(London) “My only regret in life is not being born in the 1990s.”
Coming from an 11 year old child, the reflection makes you smile.
” For what ? “, we ask him, doubting the answer as we prepare to cross the aisle of giant magic wands leading to the “Warner Bros. Studio Tour London” – the studios in which almost all of the Harry Potter films were filmed.
“I wish I had been born before the publication of the first book! », he states in a tone of the obvious. Son would have liked to be among the first Potterheads – nickname for fans of the young wizard – to experience the anticipation accompanying the publication of each new novel in the saga and the release of each of the films.
PHOTO ARCHIVES REUTERS
At the time, young people – and not so young – lined up in front of bookstores at midnight, when the embargo was lifted, to discover the rest of the sorcerer’s adventures.
At the time, young people – and not so young – lined up in front of bookstores at midnight, when the embargo was lifted, to discover the rest of the sorcerer’s adventures, they explained to him, avoiding the “in my time…” so as not to appear (too) old.
Son devoured all seven volumes in just a few months. He was then 8 years old. This was the condition for then being able to watch the eight films… which he rewatched countless times.
Since then, he has dreamed of following in the footsteps of his hero with round glasses in London. The ultimate objective: visit the filming studios transformed into an interactive museum where you can immerse yourself in the sets, some real, others reconstructed, in addition to discovering the costumes and accessories from the film saga.
Every birthday, Son put aside all the money he collected, in addition to very often volunteering for household chores (for payment, of course). He also convinced the whole family and several neighbors to give him their empty cans and thus raise the money necessary to contribute to the expenses of the trip.
D-day
PHOTO CAROLINE TOUZIN, THE PRESS
This is the big day !
And the big day has arrived! It’s a Wednesday in October at Leavesden Studios, located about 30 miles northwest of London. Before us stand the immense hangars which house the Warner Bros. studios.
Doors open at 10 a.m. Already, many children dressed in Gryffindor capes – a few Ravenclaws and Slytherins too – are stamping their feet in the queue. No Hufflepuffs in sight.
Why does no one like Hufflepuff house?, we naively ask our young expert. “It’s not that we don’t love them. No hero from the series is associated with this house,” explains Fiston in a matter-of-fact tone to his mother.
In the queue, we hear French, German, Polish, in addition to English, of course. Not that we doubted the global – and lasting – success of the little wizard, but we have further proof of it.
We purchased tickets for the tour three months in advance. It is essential to get there early to obtain a morning visit time slot, even outside the tourist season.
Because although the visit theoretically takes three hours, we plan to spend the day there.
That morning, we took the first free shuttle (upon presentation of tickets) to take us from Watford Junction train station to the famous studios. Traveling from London to Watford Junction by train is simple and much more affordable than the charter bus option (which also leaves from the English capital). Decorated with the colors and graphics of the series, the shuttle is impossible to miss.
On our arrival, we collect an audio guide which will delight our young expert throughout his visit. It contains an impressive level of detail on the making of of the series, even for someone who knows “almost everything” about Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. “To make the wand shop, it took 17,000 hand-labeled boxes! », he exclaims, headphones screwed on his head.
“Did you know that thousands of feathers had to be inserted and cut by hand to make the Hippogriff Buck? »
MURRAY CLOSE 20D PHOTO, PROVIDED BY WARNER BROS.
Daniel Radcliffe in a scene from the film Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenixpublished in 2007. The Harry Potter interpreter alone broke 80 wands during the filming of the films in the series.
Or again: “The actors needed 3000 chopsticks. On his own, Daniel Radcliffe [l’interprète d’Harry] broke 80! »
Before pushing the heavy door that leads to the Hogwarts hall, we are treated to a short film in which the three big stars of the saga – Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint – tell us about the “giant family”, composed film crews, and sets which were “for 10 years [leur] House “.
“Ten years,” Fiston repeats to himself, projecting himself into a future that seems like an eternity to him. “The actors even went to school here,” he adds dreamily. We’re certainly not going to break the magic by pointing out that a math class in a film studio is still a math class.
Then, we go behind the scenes.