the Hogwarts Express. But there is still lots to explore such as Aunt Marge blown up in Privet Drive, the exterior of the Knight Bus and pulling out the screaming mandrake from the soil in the Herbology Greenhouse.
Overall, I enjoyed the Return to Azkaban feature and finding the stamps. Aside from my critique of better use of space and narrative, it was a fun experience that offers an opportunity to spotlight specific films, sets, characters and the mechanics of how ‘magic’ was created. I loved the level of detail in Privet drive, Gringotts and the Hogwarts castle model. These are wow areas, but I did feel in places the space lacked atmosphere with subtle audio from the films playing overhead, I think I would have liked more hustle and bustle in Diagon Alley or Gringotts, where the visitor feels immersed. It almost felt that the main hall was the focus and the rest secondary. Everything felt almost static without much opportunity to interact. A feature I was impressed with was the Hogwarts Castle model – which is always spectacular – and the inclusion of dementors lining the walls closing in on the castle. The castle model is massive and takes up large space where visitors can walk around with a birds eye perspective and is an exciting note to finish the tour on. One element that is really nice as a returning visitor is seeing new displays and ones that I previously missed before when visiting. The studio tour is a must see for fans of the books and films with a plethora of photo opportunities, souvenirs and collections to indulge the senses in.
I’ve used one of Professor Trelawney’s crystal balls to predict that a return visit is definitely in my future!
Mischief Managed! See a highlight reel of the Return to Azkaban that I created below.
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Amy is a writer and reviewer and is currently writing and editing her debut fantasy novel that she hopes to pitch to literary agents and publishers shortly. For more content click here to read book reviews, short stories and updates on Amy’s writing journey.
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