Well, it’s certainly not every day that you run into a hefty Hungarian Horntail dragon on your daily commute, is it? This morning, however, Londoners and tourists were left fairly flabbergasted when they came out of King’s Cross station and came face to face with a giant animatronic dragon. And whilst I’d usually say ‘only in London, hey?‘, it turns out that the colossal creature is actually making a fair few stops around the country as part of a UK tour.
Flying around the country to celebrate the recent arrival of the brand new Triwizard Tournament: Making of Champions feature at the Harry Potter studio tour; the humongous Hungarian Horntail is giving many muggles the chance to get up close and personal with the wildly impressive props and animatronics used in the making of the Goblet of Fire movie. Which happens to be celebrating its 20th birthday later this year. Yes, folks – we’re that old.
Plenty of Potterheads lined up outside King’s Cross to get a closer look at the creature. Weighing a whopping 1.3 tonnes, the recreation of the iconic cinematic dragon took a painstaking 750 hours to complete. And it boasts a moving head, mouth and eyes. Designed by Animatronic Designer, Joe Scott; 119 spikes were individually attached to the dragon’s head and tail, and 38 razor-sharp teeth were 3D printed in resin to make the replica as lifelike as possible.
The new Triwizard Tournament: Making of the Champions feature has just landed at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour, and will run until September 8, giving those who are potty for Potter the rare opportunity to discover how the much-loved fourth movie was brought to life. From how the dragons were created to how it was possible for Harry to hold his breath underwater; the new feature will give visitors a peek behind the curtain, letting them in on some never-before-told secrets.
Joe Scott, Harry Potter Filmmaker and Animatronic Designer, said: “Revisiting the creation of the Hungarian Horntail 20 years on from ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’ has been magical. Creating the dragons for the Triwizard Tournament was no mean feat, with Engineers, Animatronics, Designers and the Special Effects teams all working together to bring them to life. It’s fantastic to see the craftsmanship that went into this on display at the new feature – inspiring visitors with the magic of our filmmaking secrets.”
Book your tickets to the enchanting Harry Potter Warner Bros. Studio Tour here.