First look: The spellbinding Ministry of Magic set at the new Harry Potter Studio Tour Tokyo

The first stunning photos of the brand new Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo have been revealed, showcasing the attraction’s exclusive Ministry of Magic set.

While the Wizard’s Headquarters can’t be seen on the British Harry Potter studio tour in Watford (perhaps it’s under a giant cloak of invisibility), it looks set to be a spectacular highlight in Japan.

Images reveal the sheer size of the full set, one of the largest ever created for the Harry Potter films, measuring over 9,000 square feet, flanked by 30-foot walls, and featuring 30,000 tiles.

“Each tile would be painted six different colors before being varnished to give the impression of a ceramic tile,” the studio said. “It was a time-consuming process that took filmmakers 22 weeks.

Although the wizard HQ can’t be seen on the Harry Potter studio tour in London (perhaps it’s under a giant invisibility cloak), it looks set to be a spectacular highlight in Japan

From the Ministry to Hogwarts, Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo will also be home to the Great Hall, pictured above

“The set was so large that hundreds of extras were needed to play Ministry employees during scenes with large audiences.

“Many of the people you see on screen are crew members in costume.

‘With the design inspired by Victorian architecture, this set was so intricate to make that the hours it took to build one of this size and complexity would take a single person over 20 years non-stop to build. complete.

The set of the Great Hall, pictured above, is inspired by “traditional British architecture, with the cobbled floors, elongated windows and wood panelling, inspired by Christ Church College at the University of Oxford”

The Diagon Alley set will also be on display at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo in Japan, as pictured above

“Like a Ministry of Magic employee commuting to work via the Floo network, visitors can step into one of the huge fireplaces, each more than ten feet high. [three metres] tall and pose for photos and videos as smoke and light effects mimic the magical cloud of floo powder all around them.”

Fans will witness the wait staff dressed for her appearance in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One when Harry, Ron and Hermione assume the identities of wait staff to break in.

Said to be Daniel Radcliffe’s all-time favorite from his time filming the Harry Potter series, the set was made in the UK by original filmmakers before being carefully transported to Tokyo, where it will be opened to the public when the studio tour admits visitors for the first time on June 16.

The Great Hall set also appears during the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter, pictured above

The Diagon Alley set, pictured above as seen at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter

Fans of the Tokyo studio can also step onto Platform 9 and Three Quarters and experience the Hogwarts Express. Above is a photo of the set as seen during the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London

Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo becomes the largest indoor Harry Potter attraction in the world following the success of Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – the Making of Harry Potter, which started in 2012.

The new tour will feature other ‘exclusive’ sets also made in the UK by original filmmakers and transported to Tokyo.

For example, the attraction will be home to a set of Hogwarts Castle’s Great Hall. Of this set, the studio said: ‘Production designer Stuart Craig took influences from traditional British architecture, with the cobbled floors, elongated windows and wood panelling, inspired by Christ Church College at the University of Oxford.

Despite real-world influences, visitors will enjoy all kinds of magic that took place in the Great Hall, from the enchanted ceiling full of floating candles that was initially achieved with real flames before being replaced by visual effects, to the feasts being freshly cooked. for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, but then switched to cast resin models for the later films.’

A Diagon Alley set will also be featured in the Tokyo attraction and will include shops such as Gringotts Wizarding Bank and the Magical Menagerie.

Fans of the Tokyo studio can also hop onto Platform 9 and Three Quarters and experience the Hogwarts Express, which takes students to the school of witchcraft and wizardry in the Harry Potter world.

Torben Jensen, vice president and general manager of the Tokyo studio, said: “We are so excited to unveil our first exclusive set, the Ministry of Magic.

‘Warner Bros. Tokyo studio tour will be the only place in the world where fans can enter the full set, just as Harry, Ron and Hermione would have done.”

The image above shows what the Great Hall looked like in the Harry Potter movies