Harry Potter studio tour opens

LEAVESDEN, England — Just as magical as the Olympics for some is the new The Making of Harry Potter tour.

In the hangar-like Warner Bros. complex here, there are sets, costumes and props used in the boy-wizard movie. Visitors arrive by car or via train and shuttle bus from the Watford Junction station, a 15-minute ride from London. They troop through the Great Hall of Hogwarts school, examine models for beasts and villains and walk Diagon Alley with its wand shop. There’s video commentary from Daniel Radcliffe (Harry) and others involved in the films.

Ticket holders also view The Burrow, (the Weasleys’ home), where manipulat- ing a wand gets ironing or knitting done. In a Hogwarts classroom, a cauldron stirs itself. A stand sells Butterbeer, the stickysweet, cream-soda-like drink.

Unlike The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando, here the only ride is mounting a broomstick to be snapped against a backdrop, as if you were flying.

Photos are extra on top of the $44 adult, $33 child and $131 family-of-four admission. Timed tickets must be bought in advance at wbstudiotour.co.uk.

Will back-lot reality best Orlando pyrotechnics, where visitors get their chills via thrill rides? Wait a spell to see.

— Kitty Bean Yancey

By Dan Kitwood, Getty Images On the tour: See masks worn by actors who played goblins at Gringotts Bank in the Harry Potter films.