Londoners were left bemused after spotting Harry Potter’s Aunt Marge suspended in mid-air by Tower Bridge. The hefty replica played on the comical scene in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, where Harry Potter unintentionally casts an inflating charm on his Aunt Marge, causing her to inflate like a balloon and float away.
Weighing a staggering 95kgs, with a circumference spanning 11.7m, the bulging Aunt Marge appeared to be hovering in front of the iconic landmark. Coming in at 6.5 metres high, it took 40m3 of air to inflate the colossal figure – enough to fill 140 standard party balloons.
The skilled recreation took a total of 264 hours by a dedicated team of 16 people, including expert designers, artists and seamstresses. A staggering 46 hours were spent during the initial design and sketch process. While a further 18 hours were spent painting her head and hair, with 32 hours on stitching and sewing her clothes.
Laura Sinclair-Lazell, head of show experience at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London, said: “Many fans are surprised to learn this popular scene wasn’t created using CGI in the films but in fact was created by our incredibly skilled filmmakers.”
During the original production of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the cast, camera and lighting departments, stunt players, make-up and special effects teams worked tirelessly together to create the magic that was the iconic floating departure of Aunt Marge from Privet Drive.
The costume department created 38 different tweed suits of varying sizes and shapes and there were four separate make-up stages as Aunt Marge got bigger.
Actress, Pam Ferris, also known for her role as Mrs Trunchbull in Matilda and played Harry’s grumbling aunt, spent over five hours in the make-up chair to prepare for the scene.
Her costume consisted of two bodysuits weighing 50 pounds each which were pumped by air tubes, paired with inflatable gloves and legs.
The actress and her body double were fitted with a flying harness suspended on two wire rigs that could lift, flip, and raise her with a separate rig to spin her around.
The special feature will be running from 1st May to 4th September and is included in the ticket price which must be prebooked in advance.
Laura Sinclair-Lazell added: “We’re thrilled that visitors can now come to the Studio Tour and learn more of the behind-the-scenes magic from the third film in the Harry Potter series.”
