Universal Orlando Resort has announced the return of holiday festivities in the park! There will be celebrations all over the park as well as The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We have visited to celebrate the holidays in the past, and both sections of the park are always beautifully decorated and it really feels like Winter in the wizarding world (despite the warmer Florida temperatures!)
The Holiday celebration begins on November 12 and runs daily through January 1, 2023.
The spectacularly themed lands of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter will transform into wizarding wonderlands for the Holidays, complete with festive décor throughout the iconic streets of Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley that includes themed decorations, garlands and lights. Guests can also enjoy special holiday-themed performances from the Frog Choir, comprised of Hogwarts students and their giant croaking frogs, in Hogsmeade and the wizarding world’s most popular singing sensation, Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees, in Diagon Alley.
And once night falls in Hogsmeade, guests can revel in a spectacular projection of holiday spirit and Christmas moments inspired by the beloved “Harry Potter” stories in “The Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle” at Universal’s Islands of Adventure.
We posted back in April that Professor Sprout’s Greenhouse would be opening at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London this July. Today we have some photos of Tom Felton checking out the new space – and some mandrakes! Professor Sprout’s greenhouse, the courtyard fountain and the exterior of the Weasleys’ Burrow will be permanent additions to Warner Bros. Studio Tour London. The Mandrakes and Magical Creatures feature will run from 1st July 2022 through 12th September 2022.
Today Tom Felton, who played Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potterfilm series, came face-to-face with a shrieking mandrake plant as he revealed Professor Sprout’s Greenhouse for the very first time. The new expansion opens atWarner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter on July 1st, and is part of a brand new feature titled ‘Mandrakes and Magical Creatures’.
Brand-new for 2022, Warner Bros. Studio Tour London is opening the glass doors of Professor Sprout’s greenhouse – a fan-favourite set from the Harry Potter film series, where students were taught their Herbology lessons with Professor Pomona Sprout. Built by the original Harry Potter filmmakers, the greenhouse is home to many exotic and magical plants. Just like a Hogwarts student, visitors to the Studio Tour will be able to step into the greenhouse and stop to pull out a potted Mandrake as part of an interactive display.
Just like his on-screen character, Draco Malfoy, Tom Felton held up a mandrake plant and heard its famous shrieking. He was able to experience the iconic greenhouse setting from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets for the first time since filming over 20 years ago. Felton looked up at the Venomous Tentacula hanging from the ceiling inside the greenhouse, as well as the dragon sculptures decorating the outside.
During filming, various techniques were used to achieve the movement of the magical plants. The sinuous grasping movement of the Tentacula’s tendrils was computer-generated, however, the movement of the Mandrakes was achieved using animatronic controllers hidden beneath the table.
The humanoid-looking mandrake plants may look scary, but they had a very important purpose in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. When the Chamber of Secrets was opened for a second time, many students ended up petrified by the Basilisk, a legendary giant reptile. Professor Sprout was given the task of growing her Mandrakes to full-size, so that they could be cut up and stewed for a Mandrake Restorative Draught.
The greenhouse is a permanent addition to the Studio Tour and will open as part of a brand-new feature, Mandrakes and Magical Creatures, which will open on 1st July and run until 12th September 2022. As part of the feature, visitors will be welcomed into the Great Hall to the Frog Choir scene as seen in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, featuring the costume of conductor of the choir, Professor Flitwick, as worn by Warwick Davis.
In addition to the exciting addition of Professor Sprout’s greenhouse, Warner Bros. Studio Tour London will be expanding the exterior sets in their backlot with new additions including the fountain from the Hogwarts courtyard and a 1:3 scale-version of the Weasleys’ Burrow.
Credit:Tom Felton unveils Professor Sprout’s greenhouse, part of the new Mandrakes and Magical Creatures feature opening at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London 1st July
You can also watch Tom give a tour of the new space on the WB Studio Tour Instagram!
Fans who follow James and Oliver Phelps on social media will know they have been filming a travel show (sometimes with special Potter guests!) together. Fantastic Friends is a 6-part series with each episode clocking in at 1 hour in length. Producer Daniel Sharp has shared that the show was picked up by a few stations including HBO Max!
James and Oliver Phelps enchanted audiences worldwide as mischievous but loveable twins Fred and George Weasley in the Harry Potter franchise. After ten years as part of one of the most iconic film casts in history, James and Oliver have continued to capture the world’s imagination, travelling the globe on magical adventures.
The show will begin airing on HBO Max in July (date TBD,) Bell Media’s Crave in Canada on June 17 and on TVNZ in New Zealand on August 6. The brothers are joined by Evanna Lynch, Bonnie Wright, Luke Youngblood, Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones), Sophie Skelton (Outlander) and Haley Joel Osment.
According to RapidTVNews, Dash Pictures is in production on a second six-part series of Fantastic Friends.
St Lucia Maisie Williams played Arya Stark in the epic fantasy drama Game of Thrones. In this episode, James and Oliver Phelps gate-crash Maisie’s relaxing holiday on the stunning Caribbean island of Saint Lucia; expect swimming and sailing challenges, stunning views, heroic hikes, plenty of rum, and a chocolate massage.
Iceland Bonnie Wright played Ginny Weasley in the Harry Potter movies and is now a writer, director and advocate for the environment. In this episode, James and Oliver Phelps track Bonnie down to the eco-haven of Iceland; hanging out with whales, exploring incredible caves, riding tiny horses, talking all-things Harry Potter, and trekking up an active volcano!
Dubai Luke Youngblood played Quiddich commentator Lee Jordan, the Weasley twins’ best friend in the Harry Potter movies. In this episode, James and Oliver Phelps magicked Luke to the desert oasis of Dubai; where they’ll play with jetpacks, go deep diving, reminisce about Harry Potter, race speedboats and play an epic round of golf – the loser gets the bill!
Poland Sophie Skelton plays Brianna MacKenzie in the hit fantasy series Outlander. In this episode, James and Oliver Phelps interrupt Sophie’s chilled weekend getaway to Krakow in Poland; taking her to the Tatra mountains in search of adventure, river rafting, treacherous treks and the chance to explore an active salt mine.
Austria Haley Joel Osment is an Oscar nominated acting superstar, known for his turns in The Sixth Sense, A.I. and Forrest Gump. In this episode, James and Oliver Phelps find Hayley visiting the Austrian town of Innsbruck; they lure him into the mountains to discuss child stardom and enjoy an exciting cocktail of ski-based challenges, bone-rattling bobsledding, beer and… witchcraft. Yes, witchcraft.
Ireland In the space of two weeks, Evanna Lynch went from being a Harry Potter superfan to lighting up the film’s cast as whimsical teen-witch Luna Lovegood. In this episode, James and Oliver Phelps catch a “private” flight to Ireland to catch up with writer-actor-activist Evanna; the twins join her father and the rest of the Lynch clan in the Irish countryside for hurling, dancing, discussion of the Harry Potter movies, and a date with the spirits.
To celebrate the launch of Nintendo Switch Sports, Matthew Lewis and Tom Felton faced off in a series of challenges. The duo juked it out in front of a crowd of onlookers, which saw the cinematic rivals go toe-to-toe, reminiscent of their past on screen fictional rivalry.
The duo juked it out in front of a crowd of onlookers, which saw the cinematic rivals go toe-to-toe, reminiscent of their past on screen fictional rivalry.
Onlookers witnessed Felton and Lewis compete in a ‘best of three’ across a variety of sports featured in Nintendo Switch Sports – the follow up game to Wii Sports, which allows players to use real-world movements to compete in six sports, including Football, Tennis, Bowling, Badminton, Volleyball and Chambara.
Tom Felton said: “We both know Potter fans love our fictional rivalry and so do myself and Longbottom (Matt). It’s always a pleasure to reunite, especially when we get to meet over some really fun games and (friendly) competition!”
Matthew Lewis said: “It’s been such great fun to reunite with Tom today and settle some old scores. I love that we still have a friendly rivalry between us, and it was great to play that out with a game of the new Nintendo Switch Sports here at Westfield today.”
Nintendo Switch Sports is available exclusively for Nintendo Switch at all major retailers and on My Nintendo Store on 29th April 2022.
In celebration of the release of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, WB Games and NetEase have announced that players in the Americas, Europe and Oceania Territories can pre-register to receive an exclusive in-game card pack for Harry Potter: Magic Awakened featuring Fantastic Beasts from the film. The game will be released on iOS and Android later this year.
Inspired by the infant Manticores introduced in “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore,” the in-game Baby Manticore Summon Card is equally menacing and quite formidable when grouped together. With their curled tails, jointed appendages and spiny heads, Baby Manticores somewhat resemble crustaceans, and just like their fully grown counterparts, they are both aggressive and carnivorous. Witches and wizards who are unfortunate enough to encounter a Baby Manticore in Harry Potter: Magic Awakened may quickly find themselves overwhelmed by an entire aggressive swarm.
The Niffler is a magical beast with a long snout and a coat of black, fluffy fur. It lives in burrows deep below ground and is attracted to shiny things, which makes it outstanding at locating treasure. Their affinity for shiny objects often gives them the reputation of being rather sneaky and mischievous – and they’ll have this same predilection for purloining precious objects in Harry Potter: Magic Awakened, helping witches and wizards restore their magic points by seeking out treasure in-game.
Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter has announced a brand new feature coming to the experience this Summer – Mandrakes and Magical Creatures. The herbology greenhouse is making it’s studio tour debut for fans to learn all about the magical creatures from Hogwarts Herbology classes. It will a permanent fixture for the tour beginning on July 1st.
Various magical creatures will be sprinkled throughout the tour and fans will learn how Thestrals and Mandrakes were brought to life. This Mandrakes and Magical Creatures feature will run from 1st July – 12th September 2022.
In addition to the Herbology greenhouse, the model of The Burrow will also be on display to show fans how the filmmakers did external shots of the Weasley home. Fans will also be able to enjoy the Frog Choir in the Great Hall.
The full press release with more details may be read below.
Brand-new for 2022, Warner Bros. Studio Tour London is opening the glass doors of Professor Sprout’s greenhouse for the very first time. The greenhouse is a fan-favourite set from the Harry Potter film series, where students were taught their Herbology lessons with Professor Pomona Sprout. Built by the original Harry Potter filmmakers, the greenhouse is home to many exotic and magical plants. Just like a Hogwarts student, visitors to the Studio Tour will be able to step into the greenhouse and stop to pull out a potted Mandrake as part of an interactive display.
Based on the scene in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, visitors will recognise the Venomous Tentacula hanging from the ceiling as they walk through the greenhouse. During filming, various techniques were used to achieve the movement of the magical plants. The sinuous grasping movement of the Tentacula’s tendrils was computer-generated however, the movement of the Mandrakes was achieved using animatronic controllers hidden beneath the table.
The greenhouse is a permanent addition to the Studio Tour and will open as part of a brand-new feature, Mandrakes and Magical Creatures, which will open on 1st July 2022. As part of the feature, visitors will be welcomed into the Great Hall to the Frog Choir scene as seen in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, featuring the costume of conductor of the choir, Professor Flitwick, as worn by Warwick Davis.
Keen-eyed fans should be on the lookout for their favourite magical creatures as they explore the Studio Tour, as Cornish Pixies, Dumbledore’s beloved Fawkes and the animatronic Monster Book of Monsters can be spotted during their visit. In addition, fans of filmmaking will learn how Thestrals and Mandrakes were brought to life using a mixture of scale models and CGI in the Creatures Workshop.
In addition to the exciting addition of Professor Sprout’s greenhouse, Warner Bros. Studio Tour London will be expanding the exterior sets in their backlot with new additions including the fountain from the Hogwarts courtyard and a 1:3 scale-version of the Weasleys’ Burrow.
The scale-model of The Burrow is an exciting addition to the Studio Tour’s backlot area as film-making fans will learn the camera trickery behind the external scenes of the family home, seen in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. During production, The Burrow took filmmakers 14 weeks to build but only six minutes to burn down in the iconic scene where the Death Eaters set the home ablaze.
Professor Sprout’s greenhouse, the courtyard fountain and the exterior of the Weasleys’ Burrow will be permanent additions to Warner Bros. Studio Tour London. The Mandrakes and Magical Creatures feature will run from 1st July – 12th September 2022.
