Magical ‘Harry Potter’ scenery you didn’t see in the movies
There’s a brand new Harry Potter book you need to add to your collection immediately. No it’s not a story about Harry, Ron, and Hermione, it’s a little more behind-the-scenes than that. Harry Potter: Magical Places from the Films — Hogwarts, Diagon Alley and Beyond completely immerses us in their wizarding world. Like, completely. Have you ever wanted to stare at all the nooks and crannies of the Gryffindor Common Room? If the answer is “yes” (and the answer should always be “yes”) this is the book for you. By giving us a behind-the-scenes look at the locations from the films, we’re able to see how the designs jumped from J.K Rowling’s mind right onto the movie screen.
This book is a joint venture (once again) between the Harry Potter world, Warner Bros. and Harper Collins. Magical Places from the Films is brim full of everything from original sketches, to concept art, to blueprints of Hogwarts, to behind-the-scenes images of our favorite locations. Basically, it’s full of things we’d never be able to see in the movies without hitting pause a million times.
One location that still haunts our HP dreams has to be Dolores Umbridge’s perfectly pink office, right? Now we can get a peak as to how it was envisioned via the illustrated design, and then how it came came to be IRL (look at where they hid the overhead lights for filming!).
Umbridge’s office isn’t the only thing we can stare at all day. How about a look at 12 Gimmauld Place, former home of the Black family, future home of the Order of the Phoenix? We’ve got Sirius’ and his Slytherin brother, Regulus’s rooms, which Harry, Ron, and Hermione explored in-depth. Now we can do the same!
Oh what’s that? You also want to see the Black family tree, including the section where Sirius’ face has been burned off the wall? (It’s on the far right side, remember.)
For those who’d rather get a better look at Hogwarts, the book goes all the way back to the pre-construction sketches and blueprints of the castle.
J.K. Rowling actually drew the following image on a napkin, during a meeting with Stuart Craig (the production designer who worked on all the HP films).
What’s the final product for all of this? Oh you know, just simply some of the most beautiful locations we’ve ever seen brought to life. Tell me you don’t want to go to a giant party in the Great Hall.
So let’s try this, accio Magical Places from the Films! No? Didn’t work? OK, it was worth a try
Check out the book, here. It’s available now!
Images via Harper Design and here.
