With Harry Potter movie spin-off Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them still some time off, I thought it would be nice to focus on some of the magical creatures from the Potterverse that were on display upstairs at the Warner Bros. Studios VIP Museum on July 29, 2014.
Petrified Hermione Granger waxwork from
2002's Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
One of my favourite pieces on display in the extensive exhibit of original
Harry Potter movie costumes and props was this life-like waxwork of a petrified
'Hermione Granger' from
'Madame Pomfrey's' infirmary, when the muggle-born witch had been frozen, and fortunately not killed, by looking at the
Basilisk from the
Chamber of Secrets in her mirror.
It was so cool to see this screen-used prop in person, but it was also a bit surreal being so close to this young version of
Emma Watson, as it's so realistic.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets movie poster
Meanwhile love him or hate him, you can't deny this model of
'Dobby' the house elf looks pretty lifelike too.
Dobby house elf model used in the production of
2007's Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix
This life-size prop was created by the make-up and creature effects department for
Daniel Radcliffe to rehearse his lines while looking at
Dobby for
Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix. For the film
Daniel Radcliffe had to act against a green tennis ball on a pole and the computer-generated creature was added later.
Aragog spider prop from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Another amazing find at the museum was this giant
'Aragog' spider prop from
Harry Potter's second cinematic installment from 2002. Initially thought to be the
Slytherin Monster (which was actually the basilisk), this
Acromantula was once a pet of
Hagrid's as a boy at
Hogwarts, and
Harry and
Ron first encounter the giant spider and his offspring in the
Forbidden Forest.
Again, one of the great things about this exhibition is being able to see these amazing creatures and props out from behind display cases.
Dementor maquette and prototype hand from
2004's Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
One of the coolest looking and deadliest creatures from the world of
Harry Potter were the terrifying guards of
Azkaban prison, the ghoulish
Dementors.
This painted
Dementor maquette and creepy looking forearm and hand were made by the makeup and creature effects department to help create the
CGI version seen in the movie when it enters
Harry's train compartment on the
Hogwart's Express.
Hatching magical creature prop from
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Meanwhile this other magical creature was also seen in the fourth movie installment, when
Hagrid is seen feeding the hatching creature when
Harry, Ron and
Hermione visit their friend's cottage to discuss a plan to save the hippogriff
Buckbeak.
Troll legs and club prop from
2001's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Yet another interesting discovery from the exhibit which helped you step behind-the-scenes and get glimpse of how all these creatures were brought to the big screen was this set of
Troll legs, complete with club prop from the very first
Harry Potter movie in 2001. In the movie a stuntman wore these over-sized
Troll legs to attack
Hermione in the girls' bathroom, with the final creature seen onscreen cleverly rendered by
CGI.
Gringotts Wizarding Bank goblin puppet featured in
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Another magical creature glimpsed in the first movie was this
Gringotts goblin puppet found in the
Wizarding Bank in
Diagon Alley when
Harry Potter and
Hagrid go there to get some money to buy school supplies. This is one of four goblin puppets seen writing in ledgers in the background.
Magical creature production maquettes and
The Monster Book of Monsters from the Harry Potter movies
And finally here's a collection of original production maquettes of some of the fantastical creatures that have featured in the
Harry Potter movies, including
Remus Lupin's Werewolf form, the hippogriff
Buckbeak, the
Basilisk and even the three-headed
'Fluffy' Cerberus guard dog from the first movie. Above these maquettes was also
The Monster book of Monsters textbook prop that caused the
Hogwarts students so much trouble in the
Prisoner of Azkaban film.
As you can see, so many wonders on display, and if you love all these be sure to check out even more
original movie costumes and props from Harry Potter.
It really is a must for fans of the movies based on
J. K. Rowling's best-selling books and if you get a chance you really should pop along to the fantastic museum in
Burbank, California, and while you're there take a look at the amazing
75th Anniversary Batman movie exhibit downstairs too.
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