Magic! Diagon Alley Harry Potter film set will be covered in snow for the first time as part of the annual Warner Bros Studio Tour London Christmas makeover
- The annual Hogwarts in the Snow feature is returning to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London next month
- Diagon Alley was never seen covered in snow in any of the movies – so it’s a real treat for Potter fans
- The dining tables in the Great Hall will be dressed as they were for the festive feast in the Philosopher’s Stone
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This is sure to conjure up some festive spirit among Harry Potter fans.
The annual Hogwarts in the Snow feature – where sets from the movie franchise are given a wintry transformation – is returning to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London next month.
And for the first time ever, the cobbled stones and magical shop fronts of Diagon Alley will be given a festive makeover and draped in layers of filmmaking snow.
Wand-erful: Diagon Alley will be given a festive makeover and draped in layers of filmmaking snow using the same techniques applied for snowy scenes deployed for the movies
Spellbinding: The annual Hogwarts in the Snow feature – where sets from the movie franchise are given a wintry transformation – is returning to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London next month. Pictured is last year’s snowy Hogwarts castle model
During the filming of the movies, the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London says that many different types of ‘snow’ were used, each selected for its ‘ability to crunch underfoot, float like falling flakes or glisten in the light like ice, but never melt’.
The same techniques will be used by filmmakers to cover the magical shopping street this year.
The studio adds that although Diagon Alley was not seen in the snow, the same set was used for parts of Hogsmeade during the wintry scenes that see Harry make use of his invisibility cloak to join a school trip without permission.
A popular fan favourite at the attraction, the Hogwarts castle model, will also be transformed with a dusting of snow again this year.
The Gryffindor Common Room, pictured, will be decorated with original props, including handmade Christmas cards
In the Great Hall set, pictured, visitors will be ‘welcomed with wreaths, garlands and trees topped with witches on miniature broomsticks’
Hogwarts in the Snow will run from Saturday, November 14, 2020, until Sunday, January 17, 2021. Pictured is the Weasley kitchen dressed for Christmas
During filming, the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London explains that a member of the crew climbed aboard an elevated work platform and ‘sprinkled a mixture of granulated paper and grains of salt onto the model by hand with a sieve-like dusting sugar onto a cake’.
It says that the same process takes place at the Studio Tour every festive season.
As visitors step foot onto the original stone floor of the Great Hall set, they will be ‘welcomed with wreaths, garlands and trees topped with witches on miniature broomsticks’.
The long dining tables will be dressed as they were for the seasonal feast in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, ‘complete with special-effects flaming Christmas puddings and prop versions of the mouth-watering roast turkeys and hams studded with cherries’.
The Warner Bros. Studio Tour London says touchpoints throughout the attraction will undergo regular cleaning
In addition, Warner Bros. Studio Tour London says many more of the ‘iconic sets housed at the Studio Tour’ will receive a festive makeover.
The Gryffindor Common Room and Boys’ Dormitory will be decorated with original props including handmade Christmas cards, some of which were created by the cast members during production.
Fireplaces throughout the Studio Tour, including those in the Leaky Cauldron and Great Hall, will be ‘lit’ with special effects fire, created by John Richardson and the special effects team using a combination of water vapour and lighting effects.
Hogwarts in the Snow will run from Saturday, November 14, 2020, until Sunday, January 17, 2021. Tickets must be pre-booked, and all extra features are included in the ticket price.