Hogwarts Hits Hollywood: Our Ultimate Guide to Hidden 'Harry Potter' Easter Eggs at Universal Studios Land
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter has opened its Western outpost and the magical folks have gone to painstaking lengths to create an enchanting experience for Muggles. Universal Studios Hollywood in California recruited Alan Gilmore, a production designer from the Potter films, to recreate Hogwarts and its environs as well as the neighboring village of Hogsmeade.
“My job is to bring this to life, to turn the films into reality. We set out to create the most detailed renditions of film sets as a real place as possible,” says Gilmore. “Nobody got to walk around the film sets, but [now] you do — you get to walk inside and outside. Every detail is here.”
“We picked a few iconic scenes and places and built around that,” he tells Yahoo Movies. “We don’t see this as a place, but as a world. When you step across that threshold, you’re in Scotland.” To ensure the authenticity, Gilmore and his team used actual film props through the land, along with new pieces made from the original film molds and exacting, film-accurate replicas.
“We’ve dotted real props into the various rooms. They’re hidden little gems,” he says. “It is something that will be passed around by fans. It will become part of the whole folklore of the place.”
Follow along for an exclusive virtual tour of some of Gilmore’s “gems.”
