[A special thanks to Nora who attended the event on behalf of the site!]  You may view a few photos from the day in the gallery, with more on the way later today!
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Walking into Harry Potter the Exhibition was like being transported back through time and into a magical world. The exhibition opens November 19 in the Powerhouse Museum Sydney, the first location to harbour it outside North America. Magical Menagerie was given the special opportunity to preview the exhibition two days early, with special guests James and Oliver Phelps who play Fred and George Weasley. They described the fun they had filming the Harry Potter series, reminiscing about the Halloween scenes where they got to enjoy real food and after 30 takes the actors were swearing off profiteroles. They also talked about the delicacy of the wands they had in the sets and how they’ve broken several wands on- and off-scenes.

Magical Menagerie asked the actors on upcoming projects and whether they plan to pursue their interests such as football and music. James Phelps said he wished he could be a football commentator, but for now he’s focusing on his acting and has lined up some jobs. Oliver is planning to go on a vacation before going back to work, and both boys are excited about pursuing their acting careers separately.

We also met Eddie Newquist, the Chief Creative Office of GES who described the complexity of putting together the exhibition. Robin Stapley, Exective Creative Director of GES, mentioned the hard work of selecting the different props to display in the Great Hall and then transporting the exhibition pieces in total of 23 containers to each sites. He then walked us through the exhibition and highlighted the details and intricacy of the pieces.

The exhibition shows you the different sets of Harry Potter movies, recreating some of the sets such as Harry and Ron’s bedroom and Hagrid’s Hut. The details that you get to see in the pieces are the main reason this exhibition is so worth seeing. We got to see up close the details on Buckbeak and Fawkes, the lovely creatures that appeared in the movies. There were numerous pieces that makes you appreciate how much thoughts J.K. Rowling must have put into the character. We saw the life-size painting of Professor Lockhart and all his narcissistic photographs and Professor Umbridge’s clothing and her kitten ceramic plates. It was also interesting to see how the different directors seem to influence the style of the uniforms worn by the different characters.

There aren’t really enough words to describe how magical the exhibition is. It really makes you relive the whole Harry Potter adventure, and you just have to be there to witness it. The enchanting series might be over, but it will forever live in our minds.

© Nora for Magical-Menagerie. Do not take text or photos without proper credit.