A Harry Potter fan of 20 years, I discovered this during a Prisoner of Azkaban anniversary visit to the London studios.

Who doesn’t know Harry Potter? Whether you’re a fan of the magical world imagined by JK Rowling or not, you’ve surely seen one of the 8 films in the franchise, or at least the spin-off, Fantastic Beasts.

In my case, I fell into the magic pot at the age of 11 when The Sorcerer’s Stone came out in theaters. I was the same age as Harry then, and like him I dreamed of entering Gryffindor, the school of the bravest, and fighting. He Whose Name May Not Be Spoken.

When we are one or one Potterhead, the Harry Potter studio located in Leavesden (1 hour from London) is a must see. Not only have they served as filming locations, but they also allow fans to expand their experience by discovering the actual series, flying broomsticks or tasting butter (try the ice cream, it’s delicious!).

In an effort to constantly update themselves, studios regularly offer new products by “opening” new parts to the public. This year, they offer guests the opportunity to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of the third part, “Prisoner of Azkaban”.

Thus, I was able to immerse myself again in the world of magic and discover the little secrets captured in the saga of my favorite movie. Proof that even when you’re a fan, there’s always something to discover about Harry Potter…

So put down your stick and follow the manual….

Expect patron!

In the third book/film, Harry and the students at Hogwarts face their fearsome adversaries, the inhuman beings who guard the wizarding prison, Azkaban. If you hope to get rid of it, there is one solution: think of a happy memory and cast the spell “Expecto Patronum”.

When Harry manages to escape from the enemy’s army (and not steam engines… Do you have?) Who attacks him and Sirius, revealing a Patronus in the form of a deer. A reference to his father, an unrevealed animagus, who took this form when he transformed into an animal (the famous Prongs from the Marauder map!).

To create this magical shape, director Alfonso Cuarón and his teams chose to equip a Scottish earhound with sensors and gallop through the forest. This breed of dog has the same size as deer and doe and, by definition, is more docile in training. So all they had to do was computer animate it.

Create a Magicobus

Imagine a three-decker bus. Written by JK Rowling, brought to life by Cuarón and his team. The decorators simply took an old London bus and added a third level. The ensemble was transferred to the capital of England, where the exterior scenes were shot.

But because the bus was dangerously swaying due to its height, they were forced to travel at a relatively low speed. As for the other cars around him on the plans, they should move even slower.

Everything sped up to create the illusion of speed (even though it was quite the opposite!). Finally, the scenes inside the Magicobus were filmed in the studios themselves.

And if you’re wondering how a double-decker bus managed to pass under the London Bridges, know that the teams had to remove the last level, the short crossing time…

Hagrid’s hut

When Alfonso Cuarón agrees to film Prisoner of Azkaban, he has only one idea in mind: to make the world as believable as possible (and blow the budget for the front part!). Even the smallest idea on his part can cause a real logistical headache.

We do know that the third film will involve an entire section surrounding Buck the Hippogriff. Therefore, many scenes were shot around Hagrid’s (Robbie Coltrane) hut. The director asked the teams to move the set (which had not changed between the first and second films) to a Scottish forest. More believable, it was said.

Divination room

511. This is the number of cups we see stacked in this photo. For this new exhibit, the Divination Room has been removed from the archives. Finally, almost all of the decor, from the tables to the bowls to the carpets, and others were redone identically by the same team.

An opportunity to understand that it was Emma Thompson who chose, together with the costume designer, the “weird” look of Professor Trelawny. This is what we call an involved actor.

Alan Rickman, that little prankster

If in the Harry Potter films, Alan Rickman, aka Severus Snape, terrorized millions of viewers (until he was rehabilitated in the last parts), the actor had a completely different face behind the scenes. In fact, it was more of a prank type.

Like in this scene where the students in Defense Against the Dark Arts class have to face off against Bogart. Lupine actually asks Neville to pretend to be the potions professor in his grandmother’s clothes. And the result is the funniest.

If Rickman agreed to cross-dress for the occasion, he surprised all the actors in the play with his outfit. This is their real reaction that we see on screen!

XXL Aunt

One of the best scenes in Harry Potter 3 is when Aunt Marge magically explodes (and deservedly so). Cuarón and his teams chose to use as little CGI as possible. To gain volume, the actress had to wear prosthetics under a latex suit, which was inflated.

Because the seams of her tweed suit weren’t stretchy enough, the teams created fewer than 38 dresses for her, which exploded one after the other. It’s not easy when you’re flying several meters off the ground using cables…

Practical information: The Harry Potter Studios is hosting a special ‘Return to Azkaban’ program from May 1st to September 4th.