This week, twenty-three shipping crates containing elements of the highly anticipated Harry Potter: The Exhibition, arrived by ship in Sydney. Each massive shipping container holds the numerous props, costumes and creatures from the Harry Potter film series, as well as vignettes and immersive environments inspired by the actual film sets, such as Hagrid’s hut and the Great Hall.

“We are very excited to take custody of such a unique collection of film objects during the four-month stay in Australia.  We have several teams of museum staff working seven days a week to install the exhibition over the next three weeks, in time for its opening weekend on the 19th and 20th November,” said Dr. Dawn Casey, Director, Powerhouse Museum.

The 1,400-square-metre exhibition will feature objects from the entire Harry Potter film series.  A special selection of costumes and props from the series’ two-part finale, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows™ – Parts 1 and 2, will be on public display for the first time in Sydney.

The exhibition will be staged in a new 1,800-square-metre temporary exhibition gallery that has been developed as part of the Powerhouse Museum’s current revitalisation program to accommodate major touring and in-house exhibitions.

“This is the largest exhibition that the museum has ever staged. It is fitting that such a spectacular exhibition is the first to be displayed in this fantastic new gallery,” said Dr. Dawn Casey.

This is the first time Harry Potter: The Exhibition has travelled outside North America, following its debut in Chicago in April 2009 and its highly successful runs that followed in Boston, Toronto, Seattle and New York.

The exhibition opens in three weeks at the Powerhouse Museum for its exclusive Australian run from 19 November 2011 to 18 March 2012.

Due to expected high exhibit attendance, the Powerhouse Museum will open its doors earlier for Harry Potter: The Exhibition at 9.30am (opens 9am on weekends and during school holidays) and remain open later until 9pm on Friday and Saturday nights for the duration of the exhibition.

Tickets are available now with pre-allocated session times. Guests are encouraged to book prior to their arrival to avoid sold-out time slots.  Purchase tickets online at www.powerhousemuseum.com or www.ticketek.com.au

On view: Harry Potter: The Exhibition
Dates: 19 November 2011 – 18 March 2012
Address: Powerhouse Museum, 500 Harris Street Ultimo, Sydney
Telephone: (02) 9217 0111 or infoline (02) 9217 0444
Website: powerhousemuseum.com
Hours: 9.30am to 5pm (open 9am on weekends and during school holidays for Harry Potter: The Exhibition)
Admission:
Peak sessions
(All days between 19 November to 4 December;
From 5 December: Friday 5pm–9pm and all sessions on
Saturday, Sunday and NSW school holidays)
Families $95, Adults $32, Children (4 – 15 yrs.) $22, Student card holders, pensioner and concession $32, Groups $32, Schools $22 per person.
Members peak sessions: Families $71, Adult $24, Child $16.50

Off-peak sessions
(Mon-Fri 9.30am –5pm)
Families $79.50, Adults $28, Children (4 – 15 yrs) $19, Student card holders, pensioner and concession $25, Groups $23.50, Schools $19 per person
Members off-peak sessions: Families $60, Adult $21, Child $14.25

Pottermore has released the second part of their look at the making of the Hogwarts House Crests. It shows the process of making the Ravenclaw and Slytherin crests.

The Hufflepuff crest proved to be the most difficult creation for the team. There is a limited amount of detail about Hufflepuff house in Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone and they were aware that they needed to work a little harder to make the crest feel authentic and representative of the Hufflepuff nature. There was also the question of how to show the badger as a tenacious animal, to show Hufflepuffs as unafraid of hard work.

The art team tried out a number of different snakes for the Slytherin crest, as they wanted to ensure the one they used didn’t resemble a particular type of serpent (such as a boa or a cobra). The coil of the tail was another focal point as the artists wanted the snake to look natural, but not inactive. […] the team set to work designing a snake that looked like it had been created by a silversmith. They felt this brought the whole crest to life, especially when combined with the green ripples in the background, designed to accentuate the water element.

Some of the Pottermore Slytherin community have already noticed that theirs is the only animal looking to the left, while the other house crests have animals looking to the right. This was a decision that came about during the final stages of design, when the crests were all placed together.

Photo © to Pottermore

Harry Potter: The Quest has released another new video, this one is called Dumbledore and Harry: A Look Back. It takes a look at Harry Potter and Dumbledore’s relationship in the films. It contains interviews with Dan, Michael Gambon, Emma and David Heyman. Daniel Radcliffe talks about working with Richard Harris and Michael Gambon. The video also contains some new behind the scenes clips.

Voting has begun for Portrait Magazine‘s Top 30 Under 30 poll and the Harry Potter Cst is on the list! Currently they have 2% of the votes and are in 12th place. Let’s get them to number one because the person or group with the most votes will appear on the December cover!  I’m not sure who they are counting as the “Harry Potter Cast” but I assume it would at least be Dan, Emma, Rupert and Tom. I’ve asked for confirmation on who would be included, so if I get that information I’ll update the post. UPDATE:  Okay, the list includes: Daniel, Emma, Rupert, Tom, Matthew Lewis, Evanna Lynch, the Phelps Brothers, and Bonnie Wright.  There could also be others such as Katie Leung and Alfie Enoch but that will be decided at the end of voting.

The entire Top 30 will be featured in the issue. Voting lasts through November 23, and you can vote as often as you like. The FAQs for the voting may be read here.

Thanks to Portrait Magazine for the information!

Jason Isaac(Lucius Malfoy character) will be presenting at the ANWOL Annual Gala Event/Fundraiser on November 17th. A New Way of Life Reentry Project provides housing and support services to formerly incarcerated women in South Central Los Angeles, facilitating a successful transition back to community life. Since our founding in 1998, they have helped transform the lives of more than 600 women and their children. As a community advocate, A New Way Of Life works to restore the civil rights of people with criminal records to housing, employment, public benefits, and the right to vote.

Prices range from $150 for the “Starlet” Dinner Ticket to $20,000 for the “Star Catcher” Title Sponsor. You can buy tickets to the event here. This PDF file contains more information on the event and pricing for attending the event. Alternatively you may visit their website.

Thank you to GBK Productions for the email!

The first five Harry Potter films have made it on to Seventeen Magazine’s Top 17 Halloween movies (as one place). My personal favorites, not counting Potter, are Casper, Beetlejuice, Hocus Pocus, Monsters, Inc. and Charlie Brown, how about you guys?

• Harry Potter (movies 1-5)
• Casper
• Hocus Pocus
• Beetlejuice
• It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
• Monsters, Inc.
• The Witches
• The Goonies
• E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial
•  The Addams Family
• Ghost
• Edward Scissorhands
• The Nightmare Before Christmas
• Young Frankenstein
• Corpse Bride
• The Craft
• Ghost Busters

Some other Halloween-ish movies not on the list that I enjoy include: Halloweentown 1, 2 and 4, Teen Witch and Clue! What are your favorites?